Closing Bell, June 23, 2003

NTRA’S DEALS WITH DODGE, NEXTEL FEATURE BUILT-IN ROI

The NTRA and Breeders’ Cup Limited today announced Dodgeand Nextel as its newest marketing partners. Under a multi-year deal, Dodge becomes the official automotivemanufacturer of the NTRA and will be the title and divisional sponsor of theBreeders’ Cup Classic. Dodge will alsosponsor the “Road to the World Thoroughbred Championships, Powered by Dodge” seriesof televised races leading up to the Breeders’ Cup, airing this summer and fallon ESPN. Dodge also becomes a group purchasing partner of the NTRA, offeringautomotive products and services to select NTRA members.

Nextelbecomes the title and divisional sponsor of the Nextel Breeders’ Cup Distaffbeginning in ’04, as well as becoming a group purchasing partner. Nextel will offer savings on Nextel productsand services to NTRA supporters and members of American Quarter HorseAssociation. Under the multi-year deal,Nextel receives promotional and hospitality benefits, as well as print mediaand commercial advertising during horseracing programming on NBC, CNBC, CBS andthe ESPN networks (THE DAILY).

In this week’s SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Leftonreports that Dodge’s deal is “for $5[M] over the 2003-2004 term,” and thatthose within the NTRA group “will get $500 off Dodge vehicles.” Both companies have signed on through ’04,“with an additional year added if and when the group purchasing power of theNTRA generates enough sales” to meet established targets (SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL, 6/23 issue).

The NTRA and Breeders’ Cup Limited today reached anagreement in principle with the NYRA making Belmont Park the host site for the’05 Breeders’ Cup World Thoroughbred Championships, which will televised liveby NBC on October 29, 2005. The twoorganizations also announced today that the purses for the Bessemer TrustBreeders’ Cup Juvenile and the NetJets Breeders’ Cup Mile, two of the eightChampionship races, have been increased by $500,000, making the total purse ofeach race $1.5M (THE DAILY).

“COLLEGE GAMEDAY” DEAL HAS SHOW BUILT BY THE HOME DEPOT

TheHome Depot today announced a three-year agreement to become the presentingsponsor of ESPN’s “College GameDay,” which will now be titled “College GameDayBuilt By The Home Depot.” The agreementincludes commercial spots, a series of The Home Depot-sponsored programmingfeatures and a behind-the-scenes seating area for hospitality. The Home Depot also receives marketing andadvertising rights to the BCS, as well as the opportunity to run specialpromotions around each of the four BCS games. Discover was presenting sponsor of the show last year (THE DAILY).

MLBP TO SERVE AS OZZFEST, LOLLAPALOOZA ASSOCIATE SPONSOR

MLBPand Clear Channel Entertainment today announced that MLBP will serve as anassociate sponsor of Ozzfest 2003, Lollapalooza 2003 and as many as 34 otherClear Channel Entertainment-owned “Smirnoff Summer Of Live” concerts. The sponsorship supports MLBP’s “Access ToThe Show” marketing program, with exclusive branding for the MLB AuthenticCollection. Various sweepstakes andradio promotions will support the sponsorship (THE DAILY).

MLB Exec VP/Business Tim Brosnan, on the reasonfor the sponsorship: “This is MLB in its . . . quest to connect with teens andyounger adults. They’re in theirsampling phase of life, and music is one of their passions . . . (this) seemedlike a good place to connect with them” (BRANDWEEK,6/23 issue).

BUZZER BEATERS

SportsLine.com todayannounced the sale of its VegasInsider.com subsidiary to U.K.-based SportsInformation. Terms of the sale were notdisclosed (THE DAILY).

The AP reports that theWashington Baseball Club today hired Goldman Sachs “to provide advice andfinancial services” in support of the group’s pursuit of the Expos. Goldman Sachs has been involved in the saleof several teams, including the Red Sox, Dodgers and Indians (AP,6/23).

Easton Sports todayannounced that CEO Tony Palma was named as one of the finalists forErnst & Young’s Entrepreneur Of The Year award. Past winners include Starbucks Chair & CEO/Sonics Owner HowardSchultz and Amazon.com Founder & CEO Jeff Bezos (THE DAILY).

NBA TV today announced asix-episode original series focusing on video games, “NBA Player Nation,” whichwill premiere Sunday at 6:00pm ET. JoumanaKidd, wife of Nets G Jason Kidd, hosts the 30-minute episodes, whichinclude interviews and lifestyle features, previews of upcoming NBA video gamereleases and analysis of technologies used to create video games (THE DAILY).

