I'm not sure I know what a 'game face is.'
I do know that Tampa is all agog over the Superbowl, and I get that. Tampa loves sports, I love sports, but why do they keep showing that annoying public service commercial with the guy saying, "C'mon Tampa, put your game face on?" Translated, I think it means to be nice - or maybe to get excited. Hello, if Tampa gets any more excited, it may erupt into the first earthquake ever recorded in this state, and the game is still days away.
I suppose that 'game face' ad is to remind us to be good hosts, to be nice. Well, this is a nice city full of wonderful, friendly people, excited about hosting the Superbowl. We are good, no, not good, we are terrific people, most of us, and I don't think a commercial is going to change any who aren't. I've lived here my whole life, and I've always thought this city was chuck full of kindhearted, passionate, generous people, the kind who make great hosts and treat strangers the way they would want to be treated.
We don't need a public service announcement to tell us how to behave.
And if the people of Tampa did need a niceness lesson, why worry about it only for the Superbowl? I guess for the same reason that streets around the stadium and between the airport and hotels have been cleaned up, trees planted, trash removed, and medians landscaped.
Yes, the best thing about the Superbowl just may be all the sprucing up the City of Tampa does to look good for the visitors from out of town.
Of course, it's also insulting. If the money is there, in the city's budget, why does the City suddenly decide to spend it when we're going to have the Superbowl? It's our money, taxpayer money, so why wouldn't it be spent to impress us? And it seems unfair that a street that is nearby but not an artery likely to be traveled to the big game, will likely be ignored.
Here's a thought, how about killing the public service 'be nice' ad and using the money to beautify a few more streets?
Just a few Superbowl thoughts to munch on.
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