The Tribune

By RENALDO DORSETT

Sports Reporter

rdorsett@tribunemedia.net

FOR the first time in its brief three-year history, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl will shift from its Christmas Eve date.

This year, the game will be scheduled for 1pm on Friday, December 23, in an effort to take full advantage of the long holiday weekend.

“With the move of the game to  December 23, we look forward to seeing more Bahamians and families attend the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl as schools are out of session and many workers will have the day off prior to the holiday weekend,” said Richard Giannini, executive director of the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl.

“We have had a successful first two years with a pair of tremendous football games and a yearly showcase of the Bahamas to US television audiences, thanks to the assistance of Popeyes, the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Atlantis. We know that we will build on that success in 2016.”

Despite critics citing a lack of attendance in the 15,000 seat Thomas A Robinson Stadium for both previous editions of the game, the game continues to garner notoriety and viewers as one of the bowl games now in the ESPN stable of events.

According to Sports Media Watch, the 2015 Christmas Eve matchup, which saw the Western Michigan Broncos top the Middle Tennessee State Blue Raiders, drew in 2.1 million viewers on ESPN. The 45-31 win for the Broncos was the first bowl win in school history.

Jamauri Bogan rushed for a Popeyes Bahamas Bowl record 215 yards and four touchdowns on 19 carries. He was named the offensive MVP.

The offensive display between the two teams featured six touchdowns of 40 yards or more.

Those viewing numbers from 2015 represented a 43 per cent increase from the 2014 game, its inaugural edition.

The high scoring matchup that saw the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers win 45-31 over the Central Michigan Chippewas, drew in an estimated 1.5 million viewers.

In total, the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl locked in 11 million views on ESPN, was featured in 401 news segments and there were 1,587 news articles written about the game.

According to an analysis of expenditure on the 2014 game, the Popeyes Bahamas Bowl spent just over $1.2 million in the Bahamas. That number did not include the money spent by Popeyes for activation in Nassau.

The Bowl has featured a team from the Mid-American Conference in both games. In those editions the opponent was from Conference USA and in 2016 it will be from the American Athletic Conference.

In its inaugural edition, The Popeyes Bahamas Bowl made an indelible mark on the NCAA Bowl season, and now the event looks to extend its reach through a partnership with “the worldwide leader in sports.”

In June 2015, ESPN made the official announcement to come onboard with the project.

Pete Derzis, senior vice president and general manager of ESPN Events, opened the pep rally by saying his organisation welcomed the addition of the Christmas Eve event which garnered international acclaim last year.

“It takes everyone pulling together in a common goal to host this event. We look forward to building it step by step every year adding a new element. Hopefully, satisfying our stakeholders, the people that have come together to work so hard in pulling this off, and the public who come to the stadium and who watch on television and expect a quality football game.”