| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, December 4, 2002
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Reebok Adds Jay-Z To Endorser Roster; S. Carter Collection On Its Way |
| • | Meijer To Title NASCAR Busch Series Race At Kentucky Speedway |
| • | Beijing Organizers Secure 20,000+ Rooms Six Years In Advance Of Games |
| • | Leafs TV To Premiere Animated Interactive Trivia Show Tonight |
| • | Fiesta Bowl Organization Filing Suit Over Internet Domain Name Usage |
| • | Articles Of Interest/In Other News/Tonight's Events/Daily Stat/Channel Surfing |
REEBOK, JAY-Z FORM DESIGN AND MARKETING PARTNERSHIP
Reebok today announced that it has formed a partnership with rapper Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter. The deal includes a new Jay-Z signature shoe line called the S. Carter Collection by Rbk and the opportunity to design and market shoes connected with Jay-Z's Rocawear apparel line. The line is scheduled to hit retail in June '03, and each pair will include a special edition CD for a limited time. The first TV spots, being co-created by Jay-Z and Arnell Group Partner Steve Stoute, are scheduled to debut during the weekend of the NBA All-Star Game, February 7-9. A print campaign is also being developed. Also under the partnership, Jay-Z is currently working with Arnell, N.Y., to develop a marketing and ad campaign for Reebok's basketball line (THE DAILY).
RETAILER SIGNS FIVE-YEAR DEAL WITH KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY
The CINCINNATI BUSINESS COURIER reports that Kentucky Speedway "has signed a five-year marketing and sponsorship deal" with MI-based retailer Meijer, under which Meijer will title the NASCAR Busch Series race at the track. The Meijer 300 is scheduled for June 14, 2003. While financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, speedway officials said that Meijer "will receive VIP corporate suites, venue signage, advertising, grandstand tickets, event-specific merchandise, hospitality and other promotional considerations." The race will be broadcast live nationally on FX (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/4).
IOC OFFICIALS CALL ACCOMODATIONS UNPRECEDENTED FOR GAMES
The 30-member IOC Coordination Commission today closed two days of meetings with the Beijing Organizing Committee (BOCOG), and AROUND THE RINGS reports that BOCOG has "accomplished a major milestone in the preparations for the ['08] Games, securing the 20,000+ rooms needed for the Olympic Family." IOC leaders called the "development in accommodation unprecedented in the annals of the Games" (AROUND THE RINGS, 12/4).
"TML IQ" TO TEST FANS' KNOWLEDGE OF MAPLE LEAFS
"TML IQ," a weekly animated interactive trivia show, premieres tonight at 6:30pm ET on Leafs TV, the Maple Leafs' digital channel. The show will ask viewers 14 questions about the Maple Leafs, which they can answer online at the team's Web site. The winner each week will receive a Maple Leafs jersey, and all participants will be entered to win an autographed jersey at the end of the regular season. The show will air rebroadcasts each Saturday at 11:30pm and Sunday at 6:30pm (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
This week's cover of Sports Illustrated features "Faces of the NFL," a portfolio by Walter Iooss Jr. Dolphins RB Ricky Williams is pictured (THE DAILY).
This week's cover of ESPN Magazine features 49ers WR Terrell Owens and the statement, "Guys are beating their wives, getting DUIs and doing drugs, and I get national attention for a Sharpie?" (THE DAILY).
This week's cover of Sporting News features Broncos RB Clinton Portis being tackled by several Chargers, under the header "Rival Revival: Inside the Broncos' Game Plan for the Chargers" (THE DAILY).
The AP reports that FIFA President Sepp Blatter "was cleared of any criminal conduct by prosecutors, who are closing their investigation." Blatter was accused of "making unauthorized payments, covering up the extent of the losses from the collapse of FIFA's former marketing partner, ISL-ISMM, and of running FIFA like a dictatorship" (AP, 12/4).
