FedEx Drops Orange Bowl Sponsorship: Eight Candidates To Replace It

Miami, Florida- FedEx will not renew it's naming rights with the Orange Bowl, according to the Miami Herald. ESPN was seeking a very large amount of money for entitlement of the game.

The Sports Business Journal reported that ESPN wanted $20 million and advertising commitments, along with the price FedEx had originally payed. The company also did not want a season long sponsorship of college football.

ESPN is moving on and looking for a new sponsor for the game, which drew a record low 5.4 TV rating in the 2009 game. ESPN is responsible for selling the rights of the title sponsors to BCS bowls as part of the four-year, $495 million deal.

According to a wise source, FedEx's decision was "all about money." The source included that ESPN wanted a "huge increase" from FedEx-, which the company chose not to renew.

Here's a look at some organizations to replace it- and a suggestion box for the Orange Bowl.

Please leave your suggestions.

Tropicana

Headquarters: Bradenton, Florida
Parent Company: Pepsi Co.

About Tropicana: Tropicana, owned by Pepsi Co., is the #1 producer of chilled orange juice. New territories in marketing include Asia, Europe, and Latin America.

Sports Portfolios

Tropicana Field

Tropicana Field is the home of the Tampa Bay Rays, which opened in 1990. The stadium was established to attract an MLB baseball team, but hosted many other events prior to the arrival of the Rays in 1998. Pepsi Co. has a $46 Million deal with the stadium, which expires in 2026. They pay about $1.5 Million a year.

The 45,369-seat stadium also has hosted the Tampa Bay Storm (1991-1996), the Tampa Bay Lightning (1993-1996), NCAA Men's final Four (1999) and currently hosts the St. Petersburg Bowl (2008-). The Florida Tuskers UFL professional football team played a game in the stadium in the 2009 season.

NFL
Pepsi Co. has an NFL sponsorship reaching the 2011 season. Pepsi Co. and it's products will have a right to all NFL naming rights.

NASCAR
The Tropicana Twist 300, Tropicana 400, are some of the many ways Tropicana sponsors NASCAR. Tropicana's sponsor races have usually been held in Chicagoland Speedway.

Why should the Orange Bowl consider Tropicana?

Tropicana is the world's largest Orange juice provider, and is owned by one of the largest food and drink agencies in the world in Pepsi Co. Besides, wouldn't the world's greatest orange juice and college football's Orange Bowl be the perfect marriage?

Why Not?

Not much too say here. The name fits well, the Tropicana Orange Bowl. Tropicana is the perfect fit for the Orange Bowl, because it is orange juice. Will Tropicana have to compete with name brands Coca-Cola and UPS?

Coca-Cola

Coca-Cola
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

About Coca-Cola: Coca-Cola’s companies’ command 50% of soft drinks in the world. It is the world's most popular soft drink without doubt, eating up 60% of sales from international markets. If you ever visit Coca Cola World in Atlanta, you can taste Coke's domination of the world's soft drink industry with various samples and exhibits.

Sports Portfolios
Coca-Cola was the first commercial sponsor in Olympic history. The company got it's biggest spotlight in the 1996 Summer Games in hometown Atlanta.

After the Olympics, Coca-Cola began sponsoring the FIFA World Cup in 1978. The Coca-Cola Company also brands legitimate soccer in Europe, including The Football League and the Premier League.

Coca-Cola's marketing reaches farther beyond the European continent. The Coca-Cola Company served as one of the official sponsors of the 1996 Wills Cricket World Cup in India.

In America, Coca-Cola's sports portfolio has almost no room to fit in the folder. Virtually every professional league and team are marketed by Coca-Cola. Colleges and universities athletic squads' garner much of Coke's attention.

Why should the Orange Bowl consider Coca-Cola?
Coca-Cola is always cool. The Coca-Cola Company is the most powerful carbonated drink in the world, and is the most powerful sports name brand in the world. The drink company entitles events in all sports from the Olympics to the FIFA World Cup.

Why Not?

Pepsi Co. will have two products in the running for the prize- Tropicana and Pepsi. UPS, the world's leading packaging company is in Atlanta along with Coca-Cola. Coca-Cola's only problem is its rivals.

Minute Maid

Minute Maid
Headquarters: Sugar Land, Texas
Parent Company: Coca-Cola

About Minute Maid: Minute Maid has produced orange juice, lemonade, and numerous soft drinks since 1945. Minute Maid's orange juice was the first to be concentrated. Coca-Cola, the world’s leading drink and fruit juice provider, owns the company.

Sports Portfolios
Minute Maid owns the naming rights of the Houston Astros ballpark, which was formerly known as Astros Field in 2002.

On July 13th, 2004, Minute Maid Field hosted the 2004 MLB All-Star game. The American League won the game by the score of 9-4.

The stadium is nicknamed the "Juice Box," in respect to the Astros' current sponsor.

Why should the Orange Bowl consider Minute Maid?
Minute Maid is one of the largest fruit juice providers for the Coca-Cola Company, the largest beverage provider in the world. And again, it's orange juice, isn't it?

Why Not?
Minute Maid is not the largest orange juice provider, and Tropicana has it beat by far. Coca- Cola's Minute Maid and Pepsi Co.'s Tropicana will be competing for the sponsorship. Does the Minute Maid Orange Bowl sound like a BCS bowl to you?

Pepsi- Cola

Pepsi-Cola
Headquarters: Purchase, New York

About Pepsi: Pepsi is a soft drink manufactured by Pepsi Co. A pharmacist named Caleb Braham in the town of New Bern, North Carolina developed the soft drink. Over the years, Pepsi has risen to the #2 soft drink in the world. Pepsi is a product of Pepsi Co., who also makes foods and drinks such as Quaker, Gatorade, Lay's, and Tropicana.

