sportsbusiness daily thursday, february 4, 2010 - quia · pdf filesportsbusiness daily:...

Timber Land Portland Council approves $31M PGE Parkrenovation, which should clear the way for MLS toarrive in city in '11. (#20)

'N Sync MLS schedule matches European model ofhome-and-away series for each team. (#13)

Lotto Options (#21) Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty says lottery fundscould help publicly finance new Vikings stadium.

King 'Kong Nike signs projected No. 1 NFL draft pickNdamukong Suh to endorsement deal. (#6)

Bayou Buzz Saints converting fans throughout Louisiana onstrength of this season's Super Bowl run. (#15)

Entertainment Tonight (#8) Rival networks plan steady diet of reality TV ineffort to compete against Olympics on NBC.

On Top Of The Mountain Lindsey Vonn enters Vancouver Games as the"boldest name" among U.S. Olympians. (#26)

Coming Attractions (#1) Details continue to emerge about this year'sSuper Bowl ads: fewer studios will promote films,while automakers emphasize practicality. (#2)

Talk Of The TownThe NFLPA’s schedulednews conference thisafternoon in SouthFlorida should containplenty of fireworkspertaining to current CBAtalks with the league.DeMaurice SmithWednesday ups therhetoric between thesides, claiming NFLowners not only arepreparing for a lockout, but may be looking for one.Smith: "They have engaged in a concerted course ofconduct where anybody looking at it will see thatthey have done more to prepare themselves to notplay football than to play football." The union bosssays NFL players have "seen no evidence thatanybody is losing money" under the current CBA.However, Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti tells adifferent story yesterday, calling the current deal a"bad deal." He claims if owners do not take on agreater percent of revenues, there will be a"long-term problem for the league." (#11)Meanwhile, NFLPA President Kevin Mawaeindicates a union proposal would cut league costs,including three-year maximum length on rookiedeals that would save as much as $200M. However,he claims the league insists players take at least a20% pay cut without explaining the financialrationale (#12).

Thursday, February 4, 2010 Vol. XVI -- No. 99

SportsBusiness Daily: Thursday, February 4, 2010 http://www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=print...

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"After 25 years, the rhythm hasn’t gotten anybetter."

-- Former NFLer Jim McMahon, who will helprecreate the "Super Bowl Shuffle" with members of

the '85 Bears for Boost Mobile's Super Bowl ad ("TheJim Rome Show," 2/3). (#1)

ComPsych Corp. chief Richard Chaifetz appears tobe involved in group targeting Rams purchase,though he declines to confirm involvement. (#19)


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SPONSORSHIPS, ADVERTISING & MARKETING1. SUPER BOWL ADS: FEWER HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS ADVERTISING FILMS2. SUPER BOWL ADS: AUTOMAKERS EMPHASIZE PRACTICALITY OVER VANITY3. SUPER BOWL ADS: TEBOW SPOT NOT LIKELY TO STEAL THUNDER ON SUNDAY4. WORK ZONE: COKE ZERO INTRODUCES "DEPARTMENT OF FANNOVATION"5. MICHAEL STRAHAN SHOOTS TV SPOT FOR EASTON/THE SPORTS AUTHORITY6. NAMES & FACES: LIKELY TOP PICK NDAMUKONG SUH SIGNS WITH NIKE7. MARKETPLACE ROUNDUP

SPORTS MEDIA8. GAMES ON: NETWORKS UNVEIL BROADCAST PLANS AGAINST OLYMPICS9. STATS SIGNS DEAL TO BECOME MLB'S REAL-TIME DATA LICENSOR


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10. MEDIA NOTES

LEAGUES & GOVERNING BODIES11. NFLPA EXEC DIR DEMAURICE SMITH CLAIMS OWNERS EYEING LOCKOUT12. NFLPA CLAIMS LEAGUE INSISTING PLAYERS TAKE 20% PAY CUT IN NEW CBA13. MLS RELEASES '10 SCHEDULE, SIMILAR TO EUROPEAN LEAGUE'S PATTERN14. MLB TEAMS CANNOT REQUIRE PLAYERS TO DONATE TO CLUB CHARITIES

FRANCHISES15. SAINTS' SUCCESS HELPING TEAM EARN FANS THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA16. SOURCE SAYS SALE OF BOBCATS COULD HAPPEN AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH17. HITTING THE RIGHT TUNE: JAZZ MAY BRING BACK MUSIC NOTE LOGO18. EPL FRANCHISE NOTES: PORTSMOUTH CONFIRMS LATEST TAKEOVER19. FRANCHISE NOTES

FACILITIES & VENUES20. PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PGE PARK RENOVATION FOR MLS TEAM21. MINNESOTA GOV. SAYS LOTTERY COULD HELP FINANCE VIKINGS STADIUM22. NEW JERSEY GOV. NOT READY TO RULE ON NETS MOVE TO NEWARK23. LEIWEKE DISCUSSES AEG'S GROWING INFLUENCE IN CONCERT BUSINESS24. FACILITY NOTES

EVENTS & ATTRACTIONS25. PARTY IN THE MIA: SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL FESTIVITIES CONTINUE

OLYMPICS26. LINDSEY VONN POISED TO ENTER LIMELIGHT WITH STRONG OLYMPICS27. VANOC TAKING EXTREME PRECAUTIONS OVER POSSIBLE TERROR THREATS28. OLYMPIC NOTES: POLO CRITICIZED FOR CONSUMERISM ON TEAM USA GEAR

SPORTS INDUSTRIALISTS29. WHAT I LIKE.... WITH PRO FOOTBALL HOFER LAWRENCE TAYLOR30. EXECUTIVE TRANSACTIONS31. NAMES IN THE NEWS

THE BACK OF THE BOOK32. SCARBOROUGH EXAMINES SUPER BOWL VIEWER PURCHASING HABITS

CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS33. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS34. SBJ IN-DEPTH: FANTASY SPORTS


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1. SUPER BOWL ADS: FEWER HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS ADVERTISING FILMS

Only three major film studios -- Paramount, Disney and Universal -- will run adsduring CBS' coverage of Super Bowl XLIV, "down from five studios last year," accordingto Marc Graser of DAILY VARIETY. Hollywood studios have "promoted nine moviesduring the last two Super Bowls," but that figure is "expected to drop to seven" this year.Paramount is buying ads to promote "Shutter Island" and "The Last Airbender," deciding"not to run an ad" for Marvel's "Iron Man 2." Disney and Universal are "being tight-lipped about their Super Bowl plans," but Disney's plans are "often predictable, with thestudio buying an ad to promote an animated film and a live action tentpole each year."This year "isn't expected to be any different," as the studio's "Toy Story 3" and "Alice inWonderland" are "likely to get the big push." Universal "will likely promote" "TheWolfman" and "Robin Hood." Meanwhile, other studios are "also buying ads during thepre-game show," including Sony, which will promote "Bounty Hunter." Overture's "TheCrazies" is "set to be plugged during the post-game wrap up" (DAILY VARIETY, 2/4).

BABY TALK: ETrade once againhas one ad airing during the SuperBowl, and Adweek's Barbara Lippertsaid the "technology on the mouth-moving" for the babies in the ads "getsa little better every year." Lippert:"There's just nothing funnier than ababy saying, 'Dude, I can'tmicromanage your finances for you.'"She added, "When you think about


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Watch Outtakes From ETrade's "Baby" Spot

Watch Denny's Teaser For Its Super Bowl Spot

ETrade 10 years ago, they had acommercial that had a monkey jumpingon a chair saying, 'Well, we just wasted $2(M).' With the economy now, you really have tobreak down your resistance to talking about your finances and the stock market, andthere's nothing better than babies." CBS' Harry Smith said the ETrade ads "really worktoo, because every time they come on I pay attention." Lippert noted that "during theSuper Bowl, the babies will be Tweeting if you want to follow them on Twitter" ("TheEarly Show," CBS, 2/3).

THE PUNKY QB BACK IN ACTION: Former NFLer Jim McMahon and othermembers of the ’85 Bears will appear in Boost Mobile’s Super Bowl ad, and McMahonsaid, “It’s going to be pretty funny. I didn’t get to see the finished product, but they had usdoing some very interesting things, and it’s going to be great to see how it all comes out.”While most of the players reprise their “Super Bowl Shuffle” roles -- dancing included --McMahon said, “I come out on a Rascal, so I didn’t have to do whatever they were doing.”McMahon: “After 12 knee surgeries, I told them, ‘I can’t be doing any dancing.’ … Whenthey said, ‘You get to ride in a Rascal,’ I said, “Alright, I’ll do it.’” However, he did offerthis warning about the team, “After 25 years, the rhythm hasn’t gotten any better” (“TheJim Rome Show,” 2/3).

BACK IN THE GAME:BLOOMBERG NEWS' Courtney Dentchnoted Denny's has three Super Bowlads that will promote its free GrandSlam Breakfast giveaway next Tuesdayand its year-round free birthdaybreakfast promo. Denny's CEO NelsonMarchioli: "We had a nice first quarterlast year from the Super Bowl offer, butwe lost some of that stickiness withcustomers as the year went on. This isan opportunity to extend that

throughout the year." Denny's ad during Super Bowl XLIII last year "drove its onlyquarter of comparable-sales growth in the past two years." Marchioli "agreed in July topurchase one Super Bowl spot" for this year's game, and he "bought two more in the pasttwo weeks." Marchioli: "We wanted to be even more top-of-mind with our consumers,and be the conversation in the second half of the game" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/3).

FIRST IMPRESSION: In N.Y., Stuart Elliott reported the debut Pizza Hut ad fromthe Martin Agency, Richmond, is "getting a big stage: the pre-game hours on CBS onSunday" ahead of the Super Bowl. Pizza Hut "has for years run commercials during theSuper Bowl pre-game shows rather than during the game itself," and Pizza Hut SeniorManager for PR & Emerging Media Christopher Fuller said the reason is that "everyone'splaced their order" for pizzas by the time the game has started. Elliott noted Pizza Hutcompetitor Papa John's has a 30-second in-game spot "scheduled to appear near thetwo-minute warning of the first half" (NYTIMES.com, 2/3).

LOCAL DRIVE TIME: In Richmond, Louis Llovio reports CarMax for the first timehas bought “ad time in the 48 media markets where it has stores” for Sunday’s SuperBowl. CarMax “will have one commercial running during the game and one in the timeslot right after the game ends.” It also bought local ad time "in the hours before the gamestarts and for the late-night news broadcasts.” The company has “four differentcommercials running,” two of which “will be an extension of the ‘Smart/Not Smart’campaign launched last year.” CarMax Creative Dir for Broadcast Advertising Michael


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2. SUPER BOWL ADS: AUTOMAKERS EMPHASIZE PRACTICALITY OVER VANITY

Watch Audi's "Green Police" Teaser

Reeder said that the other two ads are “part of a new campaign based on ‘viral Internetsensation.’” CarMax ran the “Smart/Not Smart” ads during last year’s Super Bowl in a“limited number of markets.” The company “wanted to expand its reach and thecampaign this year.” CarMax “would not say how much it paid for the airtime but said itwas about half what it would have paid if the chain had bought time during the nationalbroadcast” (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 2/4).

CONSUMER REACTION: USA TODAY's Yang & Ward report a National RetailFederation survey of 9,578 adults 18 and older indicated that 76% of respondents believeSuper Bowl ads are "just entertainment." Eighteen percent of respondents said that theads are "making me aware of advertiser brands," while just 7% said that the ads are"influencing me to buy products." Meanwhile, 19% said that the spots are "using moneyadvertisers should save and pass the savings on to us," while 10% said that they are"making the game last too long" (USA TODAY, 2/4).

