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Closing Bell

Closing Bell, April 3, 2003

The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, April 3, 2003
4:00pm ET

NFL Today Releases ’03 Schedule; Eagles Tops With Nine National Appearances

Nike Suing Under Armour For Trademark Violations

WUSA Today Announces That ESPN2 Will Televise Four Marquee Games

Budweiser To Serve As Associate Sponsor Of Franchitti’s Indy 500 Entry

MLS Earthquakes To Be Broadcast On English Radio For First Time Since ‘98

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


NFL TODAY RELEASES ’03 REGULAR-SEASON SCHEDULE

The NFL today released its 17-week, 256-game regular-season schedule.  As previously reported, the season kicks off on Thursday, September 4, with Jets-Redskins.  The following details ESPN’s “Sunday Night Football” and ABC’s “MNF” schedules:

Sunday Night Games
Monday Night Games
Date
Matchup
Date
Matchup
9/7
Raiders-Titans
* 9/4
Jets-Redskins
9/14
Bears-Vikings
9/8
Buccaneers-Eagles
9/21
Bills-Dolphins
9/15
Cowboys-Giants
9/28
Colts-Saints
9/22
Raiders-Broncos
10/5
Browns-Steelers
9/29
Packers-Bears
10/12
49ers-Seahawks
10/6
Colts-Buccaneers
10/26
Bills-Chiefs
10/13
Falcons-Rams
11/2
Packers-Vikings
10/20
Chiefs-Raiders
11/9
Ravens-Rams
10/27
Dolphins-Chargers
11/16
Cowboys-Patriots
11/3
Patriots-Broncos
11/23
Redskins-Dolphins
11/10
Eagles-Packers
11/30
Buccaneers-Jaguars
11/17
Steelers-49ers
12/7
Panthers-Falcons
11/24
Giants-Buccaneers
12/14
Giants-Saints
12/1
Titans-Jets
**12/20
Patriots-Jets
12/8
Rams-Browns
12/21
Broncos-Colts
12/15
Eagles-Dolphins
**12/27
Eagles-Redskins
12/22
Packers-Raiders
12/28
Steelers-Ravens

*Game will be played Thursday, September 4.
**Games will be played on Saturday nights.

The Bengals, Cardinals and Texans do not make any national TV appearances.  The following details the teams with the most national TV appearances:

Team
Nationally Televised Games
Eagles
9
Packers
8
Buccaneers
7
49ers
6
Jets
6
Patriots
6
Falcons
6
Broncos
6
Raiders
6
Dolphins
6


MONSTER ANNNOUNCES NCAA CORPORATE SPONSOR AGREEMENT

Monster today officially announced that it has agreed with CBS Sports and the NCAA to a three-year advertising and marketing deal, making the company a first-time NCAA Official Corporate Partner.  The highlight of the deal is the development of a co-branded online Web site to provide student-athletes with career guidance and career opportunities (THE DAILY).


NIKE SUING UNDER ARMOUR FOR USE OF “DRI-FIT” TERM ON WEB SITES

ESPN.com reports that Nike has filed suit in U.S. District Court in OR against Under Armour “primarily for using Nike’s trademark ‘DRI-FIT’ term on Web site addresses linking to Under Armour’s homepage.”  The lawsuit alleges that Nike has trademarked “DRI-FIT” for use on its products three times over the past decade.  Lawyers representing Nike “asked for preliminary and injunctive relief of the use of the domain names, $100,000 in damages for each of the four Web sites or profits generated from the confusion” (ESPN.com, 4/3).


’04 WORLD CUP OF HOCKEY TO BE PLAYED IN SEVEN VENUES

The NHL and the NHLPA today announced the teams, venues and schedule for the ’04 World Cup of Hockey, to be played August 30-September 14, 2004.  The North American pool consists of the U.S., Canada, Russia and Slovakia.  The European pool consists of the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany and Sweden.  The games will be played at four European and three North American venues (THE DAILY).  The following chart details the venues and dates for each game:

Venue

Location

Dates

Hartwall Arena

Helsinki, Finland

August 30 & September 4

Globe Arena

Stockholm, Sweden

August 31 & September 1

Cologne Arena

Cologne, Germany

September 2

Sazka Arena

Prague, Czech Republic

September 3

Bell Centre

Montreal, Canada

August 31 & September 1

Xcel Energy Center

St. Paul, U.S.

September 2, 3, 7 & 10

Air Canada Centre

Toronto, Canada

September 4, 5, 8, 11 & 14



ESPN2 TO TELEVISE FOUR MARQUEE GAMES DURING ’03 WUSA SEASON

The WUSA today officially announced that ESPN2 will broadcast four games live during the ’03 season, beginning with Saturday’s Freedom-Courage match at 2:00pm ET.  The net will also broadcast the league’s All-Star Game, a semifinal playoff match and championship game, Founders Cup III.  Additionally, Freedom MF Mia Hamm will wear a wireless microphone during Saturday’s broadcast (THE DAILY).


