Freddie Ljungberg may be happy about his move to Chicago Fire but Pepsi is not. The soft drink company has dropped the Swedish player as a result of his recent trade. His three year contract was effectively broken as a result of the Chicago Fire being sponsored by one of Pepsi's major competitors.
Currently, Chicago Fire's presenting partner is Best Buy. According to their site, other partners including American Airlines, Adidas, Bush's Baked Beans, Cardinal Fitness, Chicago Soccer, Embassy Suites, Fisher Nuts, Home Depot, Life Source, Safeway Insurance United Health Care, Van Kampen Investments, and Walgreens. So which one of those is a competitor of Pepsi?
Oddly, one MLS's major sponsors is Pepsi as well as two of its subsidiaries, Aquafina and Gatorade. With every MLS club apart of the Pepsi Refresh Project, why would you drop one of the league's most recognizable names from a contract which was about to expire anyway? The simple answer is Pepsi doesn't want to spend a lot of money on an MLS player.
When Pepsi first signed Ljungberg, he was playing in the English Premier League and the Captain of the Swedish National Team. Although the Swede still makes the papers back home, he is no longer a member of the Swedish National Team. When Sweden failed to qualify for the World Cup, there was no reason for Pepsi's Swedish division to place Ljungberg in a ad campaign. Therefore, the company faced an ultimatum place Ljungberg in an ad campaign or drop him. We all know Pepsi wouldn't place a European soccer player let alone an MLS player in a US ad campaign. Not only that, Pepsi just implemented the Pepsi Refresh Project. With that, the likelihood of any athlete getting an ad campaign is unlikely. So, Ljungberg was given the axe.
It's unfortunate because it's one of the few endorsement deals the Chicago Fire player has. Ljungberg and his management aren't taking full advantage of the designated player rule. While David Beckham is willing to endorse everything from Armani to Sharpie pens, the quiet Swede is content on just playing "soccer." He even told NBC that he is very picky about what he endorses. However, it's not the time to be picky. When your 33 years-old, you career is nearly over. You have to strike the iron when it's hot. If people want you to endorse something, endorse it!
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