What are the tents in this logo? Where the players will sleep?
In an otherwise article on anxieties surrounding the Bowl Game Economy in the recession age, Darren Everson makes what seems like an odd supposition with two weeks left in the "regular season" of college football:
Even a rule that prevents teams with lousy records from playing in bowls may have to be bent: There are 68 bowl berths available this season, but as of today, only 61 teams have enough wins (typically six) to qualify -- a potentially embarrassing situation that has forced the NCAA to start thinking about contingency plans which, it says, could involve letting in a team with a losing record.
There are, by an extremely scientific count*, 24 teams capable of getting to 6 wins in the Feminine Body Spray division right now. Filling the slots will not likely be a problem. Filling them with quality teams, however, will be a problem, and one with dire consequences for the problem correctly identified in the WSJ article, flagging attendance at bowl games.
How about a local discount to fill the stands? A driver's license showing your local address to fill whatever seats remain on game day. It's demand pricing, and a bunch of drunk townie yahoos will look a lot better than empty seats. We're not suggesting you drop the prices to absurd levels--the Peach Bowl would turn into one festive homeless shelter at that point, and given the cavernous Georgia Dome, some of them could live for years in the nooks and crannies of the place.
A reasonable dip in the price, though, to fill the empty spaces and avoid ACC Championship syndrome? It's not insane, though it does bring up the issue of team fans simply buying tickets off enterprising locals at the last second.
*On our fingers while looking at the computer screen. If you come back and say NUH-UH THERE'S 23, congratulations. The point stands.