Jimmy Kimmel has conquered the entertainment world, now he’s ready to make history sports history. On Wednesday night, the Jimmy Kimmel Live host promised his audience a major announcement and totally delivered when he shared that he is now the first human being to have a college football bowl game named after them. As Kimmel explained it:
“There are few American traditions more exciting than a college football bowl game. It is the tradition, the pageantry, and most significantly, the sponsor names. There are so many memorable, colorful names: The R+L Carriers New Orleans Bowl, the Rooflcaim.com Boca Raton Bowl, the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl, the LendingTree Bowl, the Cheez-It Bowl—the list goes on and on. And ever since I was 52, which was last year, I have dreamed of having a college football bowl game named after me. And tonight I am thrilled to announce that dream is finally coming true.”
Kimmel then cut live to SoFi Stadium, the recently opened home of the Los Angeles Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers—which, in December, will be the momentous site of the first-ever Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl. “This is history in the making,” Kimmel told his audience. “Never before has a ball game been named after a human being. And Papa John doesn’t count; he’s barely human.”
As The Wrap reports, Kimmel has made a multiyear deal with the stadium, which opened in 2020, for the official naming rights to its brand-new LA Bowl. The first Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl will see the top selection in the Mountain West Conference face off against the Pac-12’s number five selection.
“On December 18, my dream of being forever enshrined alongside orange, rose, cotton and peach comes true,” Kimmel said in a statement.
On Wednesday’s show, he assured viewers: “This is not a joke. This is a real bowl game named after me. So mark your calendars for Saturday, December 18th. The Jimmy Kimmel LA Bowl here on ABC. It’s like an early Christmas gift.”
You can watch Jimmy announcing the news around the 6:45 mark below.
(Via The Wrap)