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Marketing and Sponsorship

Brian Urlacher's Marketability In Chicago Could Stay Strong After Retirement From NFL

While former NFLer Brian Urlacher's career "may be over ... he's well-positioned to launch a second career in Chicago, if he so desires: marketing," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. The eight-time Pro Bowler had the "highest 'N-Score' among active Chicago athletes" in '12. As of last summer, Urlacher's score ranked "behind only those" of Basketball HOFer Michael Jordan and Pro Football HOFer Mike Ditka as the "most widely known Chicago-tied sports figures." Bulls G Derrick Rose ranked "second on the active list," while Blackhawks C Jonathan Toews ranked third. Urlacher has "set himself up for a new career as a marketing dynamo around town ... if he really wants it." Chicago-based Burns Entertainment & Sports Marketing President Doug Shabelman said, "If he's open to broadcasting opportunities that guys like (former Bears) Dan Hampton and Tom Waddle and Steve McMichael have done, he could do that." Ecker noted Urlacher was "active in the commercial space during his playing career, appearing in ads recently for brands like Comcast Xfinity, Old Spice and Coke Zero." Shabelman said, "Everything depends on if he sticks around the area. If he comes to Chicago just once or twice a year, it's a different story. But if he's seen at clubs and restaurants, or even buys in on a restaurant, he can do well" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com 5/22). In Chicago, Vaughn McClure writes it is "time for the next chapter" in Urlacher's life. Could it be "as a television analyst?" Urlacher said, "I don't know how good I'd be at that. It would take a lot of work to get me ready for it. But that might be something I look into." McClure notes Urlacher was a "regular paid guest on Fox Chicago's 'The Final Word' with host Lou Canellis the past three seasons." He said that "no one has reached out to him" about a future TV position (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/24).

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