Bowl Game Attendance Largely On Decline From Last Year
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Ohio State, Texas Struggled To Sell
Ticket Allotments For Fiesta Bowl |
Of the 29 bowl games held during the '07-08 college football season, "18 have shown a decrease in attendance this year" and "seven had attendance of 35,000 people or less," according to Joseph Duarte of the HOUSTON CHRONICLE. Among the five bowl games in Texas, only the AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic "showed an increase in attendance," and the game's increase of more than 15,000 in attendance "can be attributed to a stadium expansion, the final game at Fair Park and an intriguing matchup between Texas Tech and Mississippi." Meanwhile, "some established bowls in popular tourists destinations have struggled," as the Missouri-Northwestern Valero Alamo Bowl in San Antonio drew 55,986 fans, down from 66,000 last year, and the Oregon-Oklahoma State Pacific Life Holiday Bowl in San Diego "failed to sell out for the first time in five years." Last night's Texas-Ohio State Tostitos Fiesta Bowl "led to sluggish bowl bookings and dealt another blow to the Phoenix area's battered tourism industry." Texas officials Friday said that "1,000 of the school's allotment of 17,500 [tickets] went unsold," while Ohio State "sold part of its ticket allotment normally reserved for season-ticket holders to the public" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/5).
LONG WAY FROM UTAH: In Birmingham, Rapoport, Scarbinsky & Solomon reported Friday's Allstate Sugar Bowl, which saw Utah defeat Alabama 31-17, was officially a sellout, but announced attendance was 71,872 at the 75,000-seat Superdome. The Alabama allotment of 17,500 "sold out quickly, while Utah needed to return 3,000 tickets" (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 1/3). In Salt Lake City, Lya Wodraska noted Utah "had an estimated 10,000 in attendance" at the game, though there were an "estimated 2,000-plus tickets that went unsold out of Utah's 17,500 allotment, the cost of which must be covered by the Utes" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 1/3).
GIVE US LIBERTY: In Lexington, Chip Crosby reported attendance at Friday's AutoZone Liberty Bowl, which saw Kentucky beat East Carolina 25-19, was "better than expected," as attendance was announced at 56,251. There "appeared to be 20,000 to 25,000" Kentucky fans at the game, though Kentucky officials had said that "only about 10,000 tickets had been sold" (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 1/3). Conference USA Commissioner Britton Banowsky said that the league "should have at least six bowl affiliations again next season." Banowsky also said that there is the "possibility the Texas Bowl could exercise an option to invite another school after next season," and added that the GMAC Bowl "is not under contract to C-USA after" tonight's Ball State-Tulsa game. Banowsky: "Our agreement with the GMAC Bowl is up, but I'm confident we can get something done next year." Banowsky also said that he would "like to keep six bowl affiliations for the league on an annual basis" (Memphis COMMERICAL APPEAL, 1/3).
GIFT GRAB: In Miami, Brian Costa reported in advance of Thursday's Florida-Oklahoma FedEx Orange Bowl, "rather than merely receiving gift bags -- a bowl game custom -- players this year were invited to entire gift suites set up at each team's hotel." The suites were "stocked with Sony products, and, after arriving in South Florida on Friday, each player from Oklahoma and UF was permitted to choose up to $300 worth of gizmos to be delivered to him by mail." The 30 items on display in the suites "ranged from alarm clocks and headphones to DVD players, camcorders and surround-sound entertainment systems." Players "got traditional gifts, too: Each was given a Torneau watch, a New Era cap, Crocs footwear and an Ogio duffel bag" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/5).
BOWL NOTES: Friday's Cotton Bowl, which saw Mississippi defeat Texas Tech 47-34, was attended by 88,175 fans, which marked the largest attendance in the Cotton Bowl's 73-game history (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/3)....Saturday's International Bowl, which saw Connecticut beat Buffalo 38-20, drew a crowd of 40,184, a record for the bowl (TORONTO STAR, 1/4)....A FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM editorial stated the Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl has been a "boon to Fort Worth." But with "some Dallas business leaders hunting for a replacement game" due to the Cotton Bowl's move to the new Cowboys stadium in Arlington, it is "plausible that Arlington's gain might lead to Fort Worth's loss." The editorial: "The Armed Forces Bowl belongs here, and community boosters who care about its significance should help keep it thriving here" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 1/3).
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