Sports Portfolios
The National Football League and Diet Pepsi have a deal that reaches to the 2011 season, and could go beyond. Pepsi Co.'s products also have a part in the deal.

Pepsi is the "official soft drink of baseball" until the deal runs out 2010. Sister company Frito-Lay is the "official snack chip of baseball."

Pepsi-Cola has two naming rights deals that I could find. This included the Pepsi Center, home of the Denver Nuggets, and the Pepsi Max 400 in Fontana, California.

Pepsi will pay an estimated $68 Million for entitlement and marketing of the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colorado. The arena currently hosts NBA's Denver Nuggets and the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche.

Why Should the Orange Bowl consider Pepsi-Cola?
Pepsi-Cola is a part of one of the strongest and largest companies in the world in Pepsi Co. Would Pepsi-Cola want to sponsor the Orange Bowl?

Why Not?
Coca-Cola is one of the most dominant companies sponsoring the NCAA; Pepsi gave up those rights a while back, also. If Pepsi-Cola does not win over Coke, Tropicana should be in the hunt.

UPS

United Parcel Service
Headquarters: Atlanta, Georgia

About UPS: The United Parcel Service is the world's #1 shipping and packaging organization on the globe. Serving over 200 countries, you can see why UPS is the worldwide leader in packaging and shipping. UPS allows you to send goods, information, and funds all over the world.

Sports Portfolios

UPS is the official delivery company of NASCAR, and is the primary organization entitling Roush Fenway Racing's #6 car. David Ragan drives the car.

The United Parcel Service holds official track entitlements at Bristol Motor Speedway, Daytona International Speedway, Homestead-Miami Speedway, Richmond International Raceway, and Texas Motor Speedway.

In fact, UPS even launched a racing website- http://www.racing.ups.com/.

NASCAR is not the only deal UPS has with racing, or with any other sport. NHRA is another entitlement UPS holds with racing. NHRA is full throttle drag racing.

The UPS is also familiar with another kind of racing, horse racing. The delivery company serves as an official sponsor of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), the Breeders' Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, and Churchill Downs.

In Golf, UPS hails as the official express company of the PGA European Golf Tour.

Why should the Orange Bowl consider UPS?
UPS is a well-known sponsor in sports, and should be interested in compromising with college football and sponsoring the Orange Bowl. UPS will get a kick out of replacing rival shipper company FedEx.

Why Not?
The UPS Orange Bowl is not the best name to choose from. Plus, ESPN could lose out on a big deal with Coca-Cola or Pepsi Co.

Sun Life

Sun Life
Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario

About Sun Life: Sun Life Financial is a life insurance agency that was founded in 1865. It ranked #187 out of 200 on Forbes Global 2000 list.
Sun Life provides investment, insurance, and retirement plans for countries such as Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, Hong Kong, the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, India, China and Bermuda.

Sports Portfolios
On January 18th, 2010, Sun Life bought the naming rights for Land Shark Stadium. Sun Life's 5-year deal with the Miami Dolphins home field was a reported $7.5 Million in US dollars. The deal was made just in time for the Super Bowl.

Why should the Orange Bowl consider Sun Life?
The stadium in which the Orange Bowl is played is named Sun Life Stadium. Wouldn't that be easy?

Why not?
Look at all of the companies in the running! Had you even heard of Sun Life before the Super Bowl?

Joke Slide: Simply Orange

Thank you JN Golf on Cockytalk.com, the unofficial blog of the South Carolina Gamecocks. As I was searching for an idea on this article, I came across this suggestion.

Pretty simple, isn't it. Over the last few years, it could be called the Simply Bad Orange Bowl.

Joke Slide: Apple

I have seen many comments on sports blogs and sites about an Apple Orange Bowl. How messed up would that be? This should be the logo.

Chart and Suggestions

First, lets look at some stats. This will show you the fall of the Orange Bowl.

The Fall of the Orange Bowl: 2000-2010

Year/Teams	Attendance	TV Rating	Network
2000 Alabama vs. Michigan	70, 461	11.4	ABC
2001 Oklahoma vs. Florida State	76, 385	17.8	ABC
2002 Florida vs. Maryland	73, 640	9.5	ABC
2003 Southern Cal vs. Iowa	75, 971	9.7	ABC
2004 Florida State vs. Miami (FL)	76, 739	9.1	ABC
2005 Southern Cal vs. Oklahoma	77, 912	13.7	ABC
2006 Florida State vs. Penn State	77, 912	12.2	ABC
2007 Wake Forest vs. Louisville	74, 470	7.0	FOX
2008 Virginia Tech vs. Kansas	74, 111	7.4	FOX
2009 Virginia Tech vs. Cincinnati	57,821*	5. 4!	FOX

2010 Georgia Tech vs. Iowa 66,131 6.8 FOX

*-Official Attendance, although much of the upper deck was empty
! -Lowest TV rating in BCS history

As you see, the "Fall of the Orange Bowl, 2000-2010" chart explains the numbers and stats involved in the drop of interest in the bowl. As the chart begins, the bowl brings in well-known college football teams, on the local and national level. In 2007, the bowl begins being broadcasted by FOX and is contracted to choose lesser-known ACC schools.

Here are my suggestions. Please post your comments and suggestions.

-Choose a popular brand to entitle the bowl. Tropicana would be my pick.

-The bowl should move to the New Year's Day time slot for increased exposure.

-Orange Bowl organizers should organize an interesting match-up, such as Big 10/ Big 12 vs. SEC. Don't count on that, though.

Part of the reason for the failure of the Orange Bowl is the BCS's conference affiliation system. The Orange Bowl is left with the ACC and most of the time, the Big East. At-large selections for BCS bowl games would help the Orange Bowl.