In a conference call today for this season's debut telecast of "Thursday Night Hockey" on ESPN tomorrow, Penguins Owner/C Mario Lemieux said of the impact of the league's new rules, "I think the game over the last seven, eight years was going south a little bit, with the clutching and grabbing and holding. I think now with the rules being the way they are, I think the game is so much better, so much faster, a lot more scoring chances. The give‑and‑go is back in the game. That's something that was gone from the game for many years. I think overall with the speed of the game, as well as the hurry‑up faceoff, I think you're seeing much better hockey, faster pace, and the game is so much better" (THE DAILY).
The AP reports that the AZ Sports Foundation, the organization that operates the Fiesta Bowl, "is suing a group that incorporated the bowl game's name into Internet domain names." The lawsuit says Tourist Bureau Marketing has registered "numerous" domain names, including fiestabowl.com, fiesta-bowl.net and fiestabowlhotels.org (AP, 12/4).
One NBA player comments on the rash of sports-related marijuana arrests, saying, "A lot of times you just want to chill at home or in your room, and you don't want a hangover. Guys are sick of going out [to bars] and getting into trouble." Former Cowboys C and National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws (NORML) TX Chapter President Mark Stepnoski adds, "Guys who drink a lot of beer the night before a game get hangovers. You don't get a hangover from marijuana" (SI, 12/9 issue).
College Sports Television (CSTV) has signed a multi-year, multi-sport programming deal with The Patriot League, under which CSTV gets the rights to 22 men's and women's sports. The agreement includes both regular-season and conference championship action. CSTV now has deals with 25 conferences (THE DAILY).
PERHAPS NOT THE WISEST OF CALLS:
- Brenda Warner, wife of Rams QB Kurt Warner, yesterday morning called KFNS-AM to refute reports that Rams coach Mike Martz insisted her husband have his injured hand X-rayed. While one can only assume that Brenda was simply trying to protect her husband, she has caused quite a stir. Read the full text of the conversation (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 12/4).
TODAY'S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
In a N.Y. TIMES Op-Ed, Cornell Univ. Economics Professor Robert H. Frank looks at the Mets' move to variablepricing, and writes that the "move is a clear improvement." Frank, however, claims the problem "is that the new formula doesn't go far enough. Saturday Yankees games in July will still sell out months in advance, and Monday Brewers games in May will still fill less than a third of Shea's seats" (N.Y. TIMES).
In GOLF FOR WOMEN, Suzy Whaley writes of her decision to play in next year's Greater Hartford Open, making her the first woman to play in a PGA Tour event, "It has been one of the most challenging and agonizing decisions I've ever had to make. Should I be a pioneer? Or would I just embarrass myself? Would it be good for women's golf? For my family? For me? What would I prove? Certainly not that I could beat Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. That would be an insult to them. If I played, I knew I had to decide for the right reasons" (GOLF FOR WOMEN).
In NEWSDAY, WFAN-AM's Chris Russo and VILLAGE VOICE writer Allen St. John wonder, "What makes a sport worthy of being included in the Olympics?" Russo and St. John offer the IOC "a pretty simple litmus test that they might use before they make their delayed decision. Is the Olympics the most important event in that sport?" (NEWSDAY).
See The Daily Insider's Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.
TONIGHT'S EVENTS
The U.S. Hockey HOF will hold a 5:30pm CT press conference at Touchstone Energy Place in St. Paul, MN, to introduce former Red Wings coach Scotty Bowman and '02 HOF inductees Mark Fusco, Scott Fusco and Doug Woog (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS……
Northwestern Univ. Medill School of Journalism Academy for Alternative Journalism Dir Charles Whitaker writes of the Chicago Sun-Times' and Chicago Tribune's new Generation Y-oriented tabloids: "The Tribune's Red Eye and the Sun-Times' Red Streak are neither hip, nor smart, nor in any way sophisticated. They reflect the same old, tired thinking about what young people will or won't read" (NEWSDAY, 12/4).
