Illinois-based steel distributor Magellan has "signed a new four-year deal" with the Fire as one of their "top-line partners" through the '18 season, according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Magellan's logo will "don new team benches with luxury racing-style seating at Toyota Park as well as signage in the Fire locker room and on LED screens during games." Magellan signed on as a sponsor last year and "had one year remaining on its contract." The company "terminated the agreement in favor of an expanded deal that puts it on par with the Fire's largest corporate partners." Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but sources "pegged its value close to $400,000 a year." That would be "significant revenue for the team, though still far less than its Quaker Oats jersey sponsorship agreement." Appealing to int'l soccer fans made a Fire deal "especially attractive for Magellan, which uses its Chicago sports sponsorships to raise its profile abroad, where more than half of its clients are." Magellan Manager of External Relations & Communications Michael Minkus said, "We have international suppliers that love soccer, and when they're in town doing business meetings with us, they enjoy going to games." Ecker noted in addition to deals with the Fire, Magellan also has partnerships with the Bulls, White Sox and WNBA Sky (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 3/9). In Chicago, Phil Thompson cited Google Trends data as showing that the Fire were the most-searched MLS team "leading up to" the start of the season (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 3/6).
