| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday, September 18, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Visa Int’l Today Inks Exclusive Agreement With Int’l Paralympic Committee |
| • | Michelle Wie To Tee It Up Today In Nationwide Tour’s Albertsons Boise Open |
| • | WTA Tour, ESPN Today Extend Deal To Telecast WTA Tour Championships |
| • | Russia Today Awarded ’07 World Hockey Championships; Canada Withdraws |
| • | Laila Ali Today Inks Marketing Partnership With adidas Through ‘05 |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
VISA GAINS INT’L PARALYMPIC COMMITTEE CATEGORY EXCLUSIVITY
The Int’l Paralympic Committee (IPC) and Visa Int’l today announced an exclusive partnership agreement, naming Visa the official payments provider of the IPC through December ’04 with exclusive marketing and promotional rights in the category. Visa already sponsors the Paralympic Games as part of its agreement with the IOC (IPC).
NATIONWIDE TOUR, THE GOLF CHANNEL INTRODUCE SWEEPS TODAY
The Nationwide Tour’s Albertsons Boise Open began today at Hillcrest Country Club in Boise, ID, featuring Michelle Wie. The Golf Channel begins coverage at 5:00pm ET, during which the net and the tour will launch the “Quest for the Card” sweepstakes. The watch-and-win sweepstakes offers a grand prize of a golf vacation for two to the World Golf Village in St. Augustine, FL (Nationwide Tour). The Golf Channel Senior VP/Golf Sponsorships, Sports Marketing & New Media Cindy Davis told sister-publication SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL that the sweepstakes’ moniker “ties in thematically with how The Golf Channel has positioned the Nationwide Tour brand” (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 9/15 issue).
CHOICE ONE COMMUNICATIONS TODAY INKS DEAL WITH PATRIOTS
Rochester-based Choice One Communications today announced that it has entered into a multiyear telecommunications service and marketing partnership with the Patriots, naming the company the official telecommunications provider for the Patriots, Gillette Stadium, the MLS Revolution and the Kraft Group. Choice One now has NFL team deals with the Patriots, Bills, Packers and Steelers (THE DAILY).
ESPN2 TO AIR AT LEAST 16 HOURS OF WTA TOUR CHAMPIONSHIPS
The WTA Tour and ESPN today announced a multiyear extension of their agreement to telecast the WTA Tour Championships, which begins November 5 at Staples Center in L.A. Under the extension, ESPN2 will provide at least 16 hours of coverage during the six-day tournament, including at least ten hours of live coverage. As with last year, the finals will be broadcast in primetime opposite ABC’s “MNF,” which features Eagles-Packers (WTA Tour).
BUZZER BEATERS
REUTERS reports that shares of Vans “jumped before the bell, one day after the company said quarterly earnings would be substantially above its previous guidance thanks to strong back-to-school sales and a lower tax rate” (REUTERS, 9/18). As of presstime, shares of Vans were up $2.14, or 23.52%, to $11.24.
The AP reports that Russia today was awarded the ‘07 world hockey championships “after Canada withdrew and said it will bid next year for the 2008 event.” The Russian federation has not decided whether the tournament will be in Moscow or St. Petersburg (AP, 9/18).
NASCAR Winston Cup driver Derrike Cope today announced that his team, Quest Motor Racing, has signed S.F.-based Paramount Hospitality Management as its primary sponsor for the ‘04 season (Quest Motor Racing).
adidas and IBA super middleweight champion Laila Ali today entered into a marketing partnership under which Ali will appear in adidas marketing initiatives through ‘05 and act as a spokesperson for women’s training (adidas).
Newly appointed NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France will join pre-race host Bill Weber for an interview prior to Sunday’s NASCAR Winston Cup MNBA America 400. NBC’s coverage begins at 12:30pm ET (NBC).
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
The Bears will host a media tour of renovated Soldier Field, beginning at 5:30pm CT, followed by an 8:00pm team practice on the field.
NBC’s “Today” will have a crew at Comerica Park for the Blue Jays-Tigers 7:05pm ET game to get fans’ reactions to the Tigers’ season (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 9/17).
