Bahamas News
BAHAMAS: Preparations Begin for 5th Annual Bahamas Bowl
#Nassau, July 3, 2018 – Bahamas – The Bahamas Bowl and ESPN Events, along with Bahamian government officials, the Mid-American Conference and the Atlantis resort, kicked off preparations for the fifth-annual bowl game with a press conference at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium. The stadium once again will be the site of the contest on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 between Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference. The game at 12:30 pm ET will be televised by ESPN for the fifth-consecutive year.
ESPN Senior VP, College Sports Programming and Events Pete Derzis, MAC Commissioner Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Bahamas Minister of Transport and Local Government, the Honourable Frankie Campbell (who spoke on behalf of the Ministry of Tourism and the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture), Atlantis Senior VP of Public Affairs Ed Fields and National Sports Authority-Bahamas board member Anton Sealey spoke at the event, which also included Bahamas Bowl executives Richard Gianinni and Lea Miller-Tooley, to review the four bowl games to date and preview the 2018 edition.
The night before, the Bahamas Bowl and ESPN Events held an appreciation dinner in Nassau for bowl partners and sponsors to thank them for their support of the bowl in the Bahamas last year and to give an overview of the 2018 bowl activites.
Below is the text of the 2017 Bahamas Bowl Review-2018 Preview, which was provided to the media at the press conference.
After four very successful bowl games that have served as a springboard to success for those who have participated, the fifth-annual Bahamas Bowl will kick off at 12:30 pm on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018 at Nassau’s Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium.
Proving the slogan “Bowl Games are Better in the Bahamas,” bowl week in Nassau always lives up to that with a mix of sun, sand and football in one of the world’s most beautiful tourist destinations.
The Bahamas Bowl was enhanced after ESPN Events added the game to an impressive stable of events in May 2015. And, with ESPN on board, the bowl week always provides student-athletes, conference partners, alumni, fans and sponsors a first-class international bowl experience.
A large part of the Bahamas Bowl’s success is the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism. Using the local slogan “Football, Family and Fun”, Bahamians of all ages come out to Robinson National Stadium to experience gameday the way it happens in U.S. college stadiums each week during the season.
The Atlantis Bahamas is another important element to the bowl experience, as it houses both teams for four nights at its world-class resort and water park on Paradise Island.
The gameday action takes place at Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, where fans have watched some of the most-exciting contests among the bowls each year. The stadium received a major upgrade in November 2016 as the National Stadium Authority-Bahamas installed a Celebration Bermuda grass field. The facility also has gone through other upgrades each year.
There has been plenty of success on the field for all of the participating teams. Both of the first two winners of the bowl — WKU in 2014 and Western Michigan in 2015 — went on to win their respective conference titles the following season, and Western Michigan participated in a New Year’s Six bowl after an undefeated season in 2016.
A total of 18 alumni who have participated in the bowl have heard their names called by teams during the 2015-18 NFL Drafts, led by Western Michigan wide receiver Corey Davis, who was selected No. 5 overall by the Tennessee Titans in the 2017 draft. Four former student-athletes who played in the Bahamas Bowl were selected in the 2018 NFL Draft, while a bowl-record total of seven student-athletes were taken in 2016. In addition, eight former Bahamas Bowl alumni played in at least one NFL game in 2017.
The bowl has had one conference coach of the year and three freshman of the year award winners participate in the game.
The 2017 game featured UAB of Conference USA and Ohio of the Mid-American Conference in the only current international bowl game. The combined 16 victories between UAB and Ohio coming into the game tied for the most in the history of the bowl.
A crowd of 13,585 in Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium and those watching on ESPN on TV and online saw Ohio beat UAB 41-6 as Ohio running back Dorian Brown tied a bowl record with four touchdown runs for Offensive Player of the Game honors.
The Bobcats (9-4) posted their first bowl game win since 2012 and the third bowl game win in the history of the Ohio program. Bobcats quarterback Nathan Rourke finished the day 12-of-18 passing for 185 yards and two touchdowns, and he ran three times for 30 yards to finish with 215 yards of total offense.
