PIMA COUNTY, ARIZONA – The 7-year-old Arizona Bowl has wrestled with how to stand out on television when there are dozens of postseason college football games flooding the airwaves in late December and early January.
So in an unexpected twist, game officials decided not to even try.
The Arizona Bowl recently announced a partnership with Barstool Sports for its Dec. 31 game in Tucson. The multiyear deal with the digital sports platform — notable for its occasional off-color humor and brash founder Dave Portnoy — not only includes naming rights but also broadcasting rights, which means the game won't be on ESPN or CBS. But instead, it'll be streamed on Barstool's multiple platforms like its website, app and social media. The game pits members of the Mountain West Conference and Mid-American Conference.
At its August 10 meeting, the Pima County Board of Supervisors voted 4-1 to remove $38,155.56 in funding for the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl, citing ethical concerns with its title sponsor, Barstool Sports.
The County had financially supported the Arizona Bowl since its inception in 2015, which encourages tourism and economic development in our region. In June, the Board awarded $38,155.56 to the annual football game, along with other tourism-related agencies. The Board approved the funding before the Arizona Bowl announced Barstool Sports as its title sponsor.
In 2019, over the previous four years, the bowl reported to have generated over $100 million into the economy from tourism. Over that same period, it was also able to give over $3.5 million to charities in the region.
Barstool Sports is a digital media company, specializing in sports and pop culture content.
"This game-changing partnership with Barstool Sports will literally change the landscape of the bowl for years to come, connecting our history of leading-edge innovation that showcases the grand traditions of football to Barstool's unmatched creative content power and streaming services," said Arizona Bowl executive director Kym Adair.
For starters, it allows the Arizona Bowl to keep its desired slot on New Year's Eve. Though broadcast rights are important, ticket sales and community engagement matter, too. Adair said she wants college football fans in Arizona to know the game will always be played on Dec. 31, allowing families to plan vacations and family gatherings and build a tradition.
Adair also said Barstool does remarkably well with the coveted 18- to 35-year-old demographic, which is notoriously tough to reach.
“Advertisers can’t find them but Barstool has them,” Adair said. “There's incredible energy surrounding the bowl right now and fans can’t wait to see Barstool's take on a bowl game.”
Nick Carparelli is the executive director at Bowl Season, a nonprofit which promotes the tradition of college football's postseason system. He's worked in the NFL and for the Big East Conference, Under Armour and Notre Dame at various times in his career, giving him a broad understanding of trends in college football.
He said he's intrigued by the Arizona Bowl's partnership with Barstool. He added that it should also be attractive to NCAA student-athletes, who consume sports and media much differently than previous generations.
“There are some newer bowls that are trying to grow, develop a strong presence in their community, and they're in position to be a little more creative in how they market and brand themselves,” Carparelli said. "The Arizona Bowl fits in that category. I thought it was very creative to partner with Barstool Sports. “It certainly engages a different type of audience then the traditional college football audience, which is good for the game in general.”
Pima County Board of Supervisors will discuss how to reallocate its funding to a different organization at its Aug. 16 meeting.