I couldn’t resistlooking in on the Women’s Final Four last week. Not because I had a strong allegiance, but because I’m a big fan of the host city.
Every commercial break would include local-color, cutaway shots. Santiago Corrada couldn’t have orchestrated it any better: from requisite beach scenes, Ybor City shots and Bayshore Boulevard panoramas to downtown aerial views, Lights on Tampa and Amalie Arena waterfront vistas. And that “Final Four in Tampa Bay” emblazoned at mid-court was an ongoing, glossy national ad to the millions watching the ESPN telecasts.
But it’s a lot more than postcard optics and civic pride. Easter weekend is traditionally slow in Tampa. This time the area looks to top the $19 million in economic impact estimated in an NCAA report for the 2008 game.
And, yes, the Final Four will be back here again in 2019, when Geno Auriemma will likely be looking for his 14th national championship with the UConn Huskies.