Richard Hyatt: Bowl game overload

In an era before post-season football games reproduced like rabbits, the arrival of a bowl committee in a college press box was treated like the second coming.

They wore matching blazers and car-salesman smiles. They came to town a few days before the game and picked up every bar tab within reach.

That they were in your hometown stadium late in the season meant your team might spend the holidays where the sun was warm and parties were interrupted only by three hours of football.

Not every game was considered elite. Every school wanted to go to Miami, New Orleans or Big D, but New Years in places like Jacksonville was not everyone's dream.

That's why the Gator Bowl employed George Olsen, an Irishman who could convince a Baptist to dance. He knew the words to every school fight song and he sang them loudly.

It was never clear whether a coach sold Olsen on how many fans they would bring to Florida or whether he convinced them that a view of the St. John's River was great in the month of December. But before there was something called the TaxSlayer Bowl, he sold Jacksonville as a hot spot.

When I realized 42 bowl games were being played this year in exotic spots like Shreveport, Birmingham and Detroit, I thought of Olsen. Even a salesman with his skills couldn't sell those towns.

Over the past 20 years, the number of bowls has more than doubled. A bowl used to be created because of tourism. Nowadays, all you need is a friend who works at ESPN. Selling tickets is an afterthought for at this year's games receivers are in danger of dropping passes because of the glare bouncing off empty seats.

Not that these things make a difference. Schools are happy. Auburn is playing in its own neighborhood and Georgia is playing with a coaching staff it hired at the Varsity in Athens. The only games that matter involve Alabama, Clemson, Oklahoma and Michigan State.

ESPN is in charge of the world. They have rights to all but three of the games. They have programming at a time of the year when it's hard to find. They can force Beth Mowins on unsuspecting viewers one more time. They can pick up more cash -- even if nobody shows up at the game.

-- Richard Hyatt is an independent correspondent. Reach him at hyatt31906@knology.net

This story was originally published December 26, 2015 at 8:53 PM with the headline "Richard Hyatt: Bowl game overload ."