ESPN to buy, move Miami Beach Bowl
The Miami Beach Bowl game only lasted three years in Miami and will now be moved.
Hang on to those fond Miami Beach Bowl memories, football fans. You’ll be getting no more. For now, anyway. ESPN wants the Miami Beach Bowl, and they want it played somewhere else.
Miami Beach Bowl leaving Miami after only 3 years. Bowl game likely headed to Frisco, Texas
— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) April 21, 2017
The Florida bowl game was first played on December 22nd, 2014. The Memphis Tigers outlasted the BYU Cougars 55-48 in front of 20,761 fans at Marlins Park.
In 2015 we were treated to Western Kentucky over South Florida, 45-35. Last season the Tulsa Golden Hurricane smashed the Central Michigan Chippewas 55-10. That game drew a crowd of just 15,262.
Conference tie-ins for the bowl game’s three-year history included the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, the Mid-American Conference, and the Sun Belt Conference. The per team payout for the game was $1 million placing it at 25th of 39 bowl games.
ESPN will move the game to Frisco, Texas, and plans to hold the event at the 20,500 seat Toyota Stadium. Presently the stadium is home to Major League Soccer team FC Dallas. The venue also hosts high school football games for the Frisco independent school district as well as the FCS championship game. The contract for that game has been renewed twice, and currently extends through the 2019 season. Frisco first hosted the FCS championship game in 2010.
AAC Commissioner Mike Aresco released a statement following Friday’s news.
“We are proud of the postseason opportunities that we have been able to provide to our student-athletes through our founding of the Miami Beach Bowl and we appreciate the relationships that we have built with the Miami Marlins, Marlins Park and the cities of Miami and Miami Beach,” AAC commissioner Mike Aresco said in a statement.
“This transfer makes sense on so many levels. We are excited to enhance our overall relationship with ESPN and to continue our affiliation with the bowl.”
The 2017 and 2019 matchups will feature a team from the AAC and the Sun Belt. The 2018 installment of the game will pit an AAC team against a MAC opponent.