Chicago suburb to be title sponsor of Bahamas bowl game

ELK GROVE VILLAGE, Ill. – A Chicago suburb is spending $300,000 to be the title sponsor for a nationally televised college football bowl game in the Bahamas.

Elk Grove Village and ESPN announced the bowl sponsorship for the Makers Wanted Bahamas Bowl. They say the Dec. 21 game in Nassau will mark the first time a non-tourist municipality has sponsored a bowl game.

The move is the village’s latest marketing push to expand the reach of its “Makers Wanted” campaign. The campaign launched in 2015 to promote the village’s industrial park, which local officials say has more than 5,600 businesses.

Mayor Craig Johnson says the sponsorship will be “a perfect opportunity to use college football to share our message with the entire country.”

The game was previously sponsored by fast-food chain Popeyes.