There are six automakers airing adsduring Super Bowl XLIV, and themajority of the spots "aimed atrecession-weary buyers acceleratepracticality and put the breaks onvanity," according to Chris Woodyardof USA TODAY. The majority of thebrands advertising during the game are"decidedly mainstream," with Audibeing the only "upscale brand" takingpart. However, even they "will feature aless-fancy product this year." Automarketing consultant Gordon Wangers: "It ain't business as usual, and a cute ad won'twork." Wangers added the challenge is for advertisers to "make a meaningful messageand not be boring." Woodyard reports Audi is using "humor to underscore the fuel-savingvirtues of its compact A3 TDI diesel sedan," while an animated ad from Honda"humorously demonstrates the new Accord Crossover hatch-back's roominess." ChryslerSenior VP/Communications Gualberto Ranieri said that the company's Dodge brand will"showcase the Dodge Charger R/T to show it has 'real driving vehicles with muscle carpower and sports car handling.'" Honda, Kia and Volkswagen also are set to air ads.Woodyard notes Toyota, which is "currently under fire over safety recalls," said that it didnot buy any Super Bowl ad time "because it is between product introductions" (USATODAY, 2/4).

FOCUSING OFF THE ROAD: MARKETING DAILY's Karl Greenberg notes Audi'sad, via Venables Bell & Partners, "doesn't give away the fact that the spot is a car ad untilthe very end, when a guy driving the car is allowed through a Green Police highwaycheckpoint because he's driving an A3 clean-diesel car." Audi of America CMO ScottKeogh said that "not giving away that it's a car ad until the end is important in a SuperBowl buy." Keogh: "We think that's crucial because in the Super Bowl, the instantconsumers read that it's a car ad, the mind turns off and it's into the nachos. This drawsthem in." Keogh added that a "more humorous approach also makes sense" during theSuper Bowl. Keogh: "You need to bring humor into the mix, and we hadn't done thatbefore. But we thought this was the perfect environment and opportunity" (MARKETINGDAILY, 2/4 issue).


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Watch Honda's Animated Super Bowl Spot

3. SUPER BOWL ADS: TEBOW SPOT NOT LIKELY TO STEAL THUNDER ON SUNDAY

A BUNCH OF CHARACTERS:MARKETING DAILY's Greenbergreports Kia, which has "taken a morehumorous approach to advertising thanits corporate sibling" Hyundai, has"backseat passengers fantasizing abouta joy ride in which they have control ofthe vehicle" in its ad. However, thepassengers are "little character toys ...owned by a child who keeps them in theback seat for company." In the ad, thecharacters' adventure "starts in a

bowling alley, ... moves on to jet-skiing, riding a mechanical bull in a bar, sitting in ajacuzzi with a beautiful blond, going to Vegas and dancing with other girls." It is "set to aJames Brown-like soundtrack by a group called 'The Heavy.'" Meanwhile, Honda's adis set to Kool & the Gang's "Funky Stuff" and features a "squirrel trying to fit anassortment of large items." He opts for the Honda Accord Crossover "rather than histree." Honda will "run the ad in an MSN home-page takeover this weekend and in a FoxSports home-page roadblock on Sunday," and will have "pole position on YouTube'smasthead on Monday" (MARKETING DAILY, 2/4 issue).

GOING REGIONAL? Toyota Motor Sales National Manager for Business & FieldCommunications Celeste Migliore said that while the company is "too late for a nationalSuper Bowl ad buy" due to CBS selling out its inventory earlier this week, there are"discussions by Toyota's regional dealerships about buying local Super Bowl spots totarget customers having problems." A TV ad buyer said that while no company "wants tobe seen to be taking advantage of" Toyota's current well-documented troubles, thecompany that can "act quickly to take advantage of a changed marketplace would winout" (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 2/3).

While Focus on the Family's Super Bowl spotstarring former Univ. of Florida QB Tim Tebow hasreceived much of the pregame buzz, ad execs believethat by Sunday the "playing field will have prettymuch leveled out," according to David Hinckley ofthe N.Y. DAILY NEWS. When the companiesadvertising during the game "roll out their showcasework in one high-visibility venue, you get an all-stargame, not a narrow showcase." Juma Entertainment President Bob Horowitz said theTebow spot has "gotten a lot of attention, which is part of what Focus on the Family washoping for." But he added, "Does it draw attention away from everyone else's ads? Not atall." Horowitz: "The talk about Focus on the Family spot gave them good promotion fortheir investment. But I don't think the Super Bowl will become a forum for advocacyguys. That's not what it's about" (NYDAILYNEWS.com, 2/3). In Boston, Donna Goodisonnotes while the "most memorable ads of Super Bowls past were singled out for theircreativity, zaniness and pure entertainment value," the Focus on the Family ad "has beengenerating the most pre-game hype and controversy this year." Ad agency Mullenspokesperson David Swaebe said, "When you try to insinuate politics into somethingthat’s supposed to be purely entertainment, it’s bound to cause a polarizing reaction"(BOSTON HERALD, 2/4).


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4. WORK ZONE: COKE ZERO INTRODUCES "DEPARTMENT OF FANNOVATION"

"Department Of Fannovation" Allows People ToSubmit Ideas To Enhance NCAA Tournament

SUPER BOWL WORTHY? In Philadelphia, Ashley Fox writes, "While I personallystrongly disagree with his stance on the issue, I do support Tebow's right to free speech.He's entitled to his opinion. So often, athletes are afraid to take a stance on politics orsocial causes." But Fox added, "I'm not sure this Tebow commercial is Super Bowlmaterial. It's our national sports holiday. Can't they just keep the commercials light andfunny?" The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER's John Gonzalez adds, "Everyone has anopinion, but not everyone has the guts to express it." But he notes, "During the SuperBowl, I'd rather laugh than focus on something heavy" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER,2/4). The Washington Post's Gene Wang: "Honestly, as a football fan, ... I just wish thiswould go away. If you don't like the ad, get up during the commercial, go get a beer, getsome nachos, wait until it's over, then come back" ("Washington Post Live," ComcastSportsNet Mid-Atlantic, 2/3).

GETTING POLITICAL: Author Tom Krattenmaker "scoffs at the suggestion the adis not political." He said, "Even if Tim and Pam Tebow do not intend to make a politicalstatement, there's no avoiding the inherently political nature of this message" (SALTLAKE TRIBUNE, 2/4). In Florida, Peter Kerasotis: "People are saying this will be themost controversial commercial in Super Bowl history. Tim Tebow is no longer pushingthe ball up the field. He's pushing the envelope" (FLORIDA TODAY, 2/4).

GIVING THEIR RESPONSE: SPORTINGNEWS.com's Dan Levy noted the Focuson The Family spot is the "most widely discussed and debated ad in the history of theSuper Bowl," and "everyone with an opinion is giving one." That includes PlannedParenthood, who issued a response video "to the ad we've yet to see." The PlannedParenthood spot "doesn't preach Pro Choice, per se, it just asks people to trust thedecisions of women." Levy: "In essence, the ad features male athletes preaching to thinktwice before following the preachings of another male athlete this weekend"(SPORTINGNEWS.com, 2/3).

EYE IS THE BEHOLDER: CBS rejected an ad from gay dating siteManCrunch.com, and ADWEEK's Tim Arnold wrote the network apparently is "invokingsome kind of arbitrary 'right' to refuse to air commercials on its programs for reasonsvariously described as 'controversial,' or 'not up to CBS broadcast standards.'" Arnold:"Don't you wonder if any of this has anything to do with the impact other majoradvertisers can have on the commercial content of the company they keep?" CBS knows"what kind of issues garner big-bucks support, and it's sending a clear signal it's ready forthis kind of money, now" (ADWEEK.com, 2/3). Comcast SportsNet's Ivan Carter said ofthe Focus on the Family ad, "If you're going to show that ad, then you shouldn't pull thead that was kind of a humorous one about a gay dating site. … I wonder if CBS is, just bytaking this ad, opening up a can of worms here. Are they being consistent?"("Washington Post Live," CSN Mid-Atlantic, 2/3).

Coca-Cola has launched a"Department of Fannovation" sectionon the Coke Zero Web site wherepeople "can submit creative ideasthrough March 14" that are designedto enhance fan experience, accordingto Tanya Irwin of MARKETINGDAILY. Once the NCAA men'sbasketball tournament arrives inMarch, Coke Zero "will announce the


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5. MICHAEL STRAHAN SHOOTS TV SPOT FOR EASTON/THE SPORTS AUTHORITY

Strahan Chosen To Do Spot ForHis Cross-Generational Appeal

6. NAMES & FACES: LIKELY TOP PICK NDAMUKONG SUH SIGNS WITH NIKE

64 most original submissions to compete head to head in the first-ever 'Brain Bracket.'"Fan voting "will then determine which ideas advance to the ensuing rounds." The final 16submissions "will earn $1,000 each for their creators, while the top four finalists will alsoearn a trip for two" to the '11 Final Four in Houston. The winner of the contest will beannounced April 6, the day of the NCAA championship, and that person "will be crownedthe 'Brain Bracket' champion and will receive a check for $10,000." Coke Zero haspartnered with CBS Sports college basketball analyst Seth Davis to "help promote theDepartment of Fannovation." Davis "will be featured on the Web site and will makeappearances at colleges and universities to inspire students to submit their own ideas."The campaign will be supported with ads on CBS during the tournament, including onespot that promotes "Mascot Cam." That is a "new form of coverage developed withCBSSports.com [that] allows fans to see the game through the eyes of the mascot"(MARKETING DAILY, 2/3 issue).

By Terry Lefton, Editor-At-Large

During a week when the emphasis in the world ofAmerican sports is squarely on football, Fox NFLanalyst and former Giants DE Michael Strahan shot anad in which he will be hitting baseballs. A co-op adeffort from Easton with the 468-store The SportsAuthority (TSA) will show Strahan swatting baseballswith an Easton Stealth composite bat. The spot wasshot early this week at an indoor sports complex inRochester, New York, and should air later this monthvia regional buys in markets including N.Y., Chicagoand Boston before moving into a national rotation.Outtakes will be released on the web virally. New TSACMO Jeff Schumacher said Strahan was chosen becauseof his broad cross-generational appeal. He said the ad issome of the first evidence of what will be arepositioning for the chain that will emphasize both value and expertise, leveraging "theauthority" on whatever sport, as part of the campaign. “We’ve been a little dormant, butnow we are re-energizing the brand across media platforms and we’ll have a bigger andmore national voice,” said Schumacher. Maury Gostfrand’s Vision Sports Group, N.Y.,represents Strahan, whose other TV advertising credits include his ongoing role withSubway and some recent Vaseline Men creative. At the Super Bowl this week, Strahan ismaking the corporate rounds, with appearances for brands including DirecTV, Motorola,Sprint and Subway.

Nike announced it has signed projected No. 1 NFL draft pick DT Ndamukong Suh toan endorsement deal. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Suh will join otherNike football endorsers tomorrow in a Webcast to kick off the '10 Nike High SchoolCombine Tour. Players will be available to the media during the Webcast, with morepress materials to follow. The combines are open to high school players across thecountry free of charge. Suh is represented by The Agency Sports Management foroff-the-field marketing work (THE DAILY).

