Arizona Bowl Game Buzz: Kym Adair Stirs Up Excitement with Gin & Juice
Episode Highlights
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- Celebrating a Milestone: Discover how the Arizona Bowl is marking its 10th anniversary with a major new partnership with Snoop Dogg’s Gin & Juice brand, making it a standout event in Tucson’s sports calendar.
- Leadership Insights: Listen to Kym Adair discuss her journey from board member to executive director, and how her vision has been pivotal in transforming the Arizona Bowl into a dynamic and influential event in college sports.
- Community Impact: Uncover the significant contributions the Arizona Bowl makes to local charities, as Kym Adair explains the game’s role in supporting Tucson’s community and its nonprofit goals.
- Cultural Fusion: Explore the innovative blend of music, sports, and local culture that this year’s Arizona Bowl sponsorship brings, setting a new trend in how bowl games are celebrated.
- Forward Looking: Get Kym Adair’s thoughts on the future of the Arizona Bowl, the potential for growth, and what fans can expect in upcoming events under her leadership.
A New Chapter in Arizona Bowl History
The Arizona Bowl, a staple of Tucson’s vibrant sports scene, is stepping into a thrilling new era under the leadership of Kym Adair. With the inclusion of Snoop Dogg’s iconic Gin & Juice brand as the title sponsor, this year’s bowl game promises to blend sports, culture, and community in unprecedented ways. “We’re going to celebrate a major addition to the Arizona Bowl experience,” Tom Heath announces in a recent episode of Life Along the Streetcar, marking a decade of growth and innovation.
Leadership and Vision
Seven years ago, Kym Adair was interviewed as a board member, stepping into what would become a transformative role for both her and the bowl itself. Now as the executive director, Kym has been instrumental in redefining what a college bowl game can represent. “From the very beginning, our goal was to do something that had never been done before in Tucson,” Kym recalls during her conversation with Tom. This spirit of innovation is evident as she discusses the integration of Snoop Dogg’s brand into the event, heralding a new cultural fusion that promises to elevate the bowl game experience.
Impact on the Community
The Arizona Bowl is not just a game; it’s a major contributor to local charities and the Tucson community. Under Kym’s direction, the event has seen an increase in both attendance and charitable contributions. “All of the net proceeds of the bowl go back into local charities,” Kym states, highlighting the bowl’s commitment to giving back. This approach not only enriches the local community but also ties the success of the event directly to the well-being of Tucsonans.
Looking Forward
As the event continues to grow, the future looks bright for the Arizona Bowl. With innovative leadership and a strong community focus, the bowl is set to remain a key highlight of Tucson’s cultural calendar. “We’re looking forward to this iteration and seeing what all this unfolds to be,” says Kym, anticipating the upcoming games and events that will continue to draw crowds and spotlight Tucson.
Join the Excitement
To learn more about the Arizona Bowl and its array of events, visit the official Arizona Bowl website. For those interested in engaging more deeply with Tucson’s cultural and sports activities or wishing to nominate a prominent Tucsonan for an interview with Tom Heath, please reach out directly to Tom.
Explore, participate, and celebrate with us as we continue to showcase the best of Downtown Tucson and beyond.
Transcript (Unedited)
Tom Heath
Good morning. It’s a beautiful Sunday in the Old Pueblo and you’re listening to KTTT Tucson. Thank you for spending a part of your brunch hour with us on your downtown Tucson community -sponsored, all -volunteer -powered rock and roll radio station. On this week’s show, we’re going to celebrate a major addition to the Arizona Bowl experience, none other than Snoop Dogg. Join us as we revisit a special interview from seven years ago with Kym Adair, who was transitioned from a board member back then to now the esteemed executive director of the Arizona Bowl. As the bowl game marks its 10th anniversary, we’re going to explore its origins and acknowledge Kym’s dynamic leadership, which has now welcomed Snoop Dogg and his iconic gin -and -juice brand into the fold. Today is May 12, 2024. My name is Tom Heath, and you are listening to Life Along the Streetcar. Each and every Sunday our focus is on social, cultural, and economic impacts in Tucson’s urban core, and we shed light on hidden gems
Tom Heath
everyone should know about. From a mountain to the University of Arizona and all stops in between, you get the inside track right here on 99 .1 FM and streaming on downtownradio .org. You can also listen on your phone through the downtown radio Tucson app. And if you want to connect with us on the show, we recommend you do that through social media. Facebook and Instagram tend to be the best ways. Of course, our website, lifelongstreetcar .org has information about us, our book and ways contact us too. So there’s some news you may have heard the Arizona Bowl has a new sponsor it is now going to be the the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl and it is supported and powered by his gin and juice company. It’s kind of a first for lots of reasons you know having Snoop Dogg coming to Arizona I think is a fun way to Enjoy that that bowl experience gin and juice being an alcohol company first to do so for a bowl game and you know, it’s not unlike the Arizona Bowl to To break precedent they’ve done a lot of
Tom Heath
this over the years They were one of the first to go to an online streaming service for their their visual for Putting the games out because they wanted to have control over the scheduling of it They hired as an executive director Kym Adair who was one of the very first female executive directors of a bowl game So Arizona is not new to innovation and this looks like it might just be one of those next steps But it’s celebrating 10 years and with the news that came out this week. We wanted to go back to an interview We did seven years ago and the bowl is just three years old with Kym Adair. She’s the executive director of the of the bowl game. But back when we spoke with her, she was a marketing, vice president of marketing for Nova Home Loans, who was the initial sponsor to get the Arizona Bowl launched here in Tucson. Kym was a board member, and as we have seen, has progressed into this role and just really taken it to new levels and exciting to see this iteration and looking forward to
Tom Heath
chatting with her as we get closer to the game and kind of seeing what all this unfolds to be. But this is our interview from 2017, referencing the third annual, at the time, Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl, which is now, according to all the news reports, it’s now the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl, presented by Gin & Juice, starting in 2024. But here’s our interview back from 2017.
Kym Adair
Hi, my name is Kym Adair, and I am on the executive committee for the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
Tom Heath
Tell me about the bowl game. This is our third year?
Kym Adair
This is the third year, and each year it gets a little better and better each time. It’s awesome.
Tom Heath
So what prompted Nova and this group that got together to bring a bowl game to Tucson?
Kym Adair
So there was a really incredible group of people that wanted to bring a bowl game to Tucson. on. And in order to do that, they needed a title sponsor. And actually Ali Farhang, who’s the chairman of the board of the, of the, of the bowl, reached out to john Volpe, who he knew, loved football. And actually, both of them were coaches for sellpoint football at the time, and asked john if he’d be interested in having Nova home loans as the title sponsor for the bowl. And as soon as john found out that all net proceeds for this bowl go back to local charities, he was definitely interested. And so we worked out all of the details and Nova came on as the title sponsor for the Nova Home Loans Arizona Bowl.
Tom Heath
So if I understand what you’re saying, the what would consider profits don’t go back into a corporation, they go back into Tucson.
Kym Adair
Exactly. So any of the net proceeds, so we have to cover our expenses and operating expenses for putting on the bowl. But after that is complete, all of the net proceeds of the bowl go back into local charities.
Tom Heath
What are some of the charities that benefit from the bowl?
Kym Adair
Sure. The Boys and Girls Club of Tucson were large benefactors this year. Tuna Dito. There were some Native American charities that received some funds this year. A whole slew of organizations.
Tom Heath
So it’s not one organization, then you’re supporting many.
Kym Adair
Yes.
Tom Heath
Is there any particular commonality among them? Are they dealing with families? Are they dealing with housing issues or is it just someone can apply for a grant and the committee decides who receives that?
Kym Adair
Right. So in order, the way it’s set up now is that our biggest sponsors get to determine where the net proceeds go to charity. And that helps us keep sponsorships coming through and keeping them sustainable year over year because they get to have a direct impact in where the charitable funds go.
Tom Heath
And something I saw, I don’t know if you’ve done it every year, but I saw last year was you allocated a certain amount of tickets to veterans and first responders.
Kym Adair
Yes, so actually we didn’t allocate tickets. We had tickets underwritten and paid for by local companies and individuals to support local heroes. So every ticket is purchased by someone else and they purchase those tickets with the understanding that they want those tickets to go to local heroes. So last year, I believe we had about 13 ,000 tickets go to local heroes, and that’s active military, veterans, first responders, and teachers.
Tom Heath
And that means the proceeds from 13 ,000 tickets went to local charities.
Kym Adair
Absolutely.
Tom Heath
Well done.
Kym Adair
Yeah, thank you.
Tom Heath
So let’s talk about the bowl this year. You’ve got two teams. They’ve got an interesting story to pass. One hasn’t been to a bowl game in almost 60 years. Yes. Yes. And tell me who’s playing this year.
Kym Adair
We are so excited because it’s going to be the battle of the Aggies this year. Both teams have mascots called Aggies. It’s the New Mexico State University Aggies versus the Utah State Aggies. And the last time these two met in a bowl game was 57 years ago in the Sun Bowl. And New Mexico State won that year. And that was the last time New Mexico State went to a bowl game, 57 years ago. So, it’s going to be a great rivalry, and New Mexico State for sure is so excited to come and get to have a whole bowl experience for their football team and their fans.
Tom Heath
How does the bowl selection process work, because you’re competing with other bowls for these teams. Is there some drama with this, I heard, at the end of the selection process?
Kym Adair
Yes, it’s always so fun. Unfortunately, we don’t have a tremendous amount of control over the teams we get. The conferences that we are aligned with, and we’re aligned with the Mountain West Conference and the Sun Belt Conference, they actually select which teams go to which bowls. And so we work with the conferences and we put in our picks and we tell them who we’d really, really like to have. A lot of that has to do with proximity to Tucson because of course we wanna fill our stadium because the more people that attend, the more tickets that we sell, the more money that goes to charity. So having people that can travel to Tucson and have a really great fan base is really important to us. So we work with the conferences and try to find out who’s bowl eligible. And and we and then we kind of wait, wait to find out who they’ve selected to give to us.
Tom Heath
And there’s some excitement with New Mexico first bowl in a while. And I’ve heard that this will probably be the largest attended bowl so far.
Kym Adair
I believe it will be yes, we’ve had more ticket sales by this time this year than we did last year for sure. and there’s a lot of excitement with New Mexico. They have already sold out their allotment of tickets and have purchased more tickets for their fans. So I think we’re gonna have a really full stadium on December 29th.
Tom Heath
Kym Adair, she’s the executive director of the Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl presented by Gin & Juice. It’s coming in December of 2024. This was an interview we recorded with her back in 2017. She was a board member. She was working for Nova Home Loans who was the inaugural sponsor of the bowl game. and she has since transitioned into her role as executive director with the news of our new sponsor. Wanted to reach back and kind of talk about the origins of the bowl and also look at the really interesting career and path of Kym Adair. And we’ll be back to that here in just a moment. But first I want to remind you that you’re listening to Life Along the Streetcar on Downtown Radio, 99 .1 FM and streaming at downtownradio .org.
Tom Heath
All right, we are gonna finish up the 2017 interview we did with Kym Adair. At the time, she was a member of the board for the Arizona Bowl. She was working for Nova Homos, who was the sponsor that kind of helped bring the Arizona Bowl to Tucson. And she then soon after transitioned into a leadership role And a and a staff position became the executive director of the Arizona Bowl Recently, it was the barstool sports Sponsorship and with today’s well this week’s news that Snoop Dogg and his company gin and juice are taking on The the title sponsor role and some other fun components to that So we are gonna finish up that interview talk about the history of the bowl game and in this part of it we talk about the impact on community and some of the other events that surround it, things that are still going on, but of course, this is dated, so don’t pay attention to any of the dates and times. We’ll have you some updates as we get into December of this year, 2024, for the new teams and events.
Tom Heath
But the bowl game is a piece of a week. Tell me about what happens. When do things really kick off?
Kym Adair
Yeah, so that it really kicks off on December 28, which is when we have the University of Arizona downtown block party in Armory Park. And it’s going to be a fabulous event where the teams come and their fans come along with local Tucsonans to join in the festivities, there’ll be food and drink and Ferris wheels and entertainment, 80s and gentlemen’s performing and the bands of each of the schools will have a battle of bands there. It’s just a really great fun event, pep rally to get everybody excited for
Tom Heath
the game. Is there a cost to attend the rally? That is free to everybody. So that’s just a community event to celebrate the teams? Absolutely free. And then the game’s on the 29th and there’s
Kym Adair
a pre -game event? There is. We have the Desert Diamond Casino Tailgate Festival and that’s to be a lot of fun. First of all, we’ve got Neon Trees. Are you familiar with Neon Trees, Tom?
Tom Heath
I am.
Kym Adair
They’re an awesome band, and they are going to be performing at one o ‘clock. And we also have lots of food and drinks and music and entertainment. And then we also have our famous Nacho Average Tailgate Festival. And that’s an extra 15 bucks and you get all you can eat nachos and beer at this wonderful Tucson event.
Tom Heath
Neon trees, uh, just like the, uh, Nova home loans, Arizona bold started with a whisper.
Kym Adair
Yes. Good. That’s a good one. Top. Good.
Tom Heath
I got one. So people are gonna be traveling here from Utah, New Mexico, and probably others. And I’ve, I’ve seen on Facebook, a lot of people, especially from New Mexico state live in Tucson. So I know they’re excited, but you’re going to be bringing thousands of people to Tucson. Has there been a study on the economic impact of the bowl game?
Kym Adair
Yes. Actually, last year, we had a 40 % increase in attendance year over year last year, and we had about 34 ,000 people in the stands, and that generated about a $21 million economic impact for Southern Arizona.
Tom Heath
And where is that impact? What is that money being spent on here?
Kym Adair
It’s being spent on hotel rooms, restaurants, souvenirs, shopping, gas, all of the things that people take advantage of when they come to Tucson
Tom Heath
to visit. And that’s outside of the money donated and raised for the charities? Yes, that’s outside. Is there a figure of how much has been donated over the last
Kym Adair
couple of years? Yes, so last year we were able to donate over $200 ,000 to local charities and the year before that was $100 ,000. This year we hope to even give
Tom Heath
more. Now probably one of the most crucial questions that’s circulating through people’s minds right now is the quality of your swag bag because you’ve gotten some recognition nationally for what goes in that bag. And these players, I think the first year they got custom -made cowboy boots.
Kym Adair
They did. Yes. The last two years we have been recognized for the quality of our SNAT, our swag bag. And we put a lot of effort into ensuring that the things that these players are getting are things that they really are going to be wowed about. Because what it really comes down to is offering an amazing experience to these football players, who some of them have never been to Arizona or the Southwest or, or I’ve never experienced anything like we, we offer here in Tucson. And so we’re trying to give them the best hospitality that we can possibly give them. And part of that is offering these terrific, these terrific gifts to them when they come to Tucson.
Tom Heath
When do they when do the teams arrive in Tucson? And what do they do up leading up to the game?
Kym Adair
Oh, yeah, sure. So most of the teams will arrive, most of the players will arrive on the 25th of the 26th of December. And
Speaker 2
And
Kym Adair
then on the 27th of December, we have a private team party for the teams. And so both teams come together, we have dinner, we’re going to do that at old Tucson studios and have a shootout and some rodeo events for them to participate in. It’s a really great time. And it’s a great time for us to all kind of let our hair down before the competition starts and have a good time and celebrate just being here in Tucson for a bowl game. And then the next day, we actually we actually celebrate with the the women and the children coming for the bowl, the wives and the children of the coaches and the athletic directors and all of the people involved at the bowl. And we celebrate them and have a great lunch and shopping event with them and some great things for the kids too.
Tom Heath
And then the games are the game is played at Arizona Stadium, Arizona Stadium, the the teams practice there. Do they do they practice at Arizona Stadium or do they practice in high schools?
Kym Adair
They practice at local high schools, yes.
Tom Heath
Okay, so that’s pretty cool for the high schools.
Kym Adair
It is. It is. It’s a lot of fun.
Tom Heath
And then I’m assuming they’re staying at some of the nicer resorts here around town.
Kym Adair
Yes, they are. Yeah, we’re giving them a four -star, five -star experience for sure. One of the things that we’ve heard from the teams that have come is that this was one of the best bowl experiences they have ever participated in. And so the warmth and hospitality of Tucson and Southern Arizona just goes a long way. And now we’ve become a bowl that everybody wants to come to because they know they’re gonna come and have warm weather, stay in beautiful hotels, have wonderful meals, and meet really amazing people while they’re here.
Tom Heath
Well, the fans, I believe, will be excited. We have a new hotel downtown.
Kym Adair
Yes.
Tom Heath
That will probably attract some of these individuals. And being on the streetcar route, you kind of bracket both ends with this, the game on one side, the festivities on the other, and getting people moving back and forth. I’m sure they’re stopping occasionally at 4th Avenue to check out the scene there as well.
Kym Adair
Absolutely. Downtown is a huge part of our festivities. In fact, the AC Marriott Hotel will be the designated hotel for all VIPs and press for the event. So we’re going to have a lot of activity already downtown. Those folks will be covering downtown, using the streetcar to get down to the university for the game. It’s just a perfect opportunity for us to showcase how amazing our downtown has become. You know, let me just say this from a personal standpoint, from the Nova Home Loans standpoint, we are so proud to be the title sponsor of this bowl game. Knowing that we’re able to give such a positive impact to the community through economic development, through the charitable donations, and also impacting the lives of all of these student athletes that come and get to visit Tucson and have this experience. It’s a thrill for us. And we’re excited to be a part of this really special event. And we look forward to Tucson embracing this as their game, coming out and buying tickets so that we
Kym Adair
can give lots of money to charities over the next year.
Tom Heath
The impact is great. Is there a timeline? Are bowl games established for an indefinite period of time? Or is there a contract in place with with the leagues and Nova as far as how long this will last?
Kym Adair
Yes, so we have, we have contracts with both of our conferences for the next two years and Nova is also the title sponsor for the next two years. And then the bowl has all bowls realign every five years. So that realignment is coming up in two years and, and the bowls can renegotiate which conferences they will choose their teams from and their, their television broadcast contracts. So everything is up in the air in a couple of years. So we’re delighted by the conference partners that we have now. But we’ll see what happens in a couple of years. We might have some other conferences interested in having a bowl out west to represent their conference.
Tom Heath
Let’s talk about the TV as well for just a moment, because that’s something new this year. You’ve got a partnership with with CBS Sports.
Kym Adair
Yes, with CBS Sports. So we are thrilled that CBS Sports Network will be airing our game live on December 29th at 330. They have been a terrific partner. It allows us to keep autonomy of the bowl and be able to continue to pick the day and time of our bowl, which is very important to us. And they are sending out their full production team. They’re making a huge investment in making sure that this bowl is well promoted on CBS Sports Network along with CBS Network itself. And we’re very excited by this partnership. They’re a tremendous partner for us.
Tom Heath
And that’s new this year. Yes.
Kym Adair
and we have a continued, um, uh, agreement with them for the next two years as well.
Tom Heath
Outstanding. Well, if you’re in Tucson, you can watch it on TV, but you don’t really don’t want to do that. And this, the experience of the game, I’ve been to both of them personally, the excitement of the fans. Um, it’s absolutely a wonderful part of, uh, bowl experience, uh, to see teams that would normally never play. And, um, they get after a little bit. They do. And it’s 70 degree weather, what do you have to miss? It’s perfect.
Kym Adair
And let me mention this too, Tom, that because this is a bowl event, not associated with the university, we sell beer in the stadium. So it’s another great reason to come out, have a cold beer and watch a football game. And let me mention this, that this year we have an after party, a bowl after party, downtown again at Armory Park. And we are so excited to announce that we’ve booked a flock of seagulls to perform at that party. So that’s going to be another wonderful event, drawing people downtown and celebrating one of the teams that have just won the bowl down at Armory Park.
Tom Heath
And that’s the day of the bowl. It’s in the evening after the bowl game.
Kym Adair
After the bowl game. Yes.
Tom Heath
So you can come downtown, flock of seagulls. You got to get your hair done.
Kym Adair
You got to get your hair up. Yep. Be ready to sing. Put on your 80s outfit.
Tom Heath
And I’m assuming there’ll be food trucks that that that kind of absolutely it’ll be a whole festival. All right well, if you live in the area be prepared for an Influx of Aggies. Yes You can certainly put go Aggies in your front yard and everyone will be happy Well can thank you for your time, and I appreciate what you what Nova does for this community I’m excited for all the partners of the Arizona Bowl, and I’m especially excited for the community
Tom Heath
Well, that was a fun interview with Kym Adair back from 2017. Just really super impressed with what she has done. At the time, she was a board member. If you go to our website, lifelongstreetcar .org and search for her name, you’ll see that we did an interview with her later on after she became the executive director. She was one of the very first female executive directors of a bowl game going into a predominantly Male dominated arena and has just done really well. She’s negotiated some great contracts for Media rights come up with very innovative ideas and all the while keeping the attention on Tucson and the community The teams that come here giving them a world -class really a world -class Welcome to Tucson heard from many people that the bowl experience from the Arizona Bowl has been One of the better ones that they have been a part of and now adding in a name Like Snoop Dogg and gin and juice Raising the the awareness of this bowl game and in the eyes on Tucson looking forward to
Tom Heath
December of 2024 see who’s playing and I think we’ll probably do more with the modern version of of the Arizona bowl as we get closer to that date, but wanted to talk about the history and celebrate the path that Kym Adair has taken to get us here from the Arizona bowl’s humble roots back in 2014. My name is Tom Heath. You are listening to Life Along the Streetcar and Downtown Radio, 99 .1 FM and streaming on downtownradio .com.
Tom Heath
Enjoy your evening, but enjoy your day before you get there. It is Mother’s Day. I know you think I forgot, because I didn’t mention it at the beginning, but I didn’t forget. In fact, I’ve got a special song we’re going to roll out today, tying all of our elements together, because that’s the brilliance of what we do here at Nonprofit Volunteer Radio. But happy Mother’s Day. Thank you to my mother. Thank you to my sister for raising a very strong young man and my nephew there in Ohio I know you’re probably neither of my mom or sister listening because they’re totally done with my voice But I do appreciate all of their their efforts and to all the mothers out there Thank you, and to the the dads that have been the caretaker and the mother. Thank you as well for Raising strong people in our world as we certainly need all of that energy especially in these interesting times in which we find ourselves. But hey, just a shout out to me. Because this was an interview that I got to go back to from
Tom Heath
- And I got to tell you, when I started this show in 2017, I had no idea that I would still be doing this. I really thought it was going to be a year. And now, over that seven year time frame, to see the people that we have talked to, the things that they have achieved, the direction in which they have gone, that’s really cool for me to watch that. And I am certain that most of their success is directly connected to their appearance on this show, which sort of launched them into celebrity and stratosphere. Or perhaps they’re just really good people when we had the privilege and pleasure to intersect with at some point in their lives. But Kym Adair, K -Y -M Adair, I’ve known her for years and super excited about her success and the way she has transformed the Arizona Bowl. And you could hear in her voice, this was seven years ago, 2014, you heard in that interview her excitement. She was a board member at the time, she wasn’t in her current role, and she was excited for the bowl, for
Tom Heath
the energy, for this new endeavor and what it meant for Tucson. A great sports person back then and has just even gotten better over the years. So Kym, congratulations on that and really appreciate everything you do for Tucson. Speaking of things being done for Tucson, how about downtownradio .org? In just a few minutes, we’re going to have Ted Przelski with words and work as he talks to members of the labor movement and writers here in Tucson. And then we have Ty Logan at the top of the hour, back to the music with Speakerboxx at 1. All part of our fantastic Sunday lineup here on Downtown Radio that starts at 7 a .m. every week with Mr. Nature. and if you’re not listening to his show, you are missing out on a very family -friendly, fun show, just positive energy. And then DJ Bank, who precedes us with the art of easing, incredible, incredible knowledge in those dusty crates in his mind, as he likes to say. But I want to thank you again for spending a part of your day with us. I want to
Tom Heath
thank James Portis, who is our production specialist. My name is Tom Heath. I am your host and producer. each week we launch our show with Ryan Hood’s Dillinger Days and today we’re gonna leave you a Snoop Dogg hard to find one that I could play on the radio but this is his creation Doggyland and this is a song about Mother’s Day. Hope you have a great week and tune in next Sunday for more life along the Streetcar. Happy Mother’s Day.
