The Cubs and White Sox are “searching for a corporate partner to slap its name on the Crosstown Cup trophy,” according to Danny Ecker of CRAIN’S CHICAGO BUSINESS. Both sides have been “trying to find a new sponsor for the series since neither retained BP" as a corporate partner after the ‘12 season, when the company's three-year title sponsorship ran out. White Sox Dir of Corporate Partnerships Development George McDoniel conceded that the teams' records are "not what they should be." He said, “A lot of it comes down to where the (Cubs and Sox) brands are in the market right now, and we've got a lot of work to do.” Ecker noted MLB schedule makers “haven't helped with the second straight year of early season, back-to-back two-game home sets.” Until last year, the annual showdown had been “scheduled for warmer weather and a month apart, leaving room to build hype in between.” There are “plenty of shared brand partners to consider” -- names like Chevrolet, Gatorade, State Farm, Hyundai, Heinz, Vienna Beef, United Airlines and Pepsi -- but “finding a new sponsor in an industry where neither team already has a partner is a tall order.” The “closest thing this year to a sponsor” for this year’s series is Dunkin' Donuts, which is offering "Cubbie" and "ChiSox" themed doughnuts this week. Finding a joint sponsor for the series also “requires each team to find roughly equal value for the very different in-kind assets at each team's ballpark” (CHICAGOBUSINESS.com, 5/5).
