A longtime joke in the college football space has been about various media outlets getting money together to become the title sponsor of a bowl game. Well, Matt Brown is doing just that with his Extra Points newsletter, announcing Wednesday that the newsletter will become “the official title sponsor of The Extra Points Bowl, part of the Opendorse Bowl Series.”
That bowl will feature the top ranked football teams that do not qualify for the Division III Playoffs from the Ohio Athletic Conference and the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. It will be played on Nov. 23, 2024, at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton, Ohio, and broadcast on FloSports. Ahead of the announcement, Brown spoke to AA by email and said this fits into his newsletter’s past participatory journalism efforts (including exploring NIL deals by sponsoring athletes and exploring college video games by creating one ), but a key focus for him is doing this as a serious and long-running sponsorship.
“One thing I’ve learned from doing NIL deals is that it’s cool to get a quick surge of attention from earned media out of the novelty of the whole thing, but that goes away quickly. Really effective campaigns require a deeper partnership on both sides, something that I could have done better on the NIL front. We’re doing this game not just because we think its funny or unique for an independent sports business newsletter to sponsor a bowl (although we do think that), but because we want to have a legitimate partnership. We don’t want this to just be a meme or a Twitter joke, but a meaningful event, and we’re prepared to spend the time and energy to make that happen.”
A unique element with this sponsorship is that Brown plans to involve readers in some of the plans for it. He said that particularly stands out around this game, which will be the first one for these conferences. And while he’s not sure what that reader participation will be yet, he has some thoughts on potential opportunities.
“Bowl games aren’t completely new to D-III, but they’re uncommon….this will be the first bowl game for the OAC and PAC. So I say this with love, on some level, all of us don’t completely know what we don’t know. Extra Points has always had a sort of “build in public” ethos, and I want that to continue with this game.
“That might mean that EP readers help us design the championship trophy or player swag bags. It might mean we have a special EP community seating section. Maybe through their networking they can connect us to a great local brand or Northern Ohio celebrity to be involved. This is uncharted territory for all of us, so I think it’s best we bring the reader along for that ride.”
A DIII bowl game isn’t necessarily what many would first think of with sponsorship, but Brown said this one made particular sense given its location and newness.
“Part of it are the teams and setting. I grew up in Granville, Ohio, home of Denison University, an NCAC team. I spent a lot of time at or around places like Capital, Muskingum, Otterbein, Wooster and Case Western Reserve, and was *this close* to going to CWRU myself. I feel like I have a connection to many of these schools, and the type of players and communities they serve. Partnering with institutions I *knew* felt more attractive than, say, parachuting into a bowl game in Wisconsin or New York State or another market where I don’t have personal or professional ties.”
Brown said this also fits with his newsletter’s focus on covering all levels of NCAA sports, not just the highest-profile Power 4 programs.
“The fact that this is a D-III game is honestly really appealing too,” he said. “It feels very spiritually Extra Points. Part of the whole thing about my publication is that I cover all college athletics, not just the P4 schools. I write about WAC realignment, or DII media deals, or DIII NIL programming, all the time. To get in on the ground floor of a completely new event, highlighting players who don’t get the spotlight very often…feels closer to our editorial sweet spot than say, an Ohio State basketball multiple team event or something.”
But he said he thinks many of the things discussed around this bowl will be applicable to even DI bowls and other events.
“I think many of the operational questions are similar, just on a different scale. The New Mexico Bowl needs to find multiple sponsors, secure hotel blocks, figure out engaging programming for athletes before the bowl game and run a great game day event. We will too, just not at that same price point or crowd size.
“We have to help make an engaging broadcast, help sell tickets, and make sure the event is a positive and memorable experience for everybody involved. I’m sure some issues will be unique to DIIIs or smaller scale events, but I hope that we’ll come away with a great event for athletes and fans, some great stories, and new brand exposure for Extra Points . That’s the same reason anybody sponsors a bowl game, right?”
Overall, Brown said this sponsorship is a great fit for his newsletter’s combination of serious college sports coverage with a sometimes-quirky approach.
“I’d like to think that Extra Points is like, Sports Business Journal for people who listen to the Shutdown Fullcast . I want to bring that same energy for this bowl game. That means I want to be respectful and professional…but I also want people to know that The Internet helped put this game together.”
[ Extra Points ]
The post Matt Brown’s ‘Extra Points’ newsletter sponsoring D-III bowl game: ‘We don’t want this to just be a meme.’ appeared first on Awful Announcing .
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