Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas, is in "line to host what was formerly the Miami Beach Bowl," according to Ben Baby of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS. Frisco CVB Dir of Sports & Events Josh Dill said that the game is "expected to be in Frisco for at least the next three years." The exact date for the bowl is "yet to be determined." ESPN Events "acquired the rights to the relatively new postseason game." The Miami Beach Bowl debuted in '14 at Marlins Park as one of the AAC's postseason events. ESPN said that the bowl game will "continue to have at least one AAC tie-in." Baby notes other local bowls include the Heart of Dallas Bowl (Cotton Bowl), Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl (Amon G. Carter Stadium) and Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic (AT&T Stadium) (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/22).
SHIPPING OUT OF MIAMI: In Ft. Lauderdale, Craig Davis noted attendance at all three Miami Beach Bowl games was "disappointing." The final game in December "drew only 15,262 for Tulsa's 55-10 rout of Central Michigan." That ranked "second-to-last in bowl attendance, outdrawing only the Bahamas Bowl (13,422)." Considering the capacity is 34,000 in the football configuration of Marlins Park, the crowds "fell well short of success." Marlins Park Exec VP/Operations & Events Claude Delorme said, "The biggest struggle we had was it was an afternoon game on a Monday the week prior to Christmas. Unless you get teams that travel well it's difficult to get a crowd that you need to make the bowl successful." Delorme said that the Miami Beach Bowl had a six-year contract, but the AAC and the Marlins "both had the option of opting out each year" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 4/22). In Miami, Neal & Jackson noted ESPN Events now owns 15 bowl games (MIAMI HERALD, 4/22).
