TAMPA, Fla. — There's no denying it's been an all-out love fest in Tampa Bay the last few weeks.
The city of Tampa is playing host to the biggest game in America and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earned a spot on the sideline come Super Bowl Sunday.
We might never get over this and if the Bucs win, forget about it. Tampa Bay fans will be bragging for their rest of their lives.
Underneath all the fanfare, football spotlight, and economic boost is another layer of the Super Bowl that doesn't get talked about as much.
When the NFL selects a host city, they make a commitment in partnership with the host committee to helping bring positive change to underserved communities in and around that city.
At Super Bowl LV in Tampa Bay, the community commitment was named Forever 55, the local host committee’s primary social legacy initiative representing the everlasting impression that Super Bowl LV will have on our community. Together, the NFL and the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee alongside community and civic partners will collaborate in an intentional and strategic way to create, support and implement long-lasting initiatives throughout Tampa Bay.
On Friday, Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee CEO Rob Higgins celebrated how far they've come in putting on the big game but more so, the groundwork they laid to make future progress in the portions of the city that need it most.
Darcie Glazer Kassewitz , Co-Owner and President of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers talked about the organization's commitment to identifying gaps and greatest needs in the community and making a lifelong commitment to bring about positive change. She talked about the mentorship program established for young people in East Tampa.
Higgins also honored Leonard Levy by calling him the "Godfather of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers" for bringing the franchise to Tampa Bay in the 1970's and then having the vision to bring the first Super Bowl to Tampa in 1984.
Mayor Jane Castor proclaimed Friday, February 5, 2021 as "Leonard Levy Day" in the city of Tampa. Castor also gave him the key to the city and a personalized Buccaneers jersey.
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