Closing Bell, May 27, 2003

SEVEN PROCTER & GAMBLE BRANDS TO BE TOUTED IN WNBADEAL

TheWNBA and The Procter & Gamble Company (P&G) today announced amulti-year marketing partnership incorporating seven P&G brands that targetfemale consumers.  Brands included inthe agreement are Secret, Head & Shoulders, Herbal Essences, Cascade,Swiffer, Cheer and Joy.  The partnershipincludes advertising, cross-promotional activities and specific teamsponsorships.  On NBA TV, P&G willbe the presenting sponsor of “NBA TV: Mind, Body and Spirit with SummerSanders.”  Additionally, the P&Gbrands will be integrated throughout WNBA.com, and the league will be featuredin various P&G national consumer promotions (THE DAILY).

WARREN SAPP BECOMES NEWEST ADDITION TO TEAM JORDAN

Jordan,a division of Nike, today formally announced that Bucs DT Warren Sapphas signed a three-year deal to represent the Jordan footwear and apparelbrand.  As part of the deal, Sapp willbe utilized in TV and print ads, marketing, PR and community outreach programs,beginning this fall.  Other Team Jordanmembers in the NFL are Vikings WR RandyMoss and Raiders CB Charles Woodson (THE DAILY).  The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports that Sappwill participate this week in a N.Y. photo shoot for a Wieden & Kennedyprint campaign (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/26 issue).

ADT SECURITY TO BE WORLD TEAMTENNIS PRESENTING SPONSOR

ADTSecurity Services today announced it will be the presenting sponsor of World TeamTennis(WTT) in ’03, including the July 7-27 Pro League, Junior Nationals and SmashHits charity event.  Sponsorshipbenefits consist of inclusion in WTT print, radio and TV ads, on-court signage,onsite promotions and corporate hospitality. Terms of the deal were not disclosed (THE DAILY).

BUZZER BEATERS

ESPNtonight will use its “Free Flight” camera during Mighty Ducks-Devils StanleyCup Finals Game 1.  The technology hasbeen used on NBA telecasts this season on ESPN and ABC.  For the first time, all Stanley Cup Finalsgames will be presented in high-definition (THE DAILY).

Representatives of the BlueJays, WWE and the Toronto Indy today announced details of the “Together forToronto” campaign, which offers a package of tickets to select sporting eventsin July.  For $69, consumers canpurchase a ticket to WWE SmackDown on July 8 at Air Canada Centre, a ticket tothe July 9 or 10 Red-Sox Blue Jays game and a three-day pass to the TorontoIndy, which begins July 11 (THE DAILY).

Tickets.comtoday announced that it has signed a multi-year agreement with the Sabres andHSBC Arena to offer enhanced ticketing options, including the Tickets@Homeservice, which allows customers to print tickets from home (THE DAILY).

TheCHICAGO TRIBUNE reports that media requests for this week’s LPGA TourKellogg-Keebler Classic, featuring Annika Sorenstam fresh off herappearance at the PGA Tour’s Bank of America Colonial, “have doubled and advanceticket sales are up 50[%]” (CHICAGOTRIBUNE, 5/27).

ESPNtoday unveiled a modernized version of the BASS shield to mark the fishingauthority’s 35^th anniversary (THE DAILY).

NEWS& NOTES FROM MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND:

DAVE COSKEY TABBED FOR NEW ROLE WITHIN COMCAST-SPECTACOR

Inconjunction with the resignation of 76ers VP/Basketball Operations & coach LarryBrown, the 76ers yesterday announced that GM Billy King has beennamed President.  King will also continuein the GM role.  Additionally, 76ersExec VP Dave Coskey will expand his duties and has been namedComcast-Spectacor Marketing Division President.  In the newly created role, Coskey will lead marketing and PRactivities of the 76ers, Flyers and AHL Phantoms (THE DAILY).

FIFA AWARDS ’03 WOMEN’S WORLD CUP TO U.S.

FIFAyesterday announced that the U.S. will host the ’03 Women’s World Cup, movedfrom original host country China because of the SARS virus.  While the exact schedule of competition hasyet to be released, FIFA expects only a few minor changes from the originaltournament dates of September 23-October 11. As a note, the FIFA Exec Committee awarded the ’07 Women’s World Cup toChina (THE DAILY).

