Once upon time, the New Year’s Day bowl games respected tradition and showcased excellence. But no longer.
The Rose Bowl, “The Granddaddy of Them All,” dates to 1902, highlighted by a classic Rose Parade. During the 1930s, four more joined: Orange, Sugar, Sun and Cotton, with the Citrus Bowl added in 1946. All were played in balmy weather to full houses.
Then television took command, and the numbers metastasized like cancer. This bowl season kicked off 41 games on Dec. 16 ending Jan. 8, over 23 days, some in lousy weather, many before embarrassingly small crowds, and most with corporate names.
The taint of commercialism replaced the sweetness of fruit and flowers. It’s time to dial back, reduce the field, and focus on quality. An arrangement with class and integrity might be: 12 games with two teams from each of the Power 5 conferences and 14 other teams among the best remaining.
All the games would be played on three days surrounding the new year. This could provide some intense TV viewing lest we remember Erma Bombeck’s message, “If a man watches three football games in a row, he should be declared legally dead.”
Richard Van Scotter, Longmont
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