Quarterback A.J. Erdely completed 24-of-45 passes for 254 yards for UAB (8-5), which had its football program reinstated in 2017 after a two-year hiatus.
Ohio safety Javon Hagan was named the Defensive Player of the Game after posting a game-high nine tackles (six solo) and a forced fumble to lead the stout Bobcat defense.
Ohio head coach Frank Solich raised the Prime Minister’s Trophy after the game as the Bahamas Bowl champions.
Fans at the game were treated to a pregame Tailgate Extravaganza outside Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, a pregame performance by the famed Bahamas All-Stars band, a Junkanoo joint performance from the Valley Boys and the Saxons during the game and a halftime performance from the Royal Bahamas Police Force Band.
The game was broadcast on television on ESPN for the fourth-consecutive year as Steve Levy and 1991 Heisman Trophy winner Desmond Howard described the action, and the bowl action was heard in the U.S. on the Bahamas Bowl Radio Network.
The 2017 Bahamas Bowl broadcast led all bowl games in percentage of Out-of-Home Lift, defined as those people watching on the ESPN App, their connected devices and at social locations (restaurants, watch parties, etc.). The 2017 bowl had a 15 percent lift in Total Live Audience from out-of-home viewers.
The game capped off a tremendous bowl week for everyone involved, who all enjoyed the famous hospitality that the Bahamas offers to visitors.
A welcome party at the Atlantis after the teams’ arrivals gave the student-athletes, team travel parties and VIPs a taste of the Bahamas. The student-athletes attended a beach bash the next night at Atlantis and had a chance to enjoy food, fun and fellowship on the beach with spectacular views of the Caribbean and the striking Atlantis resort.
One of the highlights of bowl week was when the student-athletes from UAB and Ohio helped fulfill the mission statement of the bowl as they gave back to the youth of the Bahamas by way of a visit to the Ranfurly Homes for Children in Nassau and a Youth Football Clinic conducted by USA Football, the Commonwealth of American Football League (CAFL) and the bowl. The large contingent of student-athletes from both schools brought smiles to the Bahamian youth at both events.
“In my history of coaching I’ve been to an awful lot of bowls, and I think the Bahamas Bowl does a great job here,” said Solich. “It’s second-to-none in terms of hospitality. I think you’ve got the right amount of activities for the players, and yet still allow opportunity for free time. If you have free time, where would you rather have it than at the Atlantis?”
“Just to see the hard work everyone has put in between the Bahamas Bowl staff, the Atlantis Bahamas and the Bahamas government is incredible,” said UAB head coach Bill Clark. “I have been here before and really knew how special it was. For these guys to experience something like this is special. We have discussed the percentage of these guys that will have the opportunity to come back. I have had guys that have been at bowl games at other places, but I don’t think they have been to one that compares to what we have seen so far. This trip has been above and beyond anything we could have asked for.”
The economic impact of the Bahamas Bowl has been significant over the previous four years, as the bowl, ESPN Events, participating institutions and sponsors have spent $23.8 million in traveling to and during their stays in the Bahamas as 9,200 visitors made their way to be a part of bowl week and spent over $5 million at local hotels and resorts in Nassau.
Money was spent in travel, shipping, hotels, food, supplies, advertising, entertainment and local transportation. Several local Nassau businesses worked with the bowl and supplied product, supplies, equipment and services. The bowl will continue to visit the Ranfurly Homes, conduct the Youth Football Clinic and engage the Bahamas All-Stars band and Junkanoo groups.
Valued support for the Bahamas Bowl comes from a diverse group of sponsors, especially the Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Atlantis. Local Bahamian sponsors Caribbean Bottling Company Bahamas (Coca-Cola), Burns House (Kalik), Tribune Media, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Pizza Hut and BahamasLocal.com join numerous Nassau businesses in making the bowl a success.
