ESPN: St Petersburg Bowl to Drop Bitcoin Branding

The 2015 edition of the St Petersburg Bowl will not be known as the Bitcoin St Petersburg Bowl, according to ESPN.

A representative from the TV news source would not comment as to whether the move foretells a sponsorship change for this year's event, or if it is currently seeking a new sponsor for the 2015 bowl game. Last year's event was sponsored by bitcoin processor BitPay, which inked a three-year deal to brand the college football playoff.

The spokesperson told CoinDesk:

“The decision to rebrand the event to the St. Petersburg Bowl was a mutual one between both BitPay and ESPN.”

While the 'Bitcoin Bowl' was a ratings hit and a symbolic event for the bitcoin community at large, its effectiveness as a marketing tool was called into question by the mixed merchant reaction to its promotional tactics.

The comment is a response to strong social media reaction that followed the removal of last year's bitcoin-centric imagery from the event's website and related social media accounts.

ESPN offered no additional comment, while BitPay has been unresponsive to requests for further information. A representative from Tropicana Field, the stadium that hosts the annual event, was unable to provide insight into the matter, stating:

"We have no reason to think that bitcoin will not be back."

Disclaimer: CoinDesk founder Shakil Khan is an investor in BitPay.

Football image via Shutterstock