GM, Ford Could Walk Away From Motor City Bowl Relationship
GM and Ford “might have no alternative but to walk away from their long relationship” with the Motor City Bowl, especially if there are "stipulations tied to the White House’s emergency relief loans that discourage what might be deemed as frivolous expenditures,” according to Drew Sharp of the DETROIT FREE PRESS. Worried about “public perception, GM and Ford demanded no-frills treatment for their executives” attending Friday’s Florida Atlantic-Central Michigan game, basically removing "much of the ‘luxury’ from their luxury suites.” Motor City Bowl Exec Dir Ken Hoffman: “They’re being very careful and very discreet about anything that could be viewed as superfluous.” GM and Ford officials both said that there has been “no decision on any future involvement in the Motor City Bowl.” Hoffman: “Potentially, there could be another name attached to the Motor City Bowl. We’ve got one of the longest presenting-sponsorship deals among all the bowls. We love that relationship. But if it can’t continue, we’ve got Plan B and Plan C in place.” Sharp noted the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights this year replaced Chrysler as the bowl’s third primary presenting sponsor. Motor City Bowl Founder & CEO George Perles said, “Not many people thought it would last, but we’ve been here 12 years now. We’ve got a great relationship with ESPN, giving them their best ratings ever for the day after Christmas. We’re on solid enough footing” (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 12/27). Perles said about the future of the Motor City Bowl, “It’s a concern when you have economic times like this in Detroit and in the auto industry." Perles: "We have no reason to believe that Ford or GM won’t continue their support, but if that were a problem, we would put ourselves in a position to fill that void. These are tough times, and we’re not blind. We still expect the Motor City Bowl to continue for a long, long time.” ESPN’s Todd Harris added: “That is a bit of an understatement saying there are tough economic times here in Detroit" (“Motor City Bowl," ESPN, 12/26).
|
Related Stories By Company
|
Related Stories By Sport
|
Ford Throws NFL Parties To Promote Taurus
October 19, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Ford Accomplishing NASCAR Goals
October 15, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Dodge To Maintain Interest In NASCAR
October 7, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Ford, A-B, MillerCoors Promoting Around NFL
September 14, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Does Chase Devalue NASCAR Races?
August 7, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
San Diego State AD Jeff Schemmel Resigns
November 20, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Report: Minorities Not Getting Coaching Jobs
November 19, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Penn State Alters Football Season Tix Plan
November 18, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
Russell Athletic Pressured On Labor
November 18, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
St. Peter's, Monmouth Benefit From ESPN
November 18, 2009 :
SportsBusiness Daily
|
|
