| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, December 19, 2001
4:00pm ET | |
| • | British Soccer Execs Delay Decision To Build Stadium At Wembley |
| • | USBL To Add Three Expansion Franchises For '02 Season |
| • | Details Of MISL, WISL Merger Into One Entity Announced |
| • | Child's Play: SI For Kids Names Bonds Athlete Of The Year |
| • | Ali Contemplates Purchasing A George Foreman Grill |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight's Events/Critics Weigh In/Channel Surfing |
DECISION ON WEMBLEY AS SOCCER STADIUM SITE DELAYED
Five years after English soccer officials picked Wembley as the site for a new national stadium, the project again failed to gain final approval at a Football Association meeting on Wednesday. FA CEO Adam Crozier said Wednesday that Wembley was only the "preferred option" and put off a final decision on the $1.04B project until April (AP, 12/19).
USBL ANNOUNCES ADDITION OF THREE NEW TEAMS
The United States Basketball League (USBL) has announced the addition of three new expansion teams for the '02 campaign, to be located in St. Louis; Glens Falls, NY; and Melbourne, FL. The USBL is currently in discussion with new investors regarding expansion teams for the '03 season (THE DAILY).
MISL RELEASES DETAILS OF MERGER WITH WISL
The Major Indoor Soccer League (MISL) announced today that it has agreed to merge with the World Indoor Soccer League (WISL) to form a single entity beginning with the '02-03 season. The merger will mark the first time since '83 that indoor soccer has featured a single major league at the pro level. The WISL's Dallas Sidekicks, San Diego Sockers and St. Louis Steamers have all agreed to join the MISL as founding members. The futures of WISL franchises in Sacramento and Utah have yet to be determined. Dallas, San Diego and St. Louis will all begin MISL play during the 2002-03 campaign. The new MISL will continue to be based in Westport, CT (THE DAILY).
OPERATION BASS HOOKS NEW MONIKER, MARKETING OUTLETS
Fishing tournament marketer Operation Bass is expanding beyond fishing with a new name, television series, magazine and Web site. Effective today, the organization will be known as FLW Outdoors. The Web site will feature a new look, new departments and more user-friendly navigation (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
SI For Kids readers voted MLB Giants OF Barry Bonds as the '01 "Athlete of the Year," and the free agent is featured on the cover of the magazine's January issue (THE DAILY).
REUTERS has picked Jennifer Capriati as its Sportswoman of the Year (REUTERS, 12/19).
The AP reports that Jazz F Karl Malone "is concerned that corporate sponsors and celebrities, instead of athletes, are the focus of the 2002 Winter Olympics." Malone's latest comment "follows his statement that he … would consider carrying the torch into the stadium for the opening ceremony," but the SLOC said Malone "was never considered for a role as a torchbearer" (AP, 12/19).
The SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE reports Lakers G Kobe Bryant "has been sued by an engineering company that claims he owes $362,156 for helping remodel his Pacific Palisades property." The lawsuit was filed Friday and made public today (SAN GABRIEL VALLEY TRIBUNE, 12/19).
Organizers announced that the inaugural Washington, DC, Marathon will be held March 24, 2002, "roughly halfway between the Los Angeles and Boston marathons on the running calendar." The event "falls on Palm Sunday and coincides with the bloom of the cherry blossoms along the Potomac River" (AP, 12/19).
The ASPEN TIMES reports the holiday season "could be busier this year than last winter for Aspen and Snowmass Village," as the towns' occupancy rates "show that New Year's week is already shaping up to be busier" in '02 than for '01 (ASPEN TIMES, 12/19).
The N.Y. TIMES' Maureen Dowd writes of her interview with Muhammad Ali before a recent premiere of the movie "Ali." After Dowd explained that she writes for the N.Y. TIMES, Ali said, "You're not as dumb as you look." Dowd asked, "Do you have a George Foreman grill?" Ali: "I might buy one" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/19).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT….
See The Daily Insider's News & Opinion section for current items including:
The unexpected presence of the U.S. Marines at this year's X Games.
How the Xbox game system plays into the NLL Albany Attack's marketing efforts.
TODAY'S ARTICLE OF INTEREST
The Boston Globe has featured extensive profiles over the past week on the groups seeking to buy the Red Sox. Read the following on Charles Dolan, Tom Werner and John Henry, Joseph O'Donnell and Steve Karp, Miles Prentice, Jeremy Jacobs and Frank McCourt.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
IN OTHER NEWS…..
