The media — local, regional, national and a smattering of international – gathered for the initial press conference of Super Bowl week. It was convened by the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, the liaison between the NFL and local efforts. It included Executive Director Reid Sigmon and Chairman Dick Beard, plus Tampa Bay Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer, Tampa Mayor Pam Iorio, Hillsborough County Commission Chairman Ken Hagan and Pinellas County Commission Chairman Calvin Harris.
The Committee’s agenda: Be welcoming and remind the media what an honor it is to host another Super Bowl, only the fourth city to do so four or more times. And how grateful and fortunate Tampa was for the worldwide exposure and impact that will surely ensue.
Mayor Iorio, in front of sports writers who can always use some local side-bar material, was accommodating and on her game. Sound bites, humor, and the underscoring of the changing face of Tampa, where “more cultural assets (enumerated) are going up” than any other city of comparable size. And crime was down, and the new History Center was up and visitor ready. And do try the streetcar – it’s free to the media.
And “If you go to Ybor City, be sure to come back.”
Cue the hearty laughter.
And did we tell you what an honor this is?
The media’s agenda:
1–Can we believe your economic-impact numbers? 2–Will Tampa be putting out a dragnet for the homeless to spruce up the area for out-of-town visitors? 3–Will this be a Recession Super Bowl?
Sigmon: 1–Yes. It’s not an exact science, of course, but “$300 million” is the figure the Committee is comfortable with. It’s synthesized and extrapolated from other recent Super Bowls. A projected influx of about 100,000 visitors to the Bay Area helps solidify that number.
Iorio: 2–“No. We would never move the homeless out of Tampa for any reason. It’s (homelessness) part of our failing as a society and as a country. But we would never target the homeless for any reason.”
Iorio: 3–“Government doesn’t party. (Cue more laughter.) We’re going to put on a first-class Super Bowl with a frugal approach. We’re as strapped as any local government. We’ve moved staff around to avoid overtime.”
Iorio also elaborated on Super Bowl XLIII’s recession context. Is it even in good taste to party on as jobs are lost and savings vanish?
“In good times and bad, we still need the pomp and circumstance of an Inaugural, the fireworks of the Fourth of July and the national holiday that the Super Bowl has become,” she said. “It means a lot to everyone, including our troops.
“When you think about it,” she added, “isn’t a Super Bowl a celebration of success through hard work? What could be more American than that? In bad times, you need this even more. And don’t forget the parties,” Iorio beamed. “The celebration of carbs!”