BUDWEISER TO SPONSOR DARIO FRANCHITTI’S INDY 500 ENTRY

A-B today announced that Budweiser will serve as an associate sponsor of the No. 27 Honda of Dario Franchitti for the ’03 Indianapolis 500, scheduled for May 25.  As an associate sponsor, Budweiser will receive brand identification on Franchitti’s car, firesuit and helmet, crew uniforms and garage and pit equipment.  Franchitti will be featured on billboards in select Indianapolis locations, as well as a variety of POP materials (THE DAILY).


BUZZER BEATERS

The MLS Earthquakes today announced that KNEW-AM will broadcast all of the team’s road matches this season, marking the first time since ’98 that the matches will be broadcast on English radio (THE DAILY).

The Royal Canadian Golf Association and Bell Canada today announced that Bell has renewed its title sponsorship of the Bell Canadian Open through ’06.    This year’s event will be played from September 1-7 at Hamilton Golf & Country Club.  The two companies also confirmed that the tournament will moved to Shaughnessy Golf & Country Club in Vancouver in ’05, and will be played in Quebec in ’06 (THE DAILY).

Cedric Kushner Promotions today announced that it has signed a multi-year exclusive promotional agreement with heavyweight boxer David Tua (THE DAILY).

The Reds today announced that the songs from Cincinnati-based Blessid Union of Souls’ album, “Play Ball,” will be played at games throughout the ’03 season at Great American Ball Park (THE DAILY).


TONIGHT’S EVENTS

NCAA President Myles Brand will conduct a Final Four press conference at the Superdome from 3:00-4:00pm CT (THE DAILY).


CHANNEL SURFING

ESPN will air the ’03 Stanley Cup Preview Show at 7:30pm ET.

ESPN will air Islanders-Red Wings or Blackhawks-Blues at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air St. John’s-Georgetown in the NIT Championship at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air the ’03 College Slam Dunk & 3-point Championships at 10:00pm ET.

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

MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, Saints LB Bryan Cox, CBS college basketball analyst Billy Packer and actor Kevin Nealon are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

TNT will air Wizards-Hawks at 7:00pm ET and Lakers-Mavericks at 9:30pm ET.

NCWO Chair Martha Burk and PBAer Pete Weber will be on TNT’s “Listen Up!” at 1:00am ET.

A&E’s “Biography” will profile Candice Bergen at 8:00pm ET.


HEADLINERS

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

“Late Show” Vin Diesel
“The Tonight Show” Dennis Miller
“The Late Late Show” Will Ferrell
“Late Night” Patricia Heaton
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” Ali Landry

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The WASHINGTON POST’s Thomas Heath writes, “After watching his AOL stock value shrivel and his NHL Capitals hemorrhage tens of millions of dollars, local entrepreneur Ted Leonsis is hardly the high-flyer he was when he and fellow investors bought the team in 1999.”  To which, Leonsis quips, “Who hasn’t been beaten down?” (WASHINGTON POST).

USA TODAY’s Steve Wieberg writes, “For the past decade, college basketball’s biggest stage has been reserved almost exclusively for the major football-playing members of the NCAA’s six biggest-name, highest-dollar conferences – the Atlantic Coast, Big East, Big Ten, Big 12, Pacific-10 and Southeastern.  Marquette hails from another, less-pricey neighborhood, Conference USA.  And it doesn’t have a varsity football team” (USA TODAY).

The AP’s Jimmy Golen writes of the new seats atop the Green Monster, “It is obvious these are the best seats in the house. … Fenway Park is becoming a more comfortable, more enjoyable place to watch a baseball game.  And no change will be more popular than the new Monster seats” (AP).

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


TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports Business: Besides the Yankees, which AL team commands the highest local cable TV rights fee?


IN OTHER NEWS…

REUTERS reports that NBC parent G.E. concedes that preempting “some entertainment shows in favor of [war] news had cost it $50[M] in pretax profits.”  Other networks, though, “were less forthcoming about the financial impact of the conflict” (REUTERS, 4/3).


THE DAILY STAT: BILLBOARD CHARTS

The following lists Billboard Magazine’s top-selling CDs for the week ending March 30 (BILLBOARD.com, 4/3):

RK
ALBUM ARTIST LABEL
1)
Meteora Linkin Park Warner Bros.
2)
One Heart Celine Dion Epic
3)
Now 12 Various Artists EMI/Universal/Sony/Zomba
4)
Get Rich Or Die Tryin' 50 Cent Shady/Aftermath
5)
Come Away With Me Norah Jones Blue Note
6)
Chicago Soundtrack Epic
7)
U Turn Brian McKnight Motown
8)
Diplomatic Immunity Cam'ron Presents The Diplomats Roc-A-Fella/Def Jam
9)
Fallen Evanescence Wind-up
10)
Chocolate Factory R. Kelly Jive


…TODAY’S ANSWER

The Rangers, at a reported $40M.


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

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