Closing Bell, March 23 2004

FEHR HEDGES ON POTENTIAL CHANGES TO DRUG TESTING POLICY

TheAP reports that MLBPA Exec Dir Donald Fehr, after meeting with Red Soxplayers today, “left open the possibility that players would agree to morestringent steroid testing.”  Fehr: “Youhave to be willing to look at things again as current situations change.” Fehr,when asked if he would be surprised if the steroid policy was changed beforethe CBA expires in December ‘06: “I’m not surprised about anything one way oranother” (AP, 3/23).

SUNTRUST BANKS TODAY ANNOUNCES HIRING OF ANDY DEAS

Atlanta-basedSunTrust Bank today announced that Andy Deas has joined the company as aFirst VP and as Dir of Sports Marketing, a newly created position within itsMarketing Services Group.  In the role,Deas is responsible for the negotiations, day-to-day project management andrelationship management for SunTrust’s existing and future sports marketingassets.  Deas most recently headed hisown sports marketing consultancy, Strategic Asset Marketing.  His hiring portends a major motorsportssponsorship in the near future for SunTrust (THE DAILY).

ROY JONES JR. TO REPLACE GEORGE FOREMAN IN HBO BOXING BOOTH

HBOtoday announced that it has signed boxer Roy Jones Jr. to a multiyearbroadcasting deal.  Jones will replacethe retiring George Foreman ringside for HBO’s World Championship Boxingseries and on HBO PPV telecasts, beginning April 10.  Jones will continue his boxing career (HBO).

NIKE, REEBOK SIGN INTERNATIONAL SPONSORSHIP DEALS

TheSYDNEY MORNING HERALD reports that the Australian Soccer Association todayannounced a “multimillion-dollar, three-year sponsorship deal with Nike.  The agreement may lead to Nike clubs such asArsenal and Manchester United playing touring games” in Australia (SYDNEYMORNING HERALD, 3/24).

BBCSPORT reports that the Welsh Rugby Union has “signed a four-year, multi-millionpound extension to their deal with shirt manufacturer Reebok, which will rununtil 2008.”  Welsh Rugby Union CEO DavidMoffett is “confident a new shirt sponsor will be unveiled shortly.  The deal with current sponsor Rockport runsout at the end of the summer tour” to Argentina and South Africa (BBCSPORT, 3/23).

HURRICANES TO HOLD THE LINE ON TICKET PRICES FOR ’04-05

TheTRIANGLE BUSINESS JOURNAL notes that the Hurricanes will not increaseticket prices for the ‘04-05 season and are “offering discounts to seasonticket buyers.”  While single-gameprices will remain the same for the third consecutive season, the club is“offering season ticket buyers who pay in full by April 30 an additional 20[%]discount.  The move trims 48[%] off thegate price.  A second option givesbuyers a 10[%] discount for paying in full by September 1 under one of twopayment plans” (BIZJOURNALS.com,3/23).

MFORMA GROUP TODAY ANNOUNCES TRIO OF LIKENESS DEALS

Washington-basedwireless entertainment provider MFORMA Group today announced agreements withCowboys coach Bill Parcells, Mighty Ducks C Sergei Fedorov and WTATour player Venus Williams to develop and distribute arcade-style gamesfeaturing their names and likenesses for mobile phones.  Respectively, the games will be called “BillParcells’ Football Camp,” “Sergei Fedorov Face-Off Hockey” and “Williams World Tennis”(MFORMA Group).

SIX SPONSORS RETURN, ONE ADDED FOR THIS YEAR’S EASTER BOWL

TheUSTA Easter Bowl National Junior Tennis Championships has announced that sixsponsors, including presenting sponsor Gatorade, have renewed their affiliationwith the event.  The others are RivieraResort & Racquet Club of Palm Springs, Palm Springs Bureau of Tourism, LGMobile Phones, Fiji Water and Wilson. Volkl Sport America has also inked a deal for this year.   The event will be held April 2-10 in PalmSprings, CA (Easter Bowl).

BUZZER BEATERS

ESPNtoday announced that its two first-round telecast windows for the NCAA Women’sBasketball Tournament Saturday and Sunday drew a 0.7 Nielsen rating, a 133%increase over the first round in ‘03. ESPN2’s six first-round windows increased 100% from a 0.2 to a 0.4 (ESPN).

