Interleague Baseball returns tomorrow, with one of the major cross-town rivalries, the Cubs vs. the White Sox, among the match ups.
Games between National League and American League opponents have enjoyed higher attendance than traditional intraleague match ups during the past 14 years, especially in regional rivalries that attempt to approach the excitement of those found in college football.
So it probably isn’t a surprise that one of these rivalries decided to have an official unique trophy, much like the ones found in college sports. And the fact that two teams decided to get the trophy sponsored isn’t a surprise either, given the need to generate revenue through unique sponsorships in sports.
But what is a surprise is that the trophy is sponsored by BP and all sides have decided to carry on with the sponsorship, despite the negative publicity BP is enduring due to its handling of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Last week, BP announced it was scaling back the promotion, but ultimately, the trophy will still have the BP name on it and will be presented on the field after the six games are completed.
So if you were in Cubs or White Sox management, would you hold up your end of the contract, or do whatever you could to break it and avoid the awkwardness of accepting a trophy sponsored by a company many Americans do not like?
Do the Cubs and White Sox deserve any negative PR for remaining associated with BP, or should they get a free pass because the sponsorship was arranged before the oil spill?
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