What the Union's marriage with Bimbo means
To many soccer fans, the word "Bimbo" represents something very different from its traditional English connotation.
What the Union's marriage with Bimbo means
Note: You can watch video highlights from yesterday's press conference here.
As The Inquirer's Jeff Gammage reported this morning, the Union have signed a shirt sponsorship contract with Bimbo, the gigantic Mexican baked goods company whose American headquarters is in Horsham.
The first rumors about this deal were floated a few weeks ago, but at the time they had so little substance that few people really believed them. It turns out they were right, though. Now, we have real numbers - and the Union have real revenue. According to Gammage's story, the Union will make around $12 million over four years from the deal.
I have also been told by a source with direct knowledge of the deal that Bimbo's advertisements going forward will feature players from the Union and other clubs in Major League Soccer. So this deal will have an impact beyond just Philadelphia.
Now, I suspect a fair number of people woke up this morning and wondered why on earth the Union would partner with a company whose name is spelled the same way as a word used to describe women in a derogatory manner.
But in this case, the word has no such connotation. Indeed, to many soccer fans - especially the growing Hispanic population in the Philadelphia region - the word "Bimbo" represents something much more positive.
Bimbo's association with soccer goes beyond its long history as one of the most important companies in Mexico. The firm sponsors the jerseys of three of the country's biggest clubs: América, Chivas, and Monterrey. Bimbo also sponsors the jersey of the largest club in Costa Rica, FC Saprissa.
(Some of you may know of Saprissa because of its stadium, which has hosted multiple U.S.-Costa Rica World Cup qualifying matches in recent years.)
So the Union is joining some fairly select company here - and the club could reap a very particular benefit from the partnership. If Bimbo is able to use its name recognition in the Hispanic community to promote the Union as a soccer team that the local Hispanic population should follow, that could open an entirely new fan base for the club.
And to be blunt, it's a demographic that the Union did not reach out to much in its inaugural season. Throughout last year, I heard from many reporters at local Spanish-language media outlets that the Union did not market themselves much to their readers, viewers and listeners.
Although the Philadelphia area's Hispanic population is not as large as the communities in New York and Washington, it is sizeable nonetheless - and it is comprised of much more than the Puerto Rican population that has called Kensington and Northeast Philadelphia home for decades.
In particular, this region has a growing Mexican population, stretching from 9th Street and Washington Avenue to the mushroom farms in Kennett Square. There are a lot of soccer fans in that demographic, as evidenced by the shop windows full of jerseys that are scattered throughout the Italian Market.
You can buy some quality products in those stores, not just knockoff jerseys but the real thing. There's apparel from Mexican clubs, South American national teams and European giants such as Barcelona and Manchester United. You can even find a U.S. national team jersey every once in a while.
But not once in my many trips to 9th Street have I seen anything with a Philadelphia Union logo on it. No matter that there are many Spanish-speaking players on the team, or that multiple Union games were broadcast on Spanish-language television this season. Even though the Union don't have any Mexican players - Michael Orozco Fiscal comes closest - there is still plenty of marketing potential in players like Roger Torres and even Eduardo Coudet.
Coudet is actually very well known in Mexico, having spent four years there with San Luis and Necaxa. He is an even bigger name in Argentina because of his many years with Buenos Aires-based power River Plate. Coudet was often one of the most sought-after Spanish-speaking Union players for postgame interviews last year, even though he didn't arrive until midway through the season.
This is all a very long way of saying that the Union has much more to gain from their deal with Bimbo than just $12 million in sponsorship revenue. If the two sides want to, they can make something of this that is not just about money.
Vince Melchiorre, senior vice president of Bimbo Bakeries USA, phrased his view of the deal in a very particular way in the Inquirer story this morning.
"The passion that exists in that stadium rivals an Eagles game - that's what I took away," Melchiorre said. "This is Philadelphia, for goodness sakes ... You would have thought we were in Mexico."
Perhaps Bimbo's affiliation with the Union will bring a little more of that flavor to PPL Park.
