ESPNDallas to Sponsor FCD Jerseys for Two Game
September 25th, 2009 . 5:12 pm . By: Buzz CarrickFC Dallas is going to help ESPNDallas.com launch by doing a two game partnership that includes front of the jersey sponsorship. ESPN has been rolling out regional websites for large cities, Chicago was I believe the first with Boston recently going on line. The first game of this two game promotion is this Saturday against Real Salt Lake with the second being the New England Revolution double header with Mexico and Colombia at the Cotton Bowl. I’m excited about this announcement for two reasons. One, it’s a marketing and exposure deal that will only help FCD. Even if there is no direct cash profit from it, this should grant some exposure via promotions and adverts on ESPN. Maybe even some SportsCenter love. Two, the press release is promising “exclusive FC Dallas content” and “more coverage of the team than any other sports news Web site in the Metroplex.” More FCD coverage is a good thing. We need some more “main stream” coverage of the team. (Surely that’s what they mean by “news website,” they don’t think they are going to out FCD 3rd Degree do they? Heck if they do, more power to them, it can only help the club.) I really think this is a great deal. It’s this kind of outside the box, new media thinking that FCD needs. The old school papers just don’t get it done for a team at the FCD level of consciousness. Well done FCD and SUM. Here’s the press release… FC DALLAS GIVES ASSIST TO ESPNDALLAS.COM IN LAUNCH THROUGH JERSEY PROMOTIONESPNDallas.com Logo to appear on FC Dallas jersey in two-game partnership FRISCO, Texas (Friday, Sept. 25, 2009) – FC Dallas today announced a two-game partnership with media partner ESPN to launch ESPNDallas.com, the newest destination for Dallas/Fort Worth sports news and information. FC Dallas will wear the ESPNDallas.com logo on its jersey front for two games beginning this Saturday against Real Salt Lake at Pizza Hut Park (7:30 p.m., CT). Dallas will also wear the logo in next week’s match against the New England Revolution (6 p.m., CT) – the opening game of a special soccer double-header at the historic Cotton Bowl. A broadcast partner of Major League Soccer since the League’s inception in 1996, this innovative relationship expands on a long list of initiatives ESPN and MLS have collaborated on throughout the years. Soccer United Marketing, the business arm of MLS, granted FC Dallas an exception on the League’s jersey-front partnership policy to partner with ESPN for the launch of ESPNDallas.com. ESPNDallas.com will be the third local ESPN site to launch in the nation on Monday, Sept. 28. The site will feature exclusive, original content from contributors familiar to Texans, and original, locally-relevant content created from ESPN’s multiple platforms, branded programming and award-winning contributors. The site will also carry exclusive FC Dallas content and provide more coverage of the team than any other sports news Web site in the Metroplex. 15 Comments Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI Leave a comment |
Can’t hurt.
I had been hoping for this: http://pic.im/bQR
Ha. Well, I’m excited about it at least. Maybe balonpie will come around
I heard this promoted on espn360
no entity will ever take content from 3rddegree. know that. h/t buzz
awesome.
there’s a photoshopped mock-up of the kit sponsorship on the team blog right now:
http://www.worldcupway.blogspot.com/
I hope it doesnt look like they slapped a bumper sticker across the front of the jersey, but I bet it does.
there’s a photoshopped mock-up of the kit sponsorship on the team blog right now:
http://www.worldcupway.blogspot.com/
Should mention excellent post! Can’t wait to seeing your next post!
I thought the jerseys looked really good.
I noticed the team shop was selling some FCD jerseys with only the FCD logo on the chest, no FC Dallas across the front.
I just checked out the ESPNdallas website. NO MENTION of FC Dallas on the frontpage. note even a news report!!! only a link under “TEAMS”!
we need to contact these guys and get our team on there. If we’re sponsoring them on our shirts, we need to have SOMETHING on the site!!!!
buzz, can you put a blog for FCD on that site?
If “more coverage of the team than any other sports news Web site in the Metroplex” means just a link hidden under the Teams tab to a team page consisting of AP reports, roster, standings and a couple of stats, what did FCD get from this deal?
Actually Dustin, there is a mention of FCD on the front page of espndallas.com under the heading “In case you missed it”. It is a link to game hightlights. Still not very much considering the short term sponsorship deal. Would have hoped for more from them.
Here’s the 1 problem with the ESPN logo. I like it too, and would welcome it for good rather than a few games, but the rub is when ESPN adverises the city sites on TV, they only have pics of players from the BIG 4 sports. Chicago, Boston, and now Dallas all will soon have sites, but nowhere is there a pic of the MLS team in the adverts on TV. So why should we give them love if it’s not returned?
They aspect of this that annoys me the most is that they don’t even list the match their sponsoring in the local sports calendar. Heck their sponsoring the Mexico/FCD doubleheader tomorrow, and there is no mention of it anywhere.
I understand that football is king in the metroplex, and the Mavs are far above soccer news, too, but if they say they’ll cover FCD, they should actual cover the club.
I’m thinking I might email the ESPN ombudsman about it:
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/columns/story?id=2826900