DENVER—Two of Colorado’s professional sports teams may need a new travel partner because Frontier Airlines, trimming costs under bankruptcy protection, is jettisoning a sponsorship deal.
Denver-based Frontier said in bankruptcy court documents that it is dropping its deal with Kroenke Arena Co.’s Pepsi Center, home of the NHL’s Colorado Avalanche, the NBA’s Denver Nuggets, the Colorado Crush of the Arena Football League and the Colorado Mammoth pro lacrosse team.
Mammoth and Crush players travel on Frontier. The airline has signs in the downtown Denver arena, and it’s advertised on the Zamboni at Avalanche games.
“We are going to be left looking for another option in airlines,” said Luke Stahmer, Crush vice president of operations.
Stahmer said Frontier was “tremendous” to the Crush, given that the team’s travel plans could change at the last minute due to schedule changes or injuries that kept players home.
The Mammoth are set to begin their season Jan. 9 on the road against the LumberJax of Portland, Ore.
Mammoth representatives did not return phone messages seeking comment. Kurt Schwartzkopf, chief marketing officer for the Nuggets and Avalanche, declined to comment Wednesday on the Frontier deal.
Frontier has been slashing expenses since filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in April.
Its 2006 sponsorship agreement was set to expire in 2011, Frontier spokesman Steve Snyder said Tuesday. Snyder didn’t release the value of the sponsorship.
“We enjoyed a very productive, successful business partnership. Given our current restructuring efforts and current economic conditions, we felt it was best to end the partnership,” Snyder said.
Stahmer said part of the deal included bartered services.
“Corporate sponsors are evaluating all their marketing investments at this time,” said Don Hinchey, vice president of communications for The Bonham Group, a sports marketing firm. “What that boils down to is they’re looking at the return on investment much more closely.”
The Avalanche have sold out some home games this season, but other times, hundreds of seats have been empty for both Nuggets and Avalanche games. Hinchey said both teams have other sponsorship partners to help their bottom line.
Sponsorships can be more crucial to niche-sport franchises such as the Mammoth, Hinchey said. Still, tickets for niche sports games tend to be more affordable, so sales may not fall as hard in a down economy.
“The little guy, if you will, is able to still get a seat without breaking his piggy bank,” Hinchey said.
