Motor City Bowl officials propose sponsorship deal with Little Caesars
General Motors has followed Chrysler's lead in dropping sponsorship for the Motor City Bowl.
Motor City Bowl CEO George Perles said the game has proposed a sponsorship deal to Little Caesars.
"We're making a proposal to them," he said. "That's as far as that goes."
WWJ News Radio 950 in Detroit reported the proposed name for the bowl game would be changed to the Little Caesars Pizza Pizza Bowl, but Perles could not confirm.
The bowl game's executive director, Ken Hoffman, a presentation would be made for Little Caesars' board of directors next week, and a decision would be made within 30 days.
Hoffman also said any name considerations would not happen until a sponsorship is finalized.
The Michigan Regional Carpenters and Millwright's Union replaced Chrysler as a main sponsor earlier this year. The move was supposed to be long-term, but Perles said Little Caesars could possibly be the sole sponsor if they accepted the proposal.
Ford Motor Company has yet to drop its sponsorship, and they may stay with the game even if Little Caesars accepts the proposal.
In January, General Motors spokeswoman Kelly Cusinato said via e-mail to Central Michigan Life there was a possibility the company would drop sponsorship.
"We continually review our various sponsorships, local and national, to ensure they deliver the best return on investment and are aligned with our business objectives," she said. "Since the event is not until December, we have not made a final decision regarding our involvment."
Hoffman told the Free Press the game could also be played without a sponsor, though he said that was unlikely.
The game will be played at 1 p.m. Dec. 26 at Ford Field in Detroit. Central Michigan has been invited to the Motor City Bowl the last three years, but lost the previous two games to Purdue in 2007 and Florida Atlantic in 2008. CMU beat Middle Tennessee State in 2006. In 2006 and 2007, CMU garnered a berth to the bowl after winning the MAC Championship.
The Detroit Free Press contributed to this report.
sports@cm-life.com