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND BUZZER BEATERS

The CHICAGO SUN-TIMESreported that Michael Jordan “is attempting to form a group of investorsto” buy the Bucks.  Sen. Herb Kohl(D-WI), who owns the team, reportedly is seeking “more than $170[M]” (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 5/25).

TheWASHINGTON POST reported that 13-year-old soccer phenom Freddy Aduhas agreed to a $1M deal with Nike after signing with agencySportsNet, LLC (WASHINGTONPOST, 5/25).

College Sports Television(CSTV) and iN Demand yesterday announced a strategic partnership to broadcastcollege sports events, beginning with Div. I football, in high definition on iNDemand’s 24-hour HD Network, INHD, which is scheduled for launch in September.  Initial plans call for a weekly footballgame to be simultaneously broadcast on CSTV and INHD (THE DAILY).

The CHICAGO SUN-TIMESreported that IL on Sunday “became the first state to ban sales of the herbalsupplement ephedra.”  IL Gov. RodBlagojevich “signed a bill making it a misdemeanor to sell ephedra,punishable by up to a year in jail and $5,000 fine” (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 5/26).

ATTENDANCE WATCH:

• Two WNBA franchises hosted openers in new arenas over the Memorial Day weekend.  The Silver Stars opened their first season of play in San Antonio at the SBC Center in front of 15,593 against the Storm Saturday.  The Connecticut Sun Saturday hosted the Sparks in front of 9,341 at the sold-out Mohegan Arena (THE DAILY).

• M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore hosted the NCAALacrosse Championships, and NEWSDAY reports that “attendance at thischampionship weekend smashed previous records” as 108,790 attended thethree-day event, with 37,944 attending the UVA-Johns Hopkins finals (NEWSDAY,5/27).  The WASHINGTON TIMESnotes that the previous record for the championship game was 26,229 in ’95 (WASHINGTON TIMES,5/27).

• The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that Sunday’sIndianapolis 500 drew an “estimated 300,000” (INDIANAPOLISSTAR, 5/26).

• The MONTREAL GAZETTE reports that Saturday’sPhillies-Expos game, which featured five dollar tickets and one dollar hotdogs, drew an “eye-popping 33,236, the biggest May crowd since 1997” (MONTREALGAZETTE, 5/25).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

TheL.A. TIMES reported Fox Sports World “allowed the burly streaker whointerrupted the UEFA Cup final to, uh, bare all on the TV screens ofAmerica.  The network did notelectronically blur the picture.”  Thecameras “even followed him in full-frontal glory as he ran across the fieldbefore being collared by security” (L.A.TIMES, 5/25).

CHANNELSURFING

FSN’s“54321” will feature skateboarder RyanDenman at 5:30pm ET.

Rev. Jesse Jackson and Lakers G Kobe Bryant will be on ESPN’s “Rome is Burning” at 7:00pm ET.

ESPNwill air the Stanley Cup Finals: MightyDucks-Devils Game 1 at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN2will air the Indianapolis 500Celebration Banquet at 8:30pm ET.

ESPNClassic’s “SportsCentury” will profile BobbyOrr at 8:00pm ET.

ESPN’s“Outside The Lines Nightly” willexamine why Tim Duncan plays basketball by the book and how his pursuitof the fundamentals is a rare exception in today’s game at midnight ET.

TNTwill air the NBA playoffs: Mavericks-SpursGame 5 at 9:00pm ET.

Oxygenwill air WNBA Sparks-Rockers at8:00pm ET.

MLLFounder Jake Steinfeld, former NBAerMitch Richmond, and actors Jason Statham and F. Gary Gray are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

YESNetwork’s “CenterStage” will premiere its “Donnie Baseball” feature of DonMattingly at 10:30pm ET.

A&E’s“Biography” will profile Don Knottsat 8:00pm ET.

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

HEADLINERS

Hereare tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:

THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…

Thisweek’s cover story remembers IMG Founder Mark McCormack, includingthoughts on the future direction of the int’l sports agency from co-CEOs BobKain and Alastair Johnston.