The PHOENIX BUSINESS JOURNAL reports that Oilers Minority Owner Todd McFarlane and veteran horror film writer Clive Barker "are joining forces to promote the release of 'Clive Barker's Tortured Souls 2: The Fallen' collectible figure line from Tempe-based McFarlane Toys" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/4).
TODAY'S DAILY STAT: NFL TOPS IN 23 LOCAL MARKETS The following are the NFL markets in which games were the top Nielsen-rated program for the week of November 25-December 1. These numbers exclude pre/postgame coverage and pay cable. NOTE: ^ = Rating reflects over-the-air and ESPN combined (THE DAILY).
| MARKET | GAME | DATE | RTG |
| Milwaukee | Bears-Packers | 12/1 | 45.7/75 |
| Buffalo | Dolphins-Bills | 12/1 | 44.3/68 |
| Tampa^ | Bucs-Saints | 12/1 | 42.9/60 |
| New Orleans^ | Bucs-Saints | 12/1 | 41.3/54 |
| Pittsburgh | Jaguars-Steelers | 12/1 | 41.2/66 |
| San Diego | Broncos-Chargers | 12/1 | 35.9/64 |
| St. Louis | Rams-Eagles | 12/1 | 35.0/54 |
| Denver | Broncos-Chargers | 12/1 | 33.4/57 |
| Chicago | Bears-Packers | 12/1 | 30.8/55 |
| Minneapolis | Falcons-Vikings | 12/1 | 30.8/65 |
| Cleveland | Panthers-Browns | 12/1 | 30.5/58 |
| Philadelphia | Rams-Eagles | 12/1 | 30.3/46 |
| Kansas City | Cardinals-Chiefs | 12/1 | 29.9/53 |
| Nashville | Titans-Giants | 12/1 | 26.4/51 |
| San Francisco | Eagles-49ers | 11/25 | 26.0/41 |
| Atlanta | Falcons-Vikings | 12/1 | 24.4/44 |
| Jacksonville | Jaguars-Steelers | 12/1 | 24.2/43 |
| Dallas | Redskins-Cowboys | 11/28 | 21.9/53 |
| Washington, D.C. | Redskins-Cowboys | 11/28 | 19.7/50 |
| Miami | Dolphins-Bills | 12/1 | 19.4/39 |
| Baltimore | Ravens-Bengals | 12/1 | 19.2/39 |
| Houston | Texans-Colts | 12/1 | 18.0/30 |
| Charlotte | Panthers-Browns | 12/1 | 15.9/31 |
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air NCAA men's basketball, Georgia Tech-Minnesota in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 7:00pm ET, and Virginia-Michigan State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 9:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air NCAA men's basketball, Northwestern-NC State in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 7:30pm ET, and Wake Forest-Wisconsin in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge at 9:30pm ET.
Warriors F Antawn Jamison, Phillies manager Larry Bowa, Fox NFL analyst Howie Long, sportsman Tred Barta and comedian Paul Nardizzi are scheduled to appear on FSN's "Best Damn Sports Show Period."
MSNBC's "Donahue" will discuss "Living in the Closet in the NFL" with former NFLers Esera Tuaolo and Dave Kopay at 8:00pm ET. Former MLB manager Bobby Valentine will discuss whether MLB is ready for an openly gay player.
Speed Channel will air the NASCAR Craftsman Truck Series Banquet at 8:00pm ET.
A&E's "Biography" will profile Frank Gifford at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "True Hollywood Story" will profile Roseanne at 8:00pm ET.
E!'s "Revealed" will profile Mike Myers at 10:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight's headline guests on the following talk shows:
| "Late Show" | Edward Norton (r) |
| "The Tonight Show" | Dennis Miller |
| "The Late Late Show" | Kiefer Sutherland (r) |
| "Late Night" | Sarah Michelle Gellar (r) |
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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