The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' Raymond James Stadium had been in the running to host Super Bowl XLIX, but that honor will instead go to the University of Phoenix Stadium, the Glendale, AZ home of the Arizona Cardinals, NFL Public Relations chief Brian McCarthy announced on Tuesday.
Tampa Bay last hosted the Super Bowl in 2009, when the Pittsburgh Steelers topped the Arizona Cardinals, 27-23, to capture their sixth championship. As it happens, Arizona's last time hosting the landmark sporting event was just one year earlier, as the New York Giants famously ended the New England Patriots' hopes of becoming the first team to own a 19-0 record by a 17-14 final.
When Super Bowl XLIX kicks off, Raymond James Stadium will be 16 years old; in contrast, University of Phoenix Stadium will be just eight. While stadium age is hardly the only factor the NFL considers in evaluating Super Bowl host cities, certainly the eight-year age difference worked against the city of Tampa.