Sports equipment retail store group Academy Sports + Outdoors has agreed a three-year deal to become the new title sponsor of leading college American football game the Texas Bowl.
Academy Sports + Outdoors has signed the deal, which takes in the 2017 to 2019 games, with Lone Star Sports & Entertainment, an event management company that is closely affiliated with NFL franchise the Houston Texans, and the ESPN Events division of the US sports broadcaster.
The Texas Bowl features teams from the Big 12 and the Southeastern conferences. The 2017 Academy Sports + Outdoors Texas Bowl will be played on December 27 at NRG Stadium in Houston and will be televised on ESPN.
The Texas Bowl has ranked fourth in bowl game attendance since 2014, averaging over 70,000 attendees and trails only the Rose, Cotton and Peach Bowls in that time. Jamey Rootes, president of the Houston Texans and Lone Star Sports and Entertainment, said: “The Texas Bowl has become the fourth best attended bowl game in America because of the large and loyal football fan base across the region that passionately follow the Big 12 and the SEC.
“Having our hometown sporting goods retailer as our teammate will help the Texas Bowl achieve an even higher level of success and deliver even greater impact year round for the Houston area.”
In 2016, the Kansas State Wildcats were victorious over the Texas A&M Aggies in a 33-28 win in front of a crowd of 68,412.