CMU receives $450,000 payout from MAC for Bahamas Bowl
To help cover travel expenses and meals, the Mid-American Conference is giving $450,000 to Central Michigan University’s football team to help send it to The Bahamas.
On Sunday, the Chippewas accepted an invitation to play in the inaugural Popeyes Bahamas Bowl against Western Kentucky at noon on Dec. 24 in Nassau, Bahamas.
The trip will largely be covered for both of the universities through stipends and free accommodations. The majority of the $450,000 stipend will pay for one round-trip charter flight, for 240 people and meals for the team and staff during the four-day stay. Rooms for the teams and staff are provided free to CMU and Western Kentucky.
“It really covers anything associated with bowl activities,” said Brad Wachler, associate athletics director. “This stipend is higher than it has been. So that certainly helps out.”
CMU’s group will stay in the Atlantis Paradise Island Hotel. Their rooms have been compensated by the bowl for the time they will spend in the Bahamas (Dec. 20 through Dec. 24.) The team will fly back to America after the game.
“The reality is that these trips cost a lot of money,” Wachler said. “It’s different than going to Detroit. Our rooms are essentially free, so our hard costs are our meals.”
Every CMU football player received a passport in September, in anticipation of the bowl game.
“We’ve been really proactive on that,” Wachler said. “We wanted to be prepared. We found out on Dec. 7 what game we were going to. It’s really hard to turn around passports that quickly.”
CMU Athletics paid for the passports earlier this year.
“That can come out of the total allocation part of the budget for the bowl,” Wachler said. “We also have the opportunity to use our special assistance fund which is in place as money from the NCAA to cover these special initiatives.”
Wachler said CMU Athletics is not planning any team activities and any incidental costs will be paid for by the university.
“The bowl plans a couple of events,” Wachler said. “There really are not planned activities. It’s a pretty expansive resort. There is plenty to do there to keep the travel party active and engaged at really no additional cost.”
