UFL Signs Non-Endemic Sponsorship Agreement With Motorola

The UFL today formally announced Motorola will be one of the league's premiere season Foundation Partners as well as its exclusive communications device provider (UFL). In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports the one-year deal plus options makes Motorola the league's "first non-endemic sponsor." The deal gives Motorola "branding on the nameplate of the New York Sentinels helmets, along with ads and branded vignettes on Versus, via the league's time-buy on the network." The deal also includes "exclusivity in the telecom handset category across the league and in-broadcast, as well as ads on ANC Sports' LED perimeter boards." Motorola, which has been an NFL sponsor since '99, will also be the presenting sponsor of the Sentinels-Las Vegas Locomotives game November 4 at Citi Field. The company "will use its UFL rights to market a variety of new products, including its new Morrison phone, being introduced next month as a challenger to Apple's iPhone." Broadcasters "will integrate the devices within the game telecast, which will include a 'Morrison Moment.'" Coaches will also "wear branded headsets, similar to the NFL" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/28 issue).