FleetBoston Financial announced Wednesday that it will lay off 700 workers from its staff of 55,000. In a statement, Fleet said that "in a weak economy, the company wanted to ensure that its expenses remained aligned with its revenue expectations" (AP, 12/19).
AT&T's board met Wednesday to "evaluate multibillion-dollar bids for its broadband unit, the largest U.S. cable television system operator." Company officials have said that they "want to decide by the end of the year whether to sell the operation or spin it off as a separate entity" (AP, 12/19).
Shares of Handspring Inc. rose nearly 17% today on news it "would receive a $10 million investment from Qualcomm Inc. and issue 7 million shares of common stock in a public offering." Handspring, which "aims to become profitable in its fiscal 2002 beginning in July," was expected to "end the calendar year 2001 with $75 million in unrestricted cash" (AP, 12/19).
"Emeril," the critically panned new TV show that "has floundered all season" on NBC, will "likely end up as a scrap on the kitchen floor later this week when NBC announces its prime time schedule for the New Year" (REUTERS, 12/19).
THE DAILY STAT: NIELSEN RATINGS
The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of December 10 to December 16 (USA TODAY, 12/19).
| RK | PROGRAM | NET | DAY | RAT/SHR | VIEWERS
(in millions) |
| 1) | E.R. | NBC | Thu | 18.2/29 | 28.9 |
| 2) | Friends | NBC | Thu | 14.9/25 | 23.8 |
| 3) | Law & Order | NBC | Wed | 13.3/22 | 19.4 |
| 4) | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | Mon | 12.7/19 | 19.3 |
| 5) | Will & Grace | NBC | Thu | 12.5/19 | 19.4 |
| 6) | The West Wing | NBC | Wed | 12.2/19 | 18.4 |
| 7) | CBS Sunday Movie:
"A Town Without Christmas" | CBS | Sun | 11.8/19 | 17.4 |
| 8) | Will & Grace | NBC | Thu | 11.6/18 | 18.0 |
| 9) | Just Shoot Me | NBC | Thu | 11.4/17 | 17.8 |
| 10) | CSI | CBS | Thu | 11.2/18.0 | 17.5 |
| NETWORK AVERAGES
SEASON TO DATE |
| NET | AVERAGE |
| CBS | 8.5 |
| NBC | 8.3 |
| ABC | 6.9 |
| Fox | 6.5 |
| UPN | 3.0 |
| WB | 2.7 |
CRITICS WEIGH IN: "LORD OF THE RINGS"
Frodo lives, courtesy of Peter Jackson's epic "Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Rings," which opens in theaters today. The nation's top critics weigh in. Click on the referee to read each review.
| | Movie |
| | Lord of the Rings |
| Chicago Sun-Times | 
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| L.A. Times | 
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| N.Y. Times |
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| USA Today |
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| Washington Post |
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CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air Devils-Rangers at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air college football's GMAC Bowl, East Carolina-Marshall, at 8:00pm ET.
TNT will air Raptors-Pacers at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Frank Robinson at 8:00pm ET.
Sports agent Scott Boras will be on ESPN's "Unscripted."
Pistons G Jerry Stackhouse and Univ. of OR football coach Mike Bellotti will be on FSN's "The Last Word."
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile the cast of the film "Clueless"at 8:00pm ET.
A&E's "Biography" will profile Tony Blair at 8:00pm ET.
PBS will air "Live From Lincoln Center: The Nutcracker Suite" at 8:00pm ET.
CBS will air "The Sons of Mistletoe" at 9:00pm ET.
VH1 will air "Too Legit: The MC Hammer Story" at 9:00pm ET.
COURT TV will air "Sex, Sports & The Mob: The Atlanta Gold Club" at 10:00pm ET.
The History Channel will air "Secrets of the Acropolis" at 10:00pm ET.
Lions WR Johnnie Morton once again is scheduled to be on NBC's "The Tonight Show" with Jay Leno via satellite at 11:30pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Jamie Foxx |
| "The Tonight Show" | Shannon Doherty |
| "The Late Late Show" | Christopher McDonald |
| "Late Night" | Hugh Jackman |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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