Shriners Charity, Familiar Title Sponsor In Las Vegas, Back In Vegas For East-West Shrine Bowl All-Star Game
By Alan Snel of LVSportsBiz.com
They’re an unlikely player in the world of major sports sponsorship deals. They’re not Budweiser nor Microsoft.
Instead, they’re a non-profit with Tampa, Florida headquarters offering a stunning view of Old Tampa Bay from their perch on the Tampa side of the Clearwater causeway.
They are the Shriners.
Las Vegas locals know them because they are the title sponsors for the PGA golf event held annually at TPC Summerlin. They pay millions of dollars for the annual sponsorship, one they just renewed last year for five years until 2026.
But well before they paid to be the title sponsor of the pro golf event in Summerlin, the Shriners’ most noted sports sponsorship was the East West Shrine Bowl, a college football all-star game played annually since 1925.
Typically, the game was mostly played in the San Francisco Bay area, with stops in San Antonio in 2006, Houston in 2007, Orlando in 2010 and St. Petersburg in 2012. St. Pete is close to the Tampa headquarters.
The Shriners spend millions of dollars every year on the college football all-star game and the Las Vegas-area golf tournament to create exposure for the non-profit’s brand — and hopefully, contributions — for its more than 20 hospitals that treat kids for free.
Speaking of those hospitals, the Shriners Hospitals for Children plans to close its pediatric outpatient treatment clinic at the University of South Florida in Tampa.
Before the Shrine Bowl, a video inside Allegiant Stadium is showing Shriners hospital patients, including their family members and even their therapy work. The sponsorship is designed to prompt fans to donate to the charity.
Today’s Shrine Bowl is the first of three all-star games in four days in Las Vegas. The NHL has skills competitions Friday and its game Saturday, while the NFL Pro Bowl is set for this stadium Sunday.
If you’re attending the Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium, remember to show proof of vaccination via the Clear app.
My only question is, Where is UNLV’s Charles “Chuck Wagon” Williams at today’s East West Shrine Bowl?