ESPN “College GameDay” host Chris Fowler and “College GameDay Scoreboard” analysts Trev Alberts and Mark May will join the net’s regular Thursday night crew of Mike Tirico, Lee Corso and Kirk Herbstreit for tonight’s Texas A&M-Virginia Tech football game at 7:30pm ET (RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH, 9/18).
Coyotes President & COO Doug Moss, in partnership with Polar Ice, will announce the renaming of the Polar Ice facilities at 6:00pm MT.
The San Antonio City Council is expected to take final action regarding the Greater San Antonio Chamber of Commerce’s request to boost funding for the San Antonio Sports Foundation and to fund a $12M upgrade to the Alamodome and the Tower of the Americas. The San Antonio Sports Foundation’s funding was recently cut from $350,000 to $100,000 (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 9/14).
CHANNEL SURFING
ESPN will air NCAA football: Texas A&M-VA Tech at 7:30pm ET.
ESPN2 will air MLS Rapids-Revolution at 7:30pm ET.
ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Stan Musial at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN’s “Outside The Lines Nightly” will examine bogus memorabilia at midnight ET.
Former Vikings RB Robert Smith, MLL Long Island Lizards MF Steve Sombrotto, NLL Anaheim Storm F Marc Mosley and actors Mike Epps and Joe Mantegna are scheduled to appear on FSN's “BDSSP.”
A&E’s “Biography” will profile John Ritter at 8:00pm ET.
E!’s “True Hollywood Story” will profile Dr. Phil at 8:00pm ET and Niki Taylor at 9:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “Late Show” | Chris Rock (r) |
| “The Tonight Show” | Dana Carvey |
| “The Late Late Show” | Carl Reiner |
| “Late Night” | Charlie Sheen |
| “Jimmy Kimmel Live” | Jeri Ryan |
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The ORLANDO SENTINEL’s Mike Bianchi recalls a press conference following Jaguars QB Mark Brunell’s knee surgery a few years ago, and writes, “Stacks of advertising brochures sat on a table next to the press release about Brunell’s operation. The brochures promoted the medical facility where the surgery was performed, which happened to be the same medical facility where the Jaguars’ team physician was employed, which happened to be ‘the official’ medical facility of the Jaguars. Translation: The Jaguars and many other pro sports teams often employ the best doctors corporate sponsorship can buy” (ORLANDO SENTINEL).
See The Daily Insider’s Articles Of Interest for more sports business-related links.
TODAY’S TEASER…
Sports Business: Since September 3, NFL sponsor Levitra has signed on as a sponsor of 11 NFL teams, gaining a presence in all but one of the league’s eight divisions. Name that division.
IN OTHER NEWS…
The AP reports that, as expected, the AOL Time Warner BOD today voted to “remove the letters ‘AOL’ from the company’s name.” The name change will be “phased in over the next several weeks, and will affect the company’s logos, the way it promotes its brands and even its ticker symbol, which is currently ‘AOL’ but will revert to ‘TWX’” (AP, 9/18).
THE DAILY STAT: BILLBOARD CHARTS
The following lists Billboard Magazine’s top-selling CDs for the week ending September 14. (BILLBOARD.com, 9/18):
| RK | ALBUM | ARTIST | LABEL |
| 1) | Heavier Things | John Mayer | Aware/Columbia |
| 2) | Metamorphosis | Hilary Duff | Buena Vista |
| 3) | Seal | Seal IV | Warner Bros. |
| 4) | Greatest Hits Volume II And Some Other Stuff | Alan Jackson | Arista Nashville |
| 5) | Dangerously In Love | Beyonce | Columbia |
| 6) | The Neptunes Present…Clones | Various Artists | Star Trak |
| 7) | Fallen | Evanescence | Wind-Up |
| 8) | Love & Life | Mary J. Blige | Geffen |
| 9) | Jackpot | Chingy | Disturbing Tha Peace |
| 10) | Bad Boys II | Soundtrack | Bad Boy |
…TODAY’S ANSWER
The AFC West has yet to have a team sign a deal with the Levitra. The division with the most deals is the AFC East with three – Dolphins, Jets and Patriots.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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