POCKET PRESENCE: In Detroit, Nicholas Cotsonika reports Lions QB Matthew


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7. MARKETPLACE ROUNDUP

Stafford is in Miami this week promoting several products, and he is as "marketable as abudding star." He will appear today at a Visa event, "talking football" with ESPN's RonJaworski and other players, and he will "participate in a performance testing event forGatorade." Stafford tomorrow will be the "guest of honor and work the red carpet at aparty at LIV nightclub, which Axe Hair is taking over for the weekend." Marketers "lovehow he casually embraces the spotlight, cracking jokes as he pitches their products."Stafford: "It's laid-back. It's not like I'm pitching something super serious. I have fun withit." Cotsonika notes Axe Hair "flew him to Los Angeles in January to shoot video clips ofwomen giving him 'hair action,'" and the clips are posted on the company's Facebookpage (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/4).

TIGER, PART DEUX: In Manchester, Owen Gibson reported Umbro "refused tocomment" on the status of its US$6.3M endorsement deal with EPL club Chelsea andEngland D John Terry after Terry has been accused of having an extramarital affair witha teammate's ex-girlfriend. Meanwhile England national team sponsor Nationwide "hasmade it clear it sponsors the team rather than individuals." Branding experts expectNationwide and Samsung, which has the shirt sponsorship for Chelsea, to "quietly dropTerry's image from campaigns while they gauge public opinion." Gibson noted Terry "hassurprisingly few personal endorsement deals," as he has "failed to make muchcommercial capital" from his role as England captain. Aside from a deal with malegrooming brand King of Shaves that ended April '08, his "only other personalendorsements have been with Umbro and the computer game Pro Evolution Soccer"(GUARDIAN.co.uk, 2/3).

SISTER ACT: Tennis players Venus and Serena Williams appeared on Fox Businesslast night to discuss Serena winning the Australian Open women's singles title and bothof them winning the doubles crown. Fox Business' David Asman said, "When you win, ofcourse endorsements follow. Companies line-up to have these superstars sell theirproducts." Serena talked about their latest deal with Nabisco and the company'slow-calorie product line. Nabisco is sponsoring a contest called "Diet Like A Diva," wherethe winner will earn a photo shoot with the sisters that will appear "in all kinds ofmagazines" ("America's Nightly Scoreboard," Fox Business, 2/3).

NOTES: In Salt Lake City, Ross Siler reports Jazz G Deron Williams, as part of theNBA All-Star Weekend in Dallas, "will be introduced next Thursday as one of three newfaces of the 'got milk' ad campaign" along with MLB Cardinals 1B Albert Pujols and U.S.gymnast Shawn Johnson (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 2/4)....Thunder F Kevin Durant "shot acommercial last week that Gatorade will use as a promotion in conjunction with theH-O-R-S-E competition All-Star weekend." The script "had Durant frantically looking forhis trophy he won at last year's All-Star Game" (DAILY OKLAHOMAN, 2/2).

TNT has rejected Electronic Arts' ad for the forthcoming "Dante's Inferno" videogameusing the tagline "Go to Hell" for use during the NBA All-Star Game on February 14. CBSsimilarly rejected the spot for Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV. The videogame publisher forboth events will instead run an ad for the game using the modified tagline "Hell awaits"(Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Journal).

RENEWING ITS PROTECTION PLAN: Under Armour will return for the secondyear as the presenting sponsor of the '10 NFL Scouting Combine. All participants in thecombine, set for February 24-March 2 at Lucas Oil Stadium, will be outfitted in UnderArmour performance apparel and footwear designed specifically for the event. UnderArmour will have extensive branding throughout the stadium (Under Armour).

GOING DIGITAL: MEDIAWEEK's Katy Bachman reported TurboTax is "taking


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8. GAMES ON: NETWORKS UNVEIL BROADCAST PLANS AGAINST OLYMPICS

over the home pages of Yahoo, AOL and MSN" this weekend. Initiative Exec VP &Managing Dir of Digital Michael Hayes, whose agency handled TurboTax's campaign,said the company wanted to be associated with the Super Bowl "without the in-game adcost." Bachman noted the focus of the campaign is the TurboTron, a new "media creativeunit that resembles a big scoreboard and does everything except fill out the tax form."Initiative has partnered with Brand Affinity Technologies for the "digital rights" toESPN's Chris Berman. The TurboTron is "expected to generate 500-600 millionimpressions" throughout Super Bowl weekend (MEDIAWEEK.com, 2/2).

ROUNDUP: EPL club Arsenal has hired Helios Partners to provide marketingexpertise and consulting services as the team aims to expand its presence and fan base inChina (Arsenal)....adidas has "launched a restructuring of its North Americanheadquarters in Portland that will ultimately increase employment by 60." But adidassaid that the restructuring also will require them to "eliminate an unspecified number ofpositions" (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/4).

The Vancouver Games "fall squarely into the February sweeps period," and networksfeel "pressure to air strong counterprogramming" during the 17 nights NBC has theOlympics, according to Gary Levin of USA TODAY. Fox' "American Idol" and ABC's"Dancing With the Stars" and "Grey's Anatomy" outdrew NBC's primetime coverage ofthe '06 Turin Games when going head-to-head, but Horizon Media Senior VP andCorporate Research Dir Brad Adgate predicts Vancouver's proximity to the U.S. meansthe Olympics are "going to do better this year." However, other observers have said thatNBC's "prime-time woes, declining ratings for non-U.S. Olympics and fewer breakoutathletes will hurt." Levin notes reality series are "Olympics Teflon" and have "held upbest in past years." CBS' "Survivor," "The Amazing Race" and "Undercover Boss," as wellas "Idol" and ABC's "The Bachelor," all "will stay on the air" during the Games. Fox willair repeats of several dramas such as "House" and "Bones," and "some Sunday animatedseries." However, "much of its lineup, including 'Human Target' and '24,' will remainintact." ABC "will pre-empt 'Castle,' its Wednesday family comedies and single episodesof 'Desperate Housewives' and 'Grey's' that face figure skating." CBS' sitcoms and dramas"will take a breather." CBS Primetime Senior Exec VP Kelly Kahl: "Running them againstthe Olympics doesn't give us the biggest bang for the buck" (USA TODAY, 2/4).

OVERLY AMBITIOUS? SI.com's Richard Deitsch noted NBC is "guaranteeingMadison Avenue an average primetime household rating of 14 for the 16 nights of theVancouver Games." Deitsch wrote, "That feels overly optimistic, but we shall see." TheVancouver Games lack a "marquee U.S. star as well as no American women likely to be afactor in the Ladies' Figure Skating competition." NBC "ramped up its Vancouver Gamesads" with U.S. speedskater Apolo Ohno and skier Lindsey Vonn, but "neither athlete isclose to having the kind of pre-Games Q-rating" that U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps hadahead of the Beijing Games. Vancouver also "does not hold the same kind of curiosity asBeijing" (SI.com, 2/1).

MORNING GLORY: The AP'sDavid Bauder reported NBC's "Today"starting Tuesday is "transporting itselfWest for nearly three weeks ofbroadcasts" from the Vancouver


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NBC's "Today" Will Begin AiringFrom Vancouver On Tuesday

9. STATS SIGNS DEAL TO BECOME MLB'S REAL-TIME DATA LICENSOR

Games, and the show "looms as anever-more important promotionalshowcase for NBC's Winter Olympicscoverage, given the network'sdwindling audience in prime-time andlate-night hours." The Olympics are"another showcase for television's mostpopular morning news show," whichwill start at 4:00am PT each weekday.That means athletes "who want to show

off their medals must travel 20 minutes out of the city and take a tram ride to amountainside set in the middle of the night." But "Today" Exec Producer Jim Bell saidthat athletes "will still wake up early for the chance to be seen on national television."U.S. Gold Medalists Picabo Street and Kristi Yamaguchi will serve as "specialcorrespondents during the Olympics, offering commentary and analysis of the action" for"Today." Vancouver marks the seventh Olympics venue from which "Today" willbroadcast on location (AP, 2/3). Meanwhile, Universal Sports is offering cable operatorsa "24/7 'freeview' of its programming" during the Olympics. The net's event coverage"will include 5 hours of live daily news through 5 newly-created studio shows, pluscontinuous studio news updates every 30min and a live, up-to-date Olympic resultsticker" (CABLEFAX DAILY, 2/4).

DOWN TO THE WIRE: The GLOBE & MAIL's Susan Krashinsky noted reportshave suggested that Canada's Olympic Broadcast Media Consortium "hasn't yet pulled inenough ad revenue to break even on its investment," which sources estimated to be aboutC$200M including production and marketing costs, compared to the US$820M thatNBC paid for U.S. rights to broadcast the Vancouver Games. But CTV officials said thatthey will "keep selling." CTVglobemedia Inc. President & CEO Ivan Fecan: "If therecession hadn't been there, we'd be talking about how much money we're making, profit,during these Games" (GLOBE & MAIL, 2/2).

By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal

Stats LLC has struck a multiyear deal with MLBAMto become baseball's official real-time data licensor.Building on similar pacts Stats holds with the NFL,NBA and other major properties, Stats will distributereal-time and post-game data to its media clientsaround the world, and the deal also covers the affiliatedminor leagues, Arizona Fall League, World BaseballClassic, Caribbean World Series and other events whereMLBAM collects data. Stats' involvement essentiallyreplaces a somewhat similar pact MLBAM held withSportsTicker prior to Stats' acquisition of its one-timerival last year. Financial terms were not disclosed.However, the deal is a fairly traditional data licensingand distribution deal and does not include anything from Stats' ongoing motion trackingwork with its SportVu unit. Nor does the agreement allow for the licensing of any locationand trajectory-based data developed by MLBAM in partnership with Sportvision. "Themotion tracking and thinking about incorporating the kinds of things we're doing there isa conversation we're still going to want to have with them," said Stats Exec VP Steve


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10. MEDIA NOTES

Comcast Re-Branding Its TV, Internet,Telephone Services As Xfinity

Byrd. "But this is a huge deal for us. It was the biggest property out there we didn't have,and we have tons of opportunity particularly in places like Japan and Taiwan where wehave a strong presence and there's big demand for this data. This sets us up exactly wherewe want to be." Stats will still cover every MLB game on its own, as it has in the past, tocreate a backup data feed instead of just relying on MLBAM's feed.

In Philadelphia, Bob Fernandezreports Comcast will "re-brand its TV,Internet, and telephone services asXfinity on Feb. 12 to signal tocustomers that this isn't the same oldcompany." Comcast "will remain as thecorporate name, but the company willemphasize Xfinity in advertisementsand on 24,000 service trucks andthousands of employee uniforms." Thenew brand name "will first appear inComcast ads, around the time of theWinter Olympics, in Philadelphia and 10 other markets and will then appear in Comcast'scable-franchise areas in other parts of the country" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/4).

CHIEF PRIORITY: The Chiefs yesterday announced a multi-year extension of theirradio partnership with KCFX-FM, which next season will serve as the flagship station forthe 21st consecutive season. KCFX will broadcast all Chiefs preseason, regular-seasonand postseason games to affiliates throughout a seven-state region. Announcer MitchHolthus and analyst Len Dawson will call the action together for the 17th straight season.Meanwhile, the Chiefs also announced a new radio partnership with WHB-AM, whichhas secured exclusive rights to other Chiefs programming, including the second hour ofthe official Chiefs postgame show, live press conferences and more. WHB will ownexclusive live radio broadcast rights to the Chiefs' weekly in-season press conferenceswith coach Todd Haley and the team's starting QB (Chiefs).

