Menu
Download the app

SBJ subscribers – Enhance your experience with the revamped iOS app

Closing Bell

Closing Bell, January 29, 2003

The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, January 29, 2003
4:00pm ET

Magic Johnson To Produce Street Basketball Series For MTV

The Great One To Be Featured On Wheaties Box; Talks On State Of NHL

Dissenting View To Be Included In Title IX Commission’s Final Report

Impending War Delays British Government’s Decision On Olympics Bid

eBay Denies Rumors That It Will Stop Auctioning Sports Items

Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat


“WHO’S GOT GAME” TO BEGIN CASTING FEBRUARY 8 IN ATLANTA

Magic Johnson and MTV today announced that they will partner to produce “Who’s Got Game,” a series that will follow 12 street basketball players, as they face-off for a $100,000 prize and the right to have their hometown court named in their honor. Casting begins February 8 in Atlanta, and continues each subsequent Saturday in DC, N.Y., Chicago, Houston and L.A. Johnson will serve as Exec Producer of the series. Production begins this spring with a summer premiere scheduled (THE DAILY).


GRETZKY POSITIVE THAT LABOR RESOLUTION WILL BE FOUND

Wheaties today unveiled a new special-edition package featuring Wayne Gretzky. The box will be available nationally beginning in early February (THE DAILY).

Gretzky appeared on CNBC’s “Morning Call” today, and the Coyotes Managing General Partner said of the state of NHL economics, “If you look at Ottawa and Buffalo, who have declared bankruptcy, obviously there is some concerns about our game. I think from the players’ point of view, they ought to be commended with how hard they have played. … On the other side of things, I believe we have a great commissioner [Gary Bettman]. He’s one of the best commissioners in all of sports. He is addressing those problems and doing the best he can to find solutions to help both cities keep their teams in their respective towns.” Gretzky, on the looming labor negotiations: “I really believe, I am a positive person, that something will be done. I believe that they will find a resolution and I believe that there will be answers to this. … I would hate to see us not playing in ’04” (“Morning Call,” CNBC, 1/29).


FOUDY AND DE VARONA WIN RIGHT TO INCLUDE DISSENTING VIEW

The AP reports that Commission for Opportunity in Athletics members Julie Foudy and Donna de Varona today “won the right … to have a dissenting view included in their final report.” As Foudy and de Varona “are expecting a majority of the commissioners to vote in favor of scaling back standards” of Title IX, they were upset that the “initial procedures did not call for a minority view to be included.” The procedural debate “caused the board to get a late start on its primary purpose – tackling 24 wide-ranging recommendations culled from five public hearings across the country” (AP, 1/29).


DECISION ON 2012 OLYMPIC BID DELAYED UNTIL NEXT WEEK

The AP reports that the “British government delayed a decision on whether to support a London bid for the 2012 Olympics because it is preoccupied with possible war with Iraq.” While an announcement was expected tomorrow, officials said a “decision would be put off until next week” (AP, 1/29).

The AP also reports that the main conservative opposition party in Greece “wants the government to disclose the exact cost of the 2004 Olympics.” The demand came today after the government and ATHOC “traded barbs about the spiraling cost of the games” (AP, 1/29).


REEBOK REPORTS 5% INCREASE IN NET SALES OVER LAST YEAR

Reebok Int’l today reported net income for Q4 ended December 31 of $16M, compared to $5.1M from the year ago period. Net sales for the quarter were $763M, an increase of 15% from $665M. For the entire year, net sales were $3.128B, an increase of 5% from $2.993B, and net income was $132M, an increase of 28% from $103M (THE DAILY).

Reebok continues to create buzz with Super Bowl ad character “Terry Tate,” as he participated in a chat on ESPN.com today at 3:00pm ET. It appears as though Reebok may have a merchandising opportunity waiting in the wings as one user wondered, “When will ‘Terry Tate’ jerseys be available? My office TRULY wants to buy some” (THE DAILY).


BUZZER BEATERS

Sporting News this week features Bucs DT Warren Sapp, under the header, “It’s A Plunderful Life!”

