World Economic

St. Louis University Hospital calls itself the "official" hospital of the St. Louis Rams on billboards and signs.

But its doctors provide no medical care for the Rams’ team.

Team doctor Matt Matava and his colleagues from Washington University School of Medicine since 1995 have provided that service at BJC HealthCare facilities.

SLU Hospital defends the sponsorship deal. "We’re not out there trying to say we take care of the Rams," said Laura Signaigo, its marketing and communications director. "This is a marketing agreement."

Sports teams have sponsorship arrangements with nearly every industry — from banks to breweries. Still, if a hospital calls itself the "official" hospital of a sports team, do patients — and prospective patients — assume its physicians treat the players?

"Do I think it’s clear to the general public (that this is a marketing agreement)? I don’t know," Signaigo said. "I think the Rams have a product to sell, and I bought it."

Matava said his group of physicians was chosen based on merit, not marketing. He added that the group has not paid the Rams for the privilege of caring for its players, as some team physicians do.

SLU Hospital and the Rams wouldn’t provide the cost of the sponsorship. Matava estimated it to be in six figures.

The arrangement between SLU Hospital and the Rams could represent the next generation of health care sports marketing.

As hospitals and physicians push to gain prominence and respect in their communities, partnering with sports teams can garner both — plus some prime seats and some autographs for employees. With limited measures of quality available to the public, patients are known to rely on marketing campaigns in choosing hospitals and physicians.

At one time, professional sports teams paid top dollar so their athletes could be treated by the best physicians. Then, the tables turned. Doctors and hospitals began paying teams — at times more than a $1 million a year — for the privilege of treating players.

A survey in 2004 by The New York Times found about half the teams in the four major North American professional leagues were tied contractually to a medical institution, and the numbers were growing no fax payday loan. Those arrangements had varying business models. Few, if any, had an arrangement like the Rams and SLU Hospital, where the "official" hospital did not provide care.

If consumers find out the SLU Hospital deal is purely marketing and not clinical, its efforts could backfire, said Andrew Gallan, an assistant professor of marketing at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland. "I think you’re going to see somewhat of a backlash," he said.

The advertisements never say the hospital’s doctors are the Rams’ physicians or that the hospital provides care, said Matt Marchal, who at the time was a sales manager for the Rams. He recently changed jobs and now works in insurance.

"They’re leveraging the relationship … being associated with a professional football team carries a lot of weight," Marchal said.

Signaigo also points out the term "official hospital" is the Rams’ terminology. It is supposed to signify a level of sponsorship, not a clinical relationship, she said.

Last year, SLU Hospital was the "preferred hospital" of the Rams. Nurses and other staff became so excited that Signaigo decided to increase the Rams sponsorship and add others, she said. The agreements include employee days at the hospital with players and cheerleaders, better deals on radio airtime and other benefits.

"The purpose from a marketing perspective, in my opinion, is to tie into the positive perceptions that these organizations have with the public," Signaigo said.

mjfeldstein@post-dispatch.com

314-340-8209

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