ESPN cancels Hawaii and Bahamas bowls
There will be no bowl games outside of the continental United States in 2020.
On Friday, ESPN Events announced it was canceling both the Hawaii Bowl and the Bahamas Bowl. ESPN, which owns and operates the two bowls along with 15 others, cited the coronavirus pandemic and travel restrictions as the reasons behind the decision.
“We are disappointed that we aren’t able to stage events at these premier destinations this year,” said Pete Derzis, ESPN senior VP of college sports programming and ESPN Events. “We are committed to bringing both games back in 2021.”
The two bowl games are usually played in December. The RedBox Bowl, in the San Francisco Bay Area, had previously announced it would not be played this season as well, which leaves the number of postseason major college football games still planned at 39.
Nonconference college basketball tournaments traditionally held in Hawaii and the Bahamas have also been canceled this season.
The 2020 Bahamas Bowl was to be a matchup between teams from Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. The 2020 Hawaii Bowl would have featured teams from the Mountain West and either Conference USA or the American Athletic Conference.
The Hawaii Bowl, in Honolulu has been played since 2002. The Bahamas Bowl, in Nassau, has operated since 2014.
–Field Level Media
