“We’ll be back, and it will be our turn next time.”
So said Sandy MacKinnon, chairman of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, after learning that this area had lost out to Glendale, Ariz. for Super Bowl XLIX in 2015. And he obviously spoke for more than himself. The committee was disappointed, but hardly deterred. This area has already hosted four Super Bowls, and there would be a fifth.
So, upper lips were stiff, eyes anywhere but downcast and the rhetoric hopeful in the wake of the news that Tampa Bay was a runner-up for the NFL’s annual grid gala. For the second year in a row.
But make no mistake, those charged with pitching Tampa for the 2015 Super Bowl were more than a little miffed that the 49th Super Bowl will not be played at Raymond James Stadium. But the moment called for the high rhetorical road.
So, the committee had to suck it up–and hope that it doesn’t get sucker-punched again. Because that’s what happened.
Some context. Bidding cities obviously need the basics, such as a first-class facility, sufficient hotels and workable logistics. It also helps to have ambience worthy of VIPs. Tampa has been well positioned to take advantage of such criteria. There’s also the formal presentation. Bells and whistles and community involvement matter. Tampa has excelled in presenting itself. Then there’s the track record of having delivered. Check. All four times.
Then there’s the agenda game. A city such as Tampa can be sacked by subplots.
The NFL has an unofficial rotation. To be sure, nobody gets it in consecutive years. Not even close. And weather is typically a factor.
And so is favoritism. To wit: The NFL loves it when a franchise gets a new stadium or makes a major renovation. Since these projects always involve public commitment, the NFL helps the local team make its case by promising to look favorably upon such franchise cities. As in, “Build it, and we just might come with one of our Super Bowls.” Why else would the 2014 Super Bowl be going to the new UNCOVERED MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J.? Outdoor football in New Jersey in February! It’s the price of polite extortion. And even though the fix was in, Tampa Bay came perilously close to winning it.
There is also the matter of contingency insurance. Suppose the awardee city has unanticipated problems and can’t fulfill its commitment? You need Plan B just in case. That’s been this area’s role the past two times. But New Jersey and Glendale held on.
The NFL actually requested that Tampa bid in case, well, common sense ultimately trumped the New Jersey choice or Glendale had reoccurring economic problems undermining its 2015 bid. The latter had been one of the bidders for the 2014 game–until it took itself out of the running. It cited an economy brutalized by the recession.
Perhaps we missed it. But was there a Glendale economic miracle this last year? Have they added a waterfront? They wanted back in and the NFL, having secured Tampa for insurance, acquiesced. Glendale now has Arizona’s third Super Bowl. The last one (2008) was the year before Tampa’s last one. So, a combination of rotation technicality and that miraculous economic recovery was Glendale’s winning combination.
The next four Super Bowls are scheduled for Indianapolis, New Orleans, New Jersey and now Glendale. After that? Thinking is that the 50th anniversary game in 2016 will be awarded to the city that hosted the first: Los Angeles. Perhaps Tampa Bay will be invited in as bid insurance.
And beyond 2016? San Francisco is looking to replace Candlestick Park and Miami is planning a major facelift for Dolphins Stadium. And anybody else up North who wants in seemingly need only indicate that they have stadium scenarios in mind.
Yes, Tampa Bay will likely see another Super Bowl. But, no, there’s no telling when that will be.