FW Bowl loses sponsor

[MeanGreen61]

Bank leaves Fort Worth Bowl

By WENDELL BARNHOUSE

STAR-TELEGRAM STAFF WRITER

There will be a Year Three of the Fort Worth Bowl. It just won't have PlainsCapital as its corporate sponsor.

Tom Starr, executive director of the bowl, confirmed late Thursday afternoon that PlainsCapital had declined to exercise its option to sponsor the game for a third year. PlainsCapital, a bank founded in Lubbock which has expanded to the Metroplex, had a two-year sponsorship contract with an option for a third year.

Starr said that the lack of a corporate sponsor would not prevent this year's game from being played. It's scheduled for Dec. 23 at Amon G. Carter Stadium.

"The first year was great but last year was a failure," said Alan White, PlainsCapital Corp. president and CEO. "We didn't want to be involved and not have some teams to attract some people. It's as simple as that.

"ESPN and the city of Fort Worth did everything they could do, but for us it just didn't work."

The Fort Worth Bowl attempts to match teams from the Big 12 Conference and Conference USA. However, the bowl has yet to have a Big 12 team and White said that was a major reason his bank decided to drop out. ESPN and the Fort Worth Bowl have been negotiating with the Big 12 to move up in the conference's selection order, but have been unsuccessful.

The first year of the Fort Worth Bowl featured TCU playing Boise State. That game drew 38,028. However, Year Two was hindered by frigid weather -- a wind chill of 17 degrees -- and a matchup between Cincinnati and Marshall. That game drew an announced crowd of 13,204.

PlainsCapital's decision to drop out as sponsor was not a surprise to the Fort Worth Bowl. PlainsCapital was scheduled to make its decision on the option year in March and the negotiation period was extended for three months.

The Fort Worth Bowl is owned by ESPN Regional television. Pete Derzis, senior vice president of ESPN Regional Television, praised PlainsCapital for the "energy and enthusiasm" it brought in helping the Fort Worth Bowl get off the ground.

"Their sponsorship was a great marketing tool for them as they entered the Fort Worth/Dallas area," Derzis said. "But marketing strategies change."

Starr and Derzis said the search for a new corporate sponsor has already started. Derzis said he was on the phone with contacts Thursday in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.

"We're actively looking for another corporate sponsor," Starr said. "The money from a title sponsor is key. ... ESPN Regional has sales departments in every major city. They've got a lot of tentacles out there."

IN THE KNOW

Fort Worth Bowl

The brief history of the Fort Worth Bowl:

Date Result Att.

2003 Boise St. 34 TCU 31 38,028

2004 Cincinnati 32 Marshall 14 13,204

[Harry]

Quick Wendell plug - this guy lives in my neighborhood and his kids go to my kids elementary school. He is a CLASS ACT, gives a lot of his time to the school in the dad's club and helped us to raise about 50K for the school in a silent auction last May.

Anyhow, tough deal for TCU and Fort Worth. When TCU did not get bowl eligible last year it really hurt that bowl.

[pollock]

a matchup between Cincinnati and Marshall. That game drew an announced crowd of 13,204.

13,204? More like 204.

[SouthernMustang]

13,204? More like 204.

They hired our (SMU) Athletic Department to do the ticket count.

[eulesseagle]

Hate to see that happen to TCU.

We all know why there is a Fort Worth Bowl!! Just as we know why there are about 5 or 6 other useless bowl games.....because.....it gives their home town teams a guaranteed bowl game and a payout at the end of the season. Look at the Silicon Valley Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, F-W Bowl etc etc etc. If the home team is not in the bowl then whose butts are they going to put in the seats? Who in FW is going to pay the admission price to see two teams play that are from Ohio and West Virginia?? It's like saying who in Idaho would go see LaTech play in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho against Florida Atlantic? No slam against LaTech or FAU on that analogy. If Boise did not play in that Bowl every year (except last year) the place would be as full as Amon Carter Stadium (TCU). If sponsors can not draw from regional teams then they can expect to take a beating on attendance. In my humble opinion there are way too many bowl games anyway. If half of D-1 goes to a bowl then bowl games loose all there significance.

The only people who care is the athletic departments who get about as much money as if they played one of the major college teams and the subsequent payola from getting their butts beat by 30 or 65 points.

Naturally, what we need is a legitamate D-1 playoff system like all other college sports but that will not happen as long as the BCS is pandering to all the so called "big time conferences." On any given Saturday any major university can get beat. Two years ago LaTech beat Michigan State and last year Troy defeated Missouri and got robbed at LSU.

[dogsplayinpoker]

"The first year was great but last year was a failure," said Alan White, PlainsCapital Corp. president and CEO. "We didn't want to be involved and not have some teams to attract some people. It's as simple as that"

That's pretty harsh. But it is refreshing to see this instead of some boring, gut-less corporate speak "we decided to pursue other opportunities"

[FirefightnRick]

Serves them right for not inviting Troy.

Rick

[stebo]

Hate to see that happen to TCU.

We all know why there is a Fort Worth Bowl!! Just as we know why there are about 5 or 6 other useless bowl games.....because.....it gives their home town teams a guaranteed bowl game and a payout at the end of the season.  Look at the Silicon Valley Bowl, Humanitarian Bowl, F-W Bowl etc etc etc.  If the home team is not in the bowl then whose butts are they going to put in the seats?  Who in FW is going to pay the admission price to see two teams play that are from Ohio and West Virginia??  It's like saying who in Idaho would go see LaTech play in the Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho against Florida Atlantic?  No slam against LaTech or FAU on that analogy.  If Boise did not play in that Bowl every year (except last year) the place would be as full as Amon Carter Stadium (TCU).  If sponsors can not draw from regional teams then they can expect to take a beating on attendance.  In my humble opinion there are way too many bowl games anyway.  If half of D-1 goes to a bowl then bowl games loose all there significance. 

