The "celebrity event factor -- traditionally a major part of Super Bowl week -- remains a big unknown" less than 80 days from Super Bowl LV at Raymond James Stadium, according to Jay Cridlin of the TAMPA BAY TIMES. The NFL has "several long-planned official events penciled in, even as coronavirus cases spike in Florida and around the country." The NFL Experience, an "interactive celebration of the game, is still scheduled to wind along Tampa's Riverwalk." But outside the league, there is a "sense of hesitation about what kind of party Tampa's next Super Bowl will be." Major sponsors like Anheuser-Busch and AT&T "say they won't be hosting their usual A-list Super Bowl events in Tampa." And local venues that "would, in a normal season, already have events locked in still have dates open on the calendar." Tampa Bay Sports Commission Exec Dir Rob Higgins said that the Super Bowl LV Host Committee has a "venue allocation program that helps play matchmaker between the NFL, its partners and local venues." Higgins said that in a normal year, more venues "might have contracts in place by mid-November." He said, "We're definitely still continuing to see interest in local event venues for potential events. Most event organizers are naturally taking a very measured approach to determine what events will be safely possible to be hosted in three months, considering the current circumstances" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 11/24).
