Why the Philadelphia Wingbowl will wither
Wingbowl is a Food Eating event like no other. Where else in the world can you gather with close to 20,000 notoriously drunk fans to watch a group of mostly fat men eat chicken wings? Now in its 20th year, this extravaganza has grown from a small event to a globally recognized event. The story behind the start of this event is that Al Morganti and Angelo Cataldi of the popular Phildaelphia Sports radio station WIP came up with an idea where Philadelphia Eagle Football fans could come together at an event (and keep the interest in WIP) even after the NFL Eagles football team was eliminated from contention for the Superbowl.
From very modest beginnings, it has grown into a full-fledged event with all the extravagance of a Carnival. Thousands of fans, floats, entourages and “Wingettes” cheer on the Wing Eaters field. And there are big prizes at stake. The winner receives a new vehicle in addition to other prizes and media opportunities. The event is covered internationally in the press. It seems as if things could not be rosy for the future of this event.
I think this year the downward spiral of Wingbowl will begin. This won’t be an immediate wipeout of the event, but I really think the interest and success of the event will fade in the future. Let’s take a look at some reasons why.
Do not doubt that Wingbowl is an event created for the typical Eagle’s Football fan. Known as a loud and rowdy bunch, the Wingbowl provides one last chance for Eagle fans to raise the roof before the season finale. What must be recognized, however, is that much of Wingbowl’s meteoric rise parallels an unprecedented period of success and rise in popularity for the Eagles franchise. Since the signing of Andy Reid and the selection of Donovan McNabb at quarterback, the Eagles’ fan base has grown in number and commitment. For most of these years, The Eagles have been in the playoffs and this means that their season has ended just a week or two before the Wingbowl event.
This year is different. Eagle fans have already said goodbye to a dismal season. Wingbowl’s tie with soccer for the rest of this year is tenuous. Despite the fact that the Wingbowl event itself will be considered a success, this year the atmosphere is expected to be a bit “off” from previous years.
At the end of the Eagles’ season, one of 2 things will happen. Andy Reid will be fired or not. Either way, the prospects for fan interest next year will suffer. If Andy stays, the fans will be turned off from the start. If they cut him, expect the Eagles to go through a rebuilding period with a few years lost. Either way, the success of the Eagles and the interest of the fans go hand in hand with the success of the Wingbowl and the next two years look to be difficult.
Next year, to make up for declining fan interest, WIP will be forced to do more marketing and advertising to achieve the same level of success as Wingbowl. One way or another this means spending more money. This may be acceptable for a year, but I doubt WIP will subsidize the event many years into the future unless the event shows prospects for continued growth.
Think about it for a minute from a WIP point of view. They had a real winner. But, every good idea has its time. Nothing lasts forever. This year will be a climax that will be difficult to reproduce without spending more money in the future. And no one wants to fund an event just to go back to a previous standard. I may be wrong, I wish Wingbowl a happy 20th birthday. I just don’t expect it to be much older than 25.