Think Orange
It always pleases local tourism officials when the FedEx Orange Bowl game pits two out-of-state teams. Especially if the teams are from cold weather climates. Out of state visitors mean lots of green for area hotels, restaurants and other businesses.
But what this year’s Wake Forest-Louisville matchup on Jan. 2 at Dolphin Stadium brings is some unkowns.
“I don’t know how they will travel,” said Bill Talbert, president and CEO of the Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau. That’s the expression used to describe whether lots of fans will accompany a team on the road. Penn State, last year’s Florida State opponent in the Orange Bowl, for example, brought thousands of fans.
Being new to the Orange Bowl and the BCS should help. Wake Forest won its first ACC championship in 36 years and hasn’t been to a major bowl game since 1946. Although Louisville has had nine straight bowl appearances, neither team has been to the Orange Bowl or a BSC bowl game. Nor have they faced each other.
John Webb, vice president of sports development for the Greater Fort Lauderdale Convention & Visitors Bureau, said he thinks the teams’ fans will be out in force.
“I’ve had a ton of calls from the Louisville people,” Webb said. “It’s not marquee names, but those universities are hungry to be part of the BCS System.”
CRAIG DAVIS In more than 33 years at the Sun Sentinel, Craig Davis has written about a wide variety of sports topics from baseball to yachting, fishing to triathlons, and also worked as a copy editor and page designer. Recently he reported on local sports, including running, swimming, cycling, equestrian and beach volleyball. He enjoys sports as a participant as well as a spectator, is active in the South Florida running scene plays in the curling club at Saveology Iceplex. This blog offers a glimpse at the business side of sports in the interest of enhancing enjoyment of the games and sporting options as a spectator as well as a participant.
