Tampa Bay officials make final plea for 2014 Super Bowl

Tampa Bay's Super Bowl contingent remained guardedly optimistic Tuesday about the chances of wresting the 2014 game away from a joint New York/New Jersey bid powered by the silent but firm support of NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell.

The league's 32 owners are expected to award the next available Super Bowl this afternoon, following presentations by the Bay area, New York and South Florida.

"Tampa has a lot to offer and our track record for hosting four Super Bowls is what keeps us in the game,'' Bucs co-chairman Joel Glazer said Tuesday morning. "Our warm weather is a distinguishing factor in this situation. We have a unique set of circumstances that our biggest competitor doesn't offer.''

The NFL waived its weather requirements to accept a bid that would place the 2014 Super Bowl in a new open-air stadium at the Meadowlands complex in East Rutherford, N.J., where the average high temperature in early February is 39 degrees, compared to a balmy 71 in Tampa.

"Super Bowls are specifically designed to be played in warm-weather climates,'' said Tampa Bay and Company CEO Paul Catoe, a member of the Bay area delegation. "Even a dome hinders the activities. I know some of the great games were played in inclement weather, but the Super Bowl has become one of the largest sporting events in the world -- it is more than just a football game. There are so many events surrounding the game, like the Super Bowl Experience, that should be held outside. Those events would be greatly hindered by bad weather conditions.''

Tampa Bay's four-minute video, narrated by Bradenton resident and noted broadcaster Dick Vitale, highlights the changing landscape of the Bay area. Bucs co-chairman Bryan Glazer will then be granted five minutes before his fellow owners to draw sharp distinctions between the competing bids.

South Florida is expected to be eliminated during the preliminary votes, leaving Tampa Bay or New York as the remaining choices for the 2014 game.

"I think it would be a very exciting thing to have the Super Bowl in New York,'' said Browns president Mike Holmgren. "Cold weather can make the game different, but I don't think it takes anything away from the football game.''