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Ready Or Not: Steelers, Cardinals Coming To Tampa

Photos from The Associated Press

Super Bowl XLIII pits the Arizona Cardinals against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Tampa on Feb. 1.

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By JOEY JOHNSTON | The Tampa Tribune

Published: January 19, 2009

TAMPA - Here come the Arizona Cardinals.

Here come the Pittsburgh Steelers.

"Now it's real," said Reid Sigmon, executive director of Tampa Bay's Super Bowl Host Committee.

It doesn't get more real than Super Bowl XLIII - the Cardinals versus the Steelers - on Feb. 1 at Raymond James Stadium.

Real - and really, really big.

Sigmon said the game should have an estimated economic impact of $300 million in the Tampa Bay area. More than 100,000 visitors are about to descend upon Ybor City, Channelside, the Pinellas County beaches and even Disney.

Last season's Super Bowl was the most-watched program in television history with 148.3 million viewers in the United States, plus broadcasts to 223 countries and territories in 30 languages.

So what does that mean for you?

Unless you are really, really connected, you'll be watching the game on NBC. Tickets, on the high end, are $1,000 (souvenir seat cushion included). When the Super Bowl first came to Tampa, 25 years ago, tickets were $60.

Tampa's first Super Bowl had bands from the University of Florida and Florida State University performing at halftime. This one features a mini-concert with Bruce Springsteen.

Even in a recession, the Super Bowl is the Super Bowl. So expect to see a fleet of limousines around town, private parties on nearly every corner and celebrity sightings.

"It's all just a bit over the top, isn't it?" said Mary Lemmons, taking an afternoon walk around her neighborhood, just down the street from the heavily barricaded stadium area. "What does the common person get - other than a lot more traffic?"

Yes, there will be traffic, lots and lots of it, particularly on game weekend. You probably will need lots and lots of patience.

But maybe it's worth the potential hassle, especially if you work at a hotel, a restaurant or the airport. For a week or so, the sagging economy should get a lift.

"I'm pretty pumped up about this," said Jason Lambert, a doorman at Grand Hyatt Tampa Bay, headquarters for the Cardinals. "It's one of those experiences you'll never forget."

Lambert said he has opened the door for a flock of celebrities - "Richard Gere, Paula Abdul, Michael Jordan, Reggie Jackson, you name it" - but he's looking for a crash course in Cardinal history.

Meanwhile, over at the InterContinental Tampa, headquarters of the Steelers, bartender Mario Carpenter won't have stars in his eyes.

"You treat them well, just like any of your customers," Carpenter said. "It didn't matter to me which team got here. I'm from Detroit home of the 0-16 Lions, so football isn't exactly on my mind these days.

"But that week, it should be about triple in tips of a normal week. So the Super Bowl coming to Tampa? We're all for it. Even if I somehow got a ticket, I'd rather work. The money is too good."

At Tampa International Airport, Delta Air Lines skycap Jaroslaw Kazimierczak provided his early Super Bowl scouting report.

"People from Arizona are good tippers."

Edward Minardi, a dispatcher for Yellow Cab, predicted victory - for the service industry.

"This is exactly what we need," he said. "These guys cab drivers have been struggling, with the gas prices skyrocketing, with people cutting back. In that way, the Super Bowl will be great for the area."

Sigmon said the Tampa Bay area will be showcased like never before - whether it's NBC, ESPN, CNN or NFL Network remotes with backdrops of the Bay, palm trees and the Tampa skyline - and that should mean something also.

"People in the area should be proud of what's happening," Sigmon said. "We have a history of being great hosts for this game, and that's why it's back for a fourth time.

"We've had all this time of planning. Now it accelerates. The teams are coming. Now it's the real deal. We're ready to execute the plan."

Super Bowl XVIII, Tampa's first, was considered a trend-setter in hospitality with its army of volunteers. Super Bowl XXV was played amid the Gulf War and Tampa drew raves for its adaptability to heavy security precautions, a jarring sight in the pre-9/11 world. Super Bowl XXXV brought the game to Raymond James Stadium for the first time.

Now the Super Bowl is returning to Tampa.

And it's still a really, really big deal. Bigger than ever, actually.

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