Senior Bowl Leaving Mobile?

The city of Mobile hosts the Senior Bowl, the GMAC Bowl, and the Gulf Coast Classic, a regular season game between two black universities. The GMAC and Senior Bowls rake in money, TV exposure, and people for the city. The Gulf Coast Classic rarely sells out, rotates through teams, and most people have never heard of it.

Accordingly, the city decided this year to raise the amount of money they give the Gulf Coast Classic from $40,000 to $275,000. They were considering almost double that, but the local uproar caused them to tone it down a bit.

The city gave the GMAC Bowl $150,000, about what they give them every year.

Although they gave zero dollars to the Senior Bowl, they did approve spending $90,000 in services for the game.

Now, the city is acting surprised and shocked that the Senior Bowl is considering offers to move the game, possibly to Tampa. The officials of the bowl game have been approached over the years to move it, but have not done so yet. The contract with Mobile expired after last year’s game, and Tampa came calling.

If you were the Senior Bowl, would you move?

Everyone is running around trying to cover themselves, including the mayor of Mobile who denies even knowing the Senior Bowl had been asking for more money for over two years, despite being on the board that runs the game and despite documented proof that they have followed every step properly to request money. There have even been hearings about it at the city council.

This mayor’s legacy will be trying to annex every inch of business outside the city limits in an effort to rake in more city tax dollars, and he is shocked that the Senior Bowl might want a better deal.