In Chicago, Dan Pompei reported the Bears "have met with major Chicago businesses over the last month to sell naming rights to added space at their Lake Forest headquarters." The team is "soliciting a 10-year title sponsorship that is estimated to bring in anywhere from" several hundred thousand dollars up to $2M annually. But Bears Senior Dir of Corporate Communications Scott Hagel said that the facility's Halas Hall name "will not change" (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 3/4).
CAPITAL GAINS: In DC, Steven Goff reported the June 2 Germany-U.S. men's soccer friendly "will take place" at RFK Stadium "barring late complications." The U.S. Soccer Federation "has also been considering" FedExField in Landover, Md., and, "in case a deal couldn’t be reached with the DC area venues, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore." The match is "tied to the USSF’s centennial celebration and would cap the federation’s annual general meeting, May 31-June 2 at the Hyatt Regency on Capitol Hill." RFK Stadium’s "soccer history and location inside the city worked to its advantage" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 3/4).
THE HEAT IS ON: Twins President Dave St. Peter said that the team will "put its state-of-the-art heating system to use this year, to melt the snow that accumulated at Target Field over the winter and have the field ready for the April 1 opener." St. Peter: "It's a pretty elaborate system. It's the exact same system that they have below the Lambeau Field playing surface in Green Bay." In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman wrote, "The cost of buying and installing the million-dollar-plus system was worth the investment, considering the 15 home games the team will play in April" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 3/3).