LET'S GO STREAMING: THE NATIONAL's Keach Hagey reports EPL games "willbe broadcast over broadband internet in the Middle East and North Africa from the startof next season." Abu Dhabi Media Company (ADMC) "won a three-year contract forexclusive regional rights to broadcast the EPL last year, but until now had not revealedhow it planned to broadcast matches." It was "widely assumed within the industry thatADMC would resell its rights to a pay-TV broadcaster, or sublicence them to terrestrialtelevision in certain markets." But ADMC CEO Edward Borgerding "rejected this modellast night" (THE NATIONAL, 2/4).

NUMBERS GAME: In Chicago, Rick Telander writes N.Y. Times sports reporterAlan Schwarz' "dogged, smart, mathematically-grounded pursuit of the rising braintrauma and dementia issues in the NFL has put him at the journalistic forefront of thehottest ethical topic in the football world." Schwarz has now written "over the course ofthree years some 30 articles for the Times on the connection between brain damage andfootball -- and, he insists, it is no longer a connection, but a fact." Schwarz, who"graduated cum laude in mathematics" from the Univ. of Pennsylvania, said, "I lovenumbers as numbers. I see personality in numbers. Numbers to me are a language thattell stories about people" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/4).


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11. NFLPA EXEC DIR DEMAURICE SMITH CLAIMS OWNERS EYEING LOCKOUTNFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith yesterday said that NFL team owners are "not only

girding for a 2011 lockout but intimated they are also intent on breaking the players'resolve," according to Jim Corbett of USA TODAY. Smith said, "The simple fact is theyhave engaged in a concerted course of conduct where anybody looking at it will see thatthey have done more to prepare themselves to not play football than to play football."When asked if the "intent of the owners' strategy is designed to break the union," Smithcited the league hiring outside labor counsel Bob Batterman, who advised the NHLduring its lockout. Smith: "The first data point, you hire the guy who orchestrated thehockey lockout. ... In 2008, 2009, you negotiate television contracts that pay the teamseven if the games aren't played. You negotiate coaches' contracts envisioning a lockout.And you are arguing in front of the Supreme Court that the antitrust laws should nolonger apply to you. What does that sound like?" (USA TODAY, 2/4).

TAKING DOLLARS & SENSE: Smith yesterday said players see “monumentalgrowth” on the business side, and they have “seen no evidence that anybody is losingmoney” under the current CBA. Smith: "Nobody is off 1% of their profits. Look, it's aneasy job if someone comes to me and says, 'De, we're off profits, 5%, 6%, 7%, 18%.' It'svery difficult to sell to a player in a locker room, 'You have to take a $340,000 pay cut.The owners want a $1(B) raise.'" He added, "So I think the closer we can get to theplayers understanding whether there is a decrease or a squeeze on the profit side, thatmakes sense." Smith reiterated he would prefer to have a new CBA in place before the '10season becomes uncapped in March. Smith: "That has been what has been driving meinto the ground to try to get this done." However, he conceded it is "going to be tough" toreach a new CBA in time to avoid a lockout in '11. Smith: "I'm going to make every effortto get this deal done. This game has to continue. It's too important to our fans, tooimportant for the people in our community and too important to the families who rely onfootball for their jobs" ("Mike & Mike in the Morning," ESPN2, 2/3). But NFLCommissioner Roger Goodell said, "It will work out. Eventually we will have anagreement. It's just a question of when. I look at it as an opportunity. This is a chance forus to structure an agreement that works for the players, works for the owners, and allowsthe game to continue to grow" (MIAMI HERALD, 2/4).

UNION MAINTAINS IT IS STRONG: Smith and Titans C and NFLPA PresidentKevin Mawae appeared on Showtime's "Inside The NFL" last night and discussed thelabor situation. Showtime's Cris Collinsworth said, ""This thing is probably headed for alockout ... but if I were an owner and I have the television money locked in and I knowI'm going to have a revenue stream that the players won't have, I'm also thinking there'sno way in heck these players are going to hold on. They are going to cave." Mawae: "Youunderestimate the players of today. The players are not going to be broke." He added,"We're looking at other steps to be able to work through a lockout problem. The ownersare not going to want to take this into a lockout." Smith earlier in the show mentioned theleague wants players to take a 18% pay cut, and Showtime's Michael Lombardi said, "Ithink you're being really general." Lombardi: "Nobody's going to ask Peyton Manningwhen his contract comes up to take a 18% decrease, and I think you're unilaterallymaking that statement. And I'm not sure that's quite where the owners' position is"("Inside The NFL," Showtime, 2/3).

TEAMS LOSING MONEY? Ravens Owner Steve Bisciotti yesterday warned that


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12. NFLPA CLAIMS LEAGUE INSISTING PLAYERS TAKE 20% PAY CUT IN NEW CBA

the NFL and union "could be headed for a 2011 lockout." Bisciotti said the current CBA isa "bad deal for the league." He believes that "increases the odds of a lockout with what heclaims are so many cash-strapped teams." Bisciotti: "There's no cash flow. If we don't getthis thing back to the point that teams have enough cash flow ... then there's a long-termproblem for the league." More Bisciotti: "I've got partners out there right now whoseteams are making less than their linebackers. I think we've got an acute problem herewith the general profitability of the teams" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/4). Bisciotti insistedthat "many of the 32 NFL teams are struggling" to make a profit. Ravens President DickCass said the club is "doing well compared to other teams around the league." But headded, "Just because we're still doing well in revenues, that doesn't mean we'regenerating a lot of profit" (AP, 2/3).

DOCUMENT SHOWS OWNERS' CASH DROP: BLOOMBERG NEWS' AaronKuriloff notes a document prepared by the league for NFLPA officials shows that NFLplayers received about $2.6B in "salary and benefits from incremental revenue growthunder the current labor contract, while owners' cash flow declined" by about $220M. Thedocument claims that the "owners' share of new revenue since" '05 totaled about $1B,while their costs rose to $1.2B. NFL CFO Anthony Noto said that while the league's totalrevenue rose 8% from '06 to '09 to about $8B, player costs are up 9% and "cash flow isdown" about 8%. Noto: "The clubs are being squeezed. I think they will be forced tocontinue to reduce their investment to try to get to a cash-flow number and a return thatthey need" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 2/4).

A PLAYER’S VIEWPOINT: Colts K Matt Stover, who previously was the long-timeplayer rep for the Ravens, weighed in on the CBA negotiations and said, “My concern isthe ownership and what they're going to do to each other.” Stover: “They're not togetheron what's going on right now with regard to upcoming negotiations. I think there areseveral of them that don't want to share these revenues, and, as a player group, we'regoing, 'C'mon, guys, don't ruin this good thing. … Let's not get greedy or selfish orhowever you want to look at it.'” More Stover: “At the same time, I'd put the thumb oncertain organizations, too, to make sure that they're responding to the model that theyhave. I'm hoping as a player … that they do create unification with the ownership first. Ithink that has to be done so that we can negotiate in good faith, because at this point wecan't. We don't know. We're in the dark right now with their books, and we need to knowwhat their issues are." Stover said he believes Smith is “doing a good job” and thinks theunion “can work something out.” But he noted, “I believe ownership sees there's value ina lockout, maybe not in a short term but in a long term, if they can get it. We're just goingto be smart with how we go about it" (CBSSPORTS.com, 2/3).

RETIRED PLAYERS UPSET: In DC, Mark Maske reported tensions betweenretired players and the NFLPA "were renewed" yesterday, as NFL Alumni AssociationExec Dir George Martin said that he has "made repeated attempts to schedule a meetingwith Smith but the two are yet to meet." Martin said that Smith has been "receptive ine-mail exchanges to the possibility of scheduling a face-to-face meeting, but nothing hasbeen arranged." He added, "If an individual as important as the commissioner of the NFLcan make the time to sit down and listen to the concerns of retired players, I feel Mr.Smith should as well. ... After such time as 3-1/2 months, it's time for us to sit down andnot procrastinate on this issue." He added Goodell has been "more responsive to theconcerns expressed by Martin." Smith said of Martin's comments, "He works for theleague. I know where George draws his paycheck" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 2/3).

By Liz Mullen, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal


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13. MLS RELEASES '10 SCHEDULE, SIMILAR TO EUROPEAN LEAGUE'S PATTERN

The NFLPA has made a proposal to the NFL that would cut league costs, including athree-year maximum length on rookie deals that would save $200M, but the NFL isinsisting that players take a more than 20% pay cut without offering financial reasons toback it up, said Titans C and NFLPA President Kevin Mawae. "We have offered solutions.We are the ones that offered the rookie (3-year maximum length), saving $200M,"Mawae said, referring to the NFLPA's proposal which would reduce compensationcommitted in multi-year contracts to rookies each year by $200M. He added, "Weintroduced ideas to get (costs out of) the revenue stream. But it keeps coming back,'Unless you take a 20% player cost cut, we can't do a deal.'" NFL officials were notavailable for comment. However, when the league was asked if it was true that it told theNFLPA that it could not do a deal unless the players agreed to a 20% cut, it said, "No."The NFLPA is set to hold its annual Super Bowl press conference today, and althoughunion officials would not reveal details, it is expected that the union will tell its financialstory to the press corps. That story, according to Mawae and other sources, is that theNFL is essentially asking the players to shoulder more costs, including normal operatingcosts, without providing any financial data regarding if clubs are losing money because oftheir costs.

SHOW US SOME PROOF: Mawae said, "This has always been our point: You want20% player cost cutbacks, show us the information and the data that would justify youasking to cut costs. And they haven’t done that. They have asked for an 18% rollback fromplayers, plus the 5% that is already cut out before you figure out the total football revenue(which determines the salary cap)." Mawae is referring to the little-known fact that 5% istaken off the top for a number of expenses including "team operating and day-of-gameexpenses," according to the current NFL CBA. "We found that after cost deductions andthe 5% deductions, it's almost a billion dollars that is not in the total football revenue," headded. It has been widely reported that NFL players appear to receive the highestpercentage of revenues -- at just under 60% -- compared to players in the other teamsports. Late NFLPA Exec Dir Gene Upshaw said publicly that the players were receiving59-60%. But in a recent letter to NFLPA player reps, NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smithwrote, "Last year, the NFL Players received 51.3% of Real Revenue."

UNION CHANGING ITS TUNE? Although the NFL would not comment, a leaguesource questioned whether the NFLPA was now changing its tune with bargaining for anew CBA going on. “They have been telling their players and others for years that theyare getting 60%," said the source. "Now they are changing the definition of total revenueto make the percentage look smaller. They know the real dollar numbers and how theplayers have gotten a huge windfall in the current CBA.” Many labor and sports businessexperts have said it is nearly impossible to make an apples-to-apples comparison becauseof how revenues are calculated and what costs are taken out before determiningrevenues. For example, in the NFL, costs such as the cost of making a T-shirt arededucted before calculating the revenue the T-shirt brings in. The NFL CBA also providesthat the union give the league credits for stadium construction, above and beyond the 5%for other costs including general operating costs. That amount is about $1B, according toMawae and Smith's letter, and the 51.3% in the letter refers to actual dollars.

