CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- The mayor of Elk Grove Village said spending $300,000 to sponsor a college football bowl game was a big score for the suburb.
Elk Grove Village Mayor Craig Johnson said an independent audit provided to the suburb by ESPN claims the village got $12 million worth of media exposure across the country and around the world from sponsoring last December's Bahamas Bowl.
Johnson said that's largely because many media outlets reported on the sponsorship.
"That kept on going from the day of the announcement, it just kept on going all the way up to the game, and even after the game," he said.
Johnson said the village has heard from business owners across the country, who are now interested in possibly opening operations in Elk Grove Village after seeing the sponsorship.
The village has an option to sponsor the bowl again. A decision on that is expected later this month.