Seattle Bowl offers sports smorgasbord

Where can you go to see an NFL, NBA and college bowl game in the same week?

In December, Seattle will join the few host cities that boast the ability.

After a successful inaugural game played at Safeco Field last year, the Seattle Bowl has been upgraded to a weeklong celebration, including pro football and basketball action. Last Dec. 27, more than 33,000 fans attended Safeco Field to see Georgia Tech beat Stanford 24-14 in Seattle's first college football bowl game.

The venue has changed and the festivities surrounding the Seattle Bowl have increased.

On Dec. 30, designated teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and Mountain West Conference meet in the Seattle Bowl at Seahawks Stadium. The two conferences signed a five-year contract to play in the Seattle Bowl, which is entering its second year of a five-year contract with ESPN. The game will be televised nationally at 2:30 p.m.

"We have greater capacity at Seahawks Stadium," said Jim Haugh, executive director of the Seattle Bowl. "This is a made-for football venue, rather than Safeco, which is a challenge to set up for football."

The new setting, along with an increase in the minimum payout, is expected to draw higher-caliber teams to the Seattle Bowl. The payout was raised from last year's mark of $750,000 to $1 million this year.

"It's all about seeing the best matchup, and playability," Haugh said.

Downtown businesses have joined forces with the 2002 Seattle Bowl to transform the game into a weeklong all-inclusive smorgasbord of tourist attractions. From Dec. 22 through New Year's Eve, the Experience Music Project, Pike Place Market, Museum of Flight and Space Needle will partake in "Seattle Bowl Week." The Seahawks play the St. Louis Rams, and the Sonics play the Toronto Raptors at home during the stretch. Tickets to the Seattle Bowl range from $18 to $90, and will be available the second week in September at the Seahawks box office.