The Tampa Bay Buccaneers, once Super Bowl champions in 2003 and mainly relegated to the NFL basement through poor play since, have sprung back to life with the arrival of quarterback Tom Brady and other major offseason acquisitions. This year's team has accomplished the feat of becoming the first team in NFL history to advance to the Super Bowl in their own home stadium (Raymond James Stadium). Raymond James features a glorious and imposing 103-foot, 43-ton steel and concrete replica pirate ship in the north end zone. As any respectable pirate ship would be, the vessel is equipped with cannons for pirating activities. In a football context, these cannons have found a less nefarious and celebratory purpose. When the Bucs enter their opponents red zone, score points, or win a home game, the cannons fire in support of the team.

As any fan of football or showmanship in general would agree, the prospect of these cannons being fired in support of the Bucs playing at home in a Super Bowl is an exciting one! However, the Super Bowl is considered a neutral site game the cannons can be perceived as a type of home field advantage. I offer this argument to the counter. Use the cannons anyway because it's fun and we've all been fairly bored since the pandemic began. The National Football League's mission statement is as follows: “we unite people and inspire communities in the joy of the game by delivering the world's most exciting sports and entertainment experience.” If they are truly committed to the "most exciting sports and entertainment experience", leaving the cannons out of the equation would be a criminal offense to the fans and communities the NFL claims to "unite" and "inspire". Please join in the good fight for cannon fire by signing and sharing this petition. Please also consider adding traction to this cause with the hashtag #FireTheCannonsAnyway.