The temporary sports czar position, which San Jose Mayor Matt Mahan describes as a crucial investment for assisting in the coordination of 2026’s major South Bay events, including Super Bowl LX, the FIFA World Cup, and NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament games, is being contested by 75 candidates from the media, arts, sports, and entertainment sectors.
The sporting attractions might generate hundreds of millions of dollars in economic benefits for San Jose.
San Jose has put more of an emphasis on making sure it meets the moment by employing a leader to oversee the process this time around because the city lost out on some of the opportunities the last time the region hosted a mega-event.
Although the teams stayed and played here, 57% of the estimated $240 million in economic benefit from the last Super Bowl visit to Santa Clara in 2016 went to San Francisco, according to Mahan. I don’t mean to offend our northern neighbors, but we need to do a better job of influencing people’s perceptions because we have the ideal climate, excellent transportation, a fantastic airport, and enough of hotels to attract tourists.
Officials believe that the six World Cup games and Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium alone might bring in between $370 million and $520 million for the South Bay’s economy.
Additionally, NCAA Men’s Basketball regional tournament games will be held in the SAP Center.
San Jose allocated $350,000 for a temporary executive job, which ended on Monday night, as part of this year’s budget.
The city’s website included a job advertising with no benefits and a salary range of $202,146 to $327,870.
To be eligible for the role, candidates had to have at least 10 years of management and policymaking experience in addition to a bachelor’s degree in sports management, event planning, public administration, or business administration.
In the Office of Economic Development and Cultural Affairs, Carlos Velazquez, a public information manager, stated that the city is now reviewing applications and will conduct interviews in December.
In order to give stakeholders a chance to comment and give city manager Jennifer Maguire input, the city is also selecting interview panel members.
Mahan stated, “I’ve made it clear to her what I want to see, which is firsthand experience organizing major sporting and entertainment events.” It need not be the World Cup or the Super Bowl, but rather the selection of a particular site after extensive preparation.
The Bay Area Host Committee, San Jose Chamber of Commerce, San Jose Downtown Association, the San Jose Sports Authority, and the city’s professional teams are just a few of the city departments and business partners that have been involved in the policy work and marketing that San Jose officials have begun, even though the position will be filled soon.
One of those initiatives is the Fly, Stay, and Play campaign, which aims to entice travelers to use San Jose Mineta International Airport, which is near all of the athletic sites.
In addition, officials are competing to host the Super Bowl’s media day, which could have a significant economic impact of hundreds of thousands of dollars and guarantee that San Jose would host the week’s first and last events.
It is known that a number of locations throughout Santa Clara County, including downtown San Jose, will be crucial to the events’ development.
One of the Super Bowl teams will practice at San Jose State University while lodging at the San Jose Marriott downtown. The opposing squad will continue to practice at Stanford University while remaining in Santa Clara.
In the run-up to the World Cup, FIFA also plans to rent office space in the downtown area from October 2025 to July 2026. Officials have chosen the Hotel Valencia as the VIP and family hotel, while teams will stay at the San Jose Marriott and Hilton downtown.
Local political and commercial officials, however, see enormous potential in displaying the city going ahead and altering any wrong narratives, in addition to the immediate economic boost from the athletic events.
Leah Toeniskoetter, president and CEO of the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, told the City Council last week that the organization is grateful for the investment, not only for 2026 but also for the next five to ten years.
The 2026 sports and special events director, according to Mahan, may also assist the city in better promoting itself to the South Bay’s current population and highlighting the advancements the city has made, such as increasing public art and enhancing lighting and public safety. In addition, the number of people attending the city’s block parties has increased from hundreds to thousands this year, thus the director’s job is essential to tying everything together.
According to a survey conducted last year by Joint Venture Silicon Valley and Bay Area News Group, 76% of participants indicated they had no incentive to go to downtown San Jose.
Although the downtown area’s foot traffic has decreased during the day due to the faltering office market, Mahan stated that the city’s thriving restaurant and cultural event scene has kept nighttime and weekend foot traffic at roughly 120% of pre-pandemic levels. According to Mahan, the interim director’s job also offered the chance to highlight the city’s beautiful neighborhoods since more people would undoubtedly be watching San Jose.
Mahan stated, “We need this person to take responsibility for carrying out the daily operations.” Hiring this individual is the largest investment we are making for 2026.
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