The site of this season’s Super Bowl doesn’t bode well for the quarterback who’s started more Super Bowl games than any other player.
After guiding the New England Patriots to a record nine Super Bowl appearances and six victories, Tom Brady bolted the Pats and signed as a free agent with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Super Bowl LV is slated for Feb. 7th, 2021 at Tampa Bay’s Raymond James Stadium, home to the Buccaneers. And there’s the rub.
No NFL team has ever played the Super Bowl in its own stadium. In other words, history suggests that this season, you’ve got a better chance of going to the Super Bowl than Brady.
This will be the fifth time that the Super Bowl has been held in Tampa Bay, and the third occasion in which it’s been contested at Raymond James Stadium. The first two Super Bowls in the city were played at Tampa Stadium.
Tampa was the site of the infamous wide right kick, Scott Norwood’s missed field goal on the final play of Super Bowl XXV. The New York Giants hung on to beat Norwood’s Buffalo Bills 20-19.
The Buccaneers have played in one Super Bowl. They routed the Oakland Raiders 48-21 in Super Bowl XXXVII on Jan. 26th, 2003.
Florida is the king state when it comes to holding Super Bowls. There have been 17 big games played in the Sunshine State, starting with Super Bowl II at Miami’s Orange Bowl.
Miami has played host to a record 11 Super Bowl games. Jacksonville was the host city for the 2005 Super Bowl.
Last year’s game was held at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium. This will be the third time that consecutive Super Bowls have been held in the state of Florida. Super Bowls II and III were both played in Miami. Super Bowl XLIII was played in Tampa Bay, with Super Bowl XLIV taking place at Miami.
Going On A Super Bowl Journey
One of the easiest methods of getting to the Super Bowl is through NFL On Location Experiences. As the official hospitality partner of the NFL, this company can certainly hook you up with an all-inclusive package to the big game.
Travel packages start at $8,280 and include a four-night hotel stay with a complimentary breakfast each day and concierge service, an upper level corner seat ticket to the game, round-trip transportation to the game on Super Bowl Sunday, and official Super Bowl LV souvenirs.
On game day, there’s access to a private pregame hospitality lounge just steps from the stadium. Fans can start their Super Bowl experience off in a secured area delivering such features as NFL legend appearances, live entertainment and premium food and beverage.
For those fans seeking the royal treatment, by increasing their package to $10,825, they can upgrade their tickets to mid corner seating, and hobnob with an NFL all-time great via an Evening With A Legend. On the Friday prior to the Super Bowl, this package includes a private meet and greet session with NFL Legend and an exclusive piece of signed memorabilia for each guest.
Tickets? Who Needs Tickets?
Perhaps you’ve already got a place to stay in the area with friends or family and are just looking to get your hands on Super Bowl tickets. NFL On Location Experiences is also an option here.
Ticket-only packages start at $5,000 for standard seats at the game, or you can go all-out and spend $13,500 to land four tickets in the Raymond James Stadium exclusive Hall of Fame Club.
Roadtrips, who bill themselves as the ultimate in sports travel, are another solution when seeking both Super Bowl tickets and Super Bowl travel packages.
Things To Do In Tampa
Super Bowl weekend is a celebration of football. Photo by: Dustin Williams (Public Domain).
The Super Bowl is more than a game. It’s a festival of football, a celebration of the gridiron game.
On Super Bowl weekend, the Saturday NFL Fan Experience is an interactive event, set up specifically for Super Bowl week. It celebrates the sport’s history and the one-of-a-kind atmosphere created by the Super Bowl. There’s interactive games, the NFL Play 60 Zone, autograph signings with past and present NFL players, historical Super Bowl displays and the NFL Shop. You can even check out the Vince Lombardi Trophy.
On game day, the Players Tailgate at the Super Bowl has earned the reputation as the best Super Bowl pre-game experience. Here, over 25 active NFL players, celebrities and guests eat, drink and get entertained before the big game.
The Tampa Riverwalk is a pedestrian corridor directly connected to many of the city’s popular tourist destinations, such as the Florida Aquarium and Busch Gardens. The Channel District is where you’ll find world-class dining and Amalie Arena, home to the NHL’s Tampa Bay Lightning.
It Wasn’t Always This Super
It’s sometimes hard to believe that the Super Bowl game was born of modest beginnings. The first AFL-NFL Championship Game, as the Super Bowl was originally called, wasn’t even a sellout. Just 61,946 fans situated themselves inside the 93,607-seat Los Angeles Coliseum to watch the Green Bay Packers dump the Kansas City Chiefs 35-10.
It remains the lone Super Bowl that didn’t draw a capacity crowd. The average cost of tickets to the game was $12.
As far as pre-planning, L.A. found out it would play host to the game just seven weeks in advance of the kickoff. The Jan. 16th, 1967 date for the first Super Bowl wasn’t even established until Dec. 13th, 1966.