MLS yesterday released its '10 regular-season schedule and "for the first time in theleague's 15-year history, it conforms to the pattern set by Europe's leading leagues,"according to Grahame Jones of the L.A. TIMES. Each of MLS' 16 teams "will play theother 15 teams once at home and once on the road" in a 30-game schedule. That followsthe patterns "long established in Europe and should lead to an increase in MLS


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14. MLB TEAMS CANNOT REQUIRE PLAYERS TO DONATE TO CLUB CHARITIES

attendance because fans will have only one opportunity of seeing each visiting team andits stars during the regular season." All of the league's 240 games "will be televisedregionally or nationally, with one third live on national television." In addition, 85% ofgames "will be played on weekends," including 75% on Saturdays. The MLS All-StarGame "will be played at Reliant Stadium in Houston in late July or early August," andMLS Cup '10 "will be played Nov. 21 at a venue to be announced" (L.A. TIMES, 2/4).FANHOUSE.com's Brian Straus wrote of the schedule, "Each game is a one-off event, theonly matchup of those given clubs in that stadium this year. It should add an element ofinterest and intrigue to each fixture that MLS has not been able to produce consistently"(FANHOUSE.com, 2/3).

STATE OF THE UNION: In Philadelphia, Marc Narducci notes the expansionUnion will play their first game in the new PPL Park in Chester on June 27 againstSounders FC. Union President Tom Veit: "The league really worked with us because wewanted to have as many home games as possible in our stadium. I think this is the bestpossible situation." Veit said that the team has "sold nearly 9,500 season tickets at itsnew stadium," with a cut-off point of around 12,000. Until the new facility is complete,the club will play at Lincoln Financial Field (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/4).

STAR ATTRACTION: In Seattle, Jose Miguel Romero writes Sounders FC's"presence continues to grow," as the club again has the "first match of the season in theentire league" on March 25 against the Union at Qwest Field. The game is "one of sevenSounders FC appearances on ESPN2 this year," and "no other MLS team appears on anESPN network more often." The team has 10 total games on national television, andSounders Senior VP/Business Operations Gary Wright said, "I know the networks likedoing games from Qwest Field, and that is a real tribute to the fans and the atmospherethey have created in the stadium" (SEATTLE TIMES, 2/4).

NO BULL: In N.Y., Michael Lewis reports the Red Bulls, who will debut their newRed Bull Arena next month, are "interested in hosting the MLS Cup this year." Red BullsManaging Dir Erik Stover: "We're seriously considering it. We will put in an application."An MLS source said that the team is "under consideration along with several other cities"(N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/4).

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig's office and the MLBPA have agreed that teams "cannotmandate that a player donate to club charities as part of his contract," according to BillShaikin of the L.A. TIMES. MLBPA Exec Dir Michael Weiner said that the agreement"does not restrict players from making donations but ensures the choice is theirs."Weiner: "The goal here never has been to interfere with players making charitablecontributions, which guys have a long history of doing." Shaikin notes as part of DodgersLF Manny Ramirez' $45M contract he signed in March, he "agreed to donate $1[M] tothe Dodgers' charitable foundation." Dodgers Owner Frank McCourt followed that up bysaying that he "would implement the 'Ramirez Provision,' asking players to make adonation in an amount of their choosing as part of all future Dodgers contracts."The MLBPA filed a grievance alleging that teams "had improperly mandated donations toclub charities in the contracts of at least 109 players." A source said that under thesettlement agreement, clubs can "demand such donations from players signing as freeagents or signing long-term contracts that buy out one or more years of free agency." Thesource said that players "not yet eligible for free agency cannot be compelled to donate"(L.A. TIMES, 2/4).


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15. SAINTS' SUCCESS HELPING TEAM EARN FANS THROUGHOUT LOUISIANA

16. SOURCE SAYS SALE OF BOBCATS COULD HAPPEN AS SOON AS NEXT MONTH

The Saints' success this season has "accomplished what the team's marketing guruscould not: Turn the Saints from a team that had belonged almost exclusively to the NewOrleans region into a statewide and regional draw," according to Jan Moller of the NewOrleans TIMES-PICAYUNE. The surge in interest is "notable in large part because of theapathy that preceded it." In '05, the Saints, displaced from the Superdome afterHurricane Katrina, "struggled through a 3-13 nightmare of a season while playing theirhome games in front of 50,000 empty seats at LSU's Tiger Stadium." At that time, the"prospects of the Saints being embraced by Baton Rouge, much less the rest of Louisiana,seemed remote." But Saints VP/Marketing & Business Development Ben Hales said thatabout 30% of the team's season-ticket holders now "hail from outside the New Orleansregion." Former Lake Charles American Press editor Jim Beam "pegs the team'sresurgence in southwest Louisiana to the 2006 season, and the shared experience of lossand rejuvenation that binds that region to New Orleans." But Moller notes there is "also amore practical reason for the team's popularity in Lake Charles: television." Until a fewyears ago, the Fox affiliate in Lake Charles, KVHP, "often showed Cowboys games onSundays, largely because the station also served areas of east Texas." But that "changedearlier this decade, when a new Fox station popped up in southeast Texas." Meanwhile,Shreveport's KMSS-Fox GM Paula Hayward said that the Cowboys "drew slightly higherratings than the Saints in November, the most recent ratings period." KMSS twice thisyear "asked its viewers to vote on" whether the station should show the Cowboys orSaints when there was a direct conflict. The first vote was "won by the Saints," but theCowboys "won by a narrow margin" the second time (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE,2/4).

CATCHING THE FEVER: In Louisiana, Jeff Matthews noted business "has beenbrisk in several sectors -- including food and beverage, advertising and apparel -- inconnection with the Saints' best season in their long-suffering history." SusanBroussard, Store Dir for an Albertson's location in Alexandria, Louisiana, said, "It's likethe perfect storm. We're not even sure how to prepare for this. Louisiana has neverexperienced anything like having our team in the Super Bowl. It's new to us." Matthewsnoted Albertson's will have employees "working around the clock as the weekend getscloser to meet expected demand," while the Academy Sports & Outdoors in Alexandria isplanning a "late-night opening if the Saints win" (Alexandria TOWN TALK, 2/3).

Ongoing negotiations between Bobcats Owner Bob Johnson and The Postolos GroupOwner George Postolos "could result in a sale of the NBA team during March or April,"according to a source cited by Rick Bonnell of the CHARLOTTE OBSERVER. NBAsources said that Johnson "acknowledged to fellow owners that the Bobcats would losetens of millions during the next few seasons." The team is "still heavily in debt, well inexcess of $100[M], and Johnson's minority partners haven't generally participated incash calls to cover the losses." While the Bobcats "have improved, with a winning recordand a strong chance at their first playoff appearance, that hasn't made much impact onticket sales." The Bobcats are 22nd out of the 30 NBA teams in home attendance,averaging 15,017 per game at Time Warner Cable Arena. One question "concerning apotential sale is whether" Bobcats Managing Member of Basketball Operations Michael


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17. HITTING THE RIGHT TUNE: JAZZ MAY BRING BACK MUSIC NOTE LOGO

18. EPL FRANCHISE NOTES: PORTSMOUTH CONFIRMS LATEST TAKEOVER

Jordan, who reportedly owns the right of first refusal, is "serious about buyingcontrolling interest" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/4). ESPN.com's J.A. Adande cites anNBA source as saying that Jordan is "not inclined to make a bid for the franchise thatmatches the number" Johnson has in mind. It is "believed that a group led by" Postoloshas "made a higher offer." One source interpreted Johnson's "backing away from the saleto Postolos last summer and the continued extension of the process as a desire to giveJordan another opportunity to put together a strong offer." But with NBA owners"already skittish about the perceived low-price sale" of the Nets by Bruce Ratner toMikhail Prokhorov "dragging down franchise values there will be pressure on Johnson togo for the higher bid and not let his relationship with Jordan outweigh the prospect ofmore cash" (ESPN.com, 2/4).

WOULD JORDAN MAKE A GOOD OWNER? ESPN's Marcellus Wiley said,"Being a great player does not necessarily mean it translates into being a great owner. …Michael Jordan as the president of the Wizards won less than 40% of his ballgames, andhe's the guy who drafted Kwame Brown with the first pick in 2001." But ESPN's MichelleBeadle said, “He has learned from his mistakes when he was with the Wizards becausewith the Bobcats, he's actually making them relevant" ("SportsNation," ESPN2, 2/3).

The Jazz are considering bringing back their oldmusic note logo "on a full-time basis," according toRoss Siler of the SALT LAKE TRIBUNE. Jazz PresidentRandy Rigby confirmed that the team has "talked to theNBA about the possibility." Rigby: "We're looking atthat. We've kept that mark so that we can look at maybedoing a redesign." The Jazz used the music note logo"from the team's founding in New Orleans in 1974 through the 1995-96 season, beforeswitching to the current logo." The Jazz "returned to the music note as a secondary logotwo years ago and are wearing green and yellow throwback jerseys from the 1979-80season featuring the logo this season." The NBA "typically requires teams seek approvalof logo changes at least two years in advance." Rigby said the Jazz are "just still looking atit." However, Jazz G Deron Williams said that he has "already seen designs of the newjerseys the Jazz could wear next season." Instead of the original "Mardi Gras colors ofpurple, green and yellow," the Jazz are expected to sport the updated music note logowith blue, green and gold. Rigby noted that the green and yellow throwbacks "have beenwell received." He added that late Jazz Owner Larry Miller was a "fan of the music notefrom a tradition standpoint." Williams said, "As long as we don't go back to the ones withthe mountains, I'm cool, the one that Jeff Hornacek has up in the rafters" (SLTRIB.com,2/3).

In London, Ben Smith reports EPL club Portsmouth confirmed that a company ownedby Hong Kong-based businessman Balram Chainrai has "seized control of the troubledclub from" current Owner Ali al-Faraj. Chainrai is "believed to have taken over al-Faraj's90[%] shareholding after becoming frustrated that the club had missed deadlines torepay money he was due for substantial loans he gave to them earlier this season." IfChainrai "passes the Premier League's fit and proper persons test, he will become thefourth owner" of the club this season. However, Portsmouth "stressed Chainrai's takeoveris a short-term solution to their ongoing financial problems, with his main aim being toprevent the club going into liquidation while new owners are found" (LONDON TIMES,


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19. FRANCHISE NOTES

Chaifetz May Be InvolvedIn Group Bidding For Rams

2/4).SLOW START: In London, Alistair Dawber reports investors in Manchester United's

"much-hyped" US$800M bond issue launched last month have "lost money on the dealafter weaker markets and a perception that the club is a poor creditor led to a drop in itsvalue last week." The bond was "initially priced at a discount to attract investors and hassince fallen even further," and bold holders "wishing to sell now would make a fivepercentage point loss." The bond's low value is "exacerbated by the tepid interest shownin the deal from traditional investment houses, which would normally underpin a deal,leaving wealthy individuals in Asia to pick up the surplus" (London INDEPENDENT,2/4).

TIME FOR A CAP? In Manchester, Dave Middleton reports West Ham Unitedco-Owner David Sullivan has "reignited the debate over a salary cap in the PremierLeague, saying it may be the only solution to the 'madness' of current top-flight wages."Sullivan said that high salaries "were 'bad for football' and hit out at the imbalancecreated by the spending power of the billionaire owners of Manchester City and Chelsea."Sullivan: "I've always been against it but I'm starting to swing towards it, as they have inAmerican football. Other than that I just don't see an end to it -- of wages out of allproportion to the turnover of the clubs. Somehow there should be some sort of control"(Manchester GUARDIAN, 2/4).

