Gridiron Green

5 reasons Austin hasn’t hosted a college football bowl game — and likely never will

Closing the 2013 season with a whimper, the University of Texas Longhorns fell to the University of Oregon Ducks on December 30 in the Valero Alamo Bowl. Thousands of fans witnessed Mack Brown coach his last football game for the Longhorns and Case McCoy throw his last pass in a UT uniform.

The Horns and the Ducks duked it out at San Antonio’s Alamodome, almost 80 miles south of Austin. Approximately 65,000 tickets were sold for the Alamo Bowl, which injects nearly $40 million into the San Antonio economy each year. By comparison, South by Southwest events in 2013 poured $218 million into the Austin economy, while UT’s seven home football games in 2013 generated at least $100 million.

San Antonio is one of five major Texas cities that host college football bowl games each year. Austin, however, isn’t on the list. In fact, Austin has never hosted a bowl game, despite the fact that UT’s Darrell K Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium seats more than 100,000 people.

Here are five reasons why Austin hasn’t hosted a college football bowl game — and probably never will.

1. The financial risk is big.

A bowl game in Austin probably would have to be created from scratch, meaning an upfront investment of millions of dollars. It’s pretty unlikely that Austin could snatch a bowl game from another city, even if Austin dangled super-appealing incentives.

“The winning formula for bowl games is all about the matchup of teams that attract attention and traveling fans,” says Matt Payne, executive director of the Austin Sports Commission.

2. The financial payoff is iffy.

Austin wouldn’t attract a major game like the Orange Bowl or Sugar Bowl, so it would wind up with a lower-tier bowl game.

"Would a minor bowl game increase Austin’s brand? I think Austin does pretty well without a bowl game.” — economist Todd Jewell

“I can tell you that a minor bowl in Austin wouldn’t generate much economic activity. These games don’t generate much extra economic activity in any city,” says sports economist Todd Jewell, chair of the Department of Economics at the University of North Texas. “No matter what the official line is, a minor bowl game is likely to cost more than it generates.”

Jewell said the real payoff for a city hosting a bowl game is branding — the media exposure from the TV broadcast and associated news coverage.

“So the real question here is: Would a minor bowl game increase Austin’s brand? I think Austin does pretty well without a bowl game,” Jewell says.

3. The competition is heavy.

In 2013-14, college football teams squared off in 35 bowl games (including the national championship). Four brand-new games are on tap for the 2014-15 season: the Miami Beach Bowl and the Boca Raton Bowl, both in South Florida; the Camellia Bowl in Montgomery, Alabama; and the Bahamas Bowl in, you guessed it, the Bahamas.

In all, 39 bowl games will appear on the 2014-15 schedule.

“There are so many bowl games now,” Payne says. “Most of them already have a partnership with the power conferences [such as the Big 12 and SEC]. A new bowl game would be far down the pecking order in securing the right matchup from the attractive conferences.”

Nonetheless, Mark Conrad, associate professor of sports business law at Fordham University, emphasized that college football is a “religion” to fans, and that’s reflected in the abundance of bowl games.

“You’d think there are too many,” Conrad told CNBC, “but that hasn’t been the case.”

4. The fans aren’t flocking.

In recent years, attendance figures for most bowl games haven’t been that impressive, Payne noted. Indeed, average bowl attendance sank to 48,793 in the 2013-14 season, the lowest level since 1978-79, according to SportsBusiness Daily. This season also marked the third consecutive year of dwindling attendance for bowl games.

Three bowl games saw record-low attendance in 2013-14, according to SportsBusiness Daily, and two of them are played in the Lone Star State: the Heart of Dallas Bowl and the Texas Bowl.

5. The TV lineup is packed.

Lucrative TV contracts with networks like ESPN and ABC already are in place for existing bowl games, according to Payne. It would be challenging to squeeze another bowl game into the TV schedule, particularly since four new bowls are launching in 2014.

Here are the five bowl games that Texas hosts every year:

Texas Bowl

Venue: Reliant Stadium
City: Houston
Attendance: 32,000 (2013)
Annual economic impact: $30 million
Website: thetexasbowl.com

Valero Alamo Bowl

Venue: Alamodome
City: San Antonio
Attendance: 66,000 (2013)
Annual economic impact: $40 million
Website:alamobowl.com

Hyundai Sun Bowl

Venue: Sun Bowl
City: El Paso
Attendance: 48,000 (2013)
Annual economic impact: $14 million to $17 million
Website: sunbowl.org

Heart of Dallas Bowl

Venue: Cotton Bowl Stadium
City: Dallas
Attendance: 38,000 (2014)
Annual economic impact: $20 million
Website: theheartofdallasbowl.com

AT&T Cotton Bowl Classic

Venue: AT&T Stadium
City: Arlington
Attendance: 72,700 (2014)
Annual economic impact: $30 million
Website: attcottonbowl.com

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News on the Court

Huge pickleball franchise serves up first 2 Austin-area locations

The Picklr/Instagram

This growing chain of indoor courts plans five location in the Austin area.

Austin rings with the rubbery pop of pickleball as it takes over as the 2020s-defining sport. Joining the local fray in fall 2024 is The Picklr, a network of indoor pickleball courts that plans to open five locations across Austin and Round Rock over the next year-and-a-half.

The Utah-headquartered network calls itself North America’s fastest-growing indoor pickleball franchise, and its living up that reputation by launching its first two Austin-area locations at once: one at Round Rock Crossing (3021-3023 S I-35 Frontage Rd.) and the other in a former Walmart building in West Austin's Four Points neighborhood (8201 N FM 620).

Even though they're indoors, the courts will feature outdoor-style surfacing, and accommodate unlimited league play, tournaments, and open play. Alongside those courts is dedicated practice and warmup space, plus a pro shop, and a space for private events.

Both are large, but the Austin location is much bigger, coming at 39,000 square feet and encapsulating 11 courts. Sharing a small portion of the Austin space is Wired Fitness & Rehab. Round Rock's location fits eight courts in 25,000 square feet.

The Picklr works on a membership basis without tiers — all players have the same level of access. Bookings are also unlimited in frequency, although only one reservation may be held at once. For more organized play, members can participate in skill-based clinics, which take place on a weekly basis, or one-on-one lessons.

“We’re fortunate that Austin is home to one of the best pickleball communities in the country, and it’s had such a positive impact on our lives. That’s why we’re excited to build a club with pro-level resources and help make pickleball more accessible to everyone,” said The Picklr Round Rock owners Jennifer Zanfardino and Chris Gennarelli.

The owners of the West Austin location, David and Karen Hoisington, are multi-generational Austinites who have taken local sports to heart since childhood. They point out the stores leagues tying together the Austin scene. “Being part of a strategic partnership with leaders in the Pickleball sport has been inspiring and a privilege for us. Pickleball Inc., PPA Tour, MLP and Pickleball Central are all set to drive growth and memberships at The Picklr. We are excited to come alongside the awesome Pickleball community in Austin, Texas.”

The Austin-area locations are among 300 new ones being built "over the next few years," housing about 2,500 courts. Online reviews of Picklr vary, often due to shifts in policy as the fast-growing franchise creates its standardized rule set.

New users can sign up for a $10, 30-day trial. Both the West Austin and Round Rock locations will accept applications for founding members, which are just regular members with a permanent discount as thanks for signing up early. A submission form on each page will notify interested players when presales start.

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