Local boosters anticipate that Columbia, Richland County and Lexington County might each be asked to contribute $150,000 in hotel-motel bed taxes to support the orphan Aloha Bowl.

But raising the money would be contingent on the USC Board of Trustees reversing a decision by athletics director Mike McGee not to allow the game to be played in Williams-Brice Stadium.

The board is expected to discuss the issue, formally or informally, at its meeting today.

Gov. Jim Hodges and key members of the S.C. General Assembly have asked the board to reconsider the athletics department's decision.

Palmetto Bowl boosters estimate that 20,000 fans would spend enough to justify the outlay of accommodations tax funds.

City council member Jim Papadea pointed to Mobile, Ala., which draws a direct economic benefit of $10 million to $11 million each year from the GMAC Bowl, played the week before Christmas.

The Palmetto Bowl would be played on Christmas Day.

"If you can spend $1 million to get back $10 million on a four-day event, then you ought to do it," he said.

Columbia Mayor Bob Coble said that in addition to financial benefits, the 3 1/2-hour broadcast on ABC would be good publicity for the city, the university and the state.

"From the Confederate flag to Susan Smith, controversy has been about the only national coverage we've had," he said. "South Carolina needs favorable press attention."

But the county councils might be a tough sell.

"It would take a whole lot of exhaustive investigation into this before we committed our accommodations tax," Lexington County Council chairman Bruce Rucker said. "I didn't say I wouldn't do it. But it would take a whole lot of investigation."

Richland County Council vice chairman Greg Pearce said that county is tapped out.

"We don't have it," he said. "I wish the pot were larger; then we could look at it."

Both Rucker and Pearce noted that tens of millions of dollars of the counties' accommodations tax money are being funneled to USC's new basketball arena and Columbia's planned regional convention center.

Tom Sponseller, president and CEO of the Hospitality Association of South Carolina, said his members -- hoteliers and restaurateurs -- strongly support playing the game in Columbia.

He predicted that the game could sell out the area's 8,000 to 9,000 hotel rooms.

"December is one of the slowest months for restaurants and hotels," he said. "Even if they only fill half of that stadium, they will sell out all of the hotel rooms. That would be a bigger day for us than a Gamecock home game."

Ike McLeese, president and CEO of the Greater Columbia chamber of Commerce, said that raising $500,000 in sponsorships from the business community shouldn't be a problem.

"I had enough interest around the table at my executive committee meeting this morning to cover it," he said.

McLeese said that the $500,000 is less than the sponsorships raised for Columbia's 3 Rivers Music Festival, held in April the last two years.

"I feel confident we could do even more," he said.

But the bowl committee's soliciting sponsorships is part of the reason for the university's opposition, athletics director McGee said.

"The athletics department will soon present plans to expand Williams-Brice Stadium, hopefully in the very near future," he wrote in a letter to The State.

"... To accomplish this ... additional corporate support for executive suites and premium seating will be essential," he wrote. "This same corporate support will be essential to and sought by the bowl promoters."

Terry Daw of Aloha Sports, the firm wanting to move the game here, would not comment on the amount of local support it would require.

"We want to resolve whether the stadium is available," he said.

But he added that Aloha Sports is continuing negotiations with the city of Anaheim, Calif., for the game to be played at Edison Field, the home of the Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball team.

"We'll weigh both options, and when we have positions from both, we'll evaluate them and make a decision," Daw said.

City of Anaheim spokesman John Nicoletti said that city is moving forward with efforts to land the game.

"At this point, there is a lot of interest," he said. "Whether the financial commitment (from the business community) is there remains to be seen."

Aloha Sports also organizes the Oahu Bowl, which has been moved to Seattle and renamed the Seattle Bowl.

Daw said the firm is seeking an East Coast site because two of the three conference affiliations -- the Atlantic Coast Conference and the Big East Conference -- are on the East Coast.

"We would like to diversify" so that East Coast fans could drive to a bowl game in Columbia featuring the ACC or the Big East, and West Coast fans could drive to Seattle to see a Pac-10 team, he said.

Daw said he and partner Fritz Rohfling will remain in town to try to put a deal together.

"We have not set a deadline," he said. "But we would like to have some answers as soon as possible."

It would take about two to three months to organize the event once a decision is made, Daw said.

"I think Columbia could mobilize pretty quickly," he said.
 

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