Is the East-West Shrine Bowl In Trouble?

Bowl Season released its schedule one week ago, but something seemed off. One may not have noticed the East-West Shrine Bowl's kickoff towards the bottom of the schedule, but there was plenty of cause for concern. Not only will the East-West Shrine Bowl be on a Tuesday, but the Bowl Season page lists its TV partner as "to be determined." This would not be suspicious if the Senior Bowl also had a "TBD' listing, but Bowl Season again lists NFL Network as its broadcaster.

Is it time to be concerned for the East-West Shrine Bowl?

The East-West Shrine Bowl gained new life in 2021 when the game announced a partnership with the Pro Bowl and moved the game to a Thursday night kickoff. However, that lasted just two years. In 2024, the game moved to the Dallas Cowboys' stadium, their practice stadium. The following year, the Shrine Bowl moved to the Cowboys' actual stadium, but the move seemed unsuccessful. This year, they are back at the Cowboys' practice facility.

Additionally, the Thursday night experiment failed, too. From 2023 to 2025, viewership ranged from 185,000 to 216,000. The Senior Bowl's range of 284,700 to 552,000 in the same span dwarves the Shrine Bowl's figures.

The Shrine Bowl has yet to officially announce these changes. The change of date and venue are public, but the Shrine Bowl is silent. All-star games are a relic of a bygone time and continue to struggle in today's landscape. This year, the Hula Bowl had an embarrassing TV controversy, and their future remains in question. The lack of a TV partner and the Shrine Bowl's silence are concerning. Hopefully, the "TBD" designation for the Shrine Bowl implies something greater for the game. If not, it continues one of the sadder trends in college football.