Sports Illustrated this week features Bucs WR Joe Jurevicius, under the header, “It’s A Rout! … The Bucs Smash The Raiders.”

The AP reports that two OH men “could be fined $2[M] each on charges they had counterfeit Super Bowl tickets.” The men, who had 232 counterfeit tickets in their car, were stopped January 24 during a border inspection between Buffalo and Canada (AP, 1/29).

On “Speaking of Everything” this afternoon, ABC Radio’s Keith Olbermann reported that eBay “has denied rumors that it’s going to stop selling sports items.” A phony email, which made that claim, has been circulating since Monday. eBay Senior Dir of Communications Kevin Pursglove told Olbermann: “Nothing to it” (ABC Radio, 1/29). View the email.

The THOROUGHBRED TIMES reports that the “story of Seabiscuit will be the focus of an hour-long feature” on PBS’ “American Experience.” Stephen Ives will produce the feature, which is scheduled to air April 21. A Web site promoting the show will launch March 21 (THOROUGHBRED TIMES, 1/29).

The HONOLULU ADVERTISER reports that the Univ. of HI football team “has rejected an offer to play” a nationally televised home game on ESPN against IA St. Univ. on Labor Day weekend “because the deal required the game to be played” on a Friday afternoon at 2:00pm local time (HONOLULU ADVERTISER, 1/29).

EchoStar Communications today announced that it has reached a sublicensing agreement with Caribbean Media Corp. for the re-broadcast of the ’03 Cricket World Cup across the Caribbean through radio and TV outlets (THE DAILY).

The Red Sox hosted a 3:00pm ET media session to discuss plans for improvement to Fenway Park for the ’03 season (THE DAILY).


THE YAO TRACKER

Is there a “Yao bounce” at the gate?  The Closing Bell compares each NBA team’s average attendance at the time of their home game against the Rockets versus their attendance against the Yao-led Rockets.  As you can see, Yao has had a slight impact, as the Rockets road average of 17,074 skews slightly higher than the league average of 16,492. Of note, the Rockets' average attendance through 23 home games is 12,955 (THE DAILY).


TONIGHT’S EVENTS

The Harvard Business School Club of Chicago is sponsoring a 6:00pm CT panel discussion entitled, “Who Won the Super Bowl of Advertising Anyway?” Foote Cone & Belding, Chicago, Exec Creative Dir Tom O’Keefe and Kellogg Graduate School of Management Clinical Associate Professor of Marketing Tim Calkins are among the panelists (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 1/29).

The Springfield Museum of Fine Arts will host “From the Locker Room to the Board Room,” a panel discussion on the effects of athletic participation on female business execs, beginning at 6:30pm ET. Among the panelists scheduled to participate are WNBA President Val Ackerman, Bay Path College President Carol Leary and ESPN Program Manager of Programming & Acquisitions Carol Stiff (THE DAILY).

Bengals coach Marvin Lewis will drop the ceremonial first puck at the ECHL Cincinnati Cyclones- Lexington Men O’ War 7:05pm ET game at U.S. Bank Arena (THE DAILY).

America West Arena is expecting its 20 millionth guest to pass through the turnstiles tonight for the Lakers-Suns 7:00pm MT game. The winning guest will receive a variety of gifts, including two tickets a month for one year to the AWA event of his or her choice (THE DAILY).

The NHL All-Star Opening Night Celebration, which takes place from 6:00-10:00pm ET at Las Olas Riverfront in downtown Fort Lauderdale, will include the arrival of the Stanley Cup in FL (THE DAILY).

The NHL Rangers will host the ninth annual Skate With the Greats, benefiting the Ronald McDonald House of N.Y., from 6:00-8:30pm ET at the Rink at Rockefeller Center (THE DAILY).


CHANNEL SURFING

ESPN will air NCAA men’s basketball, North Carolina-Georgia Tech at 7:00pm ET.

ESPN will air Mavericks-Rockets at 9:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air Maple Leafs-Hurricanes at 7:30pm ET.

ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Richard Petty at 8:00pm ET.

