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| Volume 11, No. 49 |
September 1-7, 2010 |
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| | Kappy’s Corner | | By Steve Kaplowitz | | 
After four years, El Paso’s city leaders are beginning to question their financial support for the Texas vs. The Nation All Star Challenge. City Councilmen and County Commissioners are planning their budget for 2011 and might not be willing to allocate more than half a million dollars to the college football all-star game. This year, the city gave Texas vs. The Nation $200,000 and the county added $350,000 to support the game. The problem is that some city representatives question the level of economic impact the game has had on El Paso since its inception in 2007. If Texas vs. The Nation loses a good portion of their financial backing from the city and county, the game could move as soon as next year to either San Antonio or Dallas.
There were high expectations for this year’s game, but the announced attendance figure of 26,000 fell well short of projected totals. There is no count on how many paid admissions attended the Texas vs. The Nation All Star Challenge and how many hotel rooms were rented out during game week. Game CEO Kenny Hansmire projected a $24.5 million economic boost to the city, but some city representatives believe the actual total was much less. Hansmire also angered city officials when he blasted the city of El Paso for the poor fan showing at the Sun Bowl during the third quarter of this year’s Texas vs. The Nation game.
It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few weeks. The El Paso Times reports that half of the Council is against continuing to fund the college all-star game. Another two council representatives are undecided on the issue. If the council is split in half, the mayor has the deciding vote. In that case, Mayor John Cook would vote for continuing the economic support for the game. Mayor Cook has been a proponent of Texas vs. The Nation since its arrival in El Paso, and like Hansmire, publicly criticized the low attendance mark in Sun Bowl during the last game. Even if the city allocates $200,000 for the 2011 contest, there is no word on whether the county will continue to spend $350,000 for the game.
Personally, I hope the game continues in El Paso. As a sports enthusiast, there are not enough events in town that sports fans can get excited about. The Hyundai Sun Bowl will always be El Paso’s biggest opportunity to shine on the national spotlight, but Texas vs. The Nation has the potential to become a major attraction. The problem is that it will take time, money and patience. I do not know if El Paso government officials and businesses have any of these to ensure the game continues to succeed in El Paso. In the four years Texas vs. The Nation has been played, we have seen most of the game’s players sign NFL contracts, and some have even played in Super Bowls and Pro Bowls. Last year, the Pro Football Hall of Fame signed a five-year contract to take over the title sponsorship of the game, and one of their goals is to educate children in the El Paso Public Schools about the importance of the game’s history. It would be a shame to lose the game to another city in Texas, especially when El Paso has the chance to keep it here for years to come. In a time when the violence in Juarez has wrongly tarnished El Paso’s reputation and affected its tourism, events like Texas vs. The Nation can help put our city in a positive national spotlight.
Steve Kaplowitz is a local El Paso sports commentator. In addition to “Kappy’s Corner,” he hosts KROD 600 AM’s “Sportstalk” weekday afternoons 4-7 p.m and appears on local TV stations. You can reach Steve at skaplowitz@krod.com.
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