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It's Business, Folks

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By TED JACKOVICS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: December 4, 2007

TAMPA - Right before last year's Southeastern Conference-Big 10 showdown in the Outback Bowl, ESPN's football pundits predicted the University of Tennessee would prevail over Penn State based on their notion of "SEC speed."

Soon after the game, a Penn State fan opened a video segment on YouTube with ESPN's erroneous prediction, followed by the terse message: "That's Why They Play The Game!!!"

Well, yes and no. Bowl games reward successful teams and can be fun for their fans. But bowl games primarily are big business, enthusiastically promoted by university administrators and commercial interests alike. City boosters nationwide developed many bowl games, such as the Orange Bowl during the Great Depression, purely as a way to attract spending visitors.
Outback Bowl officials say expenditures from the 2008 New Year's Day game between the University of Tennessee and University of Wisconsin will be worth more than $40 million to the Tampa Bay area's economy, based on previous local reports and those from other bowl venues. Each team will get a minimum $3.1 million.

The hospitality industry, the area's largest business in terms of employment, stands to benefit the most.

"The fan who comes in from Wisconsin with a family of two or three others are here to have fun, and they are not going to be sitting around in a hotel room," said Steve Hayes, executive vice president of Tampa Bay & Co., which promotes Hillsborough County's visitors industry.

"They might stay an average of three nights in a hotel, go out to dinner, shop and buy novelties, and go to the attractions. In the end, they support the team and they are good for our community."

Big companies, like the downtown Hyatt and Westin hotels that will serve as official team headquarters, are not the only ones to benefit from bowl games.

Boston's, a suburban Tampa restaurant at 9316 Anderson Road that serves as a Saturday headquarters for a Tennessee alumni group during the regular season, expects to draw extra business from Outback Bowl fans, both as a daily gathering spot and a New Year's Eve party for Vols fans.

"I expect that more Vols fans will come to Tampa for the game than a year ago," said Boston's managing partner Tony Regas, who's also planning bowl festivities at a Boston's that opened in Sarasota on Monday.

Outback tickets remained available on Ticketmaster.com on Monday afternoon, with the best sideline seats available in the upper deck on the 15 yard line for $65 each, plus a $5.75 convenience charge. As recently as Friday, after Wisconsin had been named but before Tennessee was selected, sideline tickets were available on the 45 yard line.

All of the tickets designated for public sale as "membership" and "club" tickets" are sold out. Some required between $60 and $450 for rights to buy lower deck sideline seats near the end zone. The most expensive "club" packages cost $20,000 for 100 tickets, 25 parking passes, six invitations for bowl events and a 100-person, catered corporate tent. Each team is guaranteed 11,000 tickets.

Reporter Ted Jackovics can be reached at tjackovics@tampatrib.com or (813) 259-7817.

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