TAMPA, Fla. — Super Bowl Sunday is right around the corner, and even though the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won’t be on the field, football fans across the region are still showing up and showing out.
From New England to the Pacific Northwest, Patriots and Seahawks fans who now call Tampa home are gearing up for one of the biggest days in sports. Local bars are also preparing for packed houses.
Fans from both sides say confidence is high heading into Sunday’s match-up.
Garhett Morgan is a Seahawks fan.
“I am above confident I know we are going to win this game,” said Morgan.
Morgan said game day is more than football; it's about finding a community far from home.
“Moving here, I didn’t know anybody; my whole family lives on the West Coast. It’s been so awesome to come here and people from all walks of life from PNW and even Seahawks fans from Aast coast everybody just came together,” said Morgan.
Morgan said the strong Seahawks' presence in Tampa still surprises him.
“I did not expect to see so many people here. It’s 3500 miles or something away from Seattle,” Morgan said.
Patriots fans echoed that same sense of connection, saying their confidence comes from faith in their team and each other.
“I think the belief in our team. I think the rally cry that we have is ‘we all we got, we all we need,’ and that’s true about all 6 states that make up the New England region. We are all we got and all we need,” said Deon Bent from the Patriots Fan Club.
Jay Lessard said the Patriots fan club in Tampa feels like family.
“We’re a family, honestly. As patriots fans, we all come down here for the warm weather, the beaches and all that, but we are a family of New Englanders,” said Lessard.
With thousands of fans expected to attend watch parties, local businesses are preparing for a busy game day.
Maloney’s Irish Bar and Grill serves as the home base for the Seahawks.
“It’s going to be crazy this weekend, we’re expecting 5 to 600 Seattle fans,” said Michael White, the general manager at Maloney’s Bar and Grill.
Meanwhile, Sunset Rodeo, a popular Patriots gathering spot, said it is expanding the setup for Super Bowl Sunday.
Justin James is a co-owner at Sunset Rodeo.
“We’re going to do some more things on the South side of the building like we did for Gasparilla. More seating, more TVs. We’re bringing in an LED TV for that game,” said James.
Both bar owners said they stocked up on extra food and drinks and will have all hands on deck to handle the crowds.
As far as final predictions, fans on both sides are standing firm.
“We’re the best. We put our pant leg on one leg at a time, just like anybody else, but after we do that, we go out and stack W’s. We go out and win on the field,” said Morgan from Seattle.
Lessard, with the Patriots Fan Club, offered a simpler message.
“What set’s us apart from other teams? We have more rings,” said Lessard.
Both fan bases are confident and local businesses are just as confident they’ll see a boost in business when the game kicks off Sunday at 6:30 p.m.
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