Posted on: Friday, June 13, 2003

Lack of Hawai'i Bowl sponsor may be costly to UH

By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer

Unless a title sponsor is found to replace ConAgra Foods, the University of Hawai'i and Western Athletic Conference might have to assume more of the expenses for the Hawai'i Bowl.

ConAgra's sponsorship last year was worth "mid-six figures," according to Pete Derzis, vice president of ESPN Regional Television (ERT), which operates the Christmas Day game at Aloha Stadium. UH is guaranteed a berth if it wins seven of its 13 games this fall.

WAC members spent approximately $1 million to subsidize the conference's bowls — Silicon Valley Classic, Crucial.com Humanitarian and Hawaii'i Bowl — last year. UH's share was "about $100,000," according to someone familiar with the situation.

WAC members have spent more than $2 million to underwrite conference bowl ties over the last three years, insiders said.

The loss of ConAgra one year into what was supposed to have been a three-year contract comes at a time when the NCAA has done away with $750,000 minimum guarantee payouts, which used to be required of bowls, while imposing new rules that require bowls to meet performance benchmarks.

For 2003, bowls must:

• Generate bowl-based revenue (sponsorships, TV, tickets, etc.) at least equal to the financial commitments of participating conferences.

• Cover reasonable travel and participation expenses of participating teams.

• Average at least 25,000 fans (paid turnstile count) or 70 percent of stadium seating capacity or face probation and eventual decertification if the average isn't met over a three-year period.

Both Karl Benson, WAC commissioner, and Derzis say they are hopeful of finding a new sponsor. "I'd be shocked — and surprised — if they don't get another sponsor of comparable value," Benson said.

ERT is also looking for a title sponsor for its Las Vegas Bowl after Sega Sports ended its association in February.

Only four of 28 bowls were without title sponsors last year. One of them, the Seattle Bowl, has since been decertified.