Tampa Bay has hosted a Super Bowl in 1984, 1991, 2001, 2009 and 2021.
TAMPA, Fla. — The Tampa Bay area knows how to host a good party, but to do it correctly, you need the right team to organize the efforts.
That's where the Tampa Bay Sports Commission comes in with Executive Director Rob Higgins leading the charge.
"If they like us, they will leave us. If they love us, they'll come back," said Higgins, who has been in this role for close to 20 years.
It is safe to say the NFL loves Tampa. They have brought the Super Bowl to town five times. Only Miami (11), New Orleans (10) and Los Angeles (8) have done it more.
Higgins is not content with that number staying at five, though.
"We don't think about it weekly. We don't think about it daily. I would say it's definitely a thought that crosses our mind every hour, if not more," he said.
As Higgins told 10 Tampa Bay, the event is the crown jewel of sports business and economics. When his team calculated the media value from Super Bowl LV, he said it was north of $3.5 billion.
It is not just about hosting the big game, but also the Super Bowl experience which leads up to kickoff all week.
"No offense to any of our competitors, but they don't have (our) Riverwalk and the opportunity to program seven different parks and create a really unique and iconic fan festival," Higgins said.
Credit: AP
Super Bowl LV between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Sunday, Feb. 7, 2021, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip)
So the big question is:
When will Tampa host the Super Bowl again?
Well, Higgins can't answer that question. The league owners make that decision and the Super Bowl is already booked for the next three years.
"We are constantly having conversations with both the NFL as well as our friends at the Buccaneers," Higgins said.
Even though the city last hosted a Super Bowl in 2021, it certainly did not feel that way with all the COVID-19 restrictions in place due to the pandemic.
"It felt at times like we weren't getting our fifth Super Bowl. We felt like we were getting five Super Bowls and we were planning all these different contingency plans," Higgins said.
The exhaustive efforts did not go unnoticed by NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the time.
"Everybody knows the unique circ*mstances we faced this season," Goodell said at his 2021 "State of the League" press conference before Super Bowl LV. "(The owners) also know how extraordinary Tampa has been working through that. I think it will be a big consideration in their minds when they do sit down and vote (in the future)."
Even though Tampa did not earn the typical financial payoff from tourists, Higgins cites the importance of the $2 million contribution through the Forever 55 initiative. Money that had a significant impact during one of the most trying times in our community.
"What we ended up getting was the most meaningful Super Bowl we've ever had. You look at the timing of it, some people will say 'the timing of that was really tough.' No. The timing couldn't be better from our standpoint," Higgins said.
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While there are a lot of factors that need to be in place for hosting a Super Bowl, the most important is simpler than you think.
"The reason that we've been able to have, you know, the Super Bowl five times is because of the great partnerships in our community," Higgins said. "We don't ever talk about Team Tampa or Team St. Pete or Team Clearwater. We talk about Team Tampa Bay and the strength of the region is all of us together."
Goodell agreed with that sentiment in 2021.
"(Tampa) never wavered about moving forward with this game and they never looked forward and said 'we want to have a game in return.' Those are the kind of people that make this world special and I think the NFL will recognize that going forward," Higgins said.
There is a standard here. A Super Bowl mentality no matter the event.
It is why you hear this after hosting the NCAA Volleyball Tournament recently.
"I think Tampa should be hosting it every single year," Texas head coach Jerritt Elliott said.
It is why you hear this after hosting the Frozen Four last spring.
"I will make a plea that it be here every 3rd year. We'll let a couple of other people have it," Minnesota head coach Bob Motzko said.
It is why the Savannah Bananas made this city the first stop on their tour.
Ladies and gentlemen, the largest crowd in Tropicana Field history! Thank you to the over 48,000 @WWE fans who have packed the Trop for #RoyalRumble! #TeamTampaBay pic.twitter.com/NS8Qdr7w3a
— Rob Higgins (@RHiggins_TBSC) January 28, 2024
So while we wait for the Super Bowl to come back to town, whenever that is, the city and its leaders stay prepared.
"When you got everyone pouring in versus taking withdrawals, you got a situation where that's really special," Higgins said. "It's unique and it can do some really profound things continuing to position ourselves for great events here well into the future."
The party must go on.
