The buzz is building in Tampa for the College Football Playoff, and touring the city during a brief visit last month, I could see the pieces coming together.
After the first two events in Dallas and Phoenix, those attending in Tampa can expect to see a steady calendar of events in the city’s urban core, which is dotted with new hotels and open spaces. Those taking in the game over the Jan. 6-9 weekend will see most of the activity along the Tampa Riverwalk, the pedestrian path that stretches just over 2 miles along the Hillsborough River bordering the city’s downtown.
Along that route will be a mix of entertainment and themed activities like the Playoff Fan Central, as well as food and beverage options stretching all the way to the Channelside development and the Florida Aquarium. At its northernmost point will be Curtis Hixon Waterfront Park, where nine national musical acts will perform at the AT&T Playoff Playlist Live! concert series from Friday to Sunday. Near the Tampa Convention Center, a Championship Yacht Village will have spaces where 25 yacht owners can buy slips for the weekend at a cost of $15,000 to $30,000, with VIP access that includes game tickets and other perks. A few other new wrinkles include CFP Media Day on Saturday morning at Amalie Arena, the first time media day has been held at an arena, and Taste of the Championship on Sunday night at the aquarium.
Downtown Tampa has come a long way, and organizers and the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, led by Rob Higgins, have established a solid plan to keep attendees entertained in a pedestrian-friendly zone. As more and more cities with impressive new buildings contend for the major sports events, local leaders are pressured to provide attractive visions for event organizers — starting with a central, compact footprint that is walkable, easy to navigate, and close to hotels, restaurants and open spaces conducive to hosting large audiences. Spread-out locales that necessitate transportation are not ideal — event leaders want fans gathered together. This is clearly the goal of Tampa’s organizers for the CFP and we’ll see how it works.
Visitors will see little progress on Lightning owner Jeff Vinik’s ambitious $2 billion plan to redevelop Channelside, but the hope is that it will be more visible come spring.
Don’t overlook just how significant an event the CFP is for Tampa and its leaders, who are looking to show off a re-energized downtown with more hotels and entertainment options, with Raymond James Stadium a short drive away and the airport a convenient 8 miles from downtown. They admit they are eager to produce an event that impresses and puts them back in the mix for the Super Bowl, which they haven’t hosted since 2009.
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Chip Ganassi Racing President Steve Lauletta was my tour guide for all things Irish on game day.
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AT THE CROSSROADS: I took in my first game at Notre Dame Stadium late last month, a 30-27 Irish victory over the University of Miami Hurricanes. It was a beautiful fall day in South Bend, 70 degrees with the leaves turning. Getting a tour of campus from an alum, Chip Ganassi Racing President
Steve Lauletta (Class of 1986), along with his father,
Vito, and cousin,
Chris, I took in all the traditions — from the Knights of Columbus steak sandwich, to the Notre Dame Bagpipe Band, to the Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes and the Basilica of Sacred Heart, to checking out LaBar Practice Field and Fan Fest at Purcell Pavilion, leading up to the player walk at the North Tunnel Gates.
I also saw the latest progress on the $400 million Campus Crossroads renovation project, which will dramatically improve the fan experience. Fans this year saw new steel benches in the upper bowl and new stadium lights. But there is still major work to be done on the 86-year-old facility, and it’s evident as you walk the grounds, which resemble an active construction zone.
Three large buildings are under construction along the east, west and south walls that will result in a massive makeover, as well as provide the facility’s first video board. As much as I had read and heard about the lack of this amenity, it was hard for me to comprehend that this vaunted program and historic stadium that seats just over 80,000 didn’t have ONE video or any ribbon boards, but instead just a simple board featuring the score, clock and down and distance. I foolishly kept finding myself looking up for a replay of key plays on the Saturday afternoon.
The stadium project, designed by HOK, is one of the most expensive and anticipated in Indiana, and when it is completed next fall, it will bring academics, athletics and student life together. It has ambitious goals — making the venue more relevant beyond six Saturdays a year; improving the on-campus student experience with academic and student life sections; and meeting today’s fan expectations.
Deserving fans will see tremendous benefits that will include premium seating high along the sidelines, while academics and student life will be central parts of the new buildings. Sales of premium seats, overseen by Legends, have been very strong. See crossroads.nd.edu for more.
It’s the largest building project in the school’s history and it’s one you will want to keep an eye on for one simple reason. Because this project, perhaps more than any other out there, truly speaks to the challenge many institutions face of maintaining tradition and one’s identity with progress, modernization and improved experiences. That will be the measure of success of a new-look Notre Dame Stadium.
Abraham D. Madkour can be reached at amadkour@sportsbusinessjournal.com.
