The latest results of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll asked college football fans across the country what they would do if faced with a difficult dilemma regarding the Christmas season and the bowl game postseason, more specifically, the BCS Championship Game. Fans were asked whether they would rather hand out Christmas presents to friends and family or receive the opportunity to celebrate their favorite college football team winning the BCS National Championship Game. While the sentiment around this time is that it is better to give than to receive, when a national title is on the line, 30 percent of college football fans believe the opposite to be true, as they would opt to not give out any Christmas presents, choosing to instead relish in their favorite college football team winning the final BCS Championship.
I wonder how many of that 30 percent is made up of fans of either the Florida State Seminoles or Auburn Tigers, as their fans do not have to dream up such a scenario, with these two teams meeting for the BCS Championship in Pasadena on January 6.
- My views are my own and do not necessarily reflect the views of Discover Products Inc. and its affiliates.
While 30 percent may sound like a lot, it is heart-warming to see that 61 percent of college football fans surveyed in the latest Discover Fan Loyalty Poll still said that they would rather play Santa than Scrooge and still give Christmas presents to loved ones instead of having their favorite team win the national championship.
Maybe some of that number is comprised of Alabama Crimson Tide fans, who have already seen their team win a few titles over the past four years. It is refreshing to see that some people still put others’ feelings over their own desires, even if the result is a national championship crystal ball trophy.
Of course, I can say that because my favorite team is not playing for the final BCS Championship. Bitter? Perhaps. But I still think that I love Christmas far too much to even consider accepting a national championship win for my favorite team over handing out presents on Christmas morning. But, hey, that’s just my opinion.
* Discover Products Inc. sent me a Gift Card for participating as a Blogger in the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll program
But while fans can only dream what it would be like to skip handing out Christmas presents in order to revel in their favorite team winning the BCS Championship Game (sans fans of the ‘Noles or Tigers, that is), we don’t have to dream about how great of a matchup the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl should be between the Ohio State Buckeyes and Clemson Tigers. The Orange Bowl Committee did a fantastic job of selecting two qualified teams with similar styles and a great fan base who should make for a great game in Miami on January 3. Thanks to the great folks at Discover, this season’s Orange Bowl is the most socially interactive game in history.
Leading up to the official announcement of the Discover Orange Bowl matchup, fans everywhere were able to let the world know which team was the most deserving to play in Miami on January 3, 2014. Fans with rooting interests for various teams all weighed in to let the committee know that they would support their favorite team in this season’s Discover Orange Bowl. While the response was overwhelming, that was only Phase One!
Phase Two is about choosing sides. Are you pulling for #Clemson? Are you hoping for one more big game from Tajh Boyd and Sammy Watkins? Or, are you rooting for the #Buckeyes? Would you like to see Braxton Miller and Carlos Hyde put up plenty of points after coming up short in the Big 10 Championship Game? The vote is in your hands!
The Discover Orange Bowl wants to know which side you are on when it comes to the big game in Miami on January 3. Are you rooting for the team from Death Valley to travel south and claim another victim in the new year? If so, make sure to visit http://www.discoverorangebowl.com/ and tweet your support for the Tigers, using the hashtag #Clemson as well as #DiscoverOrangeBowl. But, if you are rooting for Ohio State to win its first bowl game under Urban Meyer, then use the hashtag #Buckeyes, as well as the #DiscoverOrangeBowl from the website and in your tweets. In fact, feel free to upload images to the site and go crazy by showing your support for #Clemson or the #Buckeyes on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram!
After you vote, feel free to keep the discussion going by tweeting #Clemson or #Buckeyes, remembering to use the hashtag #DiscoverOrangeBowl. Through an interactive social media dashboard at http://www.discoverorangebowl.com/, both Clemson and Ohio State fans can monitor just how socially active their fan base is through a real-time conversation meter that builds based on volume of messages fans send with team specific hashtags/keywords or #DiscoverOrangeBowl. Now that we know the two participants in the big game, it will be interesting to see which school’s fan base will be more active through social media!
The Discover Orange Bowl should be a great game, just like so many of the other 34 bowl games this college football postseason. Fans everywhere view this as the most wonderful time of the year, and with good reason. With that being said, would you rather hand out Christmas presents or have your favorite team win the BCS National Championship? Feel free to weigh in with your responses below!
Discover has been an incredible sponsor for college football throughout the entire season. Aside from their participation with the Orange Bowl, they also are in charge of the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll, which asks college football fans across the country all sorts of entertaining questions related to their favorite college football team. You can follow Discover on Twitter and Facebook and make sure you use the hashtag #FanLoyaltyPoll!
Make sure that you stay tuned to Boston Super Blog for all of the latest polls and results from the Discover Fan Loyalty Poll. We have got you covered throughout the remainder of the 2013 college football season, leading all the way up to the BCS Championship Game! Make sure to Like Discover on Facebook and follow them on Twitter!
The Discover Fan Loyalty Poll is conducted twice a month by Rasmussen Reports, a nationally recognized leader in polling, who gathers sentiment by phone from 1500 college football fans who follow games at least once per week on television, radio, in person or online. The Poll leads up to the 2014 Discover Orange Bowl. Discover’s commitment to college football includes relationships with ESPN and Notre Dame Football on NBC.
About Discover
Discover Financial Services (NYSE: DFS) is a direct banking and payment services company with one of the most recognized brands in U.S. financial services. Since its inception in 1986, the company has become one of the largest card issuers in the United States. The company issues the Discover card, America’s cash rewards pioneer, and offers home loans, private student loans, personal loans, home equity loans, checking and savings accounts, certificates of deposit and money market accounts through its direct banking business. It operates the Discover Network, with millions of merchant and cash access locations; PULSE, one of the nation’s leading ATM/debit networks; and Diners Club International, a global payments network with acceptance in more than 185 countries and territories. For more information, visit www.discover.com/company.
