NFL moves Super Bowl 55 to Tampa after Los Angeles stadium delays
ami and New Orleans are the only markets to have hosted more Super Bowls than Los Angeles, but LA will have to wait an extra year before the big game returns.
NFL owners voted unanimously on Tuesday to move Super Bowl 55, which had been scheduled for the new Rams and Chargers stadium, to Tampa.
The new Los Angeles-area stadium will get its chance the following year with Super Bowl 56. So if you are making travel plans, Raymond James Stadium is the place to be on February 7, 2021 and the new stadium in Inglewood will play host to America’s biggest sporting event on February 6, 2022.
The shift comes as a result of weather-related construction delays at the LA stadium site, which last week prompted the Rams and Chargers to announce they will not move into their new home until the 2020 season.
NFL rules require a stadium to have been open two full seasons before it can host a Super Bowl, so a change needed to be made.
Overriding the two-season rule “would put an undue risk to the Super Bowl and our fans,” commissioner Roger Goodell said at a news conference Tuesday.
Tampa had been the runner-up in the last host-selection round and was quick to step in and fill the void. The city has hosted the Super Bowl four times, most recently after the 2008 season when the Pittsburgh Steelers edged the Arizona Cardinals for their most recent title.
“The Tampa Bay area has enjoyed great success over the years hosting Super Bowls and we look forward to working with our local leaders in the coming months to meet the requirements for hosting Super Bowl LV in 2021,” Tampa Bay Buccaneers co-chairman Bryan Glazer said in a release. “Today’s announcement offers us the opportunity to showcase Tampa Bay’s unique ability to come together as a host for world-class events.”
Rams chief operation officer Kevin Demoff said the team will continue to work “to deliver the elements promised in the bid that was approved last year.”
“As work continues on the transformational sports and entertainment district being built at Hollywood Park, we are looking forward to moments such as a grand opening during the Summer of 2020 and the Super Bowl’s return to Los Angeles after nearly three decades,” Demoff said in a statement. “In the past week, we have worked with the NFL on the resolution that was presented and are supportive of the NFL Owners’ decision to play Super Bowl LV in Tampa and to have Los Angeles host Super Bowl LVI in 2022.
“Over the next 90 days, we will continue to work with our partners across the Los Angeles region, including the Chargers, to deliver the elements promised in the bid that was approved last year.”
The next three Super Bowls will be played in Minneapolis, Atlanta and Miami.
