TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Despite Minor Aches, Cheer For Super Bowl

ADVERTISEMENT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: February 1, 2009

Let's be honest. Most of us won't have the opportunity, much less the money, to attend this evening's Super Bowl. And we weren't invited to the A-list parties and didn't encounter Bruce Springsteen or even Paris Hilton on the sidewalk.

So for many residents in a host city, a Super Bowl means only crowds, traffic and barricaded streets.

This can cause a certain grumpiness, apparent in letters to the editor and Internet postings, among some locals and cause them to question the value of the landing a spectacle that attracts 100,000 visitors. But if the Super Bowl presents some inconveniences, it also offers endless opportunities that deserve appreciation, if not celebration.
Cynics should talk to Maryann Ferenc, proprietor of Tampa's Mise en Place restaurant, who capitalized on those opportunities.

She won the game-day catering bid at the Super Bowl and in turn recruited six other restaurants to participate in "restaurant row."

They all are using local vendors for flower arrangements, paper and baked goods, carpentry work and other needs. This is spending that would not have occurred without the event.

"You have to approach things with an attitude of what's possible," she says. "Not just sit back and think the Super Bowl doesn't matter."

She also stresses the Super Bowl and related events are providing her staff and others in the service industry the chance to make extra money at parties and other events.

Jim Bartholomay, general manger of the Renaissance Hotel at International Plaza, says during these sluggish economic times, the Super Bowl is "giving everybody a shot in the arm."

And Ferenc, who sees the enterprise and innovation the Super Bowl inspires, adds, "The kind of energy this kind of event generates, especially during tough times, can stimulate a community long after the event."

While there is some debate about the economic impact of the Super Bowl - the NFL says it is $300 million to $400 million, which is surely inflated - there can be no doubt the game invigorates the local economy.

And there are benefits to a host city beyond the financial.

Mayor Pam Iorio points out that the National Football League plants more than 1,000 trees in the host city as part of its environmental program. The league gives $2.5 million in contracts to local minority-owned businesses and offers an "emerging business program" that Ferenc says, "really teaches people what they need to know to run a successful business"

The NFL is spending $1 million to expand two recreational facilities serving at-risk youth, one in Tampa, the other in the county. The facilities were built during the last Tampa Super Bowl in 2001. The Taste of the NFL, which was held last night at Tropicana Field, raises money to feed the needy.

And while the exclusive parties get a lot of attention, there are more than 100 Super Bowl-related events that are open to the public. Some are expensive, to be sure, but others are free.

Naysayers also should understand the public costs are modest.

Reid Sigmond, executive director of the Tampa Bay Super Bowl Host Committee, says of its $11 million budget, more than $7 million was privately raised. Virtually all the rest came from the tourist development tax, which is levied on hotel rooms.

The city and county do foot the bill for security costs, but there are even benefits from that burden.

Hillsborough Sheriff David Gee acknowledges preparation for the event is demanding, but says, "This forces multiple agencies to work together in a high-profile event where logistics are everything. If you can handle this, you are prepared to handle most anything."

Gee says the training and preparation for the Super Bowl helps highlight vulnerabilities, improve communications and bolsters emergency planning.

Tireless community activist Leonard Levy, who played a critical role in Tampa landing an NFL franchise and then four Super Bowls, points out after Tampa's first Super Bowl in 1984, the city began receiving far more inquiries about conventions and other events.

Soon the Tampa Convention Center, the Forum and the Florida Aquarium would be constructed downtown. Numerous major sporting events, including NCAA championship basketball tournaments in Tampa and St. Petersburg, would follow.

"That we have gotten so many events here," agrees Iorio, "is directly attributable to the Super Bowl."

There is no telling how many Super Bowl visitors have returned to the region for visits, conventions or even to start businesses.

And the value of the media exposure is incalculable.

Last year's game attracted 148 million viewers and was watched in 232 countries. As the Renaissance's Bartholomay says, "All eyes are on Tampa."

So go ahead, if you must, and be grumpy about the traffic, the crowds and the barricades.

But also appreciate that any inconvenience is far outweighed by the benefits of an event that helps a community build business, a national reputation and a can-do attitude.

Share this:

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT