Every year since the Celebration Bowl was created in 2015 there's seemingly a conversation about if HBCUs would fare better competing in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. Many believe it's a better opportunity for athletes to take the field against high-quality competition, an often-discussed condemnation of the level of play in HBCU football.
Others want to see the best teams in HBCU football, such as this year's North Carolina Central team or the 2017 undefeated North Carolina A&T team, play against the heavyweights of FCS football such as North Dakota State or South Dakota State. Success against competitive FCS programs, many believe, will open up draft opportunities for HBCU student-athletes.
However, the Celebration Bowl presents several unique opportunities. Per a report by The Business of College Sports, last year's edition of the Celebration Bowl had a $2 million payout. The opportunities to make money and provide exposure to the SWAC & MEAC programs featured on broadcast television is an attractive proposition.
Which post-season college football event should HBCU squads aspire towards? Were the SWAC & the MEAC wrong for giving up their auto-bid in lieu of the Celebration Bowl? Which event better helps HBCU student-athletes make it to the NFL and other professional leagues?
Let's do a quick benefits analysis based on three factors: television viewership, attendance, and NFL players drafted who played in the Celebration Bowl vs. the Division I FCS Championship.
Television Viewership
Perhaps the easiest metric to track is television viewership for both the Cricket Celebration Bowl & the Division I FCS National Championship. We're zeroing in on the FCS Championship because it's a singular event that determines a champion that has trackable viewership metrics similar to the Celebration Bowl.
The Celebration Bowl had its inaugural game between Alcorn State and North Carolina A&T in 2015. Every edition of the game has been on ABC, a broadcast affiliate available around the nation in basic cable packages.
Meanwhile, the FCS Championship, which started in 1978 with Florida A&M beating Massachusetts 35-28, The game has been televised for the majority of its inception, being broadcasted on the ESPN family of networks since 2015.
Below are two charts showcasing ratings numbers for both the Celebration Bowl and the FCS Championship game including the date and network. Rating numbers are courtesy of HERO Sports, SportsMediaWatch, and ShowBuzzDaily.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
| Year | Matchup | Viewership | Network |
| 2015 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 2.5 million | ABC |
| 2016 | Grambling vs. North Carolina Central | 2.7 million | ABC |
| 2017 | Grambling vs. North Carolina A&T | 2.35 million | ABC |
| 2018 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 2.34 million | ABC |
| 2019 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 1.805 million | ABC |
| 2021 | Jackson State vs. South Carolina State | 2.6 million | ABC |
| 2022 | Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central | 2.4 million | ABC |
*note: The Celebration Bowl was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
FCS Championship Game
| Year | Matchup | Viewership | Network |
| 2015 (Played in 2016) | Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State | 1.3 million | ESPN2 |
| 2016 (Played in 2017) | Youngstown State vs. James Madison | 1.5 million | ESPN2 |
| 2017 (Played in 2018) | North Dakota State vs. James Madison | 1.51 million | ESPN2 |
| 2018 (Played in 2019) | North Dakota State vs. Eastern Washington | 1 million | ESPN2 |
| 2019 (Played in 2020) | James Madison vs. North Dakota State | 2.6 million | ABC |
| 2020 (Spring Season, played in May 2021) | South Dakota State vs. Sam Houston | 905,000 | ABC |
| 2021 (Played in 2022) | North Dakota State vs Montana State | 1.32 million | ABC |
| 2022 (Played in 2023) | North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State | 1 million | ABC |
Outside of 2019 when the FCS championship moved from ESPN2 to ABC, the Celebration Bowl has outrated the FCS Championship game.
Attendance
HBCU football fans, particularly fans of FCS programs, take pride in attendance numbers. The Celebration Bowl has routinely been a cultural epicenter since its inception in 2015. The FCS Championship has also drawn considerable attendance.
Below are two charts showing attendance numbers for both FCS postseason events. The source for the FCS Championship is HERO Sports and the Celebration Bowl numbers are from the Celebration Bowl official website.
Cricket Celebration Bowl
| Year | Matchup | Attendance | Location |
| 2015 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 35,528 | Georgia Dome (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2016 | Grambling vs. North Carolina Central | 31,096 | Georgia Dome
(Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2017 | Grambling vs. North Carolina A&T | 25,873 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium
(Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2018 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 20,069 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2019 | Alcorn vs. North Carolina A&T | 32,968 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2021 | Jackson State vs. South Carolina State | 48,653 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| 2022 | Jackson State vs. North Carolina Central | 49,670 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta, Georgia) |
*note: The Celebration Bowl was canceled in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic
FCS Championship
| Year | Matchup | Attendance | Location |
| 2015 | Jacksonville State vs. North Dakota State | 21,836 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2016 | Youngstown State vs. James Madison | 14,423 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2017 | North Dakota State vs. James Madison | 19,090 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2018 | North Dakota State vs. Eastern Washington | 17,802 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2019 | James Madison vs. North Dakota State | 17,886 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2020 | South Dakota State vs. Sam Houston | 7,840 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2021 | North Dakota State vs Montana State | 18,942 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
| 2022 | North Dakota State vs. South Dakota State | 18,023 | Toyota Stadium (Frisco, Texas) |
Attendance for the Celebration Bowl has routinely been significantly higher than attendance for the FCS football championship. The Celebration Bowl received a big uptick in attendance with Jackson State's fanbase a part of the festivities, as they lead the FCS in regular season attendance. However, the Celebration Bowl drew significant attendance in the 2015-2019 period.
NFL Players Drafted
One key talking point that many HBCU fans and prognosticators deploy about HBCU teams getting into the FCS playoffs is that it could allow HBCU players to get game film against competitive FCS teams. That exposure and high level of play against the best teams in the FCS could lead to NFL opportunities.
Let's take a look at the players who have been drafted from the finalists of the Celebration Bowl & FCS Championship each year since 2015.
2015 (2016 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl: None
FCS Championship
- North Dakota State:
- Carson Wentz (Pick 2, Philidelphia Eagles)
- Joe Haeg (Pick 155, Indianapolis Colts)
2016 (2017 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl
- Grambling
- Chad Williams (Pick 98, Arizona Cardinals)
FCS Championship
- Youngstown State
- Derek Rivers (Pick 83, New England Patriots)
- Avery Moss (Pick 167, New York Giants)
2017 (2018 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl
- North Carolina A&T
- Brandon Parker (Pick 65, Oakland Raiders)
FCS Championship: None
2018 (2019 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl:
- North Carolina A&T:
- Daryl Johnson (Pick 225, Buffalo Bills)
FCS Championship
- North Dakota State
- Easton Stick (Pick 166, Los Angeles Chargers)
2019 (2020 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl: None
FCS Championship:
- James Madison
- Ben DiNucci (Pick 231, Dallas Cowboys)
- North Dakota State
- Derrek Tuszka (Pick 254, North Dakota State)
Spring 2020/2021 (2021 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl: Cancelled
FCS Championship: None
Fall 2021 (2022 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl:
- Jackson State
- James Houston IV (Pick 217, Detriot Loins)
- South Carolina State
- DeCobie Durant (Pick 142, Los Angeles Rams)
FCS Championship
- North Dakota State
- Christian Watson (Pick 34, Green Bay Packers)
- Cordell Volson (Pick 136, Cincinatti Bengals)
- Montana State
- Troy Andersen (Pick 58, Atlanta Falcons)
- Daniel Hardy (Pick 235, Los Angeles Rams)
2022 (2023 NFL Draft)
Celebration Bowl
- Jackson State
- Isaiah Bolden (Pick 245, New England Patriots)
FCS Championship
- North Dakota State
- Cody Mauch (Pick 48, Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
- South Dakota State
- Tucker Kraft (Pick 78, Green Bay Packers)
Although the FCS Championship finalists had more players drafted than the Celebration Bowl participants, there isn't a demonstrative draft advantage players obtain by playing in either game per the information that we have.
Findings
There isn't a significant advantage that HBCU teams receive from playing in the NCAA Division I FCS Playoffs. The Celebration Bowl attracts higher television viewership, more fans in attendance, and a guaranteed bowl game payout for both teams. Although the FCS Championship finalists did have more players drafted to the NFL, the number of players selected wasn't drastically high.
While we still root for HBCU teams to make the FCS Playoffs and compete for a national championship, such as Florida A&M in 2021, the creation of the Celebration Bowl in 2015 is a seminal moment in HBCU athletics history and presents an intriguing proposition for SWAC & MEAC teams to get more national exposure and money for their football programs.
Follow Us
Subscribe