For the second time in as many months, a BcS bowl game has lost its title sponsor.
First was FedEx ending its 21-year relationship with the Orange Bowl back in May, and now Citi has done the same with the Rose Bowl after a seven-year run, the Sports Business Journal is reporting.
Perhaps the biggest reason for Citi’s decision, the website writes, is because of ESPN’s restrictions over when and where it would spend its money as the Rose Bowl’s lead sponsor. ESPN has taken over the BcS broadcast rights from FOX — thank you again, Lord — and has assumed responsibility for selling marketing and advertising as well.
AT&T, the first title sponsor of the Rose Bowl, is reportedly eyeing a return to the Granddaddy of Them All. Hershey’s is expected to take over for FedEx and become the Orange Bowl’s new title sponsor.
It will run a company in the neighborhood of $200 million a year to sponsor a BcS game, up 33 percent from what FOX was charging. ESPN, however, is selling the rights as a season-long college football package.
“ESPN has taken over the broadcast rights from FOX ”
The Rose Bowl wasn’t on Fox. It’s been on ABC as longs as I’ve been alive.
200M is a lot of coin to sponsor a bowl game.
Any idea how the financials breakdown between the Rose Bowl, ESPN and the colleg football teams?
I bet the lion’s share of $$ goes to ESPN.
I would love to see the college teams get a bigger cut, they deserve it, not a greedy, egotistical network like ESPN
You can’t really mean $200 mil a year for a bowl game. Are you sure that’s not a stray zero?
I used to work for Citi. Due to their corporate greed during the sub-prime mortgage meltdown they lost billions of dollars. My stock options and stock grants are now almost worthless. People like me were laid off or forced to retire (my case). It’s amazing how they could still afford $200B for a football game, but couldn’t afford to retain long term employees. I guess Citi Field is next (I hope).
So are they going to drop the “Orange” and “Rose” titles like Chick-fil-a did to the Peach Bowl?
Something just seems wrong about that.
It still won’t be the ____ Rose Bowl, of course. The game wouldn’t allow that, so it’s likely they’ll stick with The Rose Bowl Game presented by ________.