The AP reports that Red Soxofficials appeared today before the Boston Office of Consumer Affairs &Licensing “to ask for permitsfor concerts at the park on September 6 and 7, when the team will be away on aroad trip.” The officials would notcomment on published reports that the artist is Bruce Springsteen, butthey said that an announcement “would be made later in the day” (AP,6/23).

The PGA Tour todayannounced an agreement with Hillman Properties to create the PGA Tour Spa atLaterra, the first such facility to bear the PGA Tour’s name. The facility at the World Golf Village inSt. Augustine, FL, is scheduled to open in winter ’04-05 (THE DAILY).

The ORLANDO SENTINELreports that the Orlando City Council today is expected to approve Skanska USABuilding to handle repairs to the Florida Citrus Bowl. Repair work “is scheduled to begin nextmonth at a cost of up to $700,000” (ORLANDOSENTINEL, 6/23).

TONIGHT’S EVENTS

TheEarl of Wessex, Prince Edward, will throw out the ceremonial first pitchprior to the Orioles-Blue Jays game at 7:05pm ET (THE DAILY).

ThePhillies will host the annual Phillies Phestival at Veterans Stadium, beginningat 5:45pm ET. Manager Larry Bowa,HOF broadcaster Harry Kalas, C Mike Lieberthal and LF PatBurrell are expected to attend the event, which raises money for LouGehrig’s disease research (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 6/23).

TheWNBA Mercury will host Basketball 101 from 6:00-8:00pm ET at Phoenix PrepAcademy. Mercury VP & GM SethSulka and the coaching staff will lead the session. The $25 fee includes a ticket to the July 19game against the Sun (THE DAILY).

CHANNEL SURFING

ESPNwill air the College World Series: Rice-Stanford Game 3 at 7:00pm ET.

ESPN2will A’s-Rangers at 7:00pm ET.

ESPNwill air Wimbledon Day 1 highlights at 10:00pm ET.

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

ESPN’s“Outside The Lines Nightly” will examine how some professional athleteshave risked their careers participating in dangerous activities at midnight ET,in the wake of Bulls G Jay Williams’ career-threatening motorcycleaccident. The program also begins athree-night look at Thursday’s NBA Draft.

Laila Ali, former NBAer Norm Van Lier, Raiders DT DanaStubblefield and “New Face Of Baseball” author Tim Wendel arescheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

E!’s “It’s Good To Be…” will profile OprahWinfrey at 8:00pm ET.

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

HEADLINERS

Here are tonight’s headline guests on thefollowing talk shows:

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

TheL.A. TIMES’ Lisa Dillman wrote, “Imagine the best golfers in the world, led by TigerWoods, unhappy with their representation, breaking away from the tourthey’d created for themselves. Imagine a13-year battle between the ruling bodies of golf, and looming possibilityof a boycott of the U.S. Open. OK,replace the golf club with a tennis racket, and golf’s recent boom times withtennis’ economic malaise, and imagination is reality” (L.A.TIMES).

TheGreensboro NEWS & RECORD’s Dustin Long wrote, “Two years ago, Nextel lostmore than $2.5[B]. Today, the wirelesscommunications company basks as the new sponsor ofNASCAR’s top series beginning next season. But tomorrow? Where will Nexteland NASCAR be? Although Nextel made a$1.4[B] profit last year, the question remains if the company can survive thecompetitive telecommunications industry and help NASCAR thrive. NASCAR officials seem unworried” (GreensboroNEWS & RECORD).

TheN.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE’s Peter de Jonge writes of Suns F Amare Stoudemire,“For starters, Stoudemire was raw evenfor his age, which was only 19. It’s one thing for a top American prospect to emerge from high schoolwithout an education, but we expect our matriculating man-children to be fluentin basketball. Stoudemire played onlytwo years in high school, but cannily spun his inexperience as evidence ofstaggering potential” (N.Y. TIMES MAGAZINE).

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

TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports: Which male and femaletennis players hold their respective Open Era records for most consecutiveWimbledon championships?

IN OTHER NEWS…

BROADCASTING& CABLE reports that Viacom President Mel Karmazin “still wants tobuy CNN, and, two weeks ago, he made his second offer in as many years.” While AOL Time Warner says that the net isnot for sale, it has listened “to numerous proposals from both CBS and ABC overthe past several years to enter [into] a news joint venture or sell CNNoutright.” Merrill Lynch media analyst JessicaReif Cohen says that CNN “could fetch as much as $8.75[B]” (BROADCASTING& CABLE, 6/23).

THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION

The following presents best selling nonfiction books forthe week ending June 14 (NYTIMES.com 6/23):

…TODAY’S ANSWER

Bjorn Borg won five ina row from ‘76-80, while Martina Navratilova won six in a row from’82-87.

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

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