NFLNetwork today announced that “NFL Total Access” will move from 8:00pm ET to7:00pm ET beginning Monday, April 5. Additionally, the show has added an interactive feature that allowsviewers to submit questions via email to host Rich Eisen and others (NFL).

Scribnertoday announced that authors Stewart O’Nan and Stephen King, bothRed Sox fans, will chronicle the team’s season from spring training through theseason for an as-yet-untitled hardcover book that Scribner will publish in thefall.  Simon & Schuster Audio willpublish simultaneously with the hardcover (Scribner).

TheD’Backs today announced that single-game tickets for their June 15-17 seriesagainst the Yankees are sold out, marking the first time since the team’sinaugural season that a three-game series has sold out prior to Opening Day (D’Backs).

ThePro Football HOF enshrinement ceremonies, held August 8 at Fawcett Stadium, aresold out (AKRONBEACON JOURNAL, 3/23).

RoadAmerica announced that Wisconsin-based Botham Vineyards & Winery has beennamed the racetrack’s official wine (Road America).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

TheHOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that film producer Al Ruddy “has a newproject, ‘Cloud Nine,’ about a has-been coach (Burt Reynolds) who startsa women’s volleyball team with a difference: It’s for strippers.”  The movie “was co-written by Ruddy afterencountering a volleyball poster during a trip to New York” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 3/23).

TONIGHT’S EVENTS

NBACommissioner David Stern will kick off the T’Wolves Speaker Series at5:45pm CT at Target Center.

TheNYU Preston Robert Tisch Center for Hospitality, Tourism & SportsManagement will honor Jets Owner Woody Johnson at the seventh PrestonRobert Tisch Distinguished Industry Leadership Award Dinner at 7:30pm ET at theWaldorf-Astoria.

CHANNEL SURFING

NBATV will air Spurs-T’Wolves at 8:00pmET.

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

BengalsRB Rudi Johnson, Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones, AVP Tour players Holly McPeak, Angie Akers and RachelWacholder, former NFLer JamalAnderson, Georgia Tech basketball coach Paul Hewitt, N.Y. Post columnist Peter Vecsey and Fox’ SteveLyons are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

ESPN2will air the men’s NIT: George Mason-Oregon at 11:30pm ET.

A&E’s “Biography” willprofile Gary Busey at 8:00pm ET.

NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament

HEADLINERS

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

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

TheN.Y. DAILY NEWS’ Filip Bondy writes of tickets to sporting events, “No refunds,no exchanges.  The fine print on thestub is as culturally ingrained as the hot dogs in the stands.  Caveat emptor.  Let the buyer beware. Sports franchises, by tradition, are permitted to rip off consumers likefew other vendors.  Even airlines, thosedastardly profit-mongers, offer limited exchanges on booked travel.  Yet sports fans have come to accept thispolicy as doctrine” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS).

ACHICAGO TRIBUNE editorial states, “Baseball has a drug problem.  The only questions are how extensive theproblem is, and when players and management will act on it.  Beyond ominous health risks, steroids and otherperformance-enhancing drugs are bringing into question the credibilityof the game” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE).

• Spotlight shines on UAB following their NCAA Tournament win over Kentucky.
• In-depth profile of Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez.
• Profile of Magna Chair Frank Stronach and his thoroughbred racing plans.
• After implosion of The Vet, columnist argues RFK Stadium should follow suit.

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

TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports& Entertainment: Name the NBA player who portrayed a high-school basketball player inthis year’s “The Perfect Score.”

IN OTHER NEWS……

MULTICHANNELNEWS reports National Cable & Telecommunications Association President RobertSachs today announced that the top ten “cablecompanies will provide free channel-blocking services to potentially millionsof customers who want to protect children from seeing indecentprogramming.”  The commitment“represents cable’s latest attempt to address the concerns of Congress,regulators and parents about TV indecency.” Current law allows cable to charge for blocking services (MULTICHANNEL.com,3/23).

THE DAILY STAT: TOP SPORTS SITES FOR WEEKENDING MARCH 7

Thefollowing are the top five sports Web sites ranked according to home uniqueaudience for the week ending March 7, according to Nielsen//NetRatings. Unique Audience = the number of persons in thousands accessing the site ornetwork, with each counted only once.  Average time spent = the averageamount of time a visitor has spent at that property for the week.  Thisdata is based on 37,000 home users with Internet access (Nielsen//NetRatings).

…TODAY’S ANSWER

Trail Blazers F Darius Miles

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

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