Cubs Manager Joe Maddon Signs Multiyear Deal To Be Pitchman For Winnebago
Iowa-based motor home manufacturer Winnebago Industries has signed a multiyear deal with Cubs manager Joe Maddon in which he and his wife "will be the faces of a new 'Meet the Maddons' marketing campaign throughout the season," according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN'S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but his deal presumably included his new '17 Winnebago RV that he "received during spring training." Maddon's RV ownership has "been a focal point of his Cubs tenure" dating back to '14. Maddon also has "appeared locally in ads for Binny's Beverage Depot the past couple of seasons." Now he "joins a growing list of Cubs turning their World Series champion spotlight into endorsements" (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 5/8).
TWICE AS NICE: MEN'S JOURNAL's Pat Jordan profiles Maddon and notes despite breaking the Cubs' 108-year World Series drought last year, he is "under scrutiny to reproduce that championship with a young team that should only get better." Maddon said, "Do I feel the pressure to repeat this season? I had more pressure on me in spring training after the 2015 season. We hadn't won a game yet, and we were the favorite to win the World Series. The Cubs hadn't even been in the series since 1945." Jordan notes Maddon "believes it's easier for his championship Cubs to win now because they know how to win." Maddon: "They know what it's all about now, how to get it done. They don't run away from the word expectation. They embrace expectations people have for us. I don't have to motivate them this year. They're more hungry for it" (MEN'S JOURNAL, 6/ '17 issue).
