A wilting economy and two Super Bowl teams from less-than-glitzy markets - Phoenix and Pittsburgh - are two factors behind some bleak forecasts in host city Tampa and betting capital Las Vegas.
A glance at StubHub.com, one of several ticket Web sites, reveals that plenty of seats can be had without forking over a fortune. Upper-tier seats at Raymond James Stadium can be purchased for between $1,500 and $1,895 apiece, and those prices are likely to drop in the days leading up to the game if supply continues to leapfrog demand.
"The current average price of $2,593 is the least expensive we have seen in several years," Joellen Ferrer, manager of corporate communication, told the Web site Ticket News. Seat vacancies on plane flights to Tampa from the New York area are also in plentiful supply, and fares are as low as $287 round-trip for several of the main carriers.
The restaurant scene in Tampa seems to be somewhat recession-proof, if the steakhouse .Fleming's can be used as a barometer. The hotspot is 1.5 miles from the stadium, and the restaurant's operating partner Keith Sedita says you'd better be Derek Jeter if you want to score a table last minute during Super Bowl week.
"If one of my regular guests calls and wants a seat Saturday night (Jan. 31), honestly, I'm going to have to do the math to see if it's possible," says Sedita. "The chef has ordered 20-pound lobsters and bigger steaks. It's all positive."
Las Vegas bookies, however, are eagerly awaiting the business. So far, the Super Bowl has been a dud in Sin City, with virtually no betting activity on the Steelers - seven-point favorites - or the Cardinals.
"It's a dead game out here," says Jimmy Vaccaro, a gambling expert based in Vegas. "The game is priced perfectly. People are staring at that seven and not doing anything. There was so much more action last year with the Giants, who were huge underdogs, and the Patriots.
"We're trying to come up with insane betting opportunities to stir some action - like, who will score more points (Super Bowl) Sunday, the Steelers or LeBron James?"
The running theory goes that football and male sports fans will generate plenty of paying customers for strip joints, something that Tampa is definitely not lacking. But even the mammary meccas are taking a hit.
"We're definitely feeling the downturn in the economy, but I think we'll survive," says 68-year-old Joe Redner, the owner of Tampa's famed Mons Venus on Dale Mabry Highway, right down the street from Raymond James Stadium. "Come Saturday (Jan. 31) and Super Bowl Sunday, we'll be charging $50 and $60 for cover charge as opposed to $15, and the girls will charge $60 a lap dance. The most beautiful ones, and we have plenty, can probably charge whatever they want."
That is, if there is anybody paying.
