The 2019, 2020, and 2021 Super Bowls Go To...

UPDATE: Super Bowl LIII (2019) goes to Atlanta, with Super Bowl LIV (2020) going to Miami, and Super Bowl V (2021) going to Los Angeles. Tampa appears next in-line for the 2022 game, but that depends on a 2018 or 2019 owners vote...and how many other teams may build new digs by then.

Three years ago, this blog pointed out that Florida cities were denied all bids for Super Bowls because not enough tax dollars went to stadium projects here to "earn" the "honor."

Since then, Shadow of the Stadium has tracked all the tax dollars that (needlessly) have continued to flow to the NFL, and the ensuing likelihood of the 2019 and 2020 Super Bowls going to Atlanta and Miami, respectively (even though the Dolphins suggested they wouldn't be able to land Super Bowls without the state money they never got). And, with the addition of a new billion-dollar LA stadium, Tampa's "turn" could get delayed another year.

But given the mixed economic analyses surrounding Super Bowls, losing out on the game may not be such a big "loss" for Tampa Bay.

FLASHBACK:

Save Your Energy, #TampaBay - the 2019 & 2020 Super Bowls are going to Atlanta, Miami: http://t.co/FSyQZoKT93

— Shadow of Stadium (@StadiumShadow) May 22, 2015

I agree with some of the claims from the good folks behind Tampa's bid, since Super Bowls do net "heads in beds" and lure tourists to town for a week in February. But it's also not all that hard to lure people to Tampa in February; so does the game really bring hundreds of millions of dollars to town? Of course not.

Never trust an economic impact report that makes a hundred-million dollar claim from a week-long event. And never trust elected officials who make crazy claims about those studies, either.

FLASHBACK:

STOP DANGLING PROMISES OF A SUPER BOWL OVER TAMPA! https://t.co/soQLKzWK58

— Noah Pransky - WTSP (@noahpransky) October 1, 2015

ALSO READ: New York Hosts a Much Better Super Bowl Than Tampa*

Super Bowls are publicly-supported events where the amount of tax dollars paying for them are anything but public. We learned in 2014 that the NFL's secret demands range from significant to outrageous, and cities like Tampa, who are perceived to be underdogs in the 2019/2020 bidding, are more likely to make even more ludicrous concessions in their attempts to land a game.

I'll update this post later on today when we find out which cities "win" the bids.

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