Time for another season of head-butting, smash-mouth football at Soldier Field.
As fans gear up to cheer on the Monsters of the Midway in hopes of another Super Bowl appearance, there is little doubt that the Bears are a big deal in Chicago.
But how big are the Bears on the national scene?
Sports marketers say the team is poised for plenty of exposure this season and already has an established presence.
“When the Bears are doing well, their games that are televised nationally are among the highest rated in the NFL,” said Marc Ganis, president of the Chicago sports marketing firm Sportscorp. “The Bears are considered one of the most popular teams in the NFL.”
Check the TV schedule. Many Bears games are televised during prime viewing hours, an indicator, sports marketers say, of the team’s popularity and appeal beyond Chicago.
“The NFL loves the Bears and loves to have them on prime time,” said Jeff Gooding, senior vice president of marketing with rEvolution, a sports marketing firm in Chicago. “The Bears draw the ratings.”
Take a look at popularity polls, and the Bears are in the top 10. According to a September 2006 Harris Poll, the Bears ranked sixth for favorite NFL football teams among the 2,747 adults who were polled online. But in the Midwest alone, the Bears were the No. 1 favorite team.
“Americans like to think of the hard work, blue-collar work ethic, and the Bears personify that probably better than any other team,” Gooding said. “The Bears have a national following.”
Former players and coaches have used that following to their advantage to become stars off the field. Look at Dick Butkus, Mike Ditka, Walter Payton or Jim McMahon, who wasn’t the most stellar quarterback but had personality and spunk.
But with this team, Ganis said there is really only one star who outshines the rest — Brian Urlacher.
Other players such as Rex Grossman and Muhsin Muhammad have potential. Devin Hester appeared in Sports Illustrated for Kids in February and has done Campbell’s Chunky Soup commercials, and sports marketers say he could be the next star for the team. But, for now, Urlacher has more crossover popularity.
Bob Dorfman, executive creative director at Pickett Advertising in San Francisco, points out that Urlacher is a no-nonsense player who is articulate and good looking, making him a natural choice for advertisers.
“He’s just such a perfect fit for Chicago,” said Dorfman, who compiles the quarterly Sports Marketers’ Scouting Report. “He’s that kind of Midwestern, hard-nose, hardworking, nose-to-the-grindstone kind of attitude that you kind of associate with a city like Chicago.”
Despite ultimately losing to the Indianapolis Colts, the trip to the Super Bowl earlier this year has been a boost for the Bears’ profile. But it was the team’s performance back in the mid-1980s that has really given the team its edge.
With players such as Payton, McMahon, Mike Singletary and William “The Refrigerator” Perry, the 1985 team “had a little more flash,” Dorfman said. “Jim McMahon led that. He had that kind of Joe Namath appeal, that swagger and that attitude.”
“The Bears of 1985 are still cult heroes,” Gooding said. “[Today’s players] are aware of that. They in turn understand what it means to be a Chicago Bear.”
While there is plenty of interest in the current Bears, Ganis said gone are the days of the 1980s when offensive linemen had their own radio shows during drive time.
What is it going to take to recapture that ’85 magic? Well, sports marketers say the team is going to have to hustle its way into the postseason on a regular basis. Another Super Bowl win would help too.
“At the end of the day, what really matters is winning,” Gooding said. “You have to have some longevity. [The Bears] need a four- or five- or six-year run.”
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Super Bowl, super sales
The fans have spoken. Once again, it’s game on between the Bears and the Indianapolis Colts.
After going head-to-head in the Super Bowl in February — and again during a preseason game in August — the two teams are the most popular selling NFL teams in terms of merchandise sales.
So far this year, the Colts hold the top spot while the Bears are second, according to SportsONESource, a Charlotte company that tracks retail sales.
Matt Powell, an analyst with SportsONESource, said overall sales of NFL products are up 23 percent year to date, driven by sales increases in Bears and Colts merchandise.
The Bears have a 14.9 percent market share of sales, up from 3.5 percent a year ago, Powell said.
– Valerie Vedral
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Valerie Vedral is a Redeye special contributor
