UChicago Medicine to be presenting sponsor of Sun-Times’ WNBA, Sky coverage

The Sun-Times has long outclassed the competition on sports coverage in Chicago.

Now, not even the Sky is the limit.

Starting Sunday, the University of Chicago Medicine will become the presenting sponsor of Sky and WNBA coverage in the Sun-Times throughout the 2019 season. The Sun-Times’ award-winning sports staff will retain editorial control over team coverage, with UChicago Medicine presenting each Sky story through an advertising sponsorship, both in print and online at suntimes.com.

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“We see this as a groundbreaking relationship, one that hopefully will serve as a model for other organizations . . . to become presenting sponsors for other team coverage,” Sun-Times Editor-in-Chief Chris Fusco said. “Other media outlets long have used the ‘presented by’ concept to attract sponsors, and we know that our readers will welcome regular news and features about an up-and-coming franchise like the Sky.”

Reporter Madeline Kenney will serve as the Sun-Times’ Sky beat writer. Kenney has covered everything from preps to college basketball to hockey for the paper.

“We are excited to join the Sun-Times in this pioneering partnership to bring regular coverage of professional women’s basketball to Chicago readers,” said William “Skip” Hidlay, senior vice president, chief communications and marketing officer of UChicago Medicine. “We believe the Chicago Sky is a great team as deserving of sports coverage as the Bulls, Bears, Blackhawks, Cubs and White Sox. The Sun-Times came up with a creative new sponsorship model to make regular coverage of women’s sports a reality.”