Tampa Bay 55

10 Tampa Bay anchor Ryan Bass is joined by his evening co-anchor Carolina Leid, who's filling in for Rob Higgins this week. They discuss Carolina's experience covering a Super Bowl, as well as a candid conversation about the Black Lives Movement across the country. Ryan also interviews Dr. Richard Lapchick, the director of the The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport at UCF and a human activist who's spent 60 years fighting against racism around the world. Dr. Lapchick discusses his own history of dealing with racism, why this cry for change is different from others and how sports serves as an important piece of cultural change.

10 Tampa Bay anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, welcome Tampa Bay Lightning chairman and owner Jeff Vinik, the 55th guest of the Tampa Bay 55 podcast, to discuss his charitable efforts and stepping up to help in the fight against COVID-19. They also discuss Alex Killorn's popular "Dock Talk" series, the NHL's 24-team playoff proposal and why the Bolts window for winning a Cup isn't closing any time soon.

10 Tampa Bay anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, discuss the importance on branding when it comes to Super Bowl LV, plus the launch of 10 Tampa Bay's new look. Buccaneers GM Jason Licht joins the guys to discuss his busy offseason, what led to bringing in Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, the positives of working from home and how the pandemic might change the future of the profession. Ryan and Rob also welcome in Katie Kicklighter, the manager of hospitality and events for Super Bowl LV, to the podcast to discuss how she balances planning for all the events surrounding the big game and what festivities might be making a return for Super Bowl 55.

10News anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, spend another podcast episode on Zoom to detail how virtual tours are becoming a part of the planning process, especially when it comes to Tampa's Straz Center, and what event it could host come Super Bowl week. The guys also welcome Peter O'Reilly, the Executive Vice President of Club Business & League Events for the NFL, to the podcast to discuss lessons learned from the virtual 2020 NFL Draft and the challenges of gearing up for Super Bowl LV from a distance.

10News anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, join each other on Zoom to discuss the chatter of Super Bowl LV's date and its potential flexibility. The guys also give their take on the new-look "primetime" Buccaneers as their 2020 schedule gets released. Hillsborough County Commissioner Les Miller and Tampa Mayor Jane Castor also join the pod to discuss how the city and county is planning for Super Bowl 55 amid COVID-19 and what security could look like for the big game. Rob also updates us on the committee's planning progress, which includes how people will get around during Super Bowl week.

We've got a special treat on this week's episode of the Tampa Bay 55 podcast! In the spirit of the virtual 2020 NFL Draft later on this week, commissioner Ryan Bass (CBS Tampa Bay) hosts our “Tampa Bay LV Social QB” Draft, centered around the Tampa Bay Super Bowl LV Host Committee’s three-pillared tagline: Forward, Forever and Together. Local professional franchises, official Super Bowl Host Committee media partners along with key municipal and community partners are "drafted" to one of our three Social QB teams: Team Forward (Will Weatherford), Team Forever (Derrick Brooks) or Team Together (Rob Higgins)!

10News anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, join each other on Zoom to discuss the next steps in planning for Super Bowl LV, including Business Connect and the ambassador program! Today's pod was also an all-Lightning lineup, with winger Alex Killorn joining the guys to discuss his time away from the ice, when we may see hockey back and the popularity of his #DockTalk series and why he's pushing for Tom Brady to make an appearance! Ryan and Rob also welcome Steve Griggs, the CEO of the Tampa Bay Lightning, to talk about the generosity of the club during the pandemic, their rise to one of the best all-around franchises in sports, his background and how he came to work for Jeff Vinik and how excited the team is to be involved in Super Bowl LV!

10News anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, join each other on Zoom to discuss the new Tampa Bay LV Game Ball campaign and the Elite 8 of the Team Tampa Bay bracket challenge! Buccaneers tight end O.J. Howard joins the guys via video chat to share his thoughts on Tom Brady and the Bucs new jerseys. Also, the guys air a previous interview with Fox Sports NFL reporter and former ESPN "SportsCenter" anchor Sara Walsh, who is from Tampa!

We're back! 10News anchor Ryan Bass and Rob Higgins, president/CEO of the Super Bowl LV Host Committee, join each other on Zoom to chat about the latest developments with Super Bowl LV and if there's talk of contingency plans (5:00). The Tampa Bay LV Bracket Challenge heats up (7:45) as we've reached the Round of 32. Buccaneers legend Ronde Barber also joined the podcast to discuss his favorite Super Bowl memory and the current state of the 2020 Bucs (15:00). The guys also welcomed in Buccaneers linebacker Devin White, who revealed his fandom for his new quarterback, Tom Brady (38:50)!