Miller Lite to offer discounted Uber rides for Sox, Cubs home openers

Miller Lite is covering the cost of Uber rides up to $10 in value for thousands of fans for the White Sox home opener Monday and the Cubs home opener April 10.

It’s part of a more aggressive marketing push outside the ballpark for Chicago-based MillerCoors, which recently ended a 30-year marketing deal with the White Sox. Now lacking a sponsorship deal with either of Chicago’s baseball teams, MillerCoors is hoping to connect with fans through Miller Lite advertisements outside Guaranteed Rate Field and Wrigley Field, in addition to the Uber promotion.

On Monday, about 2,000 discounted rides will be offered on the South Side through the promotion, which effectively functions as a $10 voucher, said MillerCoors spokesman Marty Maloney. The promotion will be available through the Uber app for riders within a limited radius.

Similarly, on April 10, the app will offer 2,000 discounted rides for those in relative proximity to Wrigley.

Such ride-sharing service promotions are apparently a new marketing tool for alcoholic beverage companies hoping to promote a brand during major sporting events. Beam Suntory, also headquartered in Chicago, covered the cost of 10,000 Uber rides of up to $20 in value for a World Series home game in October between the Cubs and the Cleveland Indians.