New Hampshire decides to pull out of Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl

After 61 years, the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl appears to be done, as New Hampshire has decided to end its partnership with the game, which is played against Vermont each summer.

The decision was announced in the October edition of the Bektash News, the newsletter of the Bektash Shriners, located in Concord, and was first reported by WTSL Sports Radio in West Lebanon, and the New Hampshire Football Report.

The newsletter contained the following statement:

The second item after several hours of discussion beginning at our Finance Meeting and then on to the Stated Meeting was a vote to terminate our partnership with The Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl, Inc. effective January 1, 2015. It was unanimously voted by the Elected Divan and a majority vote of the Nobility to terminate our partnership with the Shrine Sugar Bowl, Inc.The reason is not simple but a simple summary hopefully will answer why the decision occurred. The game in the last few years has been either at breakeven or has lost money with hardly any donated funds going to the Shrine Hospitals. Most of the funds have gone to the operation of a football game.The Bektash's Nobility and the Divan in conjunction with the Bektash Board of Governors over the past few years have attempted to reverse this trend with little success. It is not only that Bektash could incur a financial loss due to the future operation of the game but the main objective of the game is to donate funds to our Shrine Hospitals for Children.

New Hampshire has won the last 14 Shrine Games, including last August's 42-6 victory over Vermont, and has won 24 of the last 26 contests. The Granite State holds a 46-13-2 all-time record in the game.