The addition of NFL Hall-of-Famer and Chicago icon Mike Ditka as a part owner of the Chicago Rush has the Arena Football League team’s corporate sponsorship office phones ringing off the hook.
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| Mike Ditka |
Rush Spokesperson Mike Alzamora said current sponsors such as LaSalle Bank, Dominick’s, Pepsi, Budweiser, Allstate Insurance, Jim Beam and McDonald’s have inquired about extending their current deals, and that other brands and companies are hoping to jump on the Ditka bandwagon.
“The response from the business community has been terrific,” Rush GM Mike Polisky said. “We’ve heard from companies that had previously not returned our phone calls as well as from sponsors who are interested in extending their deals.”
Polisky said he is confident the team’s sponsorship inventory will run dry by the start of the season next month, but added that the team would not pursue sponsorships from rivals of current partners “just to make a quick buck.”
“It’s way too early to judge what kind of impact Ditka will have on sponsorship packages,” Polisky said. “We will have a much better idea about the impact this has on the club over a longer period of time.”
The Rush is also using Ditka to help build its season ticket base. The team is giving the first 1,000 new season ticket accounts a football personally autographed by Ditka, and is promoting the incentive through newspaper ads and the team’s Web site.
Ditka, who was introduced as a partner on Dec. 16, joins John Elway (Colorado), Jon Bon Jovi (Philadelphia) and Tim McGraw (Nashville) as celebrity owners of AFL teams.
McGraw and Bon Jovi are both holding private concerts as an incentive for their team’s season ticket holders. McGraw’s will be held for Nashville Kats season ticket holders on Jan. 14, and Bon Jovi will perform for Philadelphia Soul patrons Jan. 17.
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