Bowl game, meet inexplicable sponsor. We hope you'll be happy together.

Hey there,

Today’s dispatch on the return on investment from bowl game sponsorships was a fun one to write and report. Remember the Makers Wanted Bowl, the game in the Bahamas sponsored by a Chicago suburb? Think it was a resounding financial success? The answer — and some other details in the story — might surprise you.

As we near the end of the year, I’m planning to do a mailbag, answering readers’ questions about NIL, revenue sharing and anything else involving the business of college sports. Send me a tweet or email me at [email protected]. Remember, there’s no such thing as a dumb question!

— Kyle

Bowl game, meet inexplicable sponsor. We hope you'll be happy together.

Remember those ESPN bowl week commercials? Andy Williams crooning over college football highlights, snow falling and a sponsor name that left you wondering what it was.

There was Poulan Weed Eater … Builders Square … Beef ‘O’ Brady’s … American General … MicronPC … AXA/Equitable …

Bowl games and unexplainable sponsors go together like jorts and Florida. They’re a quirky, sometimes baffling, often hilarious part of college football that crosses into pop culture. We’re days away from seeing a coach doused with mayonnaise, another potentially lathered in baked beans and an entire college football team devouring a giant toaster pastry mascot. It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.

Everyone knows heavyweight sponsors like FedEx, Tostitos and Jeep. But what about the lesser-known companies that take a swing at bowl season and hope it changes their fortunes? 

Is it worth it? The answer depends on the network airing the game, the company’s goals and how seamlessly the product or brand is integrated into the broadcast.

Become a paying subscriber of NIL Wire All-Access to get access to this post and other subscriber-only content.

Already a paying subscriber? Sign In.