Outback Bowl no more? Penn State has officially played in the last Outback Bowl
Penn State started the 2022 calendar year by losing to Arkansas in the Outback Bowl. It will, officially, go down as Pen State’s last appearance in the Outback Bowl. But don’t worry, the bowl game itself isn’t going anywhere. It will just sport a new name going forward.
On Friday, the Tampa Bay Bowl Association announced it will rebrand the January 1 bowl as the Tampa Bay Bowl, complete with a new logo to go with the new name. The bowl game will continue its existing partnership with the Big Ten, SEC, and the ACC, along with media partner ESPN.
“We are thrilled about our new Tampa Bay Bowl logo and name which is a reflection of our 36-year relationship with the vibrant Tampa Bay region as one of the most exciting and hospitable destinations of any college bowl game,” Tampa Bay Bowl Chair Rita Lowman said in a released statement. “We look forward to continuing the Tampa Bay Bowl’s positive impact on college football and the Tampa Bay community, both economically and by showcasing our region nationally and internationally.”
In the age of sponsored bowl names, however, it would be a pretty good guess to say this bowl game will not keep this name for too long. The fact the name is the Tampa Bay Bowl now suggests the bowl game’s organization wasn’t able to secure the kind of sponsorship deal it may have been hoping to get and is still holding out hope it will one day receive.
Simply put, there is too much money to be passing up to have a bowl game without some sort of corporate sponsor, whether it is as a presenting sponsor or taking over the namesake of the bowl. But given the game has adopted the name Tampa Bay Bowl, it may be more likely the game attaches or has a presenting sponsorship lined up, but details on that will be made available later.
Hopefully, we all enjoyed the free bloomin’ onions and fried shrimp while we could. And maybe Outback Steakhouse will attach itself to another bowl game as a sponsor to keep that tradition alive.
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