Tampa Bay and the SEC: A Perfect Match

 

The SEC Football Kickoff Media Days, which bring head coaches and players from each of the league’s 16 schools to downtown Tampa this week, are a continuation of the conference’s mutually beneficial relationship with the Tampa Bay Sports Commission.

 

The TBSC hosted the 2022 SEC Men’s Basketball Tournament at Benchmark International Arena (and also in 2009). This season, it will help to stage the Orion180 Tip-Off Classic, which matches the SEC’s Florida Gators against the Miami Hurricanes (while Florida State vs. Florida A&M completes the doubleheader to open the men’s college basketball season on Nov. 2).

 

The SEC Gymnastics Championships will be held in Tampa during 2027 and 2028 — a two-year neutral-site commitment that has been rare in the event’s three-decade history.

 

And in 2027, the tradition-laden Florida-Georgia football rivalry game (or the Georgia-Florida game as it’s known in the Peach State) comes to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium. It will be played in Atlanta this season as Jacksonville’s stadium, primarily home to the NFL’s Jaguars, undergoes renovations.

 

That’s quite a lineup of SEC events. And it only enhances the SEC’s presence in Tampa Bay, which has long featured the conference’s teams playing in the ReliaQuest Bowl and the Gasparilla Bowl. SEC Women’s Golf Championship also calls the Pelican Golf Club (Bellair, FL) home (2024 - 2029).

 

“We’re just trying to continue what has been built over the years,’’ TBSC executive director Lanness Robinson said. “Obviously, when you have one of the most powerful organizations in all of college sports and one of the world’s best destinations in Tampa Bay, why not marry the two together and pull off some pretty awesome events?’’

 

“It clearly helped that we have large fan bases in the Tampa Bay area that are connected and affiliated to SEC schools,’’ TBSC senior vice president of events Claire Lessinger said. “We had success in hosting the SEC basketball tournament, which built the relationship and opened doors for conversations about hosting other opportunities. The SEC has seen the way Tampa Bay wraps its arms around hosting efforts. I think both sides are looking for ways to partner again. It just makes sense.’’

 

Robinson and Lessinger agreed that the awarding of SEC Gymnastics to Tampa Bay should be viewed as a major coup.

 

“College gymnastics is different than Olympic gymnastics or the U.S. Gymnastics Championships (held in Tampa during the summer of 2022),’’ Robinson said. “It’s completely a team event, and the energy is just unbelievable. By the way, seven of the 10 teams in the national championships were from the SEC. And some of these gymnastics programs outdraw men’s basketball at their universities.’’

 

“I attended it for the first time last year, and it’s absolutely an elite event,’’ Lessinger said. “It’s the best of the best. The energy is a 10-out-of-10. They put on an incredible show, and the fact that we have it two straight years will allow us to build great momentum.’’

 

As for the Florida-Georgia football game — the 2027 date might seem far away. But the TBSC already is planning ways to make it extra memorable.

 

“We want the tradition, but we want to put the Tampa stamp on it, too,’’ Robinson said. “We’re learning as much as we can from Jacksonville. We’ll go up to Atlanta (for the 2026 game), but we’re already laying the foundation of how we can do some of the things. They (Jacksonville) have an RV village, which we want to do, and we want a FanFest, of course. And there might be some other surprises.’’

 

“We’ll continue to pull pages out of the playbook that are tried and true,’’ Lessinger said. “You build around the game, which we know will sell out and be very successful. The rivalry is pretty unmatched. But the unique thing is having the home fan bases and leveraging the great relationship we have with the University of Florida. We will lean heavily into their team to help manage the game, but we’ll be engaged with all the alumni associations at a high level. The drumbeat already is underway.’’

 

The SEC, the TBSC and Tampa Bay? Look for those partnerships to continue and possibly expand.

 

“The SEC knows about the tremendous fan bases in our market, and that we can help you continue to find ways to bring the conference events and championships here,’’ Lessinger said. “We can leverage that in ways that benefit the conference and our entire area. Partnering with the SEC continues to be a win-win proposition for us.’’