TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES

 TUESDAY, DECEMBER 13, 2022 - COLLEGE FOOTBALL BOWL GAMES

Yesterday I wrote about college bowl games - going from the Rose Bowl as the only postseason game to 43 bowl games in 2022.  

(There, of course, has been humor such as having the two teams with no wins fighting it out in the “Toilet Bowl”).

There are many benefits to different groups from bowl games.

COLLEGES AND TEAMS - get money for playing.  For many schools, the football program (and basketball program) pay for the other sports.  Track, tennis, field hockey, wrestling, swimming, and other sports don’t raise the revenue to break even, so income from football pays for other athletic events. 

Football is an expensive sport.  While you only have eleven men on the field at one time, there are maybe 100 players that dress for a game.  Yes, there are scholarships (and, who pays for those - income from the paying public).  The equipment can be expensive, maintaining a field, a stadium, locker rooms, and various coaches add up.  In theory, a payout of $5 million for a bowl game for a team with 100 players averages about $50,000 per player.  But the players don’t make money.  

Colleges use the games for recruitment - both athletes and students.  College is a “big business” these days.  Very good students can get information (“viewbooks”) from many schools.  Top-notch students may get scholarship offers from multiple universities.  Colleges get an advertisement saying how wonderful their school is.  

Aside, I was doing my graduate work at the University of Nebraska and students were asked to show up for an ad of an outstanding teacher.  So in 1/10th of a second, I can be seen sitting in a classroom and listening to a great teacher.  At Quinnipiac, another teacher and I are discussing a world-changing issue in a promotional ad.

For top athletes, the students coming out of high school are rated as the ‘best prospects.  Occasionally you will hear of a “walk-out” getting a starting spot on a team, but generally, the starting positions belong to the recruited students who are getting athletic scholarships.  

Personal comment:  One of my former students is making $7 million dollars a year!!!  And, he is not a CEO, COO, CTO, or super programmer - but he is playing professional football for the Miami Dolphins.  (I think he was also a college dropout - I will have to check that).  He went to the University of Texas as a student-athlete where he could be scouted frequently (as Texas is generally rated a top football program).  He was an “okay” student, but his real goal was to get an offer from a professional football team - so instead of spending the extra hours learning technology, he spent those hours in the weight room and exercise routines.

I know students who picked colleges based on their athletic teams' success, even though they were not athletes themselves.  One, in particular, went to the University of Alabama - a super powerhouse football program.  She can say “I’m a student (and soon to be a graduate) at the University of Alabama”.  Somehow, when I say “I’m a graduate of Winona State University” or former students say “I’m a graduate of Dakota State University” don’t get the same recognition.  

In politics, name recognition is important.  Even if a person doesn’t know your values and platform, if they recognize your name you are ahead of a politician who nobody knows.

(At times I’m surprised by former students who have achieved success at major financial businesses because of their strong education at Dakota State but are now their children going to “big” schools.)

ALUMNI GET RECOGNITION

A person who says “I’m a graduate of Clemson University” gets more recognition than a graduate of (say) Dakota State.  It is also some name recognition factors,

COMMUNITY RECOGNITION

In the original bowl game, Pasadena got community recognition as a place to move to - away from the ice and snow of northern states.  Roses aren’t growing in Michigan in late December and January.  

The community is seen as a great vacation spot (go watch a bowl game, spend a week in a warmer place before heading back to the reality of snow and ice.  Or, it is also seen as a place to move to, to launch a business in the community.

Most bowl games also have an advertisement telling you how wonderful the location is.

BUSINESS SPONSOR RECOGNITION

For bowl games that are sponsored (most are), the sponsor is recognized for providing a positive athletic event for the general viewing public.  If I watched the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic - even if your favorite team didn’t win, you still have a soft sweet spot in your heart for Goodyear as they paid for your entertainment.

WRAP-UP

I will have additional comments tomorrow, but bowl games are perceived as positive experiences.  (I’ve been to one bowl game - the Alamo Bowl - when Nebraska played some years ago).  

LOVE WINS

LOVE TRANSFORMS

KAREN ANNE WHITE, ©, DECEMBER 13, 2022