Clarkson canceled, for now, but Gridiron Bash idea may not be dead
IOWA CITY — Iowa officials are trying to piece together the reasons why organizers canceled the 2008 Gridiron Bash featuring two-time Grammy winner Kelly Clarkson scheduled for April 18 at Kinnick Stadium.
"All I know, there must have been some things happening at other institutions that were actively engaging current student-athletes in the promotion of the event that raised the question of a member conference about that activity, the involvement of current student-athletes in the promotion of the bash," Rick Klatt, Iowa's associate athletics director for external affairs, said Monday.
"I don't know if they were running 'Come See Joe Smith current quarterback a the Gridiron Bash.' I don't know what these schools were doing. But it must have meant that the interpretation that organizers got from the NCAA way back when is different from what they're getting now."
The concert was to have been part of a national series of events at several Division I college campuses and tied to spring football at the universities. MSL Sports and Entertainment, a Manhattan, N.Y., entertainment company, was promoting the show.
Klatt said MSL officials have told him they want to regroup and try planning a Gridiron Bash at a later time but how that would work was not clear Monday. Also not clear was whether Clarkson would be part of it.
Klatt said UI athletic department officials would like to be part of that and want to know more about any new plans that get worked up.
Iowa had planned for the April 18 event appearances by the UI Marching Band, its cheerleaders, pom squad and its Golden Girl. Miss Iowa Diana Reed also planned to participate. Klatt said the UI was set to announce a local band and American Idol finalist to participate at the event.
Everyone who bought tickets for the event will receive a refund. More than 4,000 tickets were sold.
"They've just postponed it for the right reason," Klatt said. "Don't get anybody in trouble. Locally, it didn't matter to us because to date we have no current athletes involved the advertising effort — we wouldn't do that anyway. Nor had we pulled the trigger on any ideas relative to having a current student-athlete participate that night."
source: http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/280116812/1006
"All I know, there must have been some things happening at other institutions that were actively engaging current student-athletes in the promotion of the event that raised the question of a member conference about that activity, the involvement of current student-athletes in the promotion of the bash," Rick Klatt, Iowa's associate athletics director for external affairs, said Monday.
"I don't know if they were running 'Come See Joe Smith current quarterback a the Gridiron Bash.' I don't know what these schools were doing. But it must have meant that the interpretation that organizers got from the NCAA way back when is different from what they're getting now."
The concert was to have been part of a national series of events at several Division I college campuses and tied to spring football at the universities. MSL Sports and Entertainment, a Manhattan, N.Y., entertainment company, was promoting the show.
Klatt said MSL officials have told him they want to regroup and try planning a Gridiron Bash at a later time but how that would work was not clear Monday. Also not clear was whether Clarkson would be part of it.
Klatt said UI athletic department officials would like to be part of that and want to know more about any new plans that get worked up.
Iowa had planned for the April 18 event appearances by the UI Marching Band, its cheerleaders, pom squad and its Golden Girl. Miss Iowa Diana Reed also planned to participate. Klatt said the UI was set to announce a local band and American Idol finalist to participate at the event.
Everyone who bought tickets for the event will receive a refund. More than 4,000 tickets were sold.
"They've just postponed it for the right reason," Klatt said. "Don't get anybody in trouble. Locally, it didn't matter to us because to date we have no current athletes involved the advertising effort — we wouldn't do that anyway. Nor had we pulled the trigger on any ideas relative to having a current student-athlete participate that night."
source: http://www.gazetteonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080331/NEWS/280116812/1006
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