My favorite time of the year… the (roughly) two-week span from December 20 to January 4. Of course I enjoy the Holiday season… time off work, time spent with family, and the celebrations. But, what REALLY puts this time of the year into overdrive with me is the fact that during this relatively short span, 38 college football bowl games are played! Throw in the FCS, DII and DIII playoff and championship games and we are over 50 televised contests. I can honestly say that I watched MOST of these games.
During one of these broadcasts, I heard a sports announcer wondering aloud the rhetorical question, “are there too many bowl games?”
The usual suspects are always paraded out during this discussion…
- Does it dilute the prestige of going to a bowl game?
- Attendance is down.
- The games are expensive to put on.
- Are the games competitive… do the athletes really care?
This year was a really great bowl season. The games were extremely competitive… many going into overtime. It was apparent by the level of play that the games DID mean something to the coaches and players. Sponsorship for the games is UP, and the TV audience set record numbers.
To me, there is no such thing as “too many” college football bowl games. My opinion goes beyond the facts mentioned previously. For many of these players (and often the coaches, trainers, band, cheer squads) the opportunity to play in a bowl game is the experience of a lifetime. They often get to visit exotic (warm) locations, eat well, usually get gifts and memorabilia, and best of all, get to play another college football game! Normally, the athletic programs are not on the hook for paying (in fact, often they stand to make money) but rather the corporate sponsors foot the bill. As long as the sponsors are willing to ante up to make the experiences memorable, I say lets have at it.
The only negative thing that I see about this two-week banquet of bowl games, is that in following weeks… especially with the NFL winding down, there is a dearth of football on TV.
My “addiction” needs to be fed…. I am going through withdrawals.
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