Here is what we know for sure about the economics of Super Bowl XLIII: The face value of the highest-priced tickets is $1,000; the new turf at Raymond James Stadium cost $85,000; and strippers at the best gentlemen's clubs in Tampa will pay a "house fee" of $200 a night for the privilege of grinding on some high-rolling sports tourists.
Beyond that, however, there is only economic controversy.
Every time we host a Super Bowl, which is four times now, the debate rages about the real value of staging the Super-expensive game. This year, the Super Bowl Host Committee estimates a $300 million-$400 million economic impact. One study said last year's Super Bowl brought a $500 million impact to Phoenix. The 2007 Super Bowl brought $463 million to Miami, another study guesstimated.
Then there's the USF economist, Phil Porter, whose work tracking sales taxes before, during and after Super Bowls and other major sporting championships fails to bear out predictions of millions of extra dollars showing up.
So if we do experience an economic boom at all, it looks like it will be smaller than in previous years. Blame the economy; hoteliers report having rooms still available, and some fans from Phoenix are ditching their tickets because airfare is prohibitively expensive. Sports Illustrated and Playboy are among those canceling their annual parties before the game.
But if we don't know exactly how much we are gaining, we do know how much we are spending. The Super Bowl Host Committee will have raised $7 million from private sources, down from its initial goal of $8 million. Another $4 million of its budget is coming from state and local tourism-related taxes. The city of Tampa has already spent more than $646,000 toward its $1 million pledge to the NFL. The league is reimbursing the city another $311,5530 for police, fire-rescue and other services.
"There is an economic benefit to the area," said Santiago Corrado, the city of Tampa's government liaison to the Super Bowl. "You will have arguments on how much that is and what the impact is. But most of the people who are coming are coming from out of town. They are using our hotels, eating in our restaurants."
And don't forget the publicity.
"They keep talking about the road to Tampa, the road to Tampa," Corrado said of the run-up publicity on national television. "How do you put a price on that?"
This article appears in Jan 28 – Feb 3, 2009.