Fenway Park has hosted several college and high school football games as part of its Gridiron SeriesGETTY IMAGES
Red Sox President & CEO Sam Kennedy confirmed that the team is in talks to bring a college football bowl game to Fenway Park, but said that nothing has been "made official yet," according to Chris Cotillo of MASSLIVE.com. Kennedy yesterday said, "We have no firm plans, but are working with the City of Boston and Fenway Sports Management to try and make a game a reality" (MASSLIVE.com, 4/30). STADIUM's Brett McMurphy cited sources as saying that Fenway Park's "new bowl game" starting in '20 would feature teams from the ACC and AAC. Fenway will join L.A. and Myrtle Beach as "sites for new bowl games" in '20, which "marks the start of the NCAA's new bowl cycle." Fenway will be the third MLB ballpark to "currently host a bowl game, joining the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium and the Cheez-It Bowl" at Chase Field (WATCHSTADIUM.com, 4/30). YAHOO SPORTS' Sam Cooper noted Fenway has "hosted quite a few college football games in recent years," including the Yale-Harvard game in '18 and a '15 Notre Dame-Boston College matchup as part of ND's "Shamrock Series" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 4/30).
AN OLDIE BUT A GOODIE: MASSLIVE.com's Cotillo noted Fenway Park hosting a bowl game would be the "latest coup for a venue that has hosted English Premier League games and the NHL Winter Classic in recent years" (MASSLIVE.com, 4/30). As awkward as a football field inside a baseball park might seem, the schools and their fans go for the unique experience, not the sightlines. For many of the football fans making the trip to Fenway, it might be their best chance to see a game at a historic venue, and millions more will tune in to watch the game during a slow time of year (Michael Smith, SBJ Colleges).
LESS IS MORE: In Orlando, Matt Murschel notes the AutoNation Cure Bowl is "moving from the 65,000-seat Camping World Stadium to the much smaller 25,500-seat Orlando City Stadium." The smaller venue is "better suited to host a game that has averaged 21,100 fans per game during the first four years of its existence." The game will be the "first non-soccer event to be played" at the stadium (ORLANDOSENTINEL.com, 5/1).
