History of Bowl Names

Naming Rights Generally:

When looking at the naming rights of bowl games it is important to note that it has not always been this way. We have not always had bowl games named after start-ups and fortune 500 companies. In fact, just 30 years ago, names of bowl games were named after regional products/regional commodities (Orange Bowl, Rose Bowl, Sugar Bowl, Orange Bowl etc.). But as change comes over time, sponsorships became common and essential to having a successful bowl and they are all the rave.

But what is needed to be a sponsor of a bowl game? Really, all it comes down to is simply money on the sponsor’s side. Anyone can really sponsor a bowl as long as you purpose for sponsoring the bowl (and your underlying mission statement) is in compliance with the NCAA purpose. The total dollar amount usually depends on the bowl, but New Year’s Six Bowls can go in the Tens of Millions and non-New Year’s Six Bowls tend to run from $500,000-$1,000,000. But, in order to sponsor a Bowl, there has to be one in the first place. Bowls can literally be started by anyone that is willing to cough up $10,000 for the certification from the NCAA and that complies with the NCAA Accountability Questionnaire. And just like the sponsor who wants to market their brand to make more money, the Bowl is a business of itself and the best way for this business to make money is through sponsorship deals. This is where the underlying nitty-gritty parts of the negotiations happen as to where the sponsors logos will be on the field, how many events they have, if the sponsor’s name is part of the bowl name/after it and so on.

But why sponsor? The idea is usually to build brand awareness. You want your name to be on a bowl game because it is essentially a “3-hour branded advertisement”! As a former Fed Ex VP once said, “You can’t watch the game for a couple minutes without seeing the logo.” But it gives the sponsoring business the opportunity for notoriety. That is likely all they want.

Implications:

The underlying question to the naming rights of bowls is does it really work for the sponsor and does the consumer get bothered by the fact that bowls are now being named after businesses. The answer to both is really no. Studies have shown that don’t really have the impact that some big companies hope for. Big companies like Chick-Fil-A/Fed Ex and so on want to see improvements on the bottom line (stock price) and most of the time it really shows no difference. But there is an argument that for the companies that are not known, that somehow get enough money to sponsor a bowl, that it could be a gamechanger (look at how much attention Bad Boy Mowers is getting now).

In terms of the consumers (the fans) there is definitely an argument that it doesn’t matter anymore. Simply because bowls are named or presented by big corporations actually is expected in today’s world. But if you think about it, the name of the bowl could really impact viewership, number of people at the bowl, and future recruiting for the program. All things that ultimately affect the fans and the product on the field in the future.