In St. Louis, Howard Balzer reports ComPsych Corp.Chair & CEO Dr. Richard Chaifetz "did not denyWednesday that he is involved in a group trying topurchase" the Rams. While "not directly admitting hisinvolvement, Chaifetz spent 10 minutes on the phoneasking questions about what was being said in St. Louisabout the sale of the Rams." NFL sources said that whileChaifetz "might not be the lead investor of the group, he 'isamong those in the running'" (GLOBE-DEMOCRAT.com,2/4). Meanwhile, PRO FOOTBALL TALK's Mike Floriocited a league source as saying that the "word on the street-- as in, literally, Wall Street -- is that" SCP WorldwideChair Dave Checketts "doesn't have the money to buy" theRams. The source indicated that Checketts "has not beenable to line up enough investors to buy the team"(PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 2/3).

NOT OVER YET: SI.com's Jon Heyman wrote it isbelieved that the Astros bid group led by former IBAF President Harvey Schiller andMark Isaacson, the lead negotiator for N.Y.-based investment firm Great Court Capital,"will still have a chance to meet the asking price that is said to be at least" $600M. AstrosOwner Drayton McLane's intention "appears to be to act like he has little interest inselling," but this is the "second foray in recent years into a possible sale, and this oneseems serious." Meanwhile, there are "rumors of trouble in the Rangers' deal to sell theteam to the group led by Chuck Greenberg and Nolan Ryan," but sources close toGreenberg said that he "remains unworried" (SI.com, 2/3).

MAKING PROGRESS: The D'Backs' contract commitments for the '10 season are"near their $75[M] budget," and Managing General Partner Ken Kendrick said, "We hadstarted out with a roughly mid-70s number that we wanted to work with, but recognizedthat the economy would probably put stress on the market. And if there was a significant


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20. PORTLAND CITY COUNCIL APPROVES PGE PARK RENOVATION FOR MLS TEAM

Portland City Council Has Approved A $31MRenovation Of PGE Park For New MLS Team

piece or significant opportunity that would come along in an area where we had a need,that [GM Josh Byrnes] could feel free, and come back and let us know." MLB.com's SteveGilbert noted the team's "final payroll number will not be known until the club reaches anagreement" with P Edwin Jackson. The team "has not had a player go to an arbitrationhearing under Byrnes, and Kendrick said the team is open to the possibility of avoidingthe process in the future by signing key players to multiyear deals" (MLB.com, 2/3).

SALE IN LIMBO? In Toronto, Chris Zelkovich reports CFL BOG members yesterdayat their meetings in West Palm Beach were told that the Argonauts' ownership issue was"being taken off the day's agenda." There are "no guarantees a deal will be done thisweek" for Argonauts co-Owners David Cynamon and Howard Sokolowski to sell the teamto B.C. Lions Owner David Braley. A source said that the two sides are "still talking butBraley is reassessing his offer after getting a closer look at the Argos' books." Cynamonand Sokolowski "have little wiggle room as they haven't been able to find another suitoror partner, even with league commissioner Mark Cohon working behind the scenes tohelp them" (TORONTO STAR, 2/4).

The Portland City Council yesterdayapproved a $31M agreement withMerritt Paulson to renovate PGE Parkfor his new MLS team, "clearing theway for Portland to become atwo-major-league-sports city in 2011,"according to James Mayer of thePortland OREGONIAN. The council"voted for the deal only after a majorityof council members were assured thatno taxpayer money was at risk." In a"provision that eased their worries,Paulson promises that if his company,Peregrine LLC, cannot complete the city-owned ballpark's reconstruction for any reason,he and his father, former U.S. Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson, will pay to finish it."Paulson will pay $8M in cash "upfront and an additional" $11.1M into the city's SpectatorFacilities Fund as "prepaid rent to serve as a construction loan." The city will borrow$11.9M, "with repayment coming primarily from ticket taxes at PGE Park and TrailBlazers games." Paulson "agreed to cover all construction cost overruns and hascommitted to keeping the MLS team in Portland for the life of the contract, which runsthrough 2035." City Commissioner Amanda Fritz "cast the only no vote, saying shebelieves the agreement is the best possible deal for the city but still could put taxpayers atrisk." The council last night also "approved a permit allowing Peregrine to enter thestadium to begin construction." Portland Timbers VP/Communications Chris Metz saidthat preliminary work is "being done now that will be halted before the start" ofthe season for the Triple-A PCL Beavers, the venue's current tenant. The reconstructionwork "will resume in the fall and be completed in time for the 2011 MLS season"(Portland OREGONIAN, 2/4).

READY FOR KICK OFF: The Timbers announced that they are "accepting seasonticket deposits" for their inaugural MLS season. The ticket plan "will give priority access


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21. MINNESOTA GOV. SAYS LOTTERY COULD HELP FINANCE VIKINGS STADIUM

Pawlenty Says Lottery Funds Could GenerateEstimated $12M Annually For New Stadium

22. NEW JERSEY GOV. NOT READY TO RULE ON NETS MOVE TO NEWARK

New Jersey Governor Waiting To Receive Input

to 2010 Timbers full-season ticket holders." Fans who are "not purchasing 2010 seasontickets can pay a $50 seat deposit and receive priority over other purchasers"(BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/3).

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlentyyesterday moved closer to "becoming apivotal player" in the Vikings stadiumdebate, "suggesting that state lotterymoney and other means could helppublicly finance the controversialproject," according to Kaszuba & Stassen-Berger of the Minneapolis STARTRIBUNE. Pawlenty in a radio interviewsaid that Minnesota "could use proceedsfrom a new state lottery game to generatean estimated" $12M annually for a new

stadium. Pawlenty said that he is "not specifically proposing such a funding plan," butadded that lottery funds "could be part of a public subsidy package that would generatethe [$29-42M] annually that team officials say would be needed for a stadium." Kaszuba& Stassen-Berger note a "novel element that Pawlenty offered" in his comments involveda "pumped up version of tax increment financing, a complex financing tool that typicallyhas allowed developers to divert their property taxes to develop their properties." VikingsVP/Public Affairs & Stadium Development Lester Bagley said team officials "applaud thegovernor" for his comments. Bagley added that the team has "explored the tax benefits ofcreating a stadium development district to capture the rise in 'all of the economic activity'surrounding a new facility." Meanwhile, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission(MSFC) Chair Roy Terwilliger, whose organization owns the Metrodome, said that "usinglottery proceeds for a stadium has been discussed, as has a proposal to divert incometaxes paid by players and coaches." Terwilliger noted there is "ongoing dialogue" betweenthe MSFC and the governor's office (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 2/4).

FOUR SCORE: The AP's John Krawczynski wrote Vikings QB Brett Favre's presencethis season was a "boost to everything from the team's box office and merchandise salesto sponsorship deals and its pursuit of a new stadium." Favre's jersey "was the No. 1 sellerthroughout the league, the ticket office was deluged with requests in the days followinghis signing in August and the team locked down some lucrative sponsorship deals thatwere sorely needed to offset the lack of revenue generated by the Metrodome." VikingsCMO and VP/Sales & Marketing Steve LaCroix: "Certainly, he had an impact. It's hard toquantify it exactly, but there's no doubt he helped." Meanwhile, Davie Brown TalentGroup Account Dir Matt Delzell said Favre's decision to return to the Vikings or retirehas "a lot of far-reaching implications." Delzell: "Not just on the field, but financially it's ahuge hit to the Vikings if he decides to retire" (AP, 2/2).

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christieyesterday "refused to say whether hewill allow" the Nets to move toPrudential Center for the next two NBAseasons, or waive the $7.5M penalty theNets face for "breaking their lease" at


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23. LEIWEKE DISCUSSES AEG'S GROWING INFLUENCE IN CONCERT BUSINESS

Leiweke Notes AEG's RemarkableProgress In Music-Ticketing Market

Izod Center, according to Claire Heininger of the Newark STAR-LEDGER. While the Netsand Devils, the Prudential Center's lead tenant, hope to "send Christie a leasearrangement this week," Christie suggested that a "decision is not imminent." Christiesaid that he will make a decision "after receiving input on the broader impact of a dealfrom a newly formed advisory commission on New Jersey's struggling sports, gaming andentertainment industries." Heininger noted the $7.5M fee is "seen as key to thediscussions that would bring the Nets to Newark before their planned move to Brooklynin 2012." While former New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine was "willing to waive the fee, thesports and gaming committee of Christie's transition team suggested the penalty shouldbe upheld." Christie yesterday said that the newly formed advisory panel will "examinethe viability" of the NJSEA, as well as the state's "money-losing racetracks, the stalledXanadu project" and the relationship between Izod Center and the Prudential Center.The seven-member commission will be led by former NJSEA Chair Jon Hanson, and alsoincludes former Rutgers AD Bob Mulcahy, YES Network Founder Finn Wentworth andYES announcer Al Leiter (NJ.com, 2/3).

TIME TO GET TO WORK: The panel will "follow on the work of a larger group thatoutlined the problems for Christie in a transition report last month." Christie asked thecommission to "report back to him by June 30, but said it will advise him on morepressing issues on an 'ongoing, real-time' basis." He stressed that the issues are"interrelated and cannot be tackled individually -- nor should the stakeholders see it thatway." The STAR-LEDGER outlines the "big problems that need to be addressed"(Newark STAR-LEDGER, 2/4). A STAR-LEDGER editorial states New Jersey's statedepartment "needs an objective, hard look" at the NJSEA's "sky-high debt; its decayingand underutilized arena; an ugly and abandoned indoor ski slope; a stadium deal thatwill cost taxpayers millions; a dying horse-racing industry; and ridiculous NJSEAsalaries." But naming Hanson as the Chair of the panel is a "flat-out whiff" by Christie. Asa former Chair of the NJSEA, Hanson is "an alumnus of Mismanagement University." Hehelped "create the problem" (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 2/4).

AEG President & CEO Tim Leiweke"had his hand in the JusticeDepartment's recent deal to approve"the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger,and his "involvement in those delicatenegotiations yielded big bonuses for hiscompany," according to Alex Pham ofthe L.A. TIMES. Under a proposedsettlement with antitrust regulators,AEG "would get access toTicketmaster's technology to build arival ticketing service." Asked if AEGcan compete against the mergedTicketmaster-Live Nation, Leiweke

said, "Ticketmaster owns 85% of the music-ticketing business. So there are existingcontracts we will all have to deal with. And Live Nation is twice as large as AEG Live, plussome." But he noted, "Ten years ago, we were zero percent of the market. Now we have$1[B] in revenue on the live concert side. It will be hard now to dismiss us as irrelevant."Meanwhile, Leiweke said AEG is "close to hitting our numbers on retail" at L.A. Live.Leiweke: "Foot traffic is on track to hit 20 million this year. Advertising revenue is above


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24. FACILITY NOTES

"Keep The Arena In Natomas" CommitteePitches Plan To Reinvent Arco Arena Site

25. PARTY IN THE MIA: SOUTH FLORIDA SUPER BOWL FESTIVITIES CONTINUE

projection. The events we have created are above projections. Even our suites andpremier seats are above projection. We're doing well considering the recession."However, Leiweke, referring to the new 54-story hotel at L.A. Live, said, "If you were tochoose to open a hotel, it would not be right now. We're on time and close to on budget.But it may take us a year longer than we thought to get to the point where this hotel willbe a good investment." Leiweke also discussed the state of the AEG-owned NHL Kings,saying, "Five years ago, we made a decision to build from within. It was a painful fiveyears. People hated me. But the result is that we now have a solid nucleus. ... Not only arewe going to have a kick at the cup this year, but we'll have it for the next five years as well.This is the most fun I've had in years" (L.A. TIMES, 2/4).

