The LA Bowl has a new sponsor, and it’s ‘not a joke’

Every year, companies get a chance to slap their brand on a college football bowl game. But late last night, Jimmy Kimmel announced that the new LA bowl will be named after himself.

“Ever since I was 52, which was last year, I have dreamed of having a college football bowl game named after me,” the late night host said on his show. “And tonight, I’m thrilled to announce that dream is finally coming true.”

On December 18, two programs will get a chance to play at the Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. Obviously, we won’t know which teams will be selected for months. But the game will feature the No. 1 program from the Mountain West and the No. 5 team out of the Pac-12.

“This is history in the making,” Kimmel added. “Never before has a bowl game been named after a human being. And Papa John doesn’t count. He’s barely human.”

Kimmel is probably right. I can’t think of another bowl game named after a person. But there are just so many names and sponsors they get tossed around every year. I mean, if you told me there was once a Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville Bowl somewhere in Florida, I’d believe you.

“This is not a joke,” the comedian clarified. “This is a real bowl game named after me, so mark your calendars.”

As you can imagine, the game will be on the network that hosts Kimmel’s show every night — ABC.

You can watch the entire announcement below.

The first LA Bowl was set to kick off in December 2020, but it was called off due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2021 game will reportedly kick off at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time. Maybe Guillermo will sing the national anthem.