Page 26
Freedom Bowl
Continued from page 11
immensely profitable
sporting events. Sponsors
kill for the opportunity to
be involved in them. For
the chance to sponsor
luncheons banquets, travel
expenses and the like,
they know the returns are
great.
Conferences earn big
dollars through ticket
sales and souvenir
booklets. Media outlets,
like CBS or NBC earn
their share by guarantee
ing a national audience to
advertisers - for a fee. And,
of course, the NCAA gets
a cut.
Financially, bowl
games are supposed to
have something in it for
everyone; once they get
rolling, that is.
The Freedom Bowl, the
brainchild of MEAC Com
missioner Ken Free, is still
in its "get rolling" stage
and the attendance figures
show it. Each year, the
small crowds looked real
ly paltry in previous
games held in Atlanta's
Fulton County Stadium
and Washingtor D.C.'s
R.F.K. Stadium. This year,
Freedom Bowl officials
opted for the smaller
Groves Stadium, home of
the Wake Forest Deacons.
Low attendance,
however, appears to be a
burdensome detertant to
future progress. True, this
year's 6,484 crowd look
ed better in Groves than -
say - last years' 8,962
crowd did in RFK
Stadium. But a lack of
ticket sales keeps the
game off the airwaves
where the real money is
made.
During the pre-game
banquet, the room was
abuzz with speculation
on whether the Freedom
Bowl will survive another
year. According to one
conference official, the
NCAA is reportedly con
cerned about the low at
tendance. "I heard that is
we don't get 20,000 in the
stands," said one coach
who asked not be named
"this game is in big
trouble."
Under previous cir
cumstances, maybe so.
But after four years of be
ing miscast in large pro-
sports oriented cities, the
Freedom Bowl may have
found an ideal home in
Winston-Salem.
A state with 11
historically Black col
leges, North Carolina has
large numbers of Black
college alumni than can
support this classic. Plus,
Winston-Salem is five
hours' automobile drive
from Washington, D.C, to
the north and Atlanta to
the south. Richmond,
Norfolk , Greensboro,
Charlotte, Raleigh and
Knoxville, other cities
with larger Black popula
tion are even closer.
In a very short time,
(and with proper
marketing) the Freedom
Bowl can become a great
post-season event, which
will continue benefitting
pro scouts and student-
athletes, enrich the four
conferences and become
attractive to more
sponsors.
The Bowl concept
developed after MEAC
Commissioner Free
"brainstormed" the idea
with journalist Tony
Brown in 1981. They
discussed the idea of pro
viding athletes attending
historiclly Black institu
tions "an opportunity to
be recognized" by pro
football teams. The bowl,
they realized, would also
produce much needed
revenue to participating
schools and, thereby,
upgrading their athletic
programs.
Free then met with of
ficials from SWAC con
ference who agreed to
participate. In 1983, the
NCAA approved the bowl
game between all-stars
from both conferences.
With the sponsorship, of
SBN, various companies
and the City of Atlanta,
the first game was played
in Fulton County Stadium.
In 1987, the game format
changed to a North versus
South concept, bringing
in the CIAA, the SIAC
conferences and eight
independents.
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