Alsoin this week’s issue:

• Nike Nears Sponsorship With USOC.
• New Ballparks Sport Old Look: Empty Seats.
• Stadiums Tilt NFL’s Economic Playing Field.

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

ESPN.com’sPeter Gammons writes under the header, “Deck StackedAgainst Expos,” “It has been good for the Boston franchise that [MLB CommissionerBud Selig]arranged the John Henry partnership with LarryLucchino and Tom Werner, but the rest of the tri-cornered deal is adisaster, with Florida a mess and the Expos a conflicted nightmare that willcontinue to haunt Bud Selig” (ESPN.com).

TheINDIANAPOLIS STAR’s Steve Ballard profiles race team owner Roger Penske,and writes, “In compiling a record to rival that of any dynasty in any sport,Penske has laid out ablueprint for how it’s done. … Penske has shown that if done right, a raceteam does not have to be an expensive hobby. If run as a business, it can produce like one” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR).

TheCHARLOTTE BUSINESS JOURNAL’s Erik Spanberg writes that NASCAR’s two- week stayin the Charlotte, NC, area is “fuelingtourism boom.”  The combination oftwo races spread over nine days, the concentration of race team HQs in the areaand the loyalty of race fans combine to pour $200M into the local economy (CHARLOTTEBUSINESS JOURNAL).

SeeThe Daily Insider’s Articles ofInterest section for more sports business-related links.

TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports& Entertainment: Name the ‘92 movie in which D.B. Sweeneyplayed a hockey player who joins a female figure skater in an attempt tocapture an Olympic medal.

IN OTHER NEWS……

This week’s cover of TIMEexamines “What Makes You Special.” Meanwhile, NEWSWEEKoffers “America’s Best High Schools” (THEDAILY).

USATODAY reports that a yet-to-be-released study by restaurant consultancyTechnomic shows that the “fastest-growing dining category nationwide last year”was doughnut shops.  The$3.6B category “sizzled with 9% sales growth last year – about twice theindustry average.”  The threefastest-growing doughnut chains: Dunkin’ Donuts, Krispy Kreme and Tim Hortons (USATODAY, 5/27).

A N.Y.DAILY NEWS gossip column reports that AOL Time Warner CEO Richard Parsonssaid, “One day Ted Turner took me to the VIP lounge at an Atlanta Bravesgame and without telling me gave me a buffalo meat hot dog.  I took onebite and with my mouth still full shouted out, ‘What is this crap?  It is just terrible!’ I managed to swallowthat one mouthful, and then discreetly downloaded the rest.”  Parsons added, “He thinks he can sellbuffalo meat hot dogs, but he will never produce a ballpark dog.  It washorrible” (N.Y. DAILYNEWS, 5/27).

THE DAILY STAT: OVERNIGHT NIELSENS FROM WEEKEND EVENTS

Thefollowing lists overnight Nielsen ratings from weekend sports events.  ^ = The Coca-Cola 600 race was metered from5:45-7:00pm and 7:15-9:15pm ET (THE DAILY).

Notes:ABC’s coverageof the Indianapolis 500 averaged a 4.6/12 Nielsen overnight rating from11:00am-3:30pm ET, down 2% from last year’s 4.7/13.  The actual race was off 4% from a 5.3/14 last year, while thepre-race show was down 9% from a 3.3/9 last year.  Meanwhile, Fox’ coverage of the Coca-Cola 600 was up 2% from lastyear’s 4.8/10.  Last year’s race wasshown uninterrupted (THE DAILY).

WEEKEND BOXOFFICE

TheHOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that “if the estimated numbers for the weekend holdtrue,” this year’s Memorial Day weekend could be the best ever, surpassing lastyear’s record box office of $200.6M for the four-day frame.  According to early estimates, “the top 12movies grossed $193.2[M] for the four-day period, compared with $191.4[M] lastyear” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 5/27).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notesthat the nationalbox office for the spring season “was $1.42[B] – down nearly 10% from lastyear’s record $1.57[B]” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 5/27).

…TODAY’S ANSWER

“The Cutting Edge”

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