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I know you missed these so, so much over the last two days.
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl
What: The Popeyes Bahamas Bowl has been played annually in Nassau, Bahamas since 2014. It has contractual ties to the American Athletic Conference, Conference USA, and the Mid-American Conference.
Who: The 2016 Popeyes Bahamas Bowl features Old Dominion and Eastern Michigan, teams that were a combined 5-18 in 2015 before rallying to make their first bowls ever (Old Dominion) and since 1987 (Eastern Michigan).
Where: Thomas A. Robinson Stadium, a stadium named for a Bahamian Olympian of the 1950s and 1960s and built by China, in Nassau, the capital of The Bahamas.
When: 1:00 p.m., December 23. Why show a game on the Friday afternoon before Christmas? Well, do you want to do work on the Friday afternoon before Christmas?
Why and how: Basically, because The Bahamas is trying to make itself a tourist attraction through sports. The Bahamas Bowl and the Battle 4 Atlantis — which you’ll recall Florida played in during the 2014-15 season — are both attempts to market the archipelagic nation, for which tourism accounts for over 60 percent of its GDP. Whether seeing a three-hour commercial for the Bahamas wrapped around a football game actually sways any prospective visitors — or is cheaper than, like, just buying ad time during a Friday afternoon on ESPN, when those airwaves are dominated by bid-buying auction sites and second-run ads for male enhancement drugs — is debatable.
What do the players get? Gift suite, S’Well insulated drink bottle, Jabba Bluetooth speakers, drawstring backpack, beach towel, bowl pin. And, yes, a trip to the Bahamas.
How much is that worth? Probably around $500? The water bottle is maybe $30, a drawstring backpack is like $15 maximum, and a beach towel is a beach towel — but no other bowl lists a bowl pin among its gifts.
Should I watch? These are two teams playing in their first bowl games in at least a generation, and the Bahamas Bowl has been wacky as all hell before. So why not?
Bowl Schedule for Week of December 19-24, 2017
Bowl | Team | Location | Date | Time (ET) / TV | Streaming |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Bowl | Team | Location | Date | Time (ET) / TV | Streaming |
Miami Beach Bowl | Central Michigan vs. Tulsa | Miami, FL | Monday, Dec. 19, 2016 | 2:30 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Boca Raton Bowl | Memphis vs. Western Kentucky | Boca Raton, FL | Tuesday, Dec. 20, 2016 | 7 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
San Diego County CU Poinsettia Bowl | BYU vs. Wyoming | San Diego, CA | Wednesday, Dec. 21, 2016 | 9 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Famous Idaho Potato Bowl | Idaho vs. Colorado State | Boise, ID | Thursday, Dec. 22, 2016 | 7 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Popeyes Bahamas Bowl | Eastern Michigan vs. Old Dominion | Nassau, Bahamas | Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 | 1 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl | Louisiana Tech vs. (25) Navy | Fort Worth, TX | Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 | 4:30 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Dollar General Bowl | Ohio vs. Troy | Mobile, AL | Friday, Dec. 23, 2016 | 8 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |
Hawai'i Bowl | Hawaii vs. Middle Tennessee | Honolulu, HI | Saturday, Dec. 24, 2016 | 8 p.m. / ESPN | WatchESPN |