I know what you’re thinking. You saw that headline and said, “Yeah, right. Chattanooga could never get a college football bowl game.” But wait. Have you seen some of the bowl games this year? These are not your father’s bowl games. When I was growing up, we had the Rose, Orange, Sugar, Sun, Cotton, Liberty and Gator Bowls, and not much else.
This year, there are 38. Next year, there will be at least one more. They’re being played in Mobile, Montgomery, and Shreveport. It sounds like a tour of the Southern League, where the Lookouts play, right? They’re also being played in Boca Raton, Nassau, and Santa Clara. Not exactly college football hotspots. It’s almost as if Oprah drew names out of a fishbowl, and said, “YOU get a bowl. YOU get a bowl too! And YOU!”
Why so many bowls? What has changed since 1994, when there were half as many as we have today? The answer is simple, I can say it in four letters: ESPN. According to USA Today, the sports network is looking for even more bowl games in the future, because each one is a proven TV success. Sure, you may not see many people in the stands, but millions are watching at home, and that’s what ESPN is about: live sporting events that you can’t see anywhere else.
An ESPN subsidiary, ESPN Events is based in Charlotte. This entity owns and operates 11 of the bowl games, and wouldn’t mind adding another one or two. This year, 81 major college teams made it to the magic number of six wins, and 76 of them are in bowl games. So yes, a few teams were left behind. I’ll bet they’d love to be playing in a Chattanooga bowl game this year, instead of being on the outside looking in.
Northern Iowa vs. Appalachian State, Dec. 16, 2005 at Finley Stadium
One area of concern: Finley Stadium only seats 21,000, and most of the bowl games are played in venues with a capacity of 25,000 or more. But as you may have noticed, thousands of those seats are empty. Western Kentucky played Central Michigan in the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl last week “in an empty-looking stadium that seated 15,000” according to USA Today. Air Force played Western Michigan in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise before an “announced crowd” (translation: a lot of empty seats) of 18,223. Yet, almost 1.5 million people watched the game on ESPN, providing great publicity for the schools, Idaho and potatoes. (By way of comparison, this year’s opening day baseball game between the Yankees and Red Sox drew 1.1 million viewers on ESPN. This is why ESPN loves bowl games, and will probably add more.)
So rather than ask, “Why Chattanooga?” let’s ask, “Why not Chattanooga?” Our stadium is a little on the small side, but it’s relatively new and TV-friendly. Our climate? December-perfect. The scenery for all those commercial-break bump shots? We love showing off our mountains, the river, the Aquarium, the Choo Choo and our bridges.
Certainly, a bowl game requires a sponsor. They’re out there. For instance, how many of you had heard of Taxslayer.com before the Tennessee Vols were invited to the Taxslayer Bowl in Jacksonville? Apparently, even the UT players hadn’t heard of it, because Butch Jones joyously told them they were going to the Gator Bowl, as it used to be called. Other sponsored bowls this year include the Belk Bowl, the Foster Farms Bowl, the Quick Lane Bowl, the Bitcoin Bowl….need I go on? Is it out of the question to ask for a Volkswagen Bowl? A Chattanooga Choo Choo Bowl? The Chattem Bowl? The Moon Pie Bowl? The Little Debbie Bowl? (I’d love to see a 350-pound lineman growl into the camera, “We’re going to the Little Debbie Bowl!” and then rip open a box of Swiss Cake Rolls.)
To top it off, if we’re ambitious and fortunate enough to land a bowl game, we might get a team with an enthusiastic fan base in our game. Do you remember the crowds from Appalachian State that used to fill Finley, during our FCS title game years? Lots of cold-weather state fans would love a December visit here for a few hours of football, and a side dish of tourist attractions. 20,000 fans would provide a nice holiday tonic for our economy.
So before you say it’s impossible, just remember that some people in Montgomery, Mobile and other towns used to think that way too. And that once little-known companies like AdvoCare, R & L Carriers, and Duck Commander (yes, the Dynasty guys) are suddenly enjoying the exposure that comes from a nationally televised bowl game.
Would ESPN, the NCAA and its conferences take a Chattanooga bowl bid seriously? I don’t know. Let’s find out!
Great idea David……how about the “Lookout Mountain Bowl”