The Rose Bowl and ABC Sports announced yesterday that
AT&T will be the game's corporate sponsor for the next four
years, according to Hodges & Stewart of the L.A. TIMES. The
game will now be called "The Rose Bowl Presented by AT&T."
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Tournament
of Roses Chair Harriman Cronk: "We violently were -- and
still are -- against a title sponsor." Hodges & Stewart
report that AT&T will not be allowed to place its corporate
logo on the field, on the players' uniforms "or even in
prominent parts of the stadium, leaving such signage to be
superimposed" on TV screens. Cronk: "It's not going to be
AT&T all over the field. ... We told ABC that it could
handle things like that electronically" (L.A. TIMES, 6/26).
More Cronk: "We have consistently said that we would not
accept a title sponsor. AT&T falls into the category of a
company that we're proud to be with" (Baltimore SUN, 6/26).
AT&T spokesperson Burke Stinson said the deal "is good for
AT&T's image and is a plus for us. We hope to bring class
not crass to the Rose Bowl proceedings. We're not looking
to plaster the place with AT&T logos, on the field or on the
players' uniforms" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/26).
