The Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl: College officials name bowl game to be held at SoFi Stadium after late night host
- Game will be held December 18 at $5 billion venue
- The late night host called the event ‘history in the making’
- Kimmel acquired naming rights to the newly-created game in business deal
A new college bowl game to be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California will be titled The Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl., in honor of the late night host.
The late night host announced the news on his ABC series Jimmy Kimmel Live Wednesday, as his home network will broadcast the game.
‘Ever since I was 52, which was last year, I’ve dreamed of having a college football bowl game named after me, and tonight, I’m thrilled to announce that my dream is finally coming true,’ Kimmel said on his show.
Namesake: A new college bowl game to be held at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, California will be titled The Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl., in honor of the late night host
He continued: ‘This is history in the making. Never before has a bowl game been named after a human being, and Papa John’s doesn’t count, he’s barely human.’
Kimmel showed off a drum line performing at the venue with his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez pounding a bass drum with Kimmel’s face on it.
‘This is not a joke, this its a real bowl game, named after me so mark your calendars for Saturday, December 18, here on ABC, it’s like an early Christmas gift, for all of us.’
Kimmel tweeted on Wednesday: ‘Finally, a college football bowl named after a human being…the inaugural Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl on December 18th at @SoFiStadium.’
The game will be held at the $5 billion venue, the home field for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers franchises
Deal: The arrangement comes as Kimmel’s business arrangement with the venue, which awarded Kimmel naming rights to the newly-created game
The arrangement comes as Kimmel’s business arrangement with the venue – home field for the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams and Chargers franchises – which awarded Kimmel naming rights to the newly-created game.
The game at the $5 billion venue will pit the Mountain West’s top selection against a representative of the Pac-12 Conference.
Kimmel previously appeared at the venue last month at Vax Live, a large-scale concert that featured an ensemble of stars urging the public to get vaccinated.
The beat goes on: Kimmel showed off a drum line performing at the venue with his sidekick Guillermo Rodriguez pounding a bass drum with Kimmel’s face on it
Pageantry: A marching band took the field over the logo of the newly-created bowl game
The game at the $5 billion venue will pit the Mountain West’s top selection against a representative of the Pac-12 Conference
The game’s executive director, Jason Gannon, told Deadline that the football game will ‘celebrate the legacy of college football in Los Angeles through extraordinary game-day experiences that focus on premium hospitality.’
‘We cannot think of a better way to bring sports and entertainment together than by collaborating with celebrated late-night host and comedian Jimmy Kimmel on our collegiate bowl game,’ said Gannon. ‘Jimmy Kimmel L.A. Bowl will not only bring an incredible game day experience to fans, but it will also focus on supporting our community 365 days a year.’
The game will also benefit charitable organizations including One For All, Boys and Girls Club L.A. Harbor, and Boys and Girls Club L.A. Metro.