The Rays and The Mosaic Company have agreed to terms on a 15-year naming-rightsdeal for the team's Spring Training venue, which will be called Mosaic Field at CharlotteSports Park. The ballpark will be branded with interior and exterior signage, includingthe main scoreboard, all entry points, the marquee located at the park's main entrance,the top of the dugouts and at the press box level behind home plate. Mosaic also willsponsor a number of community events each year, including a series of baseball clinicswith Rays staff. The Rays later this month will submit the naming-rights partnership tothe Charlotte County (FL) Board of County Commissioners for final approval (Rays).

WANTING TO STAY PUT: InSacramento, Tony Bizjak reports theNatomas Chamber of Commerce's"Keep The Arena in Natomas"Committee has "pitched an ambitiousplan to reinvent" the 180-acre ArcoArena site. Under the plan, a newarena, "slightly north of Arco, would besurrounded by stores, restaurants,entertainment venues, a hotel and acinema." Committee Chair MarniLeger: "It's a location that has beentried, tested and proven to work." However, Bizjak writes the committee "faces an uphillbattle." Five of the seven arena proposals submitted "would put a new arena downtown,"and NBA officials and Kings Owners the Maloofs have "thrown their weight behind one ofthose plans." And while Sacramento officials "haven't taken a position on the proposalsyet, they've talked for years about the possibility of kick-starting redevelopment of thevacant downtown railyard expanse by locating an arena there" (SACRAMENTO BEE,2/4).

PERKS OF THE JOB: A FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM editorial notes the City ofArlington has a "free suite" at Cowboys Stadium. Each City Council member "gets twofree seats in the suite for Cowboys games and other big-time entertainment events." Andwhile Council members said that the suite is "used to promote Arlington and to entertainand entice economic development prospects," the editorial notes Cowboys Owner JerryJones is "either getting something from it or is greasing the skids for when he wantssomething from the city" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 2/4).


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Event At Grass In Miami Will Raise Funds For Haiti

26. LINDSEY VONN POISED TO ENTER LIMELIGHT WITH STRONG OLYMPICS

South Beach is heating up as celebrities and athletes alike make the rounds to partiesahead of Sunday's Super Bowl XLIV. THE DAILY offers you the inside scoop forupcoming events and previews the slate of celebrity bashes on tap this weekend.

PARTY FOR A CAUSE: In Miami, Audra Burchnotes organizers of parties around Sunday's SuperBowl are "hoping to harness and leverage the power offame to raise funds for the relief and recovery efforts"in Haiti. The Giving Back Fund Founder MarcPollick said Super Bowl parties are the "perfectcombustible combination." He said, "The celebritiescan bring attention to a very important cause and themedia will cover it. In terms of raising funds, youcouldn't have picked a more perfect place for a SuperBowl." NFL players and celebs are "hosting a string ofevents that will benefit Haiti, including a ball atJungle Island, a fashion show at Grass Restaurant andLounge, and an evening of sports and art at theHaitian Heritage Museum." BET Friday will presentSOS -- Saving Ourselves -- a benefit concert andtelethon at AmericanAirlines Arena that will air liveon BET, MTV, VH1, CENTRIC and BET Int'l. BET President of Programming Music &Specials Stephen Hill: "We knew there was going to be a lot of talent already in Miamifor the Super Bowl, so it made sense to do it there." The event will be hosted by QueenLatifah, Diddy and Pharrell, with performances by Justin Bieber, Ludacris, MaryJ. Blige, Chris Brown, Wyclef Jean and Akon (MIAMI HERALD, 2/4).

PUMP UP THE JAM: The four-day "Eats Beats Cleats Gridiron Festival" kicks offtoday in South Beach and Pro Football HOFers Barry Sanders, Michael Irvin, GaleSayers, Roger Staubach and Dick Butkus are expected to attend. Tonight, ProFootball HOFer Joe Montana, Fox Sports analyst Troy Aikman, Cardinals WR LarryFitzgerald and ESPN's Kenny Mayne and Steve Young will attend the "Jerry RiceCelebrity Gala." Meanwhile, NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson and singer NickLachey will host their "Super Skins Kick-Off Party" from 9:00pm-2:00am at Hotel 944at the Eden Roc in Miami Beach. Rapper Snoop Dogg will perform (HERALD.com,1/27)....Singers Rihanna, Timbaland and Justin Bieber will perform tonight at thePepsi Super Bowl Fan Jam (NFL)....ESPN's Ron Jaworski tonight will host hisCelebrity South Beach Cigar Party at the Victor Hotel from 7:00-10:00pm. ESPN's MikeTirico, Jon Gruden, Suzy Kolber, Mike Ditka, Merril Hoge and DesmondHoward are scheduled to attend. The event will benefit the United Way Jaws YouthFund and United Way of Miami-Dade County (THE DAILY).

Skier Lindsey Vonn is the "boldest name on a short list of U.S. Olympians with thepotential to leave Canada famous beyond the narrow confines" of the Vancouver Games,according to Tim Layden in a cover story for SPORTS ILLUSTRATED. Vonn will "ski inall five Alpine racing disciplines and is the gold medal favorite in three." Vonn's races"stretch across a Phelpsian 13 days, giving NBC and its many media platforms theopportunity to transform her into a one-woman miniseries." Vonn's agents, IMG's Sue


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27. VANOC TAKING EXTREME PRECAUTIONS OVER POSSIBLE TERROR THREATS

Dorf and Mark Ervin, have "locked down lucrative sponsorship deals with 10 companies"-- Alka-Seltzer Plus, Oroweat, Procter & Gamble, Red Bull, Rolex, Sega, Under Armour,Vail Resorts, Uvex and Head. Vonn and her reps took a "huge risk in an Olympic year"last summer by "declining to accept the 50% pay cut that ski manufacturer Rossignolimposed on all its sponsored athletes and instead switching to Head equipment." Laydenwrites Vonn is "a medal or two away from lasting greatness," and she has an "eternallyalluring image, vitally important to a niche endeavor like ski racing." Vonn can "sell notonly energy drinks but also herself and her sport, and she can do it effortlessly." Dorf saidVonn is the "girl everybody wants to take to the prom," while Vonn's friend VanessaLarsen said she is a "total Midwestern, sweet, normal girl." Layden writes it is "perilousin 2010 to shill too passionately for any athlete's goodness, but Vonn seems a long shot toembarrass herself except perhaps through more oddball injuries" (SPORTSILLUSTRATED, 2/8 issue).

GREAT EXPECTATIONS: ESPN.com's Howard Bryant wrote Vonn is theVancouver Games' "equivalent of the helium balloon, filled with expectations and leavinglittle middle ground." She either "will soar or burst." NBC has "her face smattered all overits promotional campaigns: television ads, billboards, interviews." In terms of "starpower, she is alone" among U.S. Olympians this year. The familiar "mining camp forOlympic stardom -- figure skating -- lost its signature face" when Sasha Cohen did notqualify for the Games, while skier Bode Miller "isn't the powerhouse he was onceforecast" to be before the '06 Turin Games. Vonn said, "I don't know why I'm the centerof the NBC campaign. ... It's good to be in Europe and not the U.S. because I don't knowwhat's going on" (ESPN.com, 1/29).

BEHIND-THE-SCENES ACCESS: Vail Resorts has launched a new Web site,LindseyisEpic.com, which provides a behind-the-scenes look at Vonn's endeavors this skiseason. The site includes more than 20 video clips of Vonn chronicling her ski careerand season on the World Cup circuit (Vail Resorts).

The Vancouver Games, in order to combat against a possible terrorist attack,are seeing an almost $1B "security blanket being put in place, with more Canadianmilitary and police forces deployed here than at any time since World War II," accordingto NBC News’ Jim Maceda. Security officials said that there “is no specific threattargeting these Winter Games" to date. In order to guard against a threat, there will be“metal detectors and x-ray machines, as well as dozens of sniffer dogs trained to findexplosives” used at all competition venues. However, the Games “will be spread over4,000-square miles." NBC News terrorism analyst Roger Cressey: "The real problem isnot the Olympic facilities, it's potential soft targets -- transportation, hotels, any areawhere large numbers of people are going to gather." Maceda noted Canadian officials“say security here will be serious, but as low-profile as possible.” Maceda: “The challenge… is making these Games safe without suffocating them in that security blanket."Meanwhile, NBC News’ Brian Williams reported the security issue “was the subject of acabinet-level meeting in the White House Situation Room” ("Nightly News," NBC, 2/3).Vice President Joe Biden is scheduled to lead the official U.S. delegation at the OpeningCeremony (THE DAILY).

SAFETY DEPOSIT BOX: Vancouver 2010 Integrated Security Unit Head BudMercer yesterday said that the Games' C$900M security budget "won't be enough if thethreat of a terrorist attack rises above 'medium.'" Mercer: "Obviously, if the threat levelchanged, we'd have to regroup and put Plan B in place. And if that were to happen, thecosts would go up. Based on today's environment, unless there's a change either


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28. OLYMPIC NOTES: POLO CRITICIZED FOR CONSUMERISM ON TEAM USA GEAR

Polo Criticized For Its"Obviously Logoed Collection"

29. WHAT I LIKE.... WITH PRO FOOTBALL HOFER LAWRENCE TAYLOR

domestically or internationally, I would suggest we are able to stay within the $900[M]."He did not comment on "how much the bill could rise, but said that there are about 1,000police officers on standby across the country" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 2/4).

In Boston, Alyssa Giacobbe notes Polo RalphLauren's Team USA outfits for the '08 BeijingOlympics were criticized for "what many bloggerscalled consumerism at its worst," and the brand forthe Vancouver Games has "returned with an evenmore obviously logoed collection." The Polo pony that"decorates everything from sweaters to fleece jacketsis even more prominent, larger, in fact, than theOlympic rings" on Team USA gear. The Olympicshave "long moved away from pure spectacle ofathletic ability to become an event influenced by, andrepresentative of, politics, branding, and, yes,consumerism" (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/4).

OVER-PROTECTIVE? In Phoenix, Mark Fallernoted while the USOC insists that non-Olympicsponsors are infringing on "copyrighted Olympicsimages and terminology," things are "really getting out of hand." U.S. swimmer MichaelPhelps "might owe his fame to his Olympics performance, and Subway is clever to tapinto that name-association" with its new TV spot, but for the USOC to "raise a stink overthis is just plain childish" (AZCENTRAL.com, 2/3).

VANCOUVER'S UGLY DUCKLING: In Vancouver, Kent Spencer reports "opinionis growing" that the Canada pavilion in downtown Vancouver is an "embarrassment" tothe country. The pavilion, a "white canvas tent-like structure," already has been "pannedby professional architects." The structure was built by Chicago-based Giltspur Exhibits,which won the bid last November. Vancouver resident Alastair Campbell said, "It lookslike a temporary tent" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 2/4).

In our continuing series, SportsBusiness Daily/SportsBusiness Journal asks topsports personalities for their thoughts, ideas, aspirations and likes. Today, Pro FootballHOFer LAWRENCE TAYLOR.

What I like in an insight: I take life a lot slower at 50 than I did at 30 and I'm a betterperson for it.

An influential person in my career: My high school coach MELVIN JONES andthe late Giants Owner WELLINGTON MARA.

An out-of-the-box idea: Golf balls with GPS and a floater.

A timeless idea: A range finder on the golf course.


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A business deal: My relationship with Nutrisystem has changed my life.

A sports facility: I haven't been inside yet but I've seen the outside of the newMeadowlands Stadium (it will always be Giants Stadium) and it looks amazing. Moveover, Dallas.

A sports event: Nothing bigger than the Super Bowl.

A strategy: The one our coaches implemented against the Bills in Super Bowl XXV.

