*By Michael Teich*
The legendary Michael Jordan and his six NBA championship rings turned the Chicago Bulls into an iconic brand in the 1990s, but dynamic content paired with exciting new talent will power the brand in a post-Jordan era, said the team's VP of business strategy and analytics Matt Kobe.
"Jordan and the 90s Bulls did a lot for our brand globally," Kobe said Friday in an interview on Cheddar. But "two years ago we won social media team of the year with the SportsBusiness Journal Awards. We won that not because of our content from the court, it was the content with our sponsors."
Warby Parker rival Zenni Optical is betting that an affiliation with the Chicago Bulls brand will help the eyewear company achieve international growth.
While Chicago is a vital demographic for Zenni, the opportunity transcends state lines, Kobe said.
"Chicago is obviously the #3 media market in the country, we have over 1 million customers in that market already," Kobe said. "But the Bulls brand is iconic and global. And it's an opportunity to introduce the Zenni offering not only domestically, but internationally."
The Chicago Bulls are the 26th NBA team to ink a deal with a sponsor for jersey patch space. The league is in its second season of a three-year jersey patch pilot program. The only remaining teams without a deal are the Indiana Pacers, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and the Washington Wizards.
Kobe declined to comment on the financial terms of the deal.
With a $2.6 billion valuation, according to Forbes, the Chicago Bulls are the fourth most valuable franchise in the NBA. The team trails only the New York Knicks, the Los Angeles Lakers, and the Golden State Warriors.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/chicago-bulls-ink-jersey-patch-deal-with-zenni-optical).
Less than five weeks after the conference announced it would push football and other fall sports to spring because of the pandemic, the conference changed course.
Arthur Blank, Atlanta Falcons owner and Home Depot co-founder, joined Cheddar to discuss business values beyond making a profit and the NFL's stance on racial inequality issues today.
The 2020 men's tennis U.S. Open champion, Dominic Thiem, joined Cheddar to discuss his very first Grand Slam title victory. Thiem made history as the first man to come back from two sets down to win at the U.S. Open.
Lou Harris, the founding member of Black Surfing Association Rockaway, offer free surfing lessons to all kids to teach them how to love the water. The national non-profit was founded in California in 1975 to introduce surfing to more African Americans.
Peter O'Reilly, the NFL's executive vice president of club business and league events, talked to Cheddar about the league's new approach to racial inequality issues this year.
The University of Maryland's head football coach, Mike Locksley, joined Cheddar to discuss a new initiative he started, aimed at getting minority coaches elevated to the next level in their careers. The National Coalition of Minority Football Coaches is backed by current and former coaches as well as executives.
Actress and director, Eva Longoria joined Cheddar to discuss her role in establishing the the NWSL's newest team, Angel City as she fights for equal pay in the sport. Longoria also discusses her experience hosting night one of the Democratic National Convention.
Anti-gun violence activist, Manny Oliver, joined Cheddar to discuss an initiative he started following the death of his son, Joaquin, in the Parkland massacre.
Matt Kalish, president of sports betting company DraftKings, talked to Cheddar about NBA legend Michael Jordan joining as an adviser to the company's board.
NBA all-star Jrue Holiday is working to combat systemic racism by donating his remaining salary. The New Orleans Pelicans guard is working with Resilia, a technology platform, to track his donations and ensure change is really happening.
