For decades, Tempe was home to some of the most exciting weekends in college football. Stadium lights lit up the skyline, fans filled hotel rooms and restaurants, and the whole city came alive with energy, pride, and national attention.
And then, one day, it stopped.
Tempe still has the stadium.
Tempe still has the hotels.
Tempe still has the walkable downtown, Town Lake, the light rail, and the built-in fan base.
We have everything a major bowl game needs — except the leadership to bring it back.
It’s time to change that.
As a Navy veteran, ASU graduate, small-business owner, and longtime Tempe resident, I believe Tempe should be using its assets to improve the quality of life for the people who live here every single day. Bringing back a bowl game isn’t just about football. It’s about economic momentum, and it’s one of the clearest opportunities we have to generate real revenue for the improvements our neighborhoods need.
A Bowl Game Is an Economic Engine — Not Just an Event
A modern college bowl weekend brings tens of thousands of visitors into a host city. Those visitors stay in hotels, eat in restaurants, shop locally, and enjoy everything Tempe has to offer.
That spending translates into millions of dollars in local economic activity — and a significant amount of that becomes Tempe tax revenue.
Revenue that can go directly into:
- Cleaner alleys
- Street paving and repairs
- Better lighting and safer walkways
- Parks and youth programs
- Neighborhood infrastructure that residents feel every day
We Are Built for This
Most cities have to spend decades — and billions — building the infrastructure that Tempe already has in place:
- A renovated Power 5 stadium
- A dense hotel and restaurant district
- Light rail, Tempe Streetcar, and bike-friendly paths
- Town Lake festivals, Mill Avenue events, and an established tourism ecosystem
Tempe is uniquely positioned to host a bowl game that showcases our city on national television and gives a major boost to our small businesses.
So why aren’t we doing it?
The truth is simple: this opportunity needs a champion.
Leadership Matters
Bringing a bowl game back requires coordination and vision. ASU and the City of Tempe have to work together. Tourism organizations, event operators, and small businesses need a seat at the table. The deal must be transparent, financially sound, and designed so that Tempe residents see the return on investment.
That’s the leadership I want to bring to the Tempe City Council.
Not flashy promises.
Not subsidies for private interests.
A clear, practical plan that harnesses Tempe’s strengths to make life better for everyday people.
Imagine the Possibilities
Imagine Tempe during bowl week:
Hotels full.
Restaurants packed.
Local businesses thriving.
The city generating hundreds of thousands in new revenue.
And those dollars flowing into the core priorities residents care about:
better streets, better lighting, cleaner neighborhoods, and safer parks.
Imagine telling the story of a city that used innovation — not tax hikes — to rebuild and renew itself.
That’s the Tempe I want to help create.
Let’s Bring a Bowl Game Back to Tempe
This is a big idea, but it’s also a practical one. We don’t need new construction. We don’t need new taxes. We don’t need to reinvent the wheel.
We already have everything we need.
Now we need leadership that sees the potential — and is ready to act on it.
I’m ready.
And if we do this right, Tempe will be ready too.
Add your name to bring a Bowl Game back to Tempe: https://www.TempeBowlGame.com
Related Sources:
Large sporting events can generate hundreds of millions to over a billion in economic activity (e.g., Super Bowl LVII generated about $1.3 billion in total economic output for Arizona and $726 million to GDP) — much larger than “mid-tier bowls.”
https://www.azsuperbowl.com/super-bowl-lvii-produces-1-3-billion-for-arizonas-economy/
Broader sports and tourism research suggests medium-scale events (like NCAA championships or medium bowls) can have significant local impacts, with some medium-sized events estimated at tens to low hundreds of millions in economic impact in aggregated state comparisons.
https://chamberbusinessnews.com/2023/11/13/new-report-highlights-positive-economic-impact-of-arizona-sports-industry-room-for-growth/
University athletics events (not bowl games per se) have been estimated at ~$146 million in total visitor spending (sales) in a regional context for all events combined.
https://extension.arizona.edu/publication/visitor-impacts-arizona-athletics-events-fy2023