Hawai'i Bowl considers moving game to Dec. 24
By Ferd Lewis
Advertiser Staff Writer
Faced with the prospect of head-to-head competition with the NFL on Christmas Day, the Sheraton Hawai'i Bowl is considering moving its game to Dec. 24 this year, officials said.
Traditionally, both the Hawai'i Bowl and its predecessors here, the Aloha and O'ahu bowls, have almost exclusively occupied Christmas Day dates for nearly 20 years.
But with the NFL considering the rarity of playing on Christmas this season, "the afternoon of Christmas Eve is something we're looking at very strongly," said Pete Derzis, vice president for ESPN Regional Television, which owns and operates the game.
He said the game is looking at the possibility of a 2 p.m. kickoff on a Friday, which would still allow fans to be home early on Christmas Eve. But, Derzis said, "no firm decision has been made. It is very tentative right now until we know what the NFL is going to do."
The 2004 NFL schedule has tentatively set opening-week games for Sept. 9-13, and that would put Dec. 25, a Saturday, in the 16th and penultimate weekend of the regular season.
The NFL's decision probably won't be announced "until the end of March or early April," said Mike Signora, coordinator of corporate communications for the league.
The Hawai'i Bowl had announced attendance of 35,513 in its inaugural year and 25,551 last year.
Some fans have long said that the Christmas Day date has conflicted with family activities and kept them from attending.
"Many people treat the 24th like a holiday and either take the day off or work half a day, so we feel like that might work out better (than Christmas) for some people," Derzis said.
"As long as UH is in it, I'll support them," Michael Machado, a longtime fan, said of the proposed switch in dates. "I think more people might be inclined to go, too."
One potential conflict could be with the Rainbow Classic should the host Rainbow Warriors play in the third- or fifth-place basketball game.
The championship game is scheduled for the night of Dec. 24, with other games in the afternoon and early evening.
Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8044.
