After gathering positive momentum with a successful Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl II in December, Tucson’s bowl game is not standing pat.
With last week’s speculation that the American Sports Network, which syndicated the game to scores of TV stations, will cease operations, it’s likely Arizona Bowl III will move to a major carrier, perhaps the CBS Sports Network or something of that level.
In addition, the December game played at Arizona Stadium will soon introduce a new executive director, Alan Young, who has been CEO of the Phoenix-based Arizona Sports and Entertainment Commission. Young has been involved in the first two games in Tucson.
That means Mike Feder, one of the top sports operatives in Tucson history, will become director of sales and marketing, which is his strength. Young’s expertise will apply to the next cycle of bowl contracts, in which the Arizona Bowl hopes to position itself to step up to Power 5 Conference affiliations.
The Arizona Bowl drew 33,878 for its 2016 game, Air Force v. South Alabama, which was more than the established Phoenix-based Cactus Bowl drew for Baylor-Boise State. The Tucson game, led by attorney Ali Farhang, is ambitious enough to reach 40,000 in the near future.
