Athletic Director Christopher Answers Questions--BG OUT (for now) of Patriot Bowl

A while back, I mentioned that Greg Christopher, who is our AD, was answering questions submitted to him on the website. His first set of answers read like they had been produced by the PR department, so I didn't link to them.

His second set are out, and these at least read more authentically.

And they have actual content.

The most interesting question is about the Patriot Bowl. When announced, the Patriot Bowl was well received in many quarters, including this one.

Apparently it was a little less well received in the quarters that include the AD's office. Here is what he said:

The Patriot Bowl is a new regular-season series that matches up a MAC opponent with one of the service academies. Games will be played in early September, preferably over Labor Day Weekend, in Cleveland at Browns Stadium. The inaugural game pits Akron against Army this fall. My understanding from the Cleveland Sports Commission and the MAC office is that a three-year commitment exists, with hope that the series will continue long-term.

While on one hand, the Patriot Bowl presents a nice opportunity, I am hesitant to commit BGSU given the current structure. My reasons are two-fold:

First, our experience in Cleveland with the Wisconsin game was two-sided. The players and fans that attended enjoyed a first-rate event. Unfortunately, the business aspects of the game didn't match expectations: attendance and game sponsorships lagged.

Second, the only way the Patriot Bowl makes sense to me is if the game becomes an "extra" home game. As it stands, the schools playing in the Patriot Bowl are giving up a home game to play in Cleveland - similar to what we did with Wisconsin. Many have heard me say that our priority is playing games in The Doyt and working toward six home games each fall.

Thus the short answer to your question is that BGSU has no immediate plans to participate in the Patriot Bowl.

Emphasis added by me. I think this is interesting. First, I 100% applaud the goal of getting six games at the Doyt every year. That is the only way to build a fan base--to have enough opportunities for people to build attraction to the place and the team. And, if going to Cleveland didn't net us any $$, all the more reason to play at home. I am 100% in favor of us scheduling 6 Doytgames, even if one of them has to be a I-AA team.

Having said that, I didn't think it was a big deal for one time every 5-6 years to have five home games and one of them in Cleveland. If it is rare enough to be special, I was OK with it. I was not crazy about the Cleveland game in the first place, but we went and ended up having a good time.

Now, the Patriot Bowl was supposed to include the Ohio MAC schools--Kent, Akron, BG, Miami, Toledo and OU, on a rotating basis. Miami and OU might have additional reasons to not participate, given they are so far from Cleveland. If they aren't in, and BG isn't it, that leaves Toledo, Kent and Akron. Thing is--if the MAC isn't careful, they are going to rotate Kent and Akron up there, and that's an Rx for failure.

Finally, this. If the Cleveland Sports Authority does a good job with the game, gets corporate involvement and turns it into a cash machine, then I think opinions (including BG's) will change.

The AD also put his support behind the hockey program. (There are big problems and rumors about the state of our facility, and many people feel it is unrealistic for us to keep Hockey, basketball and I-A football in a small school--something that is not being done successfully at very many schools like ours.) Hockey is safe--as it should be.