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Soccer team, General Mills discuss Wheaties box

Associated Press, 07/13/99

GOLDEN VALLEY, Minn. - General Mills Inc. is working on a deal to bring the U.S. women's soccer team to a breakfast table near you.

The Golden Valley-based maker of Wheaties is talking with the team and its players about an appearance on the cereal box, company spokesman Greg Zimprich said Tuesday.

"We are definitely interested in the women's World Cup team,'' Zimprich said.

There had been confusion about whether the company thought the team worthy of its orange cardboard pedestal. Team star Mia Hamm got the impression that General Mills wasn't interested, prompting Hamm to say that her squad preferred sweeter cereal anyway.

"Unfortunately, because we were not an official World Cup sponsor we did not have access to the players prior to the games,'' Zimprich said.

Mark Noonan, chief marketing officer for U.S. Soccer, said discussions with the cereal maker "started long before the tournament and have been ongoing.'' He said U.S. Soccer is trying to establish long-term ties with General Mills, including a team sponsorship.

"We're hoping to do something that's not a one-time hit,'' Noonan said.

A team spokesman said players had fanned out across the country and could not be reached immediately for comment.

General Mills has been inundated with calls from people wondering if they would find the country's soccer sensations on supermarket shelves.

If General Mills goes ahead with the Wheaties box, it's unclear whether select players or the entire team would appear. A 1998 box honored the U.S. women's hockey team, which brought home a gold medal from the Winter Olympics at Nagano, Japan.

Five of the 20 hockey players still had college eligibility and were not pictured on the box because NCAA rules prohibit athletes from participating in any marketing that would imply they endorse a product.