That bowl game partnership turns out to be a pipe dream
The 2018 New Mexico Bowl didn’t have a presenting sponsor. That problem was taken care of for this year when film company DreamHouse Productions partnered with ESPN to sponsor the game. Unfortunately, there was a snag: DreamHouse Productions apparently doesn’t exist.
“We notified DreamHouse today that we have terminated its title sponsorship agreement with the New Mexico Bowl,” ESPN spokeswoman Anna Negron told the Albuquerque Journal. “We remain focused on ensuring a quality experience for fans.”
ESPN canceled the partnership when the Journal published a story revealing that “DreamHouse has no business license with the city of Albuquerque and that its CEO, Eric G. Martinez, has faced multiple judgments for unpaid debts, including $16,717 for a credit card debt he still owes. Also, the company’s address is listed as a residence, even though ESPN, when announcing the sponsorship, said the company had a 25,000-square-foot postproduction studio in Albuquerque.”
Don’t worry, the bowl game will still take place Dec. 21 so you can enjoy the action when a mediocre team from Conference USA takes on a mediocre team from the Mountain West Conference.
Sack race
The Bengals are 0-9 and could very well end up 0-16, and one fan in Cincinnati is OK with that as long as he doesn’t have to show his face.
During the CBS telecast Sunday of the Bengals’ game with the Baltimore Ravens, cameras showed one fan sitting in the stands wearing a paper sack over his head, with the phrase “Bungle for Burrow” written on it.
He was referring to Louisiana State quarterback Joe Burrow, who has led the Tigers to the No. 1 spot in the college football rankings and could be the first overall pick in the NFL draft.
And at 0-16, the Bengals would definitely get that first pick.
Your favorite sports moment
What is your all-time favorite local sports moment? Email me at houston.mitchell@latimes.com and tell me what it is and why, and it could appear in a future daily sports newsletter or Morning Briefing.
This moment comes from Marc Barbani of Porter Ranch:
“Without any doubt, my favorite all-time L.A. sports moment was Alec Martinez’s double-overtime goal in Game 5 of the 2014 Stanley Cup Final that gave the Kings their second Stanley Cup in three years.
“The game was on home ice and knowing that the next Kings goal would win the Cup, my family and I must have had 20 heart attacks. I have never experienced a more thrilling game in all my life and I watch the video of that goal over and over. I also decided to leave the hole in my ceiling that I jumped through as a souvenir!”