| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, February 28, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| • | Four-Year Deal Makes Madden New Co-Host Of ABC's "MNF" |
| • | USTA Awards Fed Cup First Round Series To Charlotte, NC |
| • | Wilson Sporting Goods Extends Agreement With AVP Through '04 |
| • | MLB To Host Spring Training Games Online; Peanuts Not Provided |
| • | Toyota's F1 Team Vows To Race Despite Lack Of Sponsorships |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Articles Of Interest/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
MONDAY NIGHT MOVEMENTS: MADDEN'S ARRIVAL SIGNALS CHANGE
The AP reports that John Madden "agreed to a four-year deal with ABC" worth about $5M per season that will team him with veteran play-by-play man Al Michaels on "Monday Night Football" next season. ABC Sports President Howard Katz: "There is only one John Madden, and he is now part of ABC Sports." Madden's arrival means the departures of Dennis Miller and color analyst Dan Fouts. Sideline reporter Eric Dickerson "also will leave the show after two years, while Melissa Stark remains" (AP, 2/28).
Meanwhile, CNNSI.com's Peter King reports that the NFL will open its season on a weeknight in '02 for the first time in history. The league "will open this season Thursday night, Sept. 5 -- three days after Labor Day -- with the San Francisco 49ers traveling east to face the New York Giants." The game will be televised by ESPN as part of its cable package (CNNSI.com, 2/28).
USTA AWARDS FED CUP SERIES TO CHARLOTTE FACILITY
The USTA announced today that Charlotte, NC, will host the '02 Fed Cup first round best-of-five match series, U.S.-Austria, April 27-28 at the Olde Providence Racquet Club. The club will seat 3,000 fans. The match will be played on clay, with two singles matches on Saturday, April 27 and two singles and a doubles match on Sunday, April 28. Tickets will go on sale March 9 (THE DAILY).
WILSON EXTENDS WORKING RELATIONSHIP WITH AVP
Wilson Sporting Goods has reached an agreement with the Association of Volleyball Professionals (AVP) that extends their relationship through '04. Under the agreement, Wilson will make the Official AVP Game Ball, to be used in both men's and women's competition. Wilson will also have exclusive manufacturing rights for other AVP branded volleyballs (THE DAILY).
MLB SITE DELIVERS SPRING TRAINING ACTION TO ONLINE FANS
MLB Advanced Media will stream more than 350 Spring Training games live on MLB.com this season. The games will begin with today's Cactus League contest between the Angels and Padres at 3:00pm ET, and can be accessed through the Gameday Audio section of MLB.com. These games will be offered free during Spring Training, before becoming a subscription service for the regular season. Last season, 115,000 subscribers at MLB.com and another 400,000 at RealNetworks subscribed to the regular season service (MLB.com, 2/27).
PVI STORMS THE EUROPEAN MARKETS VIA SCIDEL ACQUISITION
PVI today signed an agreement to acquire the assets of virtual advertising tech company SciDel Technologies. The acquisition will increase PVI's share in the European soccer market, as SciDel inserts ads virtually for the international broadcasts of the English Premier League, Italian Series A and the Spanish Football league (THE DAILY).
LACK OF SPONSORSHIPS FAIL TO KNOCK TOYOTA OFF F1 TRACK
The London GUARDIAN reports that the Toyota F1 motor racing team is in a "sponsorship crisis just three days before the Australian grand prix kicks off this year's championship season" on Sunday. But the team will race, "even if it means an unusually sparse covering of logos on its cars." Toyota Motorsport GM/Marketing & Communications Peter Ball said that if all the sponsorship packages were not sold by Sunday, it "did not spell financial ruin for the team, which will continue to search for partners throughout the year" (London GUARDIAN, 2/28).
SMI INKS THREE-YEAR DEAL WITH ACTION PERFORMANCE
Speedway Motorsports Inc. (SMI) announced today a three-year marketing agreement with Action Performance Companies, Inc. The deal calls for Action to continue to locate its trackside trailers at SMI racetracks, with a percentage of its sales going to SMI. Additionally, Action will continue its business relationship with SMI's merchandising and broadcast operations. The deal also calls for all litigation between the two parties to be dropped (THE DAILY).
CHAMPIONS ON ICE FOUNDER FORMS SKATING MANAGEMENT FIRM
Champions On Ice Founder & Producer Tom Collins and Magic Arts & Entertainment President Lee Marshall have partnered to form Collins-Marshall Management, L.L.C., the first company specifically designed to provide management and marketing services to figure skaters. Collins will serve as Chair, while Marshall and Michael Collins will be responsible for the firm's day-to-day operations (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
The AP reports that Exec VP/GM Dan Duquette was dismissed today from the Red Sox, "less than 24 hours after the historic, hard-luck franchise was bought by new owners." VP/Baseball Operations Mike Port was appointed the interim GM (AP, 2/28).
