NFL agent Leigh Steinberg has scrapped his traditional host-city Super Bowl party because of the pandemic, instead replacing it with an online event set for 8:00pm ET on Tuesday, Feb. 2. The event had long been a hallmark of the elite social scene in the days leading up to the Super Bowl. But Steinberg follows many major brands, agencies and others who have scaled down or cut their in-market hospitality altogether in Tampa, expecting far smaller crowds, corporate restrictions on non-essential travel and reduced Super Bowl capacity. Steinberg had previously said the live event was unlikely to occur this year. Steinberg's re-tooled event will instead involve a virtual link-up with troops in Afghanistan, celebrity appearances and the introduction of Steinberg Sports & Entertainment’s '21 draft class. Registration is here. “This has been one of the three or four constants [at the Super Bowl], one of the evergreens that’s always there, so in a way it’s a panful decision after 30-something years to hold it a different way,” Steinberg said. “But we’ve had to adjust with the party to real time events before, and hopefully this will be better than ever."
NO LIMITS: The event, which would have drawn more than 3,000 attendees from across sports, entertainment, politics and business circles, will have no maximum capacity online, Steinberg said. The build-up to the party will begin Jan. 12, the first in a three-part series of live chats hosted on Steinberg’s Facebook page. At those events, he will be speaking about mental health with Nicole Roberts, who has hosted the concussion seminar that precedes the party for the last 12 years. All direct donations via the party will benefit Make-a-Wish. The online auction proceeds will be split between Warrior Rising, which helps veterans transition to the corporate world, and charities selected by the winners of the Annual Steinberg DeNicola Humanitarian Awards. While a final decision to cancel the in-person party didn’t happen until last month, thinking had been trending toward virtual since September.
