Yankees Reach Sponsorship Agreement With China's Yili Group
26/06/2007 |
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The New York Yankees signed Yili Group Holding Co., China's biggest dairy products company, to a sponsorship agreement, the first between a Major League Baseball team and a Chinese company.
Yili will have advertisements at Yankee Stadium and in the game programs, the team said yesterday in a news release. Financial terms of the sponsorship weren't disclosed.
The Yankees last week became the first major-league team to sign Chinese players: left-handed pitcher Kai Liu and catcher Zhenwang Zhang, both 19. The Yankees sent four executives to the country in January to complete a partnership with the Chinese Baseball Association. Major League Baseball is trying to expand the sport in China, the world's most populous nation, and may stage games there next year.
"This agreement with Yili is yet another example of how far-reaching the Yankees brand has become and how dedicated we are to growing baseball, and the business of baseball, in China,'' team President Randy Levine said in a statement.
Yili's brand will be featured when the Yankees introduce the players in a July 6 new conference at Yankee Stadium, the team said.
Closely held Yili has had the top-selling ice cream in China for the past 11 years, according to its Web site, and has more than 130 dairy plants.
(Source: Bloomberg.com)
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