The support of the Bahamas Ministry of Youth, Sports and Culture and the National Sports Authority-Bahamas and their staffs are crucial to the bowl’s efforts. Transportation partners Bahamas Experience, Leisure Travel and Tours and Majestic Travel along with the Lynden Pindling International Airport, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and Nassau Airport Development Company (NAD) staffs make sure the teams, staffs, VIPs and fans get into, around New Providence Island and back home during bowl week with ease. And fans used TeamIP to get their bowl and team merchandise at the Atlantis, on gameday and online.
For the 2018 game as with the previous four, the Bahamas Bowl has Conference USA and the Mid-American Conference as participating conferences in the Nassau stadium named for the late Bahamian Olympic track star on December 21.
The fifth-annual game in 2018 promises to be another chapter in a rich history of Bahamas Bowl contests that have captured the imagination of Bahamian and visiting college football fans who have made their way to Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, and those watching on ESPN, to see why “Bowl Games are Better in The Bahamas”.
Release: BIS
Photo Caption: At the Bahamas Bowl press conference, June 28, 2018 at the Thomas A. Robinson National Stadium, from left: Tim Munnings, Director of Sports, Ministry of Youth, Sports & Culture; Anton Sealey, National Sports Authority, Bahamas; Eldece Ckarke, MOTA Sports; Ed Fields, Senior Vice-President/Public Affairs, Atlantis Paradise Island; the Hon. Frankie Campbell, Minister of Transport & Local Government; Richard Giannini, Executive Director, Bahamas Bowl; Lea Miller, Bahamas Bowl; Pete Derzis, Senior Vice-President College Sports Programming & Events ESPN; and Dr. Jon Steinbrecher, Commissioner, Mid-American Conference.
(BIS Photo/Kemuel Stubbs)
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Bottling Company (CBC), local producers of Coca-Cola and Dasani products, is proud to once again support Basketball Smiles for their 27th year.
Upholding its corporate pillar of community outreach, CBC proudly donated $2,000, over 75 cases of Dasani, Powerade and Sprite, reusable
Powerade water bottles and numerous marketing materials.
The annual sporting summer camp offers free basketball and life skills training to Junior and High School students.
Basketball Smiles’ mission of developing leadership qualities while fostering children’s academic achievement and self-esteem aligns perfectly with CBC’s commitment to supporting and empowering youth.
Jazmin Darling, Assistant Marketing Manager for Caribbean Bottling Company shared why the company continues to support this program each year.
“At CBC, we believe investing in our youth is one of the greatest ways to strengthen our communities. We’re proud to support Basketball Smiles each year because it goes beyond the game. This program champions healthy lifestyles, positive values and brighter futures. It’s a privilege to play a role in helping these young athletes reach their full potential each year,” she shared.
Sam Nicholls, Basketball Smiles Camp President and Founder expressed.
“Caribbean Bottling Company is an incredible partner. We are truly grateful for their generous support, which will go a long way in making a positive impact on the lives of our campers,” Nicholls expressed.
CBC is always ready to lend its support toward initiatives and programs that uplift young Bahamians. The impact Basketball Smiles makes on the community is undeniable and is why CBC remains a historic sponsor.
For more information on sponsorship, events and new products, visit www.cbcbahamas.com today.
NASSAU, Bahamas — Caribbean Wines and Spirits (CWS), The Bahamas’ premier wine and spirits distributor is thrilled to once again lend its support to Transforming Spaces (TS).
CWS is a proud historical partner of the annual art week which highlights Bahamian art and art spaces. Under this year’s theme, “Chasing
Light” Transforming Spaces and Caribbean Wines & Spirits created a memorable art experience.
To mark 21 years of the upliftment and exposure of culture and Bahamian art, CWS offered award winning wines St. Francis, Rebellious, Bottega and Excellsior; premium spirits, Cross Keys Gin, El Tequileno Tequila, Angostura Rum and Nemiroff Vodka, along with the newly added Coors Light Beer from its portfolio.
To kickstart the annual art week, CWS delighted attendees with a tasting of globally renowned Bottega Wines at TS’ Poetry Jam, held at ICE Bahamas. Throughout the event, Bottega brand representatives shared tasting notes, ideal pairings, and insights into the brand’s portfolio.