The only people who care is the athletic departments who get about as much money as if they played one of the major college teams and the subsequent payola from getting their butts beat by 30 or 65 points.

Naturally, what we need is a legitamate D-1 playoff system like all other college sports but that will not happen as long as the BCS is pandering to all the so called "big time conferences."  On any given Saturday any major university can get beat.  Two years ago LaTech beat Michigan State and last year Troy defeated Missouri and got robbed at LSU.

I generally agree with you but Boise is the exception. Boise has not played in their bowl game for the last three out of four years now and they have had around 25K for all of those games. The folks in Boise are kinda like the folks in El Paso... they have absolutely nothing else to do but to support the local sport's team and its bowl game. Even the year that La Tech played Clemson in the bowl there were about 23K there. While fans from other schools usually cannot (or will not) make the pilgramage up to Boise, the locals show up to support that game. It is an annomoly to me but I have a lot of respect for the citizens of Boise for it. Now - the Hawaii Bowl would be a different story... if Hawaii was not in it, it would be a disaster, kind of link the Ft Worth Bowl last year. As for the defunct San Jose Bowl (Silicon Valley Classic) - it was turned down for recertification and has gone bankrupt. They really had no excuse other than zero local interest in football. They had about as many people show up for last years game with Troy State playing Miami(OH) as they did when Fresno played UCLA in it the year before. The WAC is down to two bowl games now - Boise and Hawaii - and I would say that the safest bet for longevity would lie with the Boise Bowl (MPC Computers Bowl, formerly the Humanitarian Bowl)...

[SCREAMING EAGLE-66]

They hired our (SMU) Athletic Department to do the ticket count.

---Stang......You are destoying my life-time hatred of SMU.....LOL

----Troy would have been a better economic draw.. That is reason we were overlooked during the Joe Green and Hayden Fry days.......... Outside of the big 3-4 bowls of the time they looked at us and then at other teams and decided they would be a better team to bring fans...... The truth hurt..... If we don't make the NO bowl we would be a good choice (hopefully) for the Ft. Worth Bowl....... We would bring a sizable amount of fans unlike many they could chose.....

Whether we like it or not, some bowls invitations are decided by potential ratings, number of fans, and how many will attend the bowl game. We need to improve attendence and interest......big time.!!!!!!!

Edited July 8, 2005 by SCREAMING EAGLE-66

[ADLER]

If we don't make the NO bowl we would be a good choice (hopefully) for the Ft. Worth Bowl.......

I think many people had stars in their eyes when we were potentially going to get matched against Southern Miss in the New Orleans Bowl.

North Texas should have been campaigning hard for the Independance and Fort Worth Bowls, and let the Sun Belt place Troy in New Orleans.

[Metropolis777]

Serves them right for not inviting Troy.

No, it serves them right for not trying to cut a deal to have UNT there and send Troy to NO. I interviewed for an internship with the clowns who run the FW Bowl last year. We started talking and I told them that they should heavily consider trying to get UNT into the game. (this was before the season started and I still thought that TCU was going to run wild on Tech and CUSA and head to the BCS). They were adamant that they would wait on the Big 12. I guaranteed that the Big 12 wouldn't be able to fill an 8th slot again. They laughed.

I'm laughing now for turning down that internship...I would have been in hell had I had to work that game.

[NT80]

No, it serves them right for not trying to cut a deal to have UNT there and send Troy to NO. I interviewed for an internship with the clowns who run the FW Bowl last year. We started talking and I told them that they should heavily consider trying to get UNT into the game. (this was before the season started and I still thought that TCU was going to run wild on Tech and CUSA and head to the BCS). They were adamant that they would wait on the Big 12. I guaranteed that the Big 12 wouldn't be able to fill an 8th slot again. They laughed.

I'm laughing now for turning down that internship...I would have been in hell had I had to work that game.

Will TCU try to tie the FTW Bowl into the MWC after this year?

[Arkstfan]

UNT opted to accept the New Orleans Bowl berth rather than waiting. When UNT accepted the New Orleans Bowl berth it still looked like the I-Bowl was going to have either South Carolina or Arkansas. Clemson appeared to be available as well and had a handshake to go to Houston (instead of UTEP).

If UTEP had been available Fort Worth likely would not have turned to Marshall.

[UNTFan23]

Will TCU try to tie the FTW Bowl into the MWC after this year?

I think at this point the FW Bowl should be more worried about:

1) Who's going to the rep for CUSA?

2a) Will there be enough Big 12 teams that are bowl eligible? If so, can they get a Big 12 South team?

2b) If not is TCU bowl eligible?

I think the fact that the Big 12 hasn't moved the FW Bowl up in the selection process shows just how dedicated the conference is to the bowl (ie not very dedicated). It might be more beneficial for the FW bowl to constantly court TCU, SMU, and North Texas since all could easily fill the stadium with fans and remain attractive to locals in DFW. Otherwise, you end up with the crowd from last year and then the bowl will just die after a couple years of bad attendence.

And quite frankly, I don't see how tying the bowl to the MWC will help things much in the long run anyways so long as the FW Bowl keeps its tie-in to the Big 12 as the #8 draw.