Evidently, the NFL has forgotten that there is anything Super about Tampa Bay.
The Bay area swung and missed three times Tuesday as the league named new Super Bowl cities from 2019-2021.
Although the Bay has generally hosted competitive games that were well-reviewed, the city was passed over three times. Atlanta, the host in 2019, has a new stadium. So will Los Angeles, which got the NFL back. Miami edged Tampa Bay despite the improvements for next season’s college national title game.
“Certainly, we knew we were a long shot in the process, with how competitive the finalist group was,” Rob Higgins, executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, told the Tampa Bay Times. “Anytime you have a chance to share your community story with some of the most influential people in the world like the NFL ownership group, you have to seize that opportunity. While we’re naturally disappointed in the decision, we remain undeterred in our pursuit of a fifth Super Bowl for our community.”
Tampa has had four Super Bowls in its history. The 1984 game and the 1991 one were at Tampa Stadium and 2001 and 2009 were at Raymond James Stadium.
Miami’s Super Bowl will be its 11th, while Los Angeles will have its eighth and Atlanta just its third. Next year’s Super Bowl will be in Houston, while the 2018 game will be in the Vikings’ new stadium in Minneapolis.
