A college bowl game in Washington in late December? The gods must be crazy.
The District of Columbia Bowl Committee with a grand total of two members is working for a Dec. 21, 2008 game at RFK Stadium, according to The Washington Times. District Councilman Jack Evans also supports the idea. The group wants to bolster Washington tourism during a traditionally slow period. Guess Marion Barry’s toll booth idea isn’t a real money-maker.
My advice — stick with the National Christmas Tree and White House holiday tours. A bowl game at winter’s onset in an open-air old stadium while many locals head home for the holidays is a reach of an idea.
My hometown is a great place in the spring for tourists. Fall is even better despite no cherry blossoms. A bowl game in December will get the same cool reception that past lobbying for a Super Bowl received. The best parts of town — the monuments — are outside.
Fans want somewhere warm to party with their team. They’re thinking beach, golf and bikinis. It’s the only way to draw fans during the holidays. Otherwise, I have three words for you — Motor City Bowl. Teams aren’t invited to Detroit, they’re penalized for 6-5 seasons. The D.C. Bowl would have a better chance of getting State Penn than Penn State without a domed stadium.
And let’s not forget lack of suites for the rich folks. RFK has none, which is why the Redskins left. RFK’s past bid for the Army-Navy game was scuttled by no suites.
Washington isn’t a major college football town. A recent ESPN poll ranked the District No. 30 of 51 states (at least someone thinks Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton should have a vote) in football when considering, pro, college and high school teams.
The District ranked No. 49 among colleges, beating only Vermont and Alaska respectively. I don’t hear anyone mentioning Maple Syrup and Tundra bowls, either.
Navy has been linked to this nonsense, though the Midshipmen are understandly reluctant to enlist immediately. Navy prefers a national schedule, which is why it won’t meet Maryland annually.
If the District wants tourism revenues, it shouldn’t want a local team, anyway.
If the District really wants a big draw, get a spring break football scrimmage. Alabama drew 92,000 to watch the Tide run patterns. More than 75,000 saw Ohio State beat itself. Virginia Tech’s spring game would probably sell out RFK.
Whatever happened to major boxing events? Better yet, restart those supposed non-talks with the Redskins and a domed stadium to get the team back to the RFK site by 2020 if you want real revenue. With a domed stadium, the District could also resume its Olympic and Super Bowl bids.
But a bowl game at Christmastime? Ho, ho, ho.
Rick Snider has covered local sports since 1978. Contact him at [email protected].
