BOWL BET: MONEY, IMAGE AT STAKE FOR S. FLORIDA

Palm Beach Post (Florida) January 22, 1995

Copyright 1995 Palm Beach Newspaper, Inc.

CANDY HATCHER

For South Florida, some California dreams:

Two teams from a state known for its earthquakes, fires, floods, riots, celluloid fantasies and O.J. Simpson will play football next Sunday near a city known for its crime and hurricanes.

The 100,000 wealthy football fans who arrive in South Florida this week will love the weather, spend lots of money, love the food, spend more money, bask on the beach, thrive on the golf course, boogie at the parties – and come away awed by the hospitality.

The 750 million people watching Super Bowl XXIX on television will wish they were here and make arrangements to come as quickly as possible.

That’s the script, anyway.

This is, after all, the world’s biggest sporting event. If ever South Florida’s going to dream big, now’s the time. Three thousand journalists will be in town. Nearly every Fortune 500 bigwig who cares to be here has been invited. ”If we can connect with these people, and they think about where to hold their next convention, or annual meeting, or set up their NAFTA headquarters, they’ll think South Florida,” said Chas Scurr, president of the host committee in charge of the events surrounding the game.

The Super Bowl is a week away. The San Francisco 49ers, favored by as many as three touchdowns (the largest Super Bowl spread ever), face the San Diego Chargers. Kickoff: 6:18 p.m. Next Sunday. Joe Robbie Stadium.

The contingent from San Francisco, a city that practically expects its football team to play in the Super Bowl, arrives tonight at Miami International Airport. The crew from Southern California, a team of upstarts who have never done this before, flies into Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Monday night.

The 49ers have been here before. They beat the Cincinnati Bengals 20-16 and took home the Vince Lombardi trophy in 1989, the last time the Super Bowl was played here. They’re hoping this trip to Joe Robbie Stadium will be no different.

LESSONS LEARNED IN ’89

But this Super Bowl is different than the previous 28 games, organizers say. It has: Participation from three counties – Palm Beach, Broward and Dade – instead of one. Six thousand volunteers, four times the number corralled in 1989.

Charity events every day and night.

Ten football clinics throughout the region that introduce professional football players as role models to inner-city children.

A VIP program that pairs South Florida executives with corporate officers from around the country during Super Bowl week.

A hot line (930-SB95) that tells visitors about Super Bowl-related activities in English and Spanish.

No riots, at least so far. In 1989, three days of race riots began in Overtown the Monday before the game when a Miami police officer shot a motorcyclist to death.

”I almost broke down in tears when I saw (the riots) on TV that Monday night,” said Dick Anderson, a former Dolphins player who was chairman of the host committee then. ”The NFL had just said to me, ‘I can’t believe how smoothly this is running.’ Then WHAM! . . . It took away from the atmosphere, but the teams and fans that came to Miami all had a great experience.”

Lesson learned: Be prepared for anything.

The host committee of 1989 also learned some lessons in hospitality from the 1979 Super Bowl, which earned a reputation for price-gouging. This year’s organizers have stressed hospitality even more strongly.

Hundreds of hotels have signed pledges to limit their room prices to published rates. Restaurant workers have heard lectures on the importance of good service. Volunteers are assigned to man information booths at the area’s three major airports, its malls and hotels to dispense advice and directions.

TRI-COUNTY FOCUS THIS TIME

Although this is Miami’s seventh Super Bowl, it is South Florida’s first. Unlike in 1989, when nearly every Super Bowl-related event was in Dade County, ”everything has a tri-county focus,” Scurr said. Eight hundred volunteers are from Palm Beach County. Thousands of football fans are staying in Palm Beach County hotels, which will mean longer lines at restaurants, more traffic on the roads, more people at the beach.

”It makes things more complicated,” Scurr said. It also means money is spread through the region, not just in Miami.

Economists predict $ 150 million will be spent in South Florida as a result of the Super Bowl.

”If it goes well, crime is going to be erased as a negative factor,” said Kathleen Davis, an associate professor at Barry University who is directing the economic impact study of this Super Bowl. ”People will say, ‘The Super Bowl was terrific! They’re turning things around in South Florida!’ ”

The National Football League is trying to improve its image, too. It’s hosting ”The NFL Experience,” a football theme park in the stadium parking lot where visitors can kick field goals, carry a football through an obstacle course, mingle with professional players and buy a souvenir or two. The $ 1 million expected to be made from this event will help build Youth Education Town, a recreation and education center in Liberty City.

It’s not the only charity event staged around the Super Bowl. Flag football games, a basketball game, bowling party, galas and gourmet dinners benefit charities such as The United Way, The Miami Project to Cure Paralysis, Big Brothers/Big Sisters and  Boys and Girls Clubs.

A CHANCE TO SHINE

The typical Super Bowl tourist comes to the game every year, no matter which teams are playing. He stays four days and spends $ 120 to $ 155 each day, Davis said.

The tourists coming this year will include Californians who probably are disenchanted with their state’s economy and its penchant for disasters, both natural and man-made. They may look favorably toward Florida’s improving economy, tax structure and tropical climate. They may join the 3.2 million people from the North and Northeast expected to migrate to South Florida in the next 15 years, Davis said. Aging yuppies. ”They’re materialistic, love sports, love entertainment, and they spend money,” Davis said.

”This event gives us an opportunity to show what a great place we live in,” Anderson said. ”We have our problems – all major cities have problems – but it’s a great place.”

Said Scurr: ”We’re already putting together data for the year 2000 bid” – Super Bowl XXXIV. ”We’re very optimistic that we’ll do such a good job with this one that the year 2000 will be ours.”