Shameless: The ALLSTATE Sugar Bowl

This is one I had to do a double-take on. An insurance company is the corporate sponsor of a bowl game in New Orleans? I guess the money saved in this "act of God" nonsense allowed Allstate to waste millions of dollars endorsing the BCS.

Who was the Sugar Bowl's second choice? Ruth's Chris Steak House?

There may be one good thing to come out of this. Maybe Pedro Cerrano will conduct the coin toss.


SEYMOUR D. FAIR--MY TWO CENTS: Yes, it is ironic that the new sponsor for the 73-year old Sugar Bowl is an insurance company given that many of our citizen's post-KTMB misery hasn't exactly been helped by this industry and in particular this company. However, the securing of a new sponsor by the Sugar Bowl committee since Nokia (sponsor for the past ten years) decided not to renew their sponsorship deal was mandatory towards keeping the game within the BCS and in the three year national championship game rotation. Without a big corporate player stepping up, New Orleans would be at risk of losing this annual 150+ million dollar impact regardless of the long-storied tradition and history of the Sugar Bowl. Another city and corporation would gladly step in and take that position despite the historical significance of the Sugar Bowl. History means zippo. Money means everything. Further irony: the Sugar Bowl's first sponsor from 1986 to 1994 was another insurance company USF&G. USF&G also sponsored New Orleans' PGA event from 1982 to 1991 which after muscial chair sponsorships by Entergy, Freeport McMoran, Freeport-McDermott, Compaq, and HP is now sponsored by Zurich Financial Services--another insurance company.