Somewhere down the road, football at Fenway Park could be an annual part of the New England sports calendar.
The Chowder Bowl? The Green Monster Bowl? The Jimmy Fund Bowl? Could happen.
As Fenway Sports Management was preparing to launch Football at Fenway, the John Henry-led Red Sox-affiliated group explored the possibility of hosting a postseason game. They decided, for now, to go with three regular season games between New England teams, including UMass’ Nov. 11 game against Maine.
“We’ve had conversations. This year’s events grew out of our exploration of what goes into bowl games and hosting different big-time college events,” Boston Red Sox President and CEO Sam Kennedy said. “We thought it would be easier and frankly there would be more interest in regional top-tier Division I football, rather than recruiting teams from other conferences in other parts of the country.”
Kennedy said he thought a bowl game could happen down the road.
“Fenway is such an attraction here in New England, we thought that had more appeal than pursuing an official bowl game. But I wouldn’t rule that out,” he said. “We would be interested in pursuing that in the future.”
Outdoor bowls are unusual but not unheard of in northern locations. The Pinstripe Bowl in Yankee Stadium has been well-received.
The Fenway group also bid to host the annual Army-Navy football game from 2018-2022. Gillette Stadium was also involved as a bidder. Neither was successful, but Kennedy said the Red Sox would try again.
“We were hoping to get the games for Fenway and Gillette Stadium. We’ll keep trying,” Kennedy said. “Whether it’s Army-Navy or another unique high-profile event, we’re always interested in hosting blue-chip events. We like to demonstrate the versatility to Fenway whenever possible.”
From its opening in 1912, Fenway Park regularly hosted football for decades with professional, college and high school games calling it home.
According to the Boston Globe, the Boston Patriots, Boston Redskins, Boston Bears, Boston Yanks and Boston Shamrocks all played home games in the shadow of the Green Monster in early versions of the AFL and NFL.
But after 1968, when the Patriots moved to Foxborough, there wasn’t another football game there until 2015, when Notre Dame hosted Boston College as part of the Irish’s roving Shamrock Series. Since the John Henry-led ownership group took over the Red Sox, Fenway Sports Management has annually searched for events beyond baseball for the park to hold, adding concerts, ice hockey, soccer, hurling and football.
Kennedy said Notre Dame vs. BC laid the groundwork for Fenway’s future football.
“We’ve got a playbook,” he said. “We learned about putting two football teams on the same sideline and how to run a football clock on our main video board. Things like that. We’ve really got a good feel for how the operational elements will go.”
Kennedy said all the events have the most value as a marketing tool.
“The most important thing to us is to open Fenway Park up to a different demographic of people,” he said. “If we can get tens of thousands of people coming into Boston to experience all the city has to offer as well as Fenway Park, that’s a win for everybody. These events are driven by the desire to highlight Fenway and highlight the city. There are some financial benefits, but if we were basing this on revenue metrics alone, we might not engage in the activity. It’s a lot of work. It’s really more of a marketing platform for the ballpark and the city of Boston.”
GAMES OF THE WEEK:No. 7 Washington at Colorado, Saturday, 10 p.m.; No. 5 USC at Cal, Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ABC — While Washington and Southern Cal are the clear favorites in the Pac 12, both Colorado and Cal are rising and at home. An upset wouldn’t be stunning in either game.
PLAYOFF BOUND: Alabama, Clemson, USC, Oklahoma.
IF I HAD A HEISMAN VOTE — USC quarterback Sam Darnold was 28-for-49 for 397 yards and three touchdowns in an overtime win over Texas.
FINALLY — Florida’s Hail Mary to beat Tennessee on Saturday means UMass won’t be facing a top-25 opponent this weekend as the previously No. 25 Volunteers dropped out of the poll.
Mississippi State, which hosts UMass on Nov. 4, went from being unranked to No. 17 after drubbing LSU, 37-7, Saturday.
Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. Get UMass coverage delivered in your Facebook news feed at www.facebook.com/GazetteUMassCoverage