Closing Bell, July 22, 2003

SIRIUS WILL NOT RETURN AS PRIMARY SPONSOR OF NO. 7 ENTRY

UltraMotorsports today launched a search for a new primary sponsor for the No. 7entry in the NASCAR Winston Cup series, driven by Jimmy Spencer, asSirius Satellite Radio announced it would not return for the ’04 season. Sirius, which has been the primary sponsorsince last year, will remain through the end of the current season. Ultra Motorsports Owner Jim Smithsaid in a statement he has already been contacted by several companiesinterested in the sponsorship (Ultra Motorsports).

KING LOOKING TO UNLOAD VIDEO LIBRARY TO FINANCE CHANNEL

BLOOMBERGNEWS reports that Don King “wants to create a 24-hour boxingchannel.” King said that he will “try to sell his collection offight films for $500[M] to bankroll the channel.” King: “Content is king, and King is content. Everything in the library is mine. I own it all.” His video library includes “about 3,000 fights that he promoted alongwith weigh-ins, training sessions, press conferences and post-fightparties.” King’s production company hashired N.Y.-based SG Cowen Securities to find a buyer (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 7/22).

LSU ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT SOLICITING NIKE COMMITMENT

TheBaton Rouge ADVOCATE reported that the LSU athletic department “has sent aproposal to Nike that it hopes the sports apparel giant will find mutuallybeneficial.” LSU AD Skip Bertman:“The No. 1 thing we would like to do is put their swoosh on our (football)scoreboard for money. No. 2 and maybebigger than that is we would like to open up a Nike store in the stadium and dosome sales on football game days. Wewould also put some Nike kiosks around the stadium and they would supply themand make money on what they sell.” Nikehas a “limited deal” with LSU that ends June 30, 2004. Nothing in the proposal calls for Nike to begranted naming rights to LSU venues (BatonRouge ADVOCATE, 7/21).

DAKTRONICS ANNOUNCES FIVE RECENTLY COMPLETED DEALS

Daktronicstoday announced five new orders for scoring and video display equipment atsports facilities with a combined value that exceeds $6.5M. New display systems will be installed at theBradley Center in Milwaukee, World Arena in Colorado Springs, the Univ. of UTin Salt Lake City and the Univ. of North TX in Denton. Further, a mobile video display system willbe provided for use at four Southern CA horse racetracks (Daktronics).

BUZZER BEATERS

Aramarktoday announced that it has signed the contract to provide food service for theOlympic Village at the ’04 Olympics in Athens, marking the thirteenth time thecompany has been selected to serve at the Olympics. Aramark and Greek partner Daskalantonakis Group will also managethe design and construction of the Olympic Village’s kitchen and diningfacilities (Aramark).

TheAP reports that even if the NCAA changes its rule and allows the ACC to hold afootball championship game, “the league might wait until 2005 to do so.” The ACC “probably won’t know” the NCAA’sdecision until April ‘04, “meaning the league would have seven months to puttogether the title game” (AP,7/22).

FormerSLOC President Tom Welch said that talk of Utah bidding again for theWinter Olympics is “not only is unrealistic, it’s likely to be seen asgreedy.” Welch: “The Games belong tothe world, and while I would like very much to think that they would come backto Salt Lake, I believe there will always be cities with more compellingreasons as to how sport will grow by their being selected” (DESERET NEWS,7/22).

PlayersInc, the marketing arm of the NFLPA, today announced that Players Inc Radiowill switch to Fox Sports Radio when this season debuts September 6, followingfour years on the Westwood One/CBS Radio network. Additionally, Fox NFL analyst Daryl Johnston will join thebroadcasts (Players Inc).

TheRavens today announced that former DT Tony Siragusa is joining theWBFF-Fox preseason broadcast team as an analyst, alongside play-by-playannouncer Dick Stockton and analyst Daryl Johnston (Ravens).

TheNHRA today announced that Mopar Performance Parts, whose parent isDaimlerChrysler, has renewed its deal with the racing league to sponsor theHemi Challenge for the second consecutive year. The Mopar Performance Parts Super Stock Hemi Challenge isscheduled to take place August 29 during the 49^th annual Mac ToolsU.S. Nationals at Indianapolis Raceway Park (NHRA).

