The Goodyear blimp will have a big role in future Cotton Bowl Classic games. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co. has entered a multiyear agreement with ESPN Inc. and the College Athletic Association to renew its title sponsorship of the annual college bowl matchup.
In addition to multimedia support across all ESPN platforms, the multiyear deal will highlight the Goodyear blimp as the preferred aerial provider for College GameDay and key college football games on ESPN.
Goodyear is an official partner of the College Football Playoff tournament. As a member of the "New Year's Six" – the top bowl games included in the College Football Playoff Semifinal rotation – the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic will host a top matchup annually, including a College Football Playoff Semifinal in 2018.
“This collaboration further demonstrates the tremendous value Goodyear brings to the Cotton Bowl and the College Football Playoff,” says Ed Erhardt, president, ESPN global customermMarketing and sales. “We look forward to the next season as we continue to provide college football fans with an outstanding experience.”
Added Dan Novakov, chairman of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic: “Goodyear has proven to be the perfect partner for the Cotton Bowl Classic, and from the top down, you see a level of quality, commitment and excellence that raises the profile of our game. We are elated that Goodyear has agreed to remain fully-committed to the Classic, and collectively, with ESPN, the Goodyear Cotton Bowl’s best is yet to come.”
Scott Rogers, chief marketing officer for Goodyear’s North America division, says the sponsorship strengthens the connection between the company and college football fans “where the presence of the Goodyear blimp overhead at college stadiums for the past 60 years has paid tremendous brand benefits.”
The company is active in unique ways around its support of college football. In 2015, Goodyear provided aerial coverage of college football throughout the regular season, four conference championships and 12 bowl games. The company also set the Guinness World Record for executing the world’s largest game of cornhole when cheerleaders from the University of Alabama and Michigan State University played from the Goodyear blimp. Additionally, last year Goodyear had an aerial presence at every College GameDay location and closed the season with coverage of the College Football National Championship on Jan. 11.
ESPN will continue to televise exclusive coverage of the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic and the College Football Playoff, featuring the four top teams as ranked by the College Football Playoff Selection Committee through the duration of the new deal.
