Presenting Sponsorship Of Army-Navy Game Gaining Traction
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Army-Navy Consider Sponsorship,
Location Options For Annual Game |
The U.S. Military Academy and U.S. Naval Academy are "considering their options when it comes to the sponsorship and location of one of the nation's most storied college football matchups," according to Stefen Lovelace of the Baltimore SUN. The idea of having a sponsor for the matchup is "still in its infancy, and there's no guarantee there will be any deal in place." Navy AD Chet Gladchuk said, "We're looking at a presenting sponsor, but it's not going to be the 'X Army-Navy game.' ... We're testing the waters to see if it's something we should consider. There could be someone that's interested in being a presenting sponsor that we don't feel comfortable with." Gladchuk added that so far there have been "early discussions with General Motors, but no decisions or commitments have been made." Army AD Kevin Anderson said that "after a regular-season game at Texas A&M that he realized adding a sponsor would be a lucrative idea." Anderson: "That being a regular-season football game, we sat down with Navy and said we're missing an opportunity here and we should look at this strongly. ... I think that both institutions' philosophy was to find the right partner that represents the right thing that will continue to promote the game in a positive light." Anderson added, "We're not looking for someone to slap on a lot of logos. This has to be in good taste." Meanwhile, the schools also will be "opening bidding for different cities to host the game." Gladchuk said that eight years ago, during the last contract negotiation, "15 cities showed interest in getting the game." Gladchuk: "A lot of cities -- Chicago, San Antonio, Houston -- will show initial interest, but when they review conditions and requirements, they usually start to eliminate themselves pretty quickly" (Baltimore SUN, 7/18).
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