Bucs WR Keenan McCardell, NBA HOFer Magic Johnson and former MLBer Bret Saberhagen are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

Rockets G Cuttino Mobley will be on MTV’s “Cribs” at 10:00pm ET.

Bucs DE Simeon Rice will be on NBC’s “Last Call” with Carson Daly at 1:30am ET.

A&E’s “Biography” will profile Bill O’Reilly at 8:00pm ET.

E!’s “True Hollywood Story” will profile Doris Day at 8:00pm ET.


HEADLINERS

Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:

“Late Show” Drew Barrymore (r)
“The Tonight Show” Dennis Miller
“The Late Late Show” Rick Schroeder
“Late Night” Peter Falk

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

USA TODAY’s Christine Brennan makes an executive plea in defense of Title IX, writing, “Dear Mr. President, I know you’re a busy man with many more important things to do than worry about sports. But, you see, that’s exactly what worries me. … You appear to be hellbent on weakening Title IX. … Why you have chosen to pick this battle, I do not know” (USA TODAY).

Also, as the Commission on Opportunity in Athletics makes recommendations concerning the future of Title IX, several columnists offer their thoughts:

  • The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES’ Carol Slezak: Title IX is “getting a bad rap.”
  • The ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER’s Scott Reid writes that Commission member Julie Foudy thinks changing Title IX would “legalize discrimination.”
  • The ARIZONA REPUBLIC’s Jeff Metcalfe wonders if Title IX is “about to become clearer and more enforceable, or is it at risk of being gutted?”
  • A WASHINGTON POST editorial notes that while smaller men’s teams say “they’ve been sacrificed to achieve parity … blaming Title IX for these cuts seems the easy way out.”

The IL DAILY HERALD’s Mike Imrem writes that the NFL “is like the person whose success you’d like to have but who you wouldn’t necessarily like to be. It’s the most arrogant league in sports – if not business – in the country.” Imrem continues that NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue is “one of the most imaginative image spinners among America’s chief executives, not an admirable characteristic” (IL DAILY HERALD).

See The Daily Insider’s Articles of Interest section for these and more sports business-related links.


TODAY’S TEASER…

Mindbenders: Which of the following does not belong in the group below? The difference has nothing to do with syllables or letters.

  1. Cube
  2. Square
  3. Pyramid
  4. Sphere

IN OTHER NEWS……

The ATLANTA BUSINESS CHRONICLE reports that Delta Air Lines today “entered the budget airline market … with Song, a frills-heavy, low-cost carrier that will entice customers with satellite TVs on the back of each seat, in-seat Internet access and 33 inches of leg room” (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/29).


THE DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS

The following lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime shows for the week of January 20-26. Also provided are viewership averages season-to-date for the nets' primetime coverage (USA TODAY, 1/29).

RK
PROGRAM
NET
DAY
RAT/SHR
VIEWERS
(IN MILLIONS)
1)
Super Bowl XXXVII
ABC
Sun
40.7/61
88.6
2)
Super Bowl Post Game (10:18)
ABC
Sun
33.1/50
71.6
3)
Super Bowl Post Game (10:25)
ABC
Sun
23.4/38
48.2
4)
American Idol
Fox
Tue
14.3/21
26.5
5)
American Idol
Fox
Wed
13.8/20
24.9
6)
CSI
CBS
Thu
15.2/23
24.5
7)
American Idol Special
Fox
Tue
13.1/19
23.6
8)
Joe Millionaire
Fox
Mon
11.5/17
18.8
t9)
Friends
NBC
Thu
11.0/17
16.6
t9)
Law & Order
NBC
Wed
11.1/18
16.6
 
NET
VIEWERS
CBS
12.8
NBC
11.8
ABC
10.8
Fox
9.3
WB
4.3
UPN
3.8


…TODAY’S ANSWER

Square. It’s the only one that is not three-dimensional.


If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

The Closing Bell provides an afternoon recap of the latest news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 4:00pm ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Closing Bell, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2003/01/29/Closing-Bell-January-29-2003.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Closing-Bell/2003/01/29/Closing-Bell-January-29-2003.aspx

CLOSE