DAILYVARIETY reports that Paramount and Adam Sandler’s Happy MadisonProductions are planning a remake of the ’74 film, “The Longest Yard,” whichstarred Burt Reynolds. Plans forthe remake call for “boosting the comedy angles, bringing in contemporaryelements such as the Internet and possibly partnering with Paramount-based MTVFilms with an eye to casting urban music stars.” Sandler will not star in the remake (DAILYVARIETY, 7/22).

TheProfessional Women’s Bowling Association today announced that the Bowl theRogue Open, scheduled for September 14-18 at the Showtime Family Lanes inRockford, IL, will be removed from the ‘03 fall schedule, due to the financialstate of the league (PWBA).

SouthKorea-based LG Mobile Phones today officially announced a five-year,multi-million dollar deal to be the premier sponsor for the first-ever LGAction Sports Championships, which will serve as the season-ending championshipsfor skateboarding, freestyle BMX, freestyle motocross and inline skating. The inaugural event will take place November15-23 in L.A. (LG Mobile Phones).

TONIGHT’S EVENTS

Manchester United begins its four-game tour of the U.S.tonight at Seattle’s Seahawks Stadium against Celtic at 8:00pm PT. For more, see today’sissue of The Daily.

CHANNELSURFING

LakersF Karl Malone, actor/former NFLer Fred Dryer and comedian Nick Bakay will be on ESPN’s “Rome is Burning” at 7:00pm ET.

ESPN2will air the Great Outdoor Games at8:00pm ET.

ESPNwill air a new episode of “Beg, Borrow& Deal 2” at 9:00pm ET.

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

ESPN’s“Outside The Lines Nightly” willexamine the relationship between former Baylor basketball teammates PatrickDennehy and Carlton Dotson at midnight ET. The program will also examine life as anNBA wife.

FormerNBAer Dennis Rodman andactor/comedian Bill Bellamy arescheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

Anew episode of HBO’s “Real Sports”with Bryant Gumbel will profileformer CART driver Alex Zanardi at10:00pm ET. “Real Sports” will alsoprofile Real Madrid MF David Beckhamand English streaker Mark Roberts,as well as examine the high-profile lawsuit involving Beverly Hills High School.

Oxygenwill air WNBA Mystics-Sparks at10:00pm ET.

FoxSports World will air ManchesterUnited-Celtic at 11:00pm ET.

VHIcontinues its “200 Greatest Pop CultureIcons” series with 160-141 at9:00pm ET and 140-121 at 10:00pm ET.

E!’s “True Hollywood Story”will profile the series “Good Times”at 8:00pm ET.

HEADLINERS

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

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

U.S.Postal Rate Commissioner Ruth Goldway contributes an Op/Ed to the N.Y.TIMES: “Lance Armstrong’s perseverance in overcoming cancer andcompeting year after year complements thePostal Service’s mission to deliver mail to every address six days a weekregardless of weather or other crises. But when this year’s Tour de France is over … the public should focus onmaking the Postal Service more accountable for its marketing and sponsorship aswell as for its operations as a whole” (N.Y. TIMES).

TheAP’s Steve Giegerich wrote, “The gap between the number of men and womenplaying college sports is narrowing, but a growing disparity between schoolswith major football programs and others that don’t emphasize the sport is changingthe landscape of college athletics. … The annual analysis of gender equityin college sports by The Chronicle of Higher Education also found that the lossof male athletes under Title IX may not have been as bad as expected in manyplaces” (AP). View the full report.

TheBaltimore SUN’s Andrew Ratner wrote of the battle to control Unitas ManagementCorp., “The value of the legacy of theman known as ‘Johnny U.’ and the question of who will profit from it havetriggered a court battle and an acrimonious public exchange ofaccusations. The emotional price isalready heavy within Unitas’ extended family” (Baltimore SUN).

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

TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports& Entertainment: Name the legendary actress that played “Velvet Brown” in the ’44 film“National Velvet.”

IN OTHER NEWS……

BROADCASTING& CABLE reports that TV Guide Channel “will promote Spanish-languageprogramming in its digital-cable listings,” beginning next month. The channel will “add a tier, in Spanish,promoting listings and descriptions, as well as offering operators their ownopportunities to run Spanish-language promotions” (BROADCASTING& CABLE, 7/22).

THE DAILY STAT: BOX OFFICE BONANZA

Withthe release of “Seabiscuit” a few days away, the following presents selectsports titles and their total U.S. box office performance (VARIETY.COM)

…TODAY’S ANSWER

Elizabeth Taylor

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

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