When it comes to attracting an Olympics or a mega convention, Tampa still lacks the infrastructure to play with the biggest boys.
But not for football.
Super Bowl XLIII underscored it again. Sure, the Roman-numeraled spectacle is America’s ultimate secular holiday. It’s a global event. It’s a media blitzkrieg. It’s a celebrity fest. It’s a massive spending spree.
But it’s still a football game. Which still means lots of guys.
The formula is pretty basic: a big game, non-Northern weather, plenty of bars and strip clubs, and a friendly, blue-collar welcome mat. Then add some more hotels and Channelside, which wasn’t around for previous SBs, and Ybor as perfect entertainment complements. And who knew that Tampa was now considered attractively “compact”?
Sure, we have those great Pinellas beaches, but most hardcore football fans don’t do beaches when they’re on a mission.
Of course, the Super Bowl will be back.
As for the American Medical Association and the American Bar Association conventions – likely not before the next Super Bowl.