The BOSTON GLOBE reports that Phillips Academy in Andover held "Coach Bill Belichick Day" yesterday and the Patriots coach "was enthusiastically welcomed back to his alma mater." Belichick played guard for the team's undefeated 1970 squad and graduated in 1971 (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/28).
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman will participate in a live online chat hosted by MSN.com at 7:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
Sabres F Denis Hamel and the Tops SabreStreet Blitz Crew will conduct hockey clinics for the Mastern Boys and Girls Club in Buffalo from 5:00-7:00pm ET (THE DAILY).
The MIAMI HERALD reports that, in honor of the September 11 terrorist attack victims, the Heat "will not have a designated singer do the national anthem tonight, but will ask the arena crowd to sing in unison." The Heat will also honor NYFD Lt. Mike Cacciola, who helped rescue victims from the World Trade Center (MIAMI HERALD, 2/28).
The Rockets players and coaches will host Houston civic leaders and fans during the Clutch City Foundation's Tux and Tennies Charity Gala at the Compaq Center at 6:30pm MT (THE DAILY).
Olympic Gold Medal-winning bobsledder Vonetta Flowers will be the guest speaker at the College of St. Mary's first athletic hall of fame banquet at school's Lied Center in Omaha. She is "stepping in for [Comets F] Sheryl Swoopes, who is ill" (OMAHA WORLD-HERALD, 2/28).
The N.Y. POST reports that Olympic Gold Medal-winning speed skater Apolo Anton Ohno will appear at the China Club in N.Y. as guest of honor at the Muscular Dystrophy cocktail party and auction. Official Olympic artists Charles Fazzino and Clemens Briels are co-hosting, and NBC's Len Berman will emcee (N.Y. POST, 2/28).
ARTICLES OF INTEREST ON ESPN'S BLACK HISTORY MONTH SPECIAL
ESPN.com's Ralph Wiley profiles Richard Lapchick, Sports Business Management Program Chair at the Univ. of Central FL.
Lapchick writes an Op-Ed for ESPN.com on the ability of professional athletes to transcend racial issues.
ESPN.com's Greg Garber on the Rev. Jesse Jackson's "random and ill-considered forays" into the world of professional sports in search of racial injustice.
ESPN.com's Dr. Harry Edwards on Jackson's success and failures in striving for racial equality in sport.
ESPN.com's Wiley on black athletes' predetermined debt to the communities they grow up in.
ESPN.com's Darren Rovell profiles AL business exec and potential Twins Owner Donald Watkins.
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The BOSTON GLOBE's Tony Chamberlain on snowboarding infiltrating the mainstream.
The ILLINOIS DAILY HERALD's Adam Rittenberg on David Buchanan's ProSports Training and Rehab, an NFL combine training course.
The HAMILTON SPECTATOR's Wade Hemsworth profiles the CFL and Commissioner Michael Lysko.
See The Daily Insider's Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
IN OTHER NEWS…
Nextel has agreed to underwrite next month's CBS special on the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center so it "will be aired without commercials" (AP, 2/28).
THE DAILY STATS: BILLBOARD CHARTS
The following lists Billboard Magazine's top-selling CDs for the week ending February 21 (BILLBOARD, 3/9):
| RK | ALBUM | ARTIST | LABEL |
| 1) | | J To Tha L-O! The Remixes | Jennifer Lopez | Epic |
| 2) | | [Hybrid Theory] | Linkin Park | Warner Bros. |
| 3) | | Drive | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 4) | | The Rebirth of Kirk Franklin | Kirk Franklin | Gospo Centric |
| 5) | | Word of Mouf | Ludacris | Disturbing Tha Peace |
| 6) | | Weathered | Creed | Wind-up |
| 7) | | Silver Side Up | Nickelback | Roadrunner |
| 8) | | M!ssundaztood | Pink | Arista |
| 9) | | Britney | Britney Spears | Jive |
| 10) | | Come Clean | Puddle of Mudd | Flawless/Geffen |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air men's college basketball: Syracuse-Villanova, at 7:00pm ET, and Duke-Virginia at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air Sharks-Wizards at 7:30pm ET, and Coyotes-Avalanche at 10:30pm ET.
TNT will air Knicks-Heat at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN Classic's "SportsCentury" will profile Dan Marino at 8:00pm ET.
Red Sox SS Nomar Garciaparra will be on ESPN's "Unscripted."
Boxer Roy Jones Jr. will be on FSN's "The Last Word," as well as CBS' "Late Late Show" with Craig Kilborn.
49ers RB Garrison Hearst and SI model Shakara will be on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile pop singer Mariah Carey at 8:00pm ET.
A&E's "Biography" will profile actor James Garner at 8:00pm ET.
Bronze Medal-winning figure skater Michelle Kwan will be on NBC's "Tonight Show" with Jay Leno.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "The Late Show" | Tom Arnold |
| "The Tonight Show" | Chris Tucker |
| "The Late Late Show" | Carmen Electra |
| "Late Night" | Luke Perry |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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