The National Football League kicked off its 2014 regular season last night in Seattle, where for the first time in that franchise's history, the Seahawks are begining the season as the defending NFL champs.
The Seahawks came into the league in 1976, the same year as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. And now both possess one championship, though it's been 12 long years since the Bucs reached those dizzying heights.
There have been a lot of lean years in between, but hopes are high this season, mainly because of the addition of new coach Lovie Smith, who took the Chicago Bears to the Super Bowl in 2006. Of course, I remember hearing about similar good vibes two years ago when Greg Schiano was hired to replace Raheem Morris, and we all know that didn't turn out so well.
But why be negative before the first fumble of the season? The Bucs, believe it or not, are being picked by some outliers as the team to surprise this year, a la the Kansas City Chiefs of 2013. There's actually some legitimate excitement being fomented around journeyman quarterback Josh McCown (who played so well for Chicago last year in relief of Jay Cutler) and a formidable defense.
More importantly, in terms of PR, the Bucs management apparently is starting to get it with regard to outreach with the community. Not only did they buy up all the loose tickets for each individual home game in advance to make the NFL's 85 percent sales threshold and prevent a blackout (which has been terrible for the franchise's image here), but apparently they contacted their "most loyal and tenured" season ticket holders via email this week, offering two free tickets to the game this Sunday. Tampa Bay has had some of the smallest average crowds in the league the past couple of years.
So it all gets started at 4:25 p.m. this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium against Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers. This is a game that won't be seen beyond the Southeast, as the San Francisco at Dallas game will be aired to the rest of the nation at that time. But if you're into that game, you better have the NFL Sunday Ticket on Direct TV or find a seat at your local sports bar; as stated above, all Bucs home games will be shown here in the Tampa Bay market.
In other news...
Although President Obama can't get legislation passed through Congress regarding climate change, he does have the power of his Environmental Protection Agency to change public policy. In June the EPA listed proposals to reduce carbon dioxide emissions in each state, and the public has until next month to comment. On Thursday, a group of health professionals in Tampa advocated for those changes at the Seminole Heights Public Library.
The campaign to drive up wages for fast-food workers continued on Thursday, with protests taking place in some 150 cites across the country, including Tampa, as CL's Ashley Whitney reports.
Tampa Police Chief Jane Castor predicted yesterday that every cop in American will be wearing some type of body camera within five years. Castor made those comments to the City Council, where she was pressed about Tampa's record on hiring minority officers, as well as what she thinks of some of that intimidating military equipment that her department used extensively during the Republican National Convention two years ago.
And please check out CL's news feature this week, written by freelancer Curtis Ross. It's on the current status of community radio station WMNF (where I host a half-hour talk show weekly), and it's worth your time if you care about the station.