During the highly anticipated Saturday and Sunday tours, CWS showcased its premium products at select art galleries.
Attendees enjoyed Rebellious and St. Francis wines at The Current: Baha Mar Art Gallery and Museum, Bottega and Excellsior wines at the National Art Gallery of The Bahamas, Coors Light beer at the University of The Bahamas Pro Gallery and hand-crafted Schweppes mixes featuring Cross Keys Gin, El Tequileno Tequila, Angostura Rum and Nemiroff Vodka at CAB Gallery & Studio.
Throughout the two-day tour, CWS product specialists enriched the experience by providing a deeper appreciation for their exceptional beverage portfolio.
Members of the Transforming Spaces Committee expressed their appreciation towards CWS’ support after another successful art week.
“Transforming Spaces is deeply grateful for the continued support of Caribbean Wines & Spirits over the years. Their partnership has become such an important part of the TS experience, helping us create welcoming and vibrant moments for our audiences across the tour weekend. From signature wines and cocktail bars to refreshments at gallery stops and pop-up events, their contribution brings an added sense of hospitality, celebration, and connection to the journey through Bahamian contemporary art.” — TS2026 Committee.
Caribbean Wines & Spirits is proud to partner with Transforming Spaces in supporting and elevating the voices and works of Bahamian artists and looks forward to strengthening this partnership for years to come.
To learn more about CWS’ involvement in the community, follow on social media @caribbeanwinesandspirits or visit the website at www.cwsbahamas.com today.
What the Attorney General must do now to protect Bahamian exports
Deandrea Hamilton | Editor
NASSAU, Bahamas — The United States’ decision to impose a 12.5 percent tariff on Bahamian exports is about more than higher costs for seafood, rum and other goods entering the American market. It is a warning that The Bahamas must move quickly to strengthen or clarify its legal framework governing forced labour and supply-chain enforcement.
The tariff, which takes effect July 24, is part of a sweeping U.S. trade action affecting 60 economies following a review by the Office of the
U.S. Trade Representative (USTR). The review concluded that the listed countries have not adequately prohibited or enforced measures against goods linked to forced labour in global supply chains.
The action follows a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated an earlier series of Trump-era tariffs imposed under emergency powers. In response, the Trump administration shifted to a different legal authority—Section 301 of the Trade Act of 1974—using findings from a U.S. Trade Representative investigation into forced-labour compliance to support a new round of tariffs affecting 60 economies, including The Bahamas.
Importantly, the action does not accuse Bahamian businesses of using forced labour. Instead, it reflects the U.S. view that The Bahamas’ legal or enforcement framework does not yet meet the standard Washington expects.
That distinction matters.
The Attorney General’s Office now has the responsibility to lead the country’s legal response. That begins with determining precisely what concerns the U.S. Trade Representative identified, reviewing whether Bahamian law adequately addresses those concerns and, where necessary, recommending legislative or regulatory changes. If deficiencies exist, legal amendments and stronger enforcement could help position The Bahamas for removal from the tariff list.
The government may also seek formal discussions with U.S. officials while those reforms are undertaken, outlining a clear timetable for
compliance and demonstrating that the country is committed to meeting international labour standards.
A Nassau Guardian front-page report on July 24 drew attention to the tariff action, prompting broader questions about why The Bahamas was included among the 60 economies affected by the U.S. trade measure and what steps are now needed to restore full confidence in the country’s trade framework.
For many Bahamians, the immediate concern will be the fisheries sector, one of the country’s largest export industries. Commercial shipments of lobster, conch, fish, crawfish and other products entering the United States could become more expensive because of the additional tariff, potentially affecting exporters’ competitiveness.
The broader lesson is that international trade increasingly depends not only on quality products, but also on strong business relationships and confidence in the legal systems that govern them.
For The Bahamas, this is less a finding of wrongdoing than a reminder that international credibility is earned through modern laws, effective enforcement and trusted partnerships. The challenge now is for the Attorney General’s Office to lead a swift legal review, identify any deficiencies and chart a clear path toward compliance so Bahamian exporters are not burdened any longer than necessary.
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