A hire: The Giants hiring GEORGE YOUNG in 1979 to be GM.

A brand: Just For Men hair coloring.

A trend: People more conscious about health and living smarter.

An innovation: Sports medicine. The ability for athletes to recover from injury now isamazing.

A pro league or team business initiative: The USFL. DONALD TRUMP almosthad me before they folded up the tents.

A story that bears watching: PRESIDENT OBAMA's health care plan.

An idea or invention I wish I had thought of: Protective material to guard againstconcussions.

A fantasy job: Talent coordinator at a Gentlemen's Club.

What I like about my job: Freedom of not going to practice every day.

Sports: Camraderie and competition.

Sports business: As a player it's simple ... the better you perform the more you getpaid. I never had a problem with being paid on performance.

Sports media: Do I really need to answer? It's easy for the guys with notepads to throwdarts.

Sports technology: Takes the guessing out of the officials' hands.

Competing: The adrenaline can never be matched, whether it is on the football field oreven the golf course.

The future (or direction) of sports business: Owners always making a lot ofmoney.

Sports fans: Blind loyalty. They support you through good and bad, and Giants fans dobleed Giant blue.


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What I would like to change: Speed limits.

Change in what I do: I'm actually content with my life.

See: All my kids and grandkids lead happy, healthy successful lives.

See more of in sports: In football, let the quarterbacks get hit again.

See less of in sports: Divas.

See less of in sports business: Guys collecting money not based on performance.

Eliminate: My bills.

What I don't like in general: Loud people.

Pet peeve: Wearing shoes. I only wear sandals.

In sports: Officials affecting the outcome of games.

In business: Losing money.

About sports fans: Being rude and uninformed.

What I like in people: I love kids, it's adults I worry about.

That would surprise those who know me: That I'm a very good driver.

Above all else: Watching "Family Guy."

About myself: I've come a long way and have overcome some tremendous obstacles.

Heroes: My dad, BILL PARCELLS, Captain Picard.

Players: HARRY CARSON, GEORGE MARTIN and all my teammates throughoutthe years.

Teams: 1986 and 1990 Giants.

City: New York, no doubt.

Possession: My Super Bowl rings and my golf clubs.

Memento: My MVP trophy from '86.

Time of year (because): Summer, I love the heat.

Music: Old-time hip-hop and R&B.

Books: "The Da Vinci Code." I also love comic books.


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30. EXECUTIVE TRANSACTIONS

Author: DAN BROWN.

Magazines: GQ, Golf Digest.

Gadgets: I'm a simple guy, give me an old rotary phone.

Chores: Taking my son MALI to school.

Hobbies: Golf, people watching.

Trips: Anywhere warm where I can play golf.

Movies: "Untouchables," "Gladiator," "2012."

TV: "Family Guy," "Star Trek."

Concerts: Earth, Wind & Fire.

Food: Nutrisystem chicken and dumplings.

Dessert: Peach cobbler.

Drink: Chivas.

Scent: Of a woman.

Vacation spots: Hawaii, Sunset Marquis Hotel in Los Angeles.

Cars: Escalade, especially one without dents.

Singer: LUTHER VANDROSS.

Quote: "Winning isn't everything, it's the only thing" -- VINCE LOMBARDI.

Miscellaneous: I am very happy with my life and a little surprised I made it to 50.

Under Armour Senior VP/Apparel SUZANNE KARKUS has resigned "to pursueother interests." Senior VP/Sales for North America MATTHEW MIRCHIN wasnamed interim head of Under Armour's North America wholesale apparel division whilethe company searches for a replacement. Karkus joined Under Armour in November '07after serving as Izod Women's Wear President (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/3)….Live NationEntertainment announced the opening of a new Dallas office and named DANNYEATON Senior VP. Most recently, Eaton was Senior VP at AEG Live (Live Nation).

SOCCER: MLS/SUM announced the following promotions: BILL ORDOWER toSenior VP & General Counsel; LINO DICUOLLO to VP/Player Competition &Relations; JOHN SULLIVAN to VP/Information Technology; ORLANDOCONGUTA to Senior Dir of SUM Int'l; JENNIFER DUBERSTEIN to Senior Counsel;JEN MAURILLO to Senior Dir of Special Events; RUSSELL SARGEANT to Senior


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31. NAMES IN THE NEWS

Hunter Is The Woman BehindNext Week's NBA All-Star Game

Dir of Partnership Marketing; JAN GREENBERG to Dir of Community Relations;BRETT LASHBROOK to Legal Counsel; JOSH NEIER to Financial Dir; DUSTINSMITH to Finance Manager; and LINA STAROPOLI to Account Exec of PartnershipMarketing. ALISON MARRA was named Coordinator for Partnership Marketing(MLS/SUM).

EXECS: DENNIS CULLOTON is launching Culloton Strategies LLC, a mediacommunications strategy firm advising execs in sports, transportation and real estate.The firm named LISSA CHRISTMAN Chief Creative Office. Culloton was previouslyExec VP of the Chicago-based public affairs firm Res Publica Group (CullotonStrategies)....CHUCK MCKEAN was named Dir of PR & Business Development forAlliance Productions in Little Rock, Arkansas (Alliance Productions)….Sills Cummis &Gross corporate attorney ANTHONY CARUSO has been named to the adjunct facultyat New York Univ. (Sills Cummis & Gross).

Do you have an executive announcement? If so, please send [email protected].

Boxer FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. yesterday finalized a deal to fight SHANEMOSLEY on May 1 at MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas. The two agreed to participatein "Olympic-style drug testing for their fight, saying they hope to set a new standard forsafety in boxing" (AP, 2/3). ESPN.com's Dan Rafael noted "getting the contract signedthis week was pivotal" because Golden Boy Promotions CEO RICHARD SCHAEFERplanned for the fighters to "go to Miami this weekend to kick off the promotion with avariety of media appearances at the Super Bowl" (ESPN.com, 2/3).

WEEKEND AT JERRY'S: In Dallas, CherylHall profiled NBA Senior VP/Events & AttractionsGAIL HUNTER, the "woman behind the All-StarGame" next weekend at Cowboys Stadium. Hunteris responsible for "bringing together innumerablelogistical details to create a five-day celebration ofsingular impact." Hunter for the past 18 monthshas "been the liaison between" the NBA,Mavericks, Cowboys, "various convention andvisitor bureaus and a slew of government entities"(DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/3). Meanwhile,Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN headlines theNBA All-Star Celebrity Game on February 12. Thecelebrities will be "outfitted in retro 1986 NBAAll-Star uniforms paying homage" to that year'sAll-Star weekend at Dallas' Reunion Arena(ESPNDALLAS.com, 2/2).

STAYING IN THE DAWG HOUSE: The Univ. of Georgia Athletic AssociationBOD yesterday voted to give AD DAMON EVANS a "new five-year contract with a bigboost in pay." Evans' annual base salary will jump from $440,000 to $550,000, and callsfor him to "receive additional $20,000 raises in each subsequent year." He also willreceive a $250,000 "longevity bonus if he remains in the job when the contract expireson July 1, 2015" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/4).

NAMES: San Diego State Univ. paid $12,769 to consultant DAN KELLEY, retainedby the school to "find a way to part ways with fired head football coach CHUCK LONG."Long was fired in November '08, but remained under contract through 2010 (SAN


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32. SCARBOROUGH EXAMINES SUPER BOWL VIEWER PURCHASING HABITS

DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/2)....76ers C SAMUEL DALEMBERT said that he has"been granted a parcel of land" in his native Haiti by the country's government. He"intends to build a center for children that will include recreation facilities, classrooms, acomputer center and a cafeteria." Dalembert is hoping to "raise additional funds to buildmore," and plans to visit Haiti during NBA All-Star Weekend (PHILADELPHIA DAILYNEWS, 2/4)....CAA Sports Senior Advisor BOB KAIN last night received the LifetimeAchievement Award at the Greater Cleveland Sports Commission Awards at theRenaissance Cleveland Hotel. ESPN’s KIRK HERBSTREIT served as emcee (ClevelandPLAIN DEALER, 2/4)....The Boxing Writers Association of America awarded ESPN'sJOE TESSITORE with the Sam Taub Award for Broadcasting Excellence (ESPN)....RedSox President & CEO LARRY LUCCHINO, Celtics President RICH GOTHAM,Managing Partner STEVE PAGLIUCA and President of BasketballOperations DANNY AINGE were among those "feting" Celtics CEO & ManagingPartner WYC GROUSBECK at Scampo in Boston after he was named Chair ofthe Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary (BOSTON HERALD, 2/4)....Patriots OwnerROBERT KRAFT and his wife, MYRA, were among 600 guests at the Westin CopleyPlace in Boston last night to celebrate the raising of $1.3M for the local Boys & GirlsClubs (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/4)....Actress MO'NIQUE has signed on to emcee Cavaliers CSHAQUILLE O'NEAL's "All-Star Comedy Jam" in Dallas on February 13(HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 2/4).

With advertisers set to unveil new creative during Sunday's Super Bowl, ScarboroughSports Marketing data tracked the purchasing habits of viewers of the Big Game.Sixty-two percent of respondents who conducted online investing or online stock tradingplanned to view the Super Bowl. Additionally, 7% of those who viewed the most recentSuper Bowl said they plan to use online investing or online stock trading. Below are selectdemographics for Super Bowl viewers, reflecting financial services used by householdsduring a 12-month period, as well as items and services households planned to purchaseduring the subsequent 12-month period. Data was gathered from February '08 throughMarch '09 (Scarborough Sports Marketing).

SUPER BOWL VIEWER PURCHASING DEMOGRAPHICS

% of Users/Buyers of Products/ServicesWho Planned to View the Super Bowl

% of SuperBowl Viewers

FINANCIAL SERVICES USED BY HOUSEHOLD DURING LAST 12 MONTHS

Accountant 57% 18%

Financial planner 59% 16%

Discount stockbroker 63% 3%

Full-service stockbroker 59% 11%

Online investing/stock trading

62% 7%

Any stockbroker 59% 13%

ITEMS/SERVICES HOUSEHOLD PLANNED TO BUY IN NEXT 12 MONTHS


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33. CLASSIFIED ADVERTISEMENTS

Computer 53% 9%

Digital camera 53% 7%

Digital Video Recorder(TiVo, etc.)

61% 3%

DVD player 53% 3%

HD Television 57% 14%

MP3 player(iPod, Zune, etc.)

52% 4%

PDA (BlackBerry,Smartphone, Treo, etc.)

58% 2%

Satellite radio (Sirius,XM)

56% 2%

Satellite TV subscription 51% 2%

Video game system 59% 5%

VoIP (Voice overInternet Protocol)

46% 1%

ATV (all-terrain vehicle) 63% 2%

Furniture 54% 18%

Major appliance 52% 13%


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Increase your company's exposure in the sport business marketplace and get yourmessage in front of the industry's top executives. For more information on placing aclassified in SportsBusiness Daily, please contact Heather Taylor at 704-973-1525 or


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34. SBJ IN-DEPTH: FANTASY SPORTS

[email protected].

As the popularity of fantasy sports continues to expand, we’ll call upon our team offantasy experts to find out which segments of the business are growing the fastest. We’llintroduce you to the key players in this space and outline some of the products that havegained the most traction with consumers. Our report also will look at the various gameplans that brands are using to reach consumers through fantasy sports. PublishingDate: March 1 Close: Feb. 15 Materials Close: Feb. 17.

For information on advertising contact National Ad Director, Julie Tuttle at 212 5000711 or [email protected].


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