JAY COHEN
FILE - In this March 30, 2020, file photo, the Olympic rings are displayed in Tokyo. Elk Grove Village has a rose. A nice green one with five zeroes behind it. Now it is looking for the right partner. With Olympic leaders concerned about funding heading into the Tokyo Games, Elk Grove is looking to sponsor a U.S. federation in another bid to generate exposure for the Chicago suburb after it attracted some lucrative attention for its partnership with college football's Bahamas Bowl. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)
New sponsorship categories could help Olympic federations

By Jay Cohen Jun. 22, 2020 11:10 AM EDT
CHICAGO (AP) — Elk Grove Village is holding its own version of “The Bachelor.”

FILE - In this May 2019 file photo, Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson walks the $1 billion Elk Grove Technology Park which was the former 85-acre Busse Farm.Johnson came up with the idea of bowl sponsorship while he was in Wisconsin a couple winters ago. Elk Grove Village had been advertising on Chicago Cubs broadcasts, but it stepped back because of pricing and was looking for something new. Johnson was watching a bowl game on TV when it came to him. With some help from 4FRONT, a sports marketing company, Johnson and Elk Grove settled on a $300,000 deal with the ESPN-owned Bahamas Bowl. The village also considered the Hawaii Bowl and New Mexico Bowl. They used "Makers Wanted" in the bowl title as part of a campaign to promote a local industrial park. (Mark Welsh/Daily Herald via AP, File)
Bahamas Bowl sponsorship pays off again for Illinois village

By Jay Cohen Aug. 14, 2019 03:03 AM EDT
CHICAGO (AP) — Chad Bruner is a huge football fan. One day last December, he was