31 December 2005

The disappointment consumes me

I missed out on getting a cow! They really should have had more than 100,000 available. Didn't they think more people would want a cow?

Of course, what really ticks me off is that as of next year, the Chick-fil-a Peach Bowl is dropping the "Peach!" That's just wrong, so says Atlanta Journal-Constitution writer, Furman Bisher.

Unfortunately, I see why this is a good deal for Chick-fil-a, and not such a good deal for any sports fan who yearns for the way the way things used to be. This is about money, and it appears as though it is enough money to now get the #2 ACC team to play in the CFA Bowl (they currently get the #3). If this is a topic that interests you, click the "keep reading" link below.

It is also possible that Atlanta will end up with the same problem that faced Orlando a couple of years ago. They had a bowl game, the Florida Citrus Bowl -- played at the city-owned Citrus Bowl (ironic, huh?). Actually, it started as the Tangerine Bowl, and remained the Tangerine Bowl (just the Tangerine Bowl -- not the Tropicana Tangerine Bowl or anything like that) until 1982. In 1983, they changed the name to the Florida Citrus Bowl, to reflect the fact that we do grow more than just tangerines down here. Makes sense to me.

The Florida Citrus Bowl name lasted through 1993. They signed CompUSA as a title sponsor in 1994, and that relationship lasted for six years. I remember reading when their contract expired, CompUSA did not want to renew, and Florida Citrus Sports Association had a rough time landing a sponsor. Now that they were counting on the money, they couldn't guarantee the payout without a title sponsor.

Ladies and gentelman, let me introduce you to the "Ourhouse.com Florida Citrus Bowl." Fortunately, that hideousness lasted only one year. Come to think of it, I guess Ourhouse.com probably only lasted one year.

Capital One signed on as the title sponsor in 2001, and after two years decided that it would rather have the bowl called the "Capital One Bowl" rather than the "Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl." I do realize that is quite a mouthful, but it does let central Florida keep some sense of connection to the game. The "Capital One Bowl?" Yuck. The problem is -- Capital One was right. When they were the "Capital One Florida Citrus Bowl," no one called them anything but the "Citrus Bowl." Now that they have dropped "Citrus" from the bowl name, folks have no choice but to call the game the "Capital One Bowl." Still yuck.

In case you wondered, the Tangerine Bowl only went away for a little while. It came back in 2001 as the "Visit Florida Tangerine Bowl." The game, previously the Blockbuster, then Carquest, and then MicronPC Bowl, moved from Miami where it had been played from 1990 until 2000. It became the "Mazda Tangerine Bowl" the next year, and that lasted until 2003. Currently, Champs Sports is the title and sole name attached to Orlando's B-game. How about some cool and timely trivia attached to this bowl game? The first Blockbuster Bowl, played in Miami, in 1990, featured Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions and Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles. Not a bad little precursor to this year's Orange Bowl (on a slightly grander stage). If history is any indication, and we know that it's not, FSU beat Penn State, 24-17. Since I am pretty sure that neither Peter Tom Willis, nor Blair Thomas are going to suit up next week, I don't think it really matters.

Atlanta residents can take some solace that Chick-fil-a is an Atlanta company. Some people who watch the game will make the connection (although, we are talking about football fans?) to the city. But, Cap One? What they have to do with Orlando, except for kicking in the dough to fund the football game, I will never know.

Lest anyone think such corporate sponshorship is anything new, the Rose Bowl -- affectionately referred to as "The Grandaddy of Them All" -- was originally started as a marketing tool for the Tournament of Roses Parade. The parade pre-dates the football game by 12 years!

2 comments:

Jim said...

It would suit me just fine if they kept their original names. I see nothing wrong with The Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl, just keep the name that we associate with each bowl. As it is, I don't know which bowl is which anymore.

Also, sorry you weren't able to get a cow. I logged on at halftime, assuming there was a catch to the deal. Cool enough, it was all free. I didn't think they would last til today.

kassy said...

I absolutely agree, I dont know which bowl is which either, if they kept their the fruit or whatever other original name, at least we would know what bowl it was. I have lost so much interest in the bowls latley not knowing what game is what and also, there's just too many of them