In addition to the deal announced today, there have been rumors going around lately that Bimbo is interested in buying Tasty Baking. As we all know, the Philadelphia stalwart has fallen on hard financial times. If Bimbo makes the acquisition, it would have an even stronger hold in the local market. The firm already owns dozens of familiar brands, including Entemann's and Strohemann.
Bimbo has taken out a fair amount of advertising in our region, most notably billboards on Interstate 95. If the firm does buy Tasty Baking, it does not seem too far-fetched to me to wonder if one of those signs could feature Roger Torres or Sebastien Le Toux endorsing Butterscotch Krimpets this summer.
Chew on that next time you head out for a snack.
Then deal is important because the money covers the ENTIRE team's salary for four years. Now, the Union can take the $8 a miller lite they charge me and put it towards a designated player. In all seriousness, if this revenue is put into placing a better product on the field and investing in the youth academies, I really don't care what the name is!— dangeroo- If they get Le Toux to sponsor anything, it will probably be French bread.— nyoungstein
- This is huge for the Union. Google Groupo Bimbo sometime. They are a monster in the world of baked goods. The sponsorship potential is unlimited and as Jonathan pointed out, Bimbo is a likely suitor for Tastykake. The Union now has additional financial resources and may be in a position to take a run at adding some serious talent to the roster. Get past the American connotation of the name. It's pronounced Beem-bo anyway. This is a great day for Union fans.— syddan26
- Wow! Finally, three comments I can totally agree with! I can't believe how irrationally some people are protesting this. One guy even threatened to cancel his season tickets. Hell, I'll take 'em! I'll even wear the jersey (it's kind of growing on me). Great deal for the Union, and great article, JT.— zolo79
- Bimbo is a well respected soccer sponsor, and it's nice to be part of a wider family of clubs. While I fully expected the TORRENT of negativity about this announcement, people will get over it sooner rather than later, especially as the brand becomes more recognized. Trust me, as an immigrant myself to this region, Wawa sounded stupid too! WE all know Wawa, but had they been the sponsor, people from around the country would be having fun with that. Be thankful it wasn't a certain Sporting Goods company....— geess
- Both Wawa and Bimbo take their names from other languages. But when used in English, Wawa is just an onomatopoeia, where Bimbo is a derogatory and misogynist term towards women.
— Pelti 
Bimbo thought it had signed up to sponsor the lingerie football league. O well.- Great sponsor. Only good things can come from this. Lets hope they use the extra cash to improve the quality of the team.— SPro
- Sorry, the return key got stuck on that last one. My bad.— burholme
- I understand using the Bimbo sponsorship to attract more fans from the hispanic community, but the backlash may affect sales of the Jersey among the Union's other constituencies. I'm glad I got my jersey last season before they "hooked up" with Bimbo. I'm surprised the Mexican bakery giant didn't get a different name for their US operations. Its reminiscent of Chevrolet's efforts to sell its "Nova" model in Mexico in the 1970s. In Spanish, "No va" means "doesn't go."
Perhaps the rumored purchase of Tastycake by Bimbo will go through. If that happens they could have a a dual (Bimbo/Tastycake) logo, a choice of logos (Bimbo, home jersey, Tastycake away) or one on the front and the other on the back. If Bimbo buys Tastycake then the Union could use the "He scores for a case of Tastycakes!" promo. Hopefully improved team performance will result in giveaways of 2-3 cases per game rather than one. If the sponsorship provides money for a designated player it could be used for a player who looks as if he eats a lot of baked goods such as Paul Gascoigne, Diego Maradona and Cuatemoc Blanco in their primes. The only current player that comes to mine with that type of physique is Emille Heskey.— lmscdad - Traveling to other Stadiums is going to be rough...
better take bail money for us on the Zolo bus -— murphthesurf 
The laughing stock of professional sports. !Somos Bimbos!- The jerseys would be sweet without the BIMBO logo. I would get sick and tired of having to explain what BIMBO is, and how to pronounce it, because the first thing that most people around here will still think when they see the logo is NOT a multinational bakery! Therefore, I will buy the 2010 jersey or buy and remove the logo from the 2011 jersey.— vejjev
Reach Jonathan at jtannenwald@phillynews.com or 215-854-2330.
