CHICAGO -- The Chicago White Sox's weeknight baseball games will have a new start time this season. The Sox's sponsorship deal with 7-Eleven Inc. expired after the 2009 season, and the retailer chose not to renew it, reported ESPNChicago.com. The $500,000-per-year deal called for all weeknight games to start at 7:11 p.m.
"They canceled the agreement right after it was done," White Sox vice president and chief marketing officer Brooks Boyer told the sports website. Boyer said games will begin at 7:10 p.m.
"We had a great three years with the White Sox. It was so clever [image-nocss] to start games in Chicago at 7:11 p.m.," 7-Eleven spokesperson Margaret Chabris told CSP Daily News. "Our contract/sponsorship with the White Sox ended, and we are now investing our marketing dollars in other activities."Last year in an interview with Chicago reporters during spring training, White Sox chairman Jerry Reinsdorf said that they expected to lose some expiring contracts because of the economy, according to ESPNChicago. The team lost Pontiac as a major sponsor last year, but added Comcast.
Boyer said the economy was to blame for this deal's demise. "It got to the point where they were hit by the economy."
"We worked with some great people at 7-Eleven," Boyer added.
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In other industry-related sports news, La Crosse, Wis.-based Kwik Trip Inc. will return for the fourth consecutive year as a series sponsor for the 2010 season of the American Speed Association Kwik Trip Midwest Tour presented by ECHO Outdoor Power Equipment and Grandstay Residential Suites Hotels, said WhoWon.com.
Jenny Frandsen, Kwik Trip marketing project manager, has been a major part of the relationship between ASAMT and Kwik Trip. Through advertising, promotional incentives, driver appearances, race day displays and personnel representation at each race, Kwik Trip has demonstrated a high level of commitment and dedication to the series, said the report.
Throughout the 2009 racing season, Kwik Trip representatives could be found at each event, whether they were serving hot Karuba coffee on cold mornings or Nature's Touch water and Kwikade on hot summer days. People could also be greeted by a smiling and enthusiastic Kwik Trip representative offering fresh-baked banana bread, bananas and a variety of chips and other items to keep the teams refueled throughout the day.
Kwik Trip also provides the Kwik Card Plus program to help people save money when they shop at any of the Kwik Trip, Kwik Star, Hearty Platter Restaurant and Tobacco Outlet locations.
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