"In the mid-1990s, the Metropolitan Milwaukee Association of Commerce launched an ambitious and costly campaign to show doubters that the Milwaukee Brewers were important to the local economy and the region's national image.

The group guaranteed that it would sell $6.15 million worth of tickets, lobbied the state to provide funding for what later became Miller Park, and lent the Brewers at least $14 million.

Last week, a small group of influential business leaders and the MMAC began talking in earnest about a more modest campaign to provide support for the Bradley Center and its biggest and most important tenant, the Milwaukee Bucks.

At this stage, any formal campaign in behalf of the Bradley Center is months away, according to Timothy Sheehy, MMAC's president. For now, the group is in the process of finding ways to encourage MMAC members to look for sponsorship opportunities at the Bradley Center or buying tickets or suites at Bucks' games."