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Closing Bell

Closing Bell, May 17, 2004

The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, May 17, 2004
4:00pm ET

Chargers Today Announce Multiyear Partnership With The Pepsi Bottling Group

P&G Today Announces Expansion Of WNBA Deal To Include Tampax Brand

adidas Inks High Schooler Josh Smith To Six-Year Deal Worth At Least $12M

Comcast Sports Southeast Tonight To Debut Live One-Hour “SportsNite”

IOC President Says There Will Be No Changes To Olympic Sports Until 2012

Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat


PEPSI TO BECOME OFFICIAL SOFT DRINK OF CHARGERS

TheChargers today officially announced a multiyear marketing partnership with ThePepsi Bottling Group, making Pepsi the official soft drink of the team andQualcomm Stadium.  The deal calls forcategory exclusivity for all PepsiCo products, including Pepsi-Cola, DietPepsi, Sierra Mist, Mountain Dew and Aquafina bottled water.  The relationship will focus on branding,promotions, special events, community relations and fan entertainment (Chargers).

SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL reports that Pepsi, which replaces Coca-Cola in the category, will“receive permanent signage in Qualcomm Stadium, a beneficiary of the Padres’move into their new ballpark, Petco Park. The Padres previously controlled the signs at Qualcomm, leaving theChargers with less desirable, and thus less expensive, sponsorships” (SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL, 5/17 issue).


P&G TODAY EXPANDS WNBA PARTNERSHIP TO INCLUDE TAMPAX BRAND

Procter& Gamble today announced that it will again expand its marketingpartnership with the WNBA, this time to include the Tampax brand.  The deal, which includes advertising,cross-promotional activities and specific WNBA team sponsorships, now coversten P&G brands.  The ’04 WNBA seasonbegins Thursday (Procter & Gamble).


ADIDAS INKS HIGH SCHOOL BALLER JOSH SMITH TO SIX-YEAR DEAL

ESPN.comreports that adidas has inked a six-year endorsement deal with high schoolbasketball player Josh Smith that “guarantees him about $12[M], but couldeventually be worth upwards of $20[M].” adidas America PR Manager Travis Gonzolez, on inking Smith andfellow high schooler Sebastian Telfair: “We think we now have the twogems in this year's NBA draft.  Josh ismore of an unknown than Sebastian is, but it's our job to help get him outthere” (ESPN.com,5/17).


COMCAST SPORTS SOUTHEAST TO DEBUT “SPORTSNITE” TONIGHT

TheATLANTA CONSTITUTION notes that Comcast Sports Southeast tonight at 6:00pm ETwill debut “SportsNite,” a one-hour weekday live program hosted by Matt Stewart.  Distributed to 11 Southeastern states, the program will competein the 6:00pm timeslot with FSN’s “I, Max” and ESPN’s “SportsCenter.”  The show, which includes “chatting aboutfashion, movies, video games, dining and cars as well as sports,” also featuresWQXI-AM’s Ryan Stewart and Matt Chernoff, WCNN-AM’s Jamie Dukes and former TV sportscaster Melissa Moskau (ATLANTACONSTITUTION, 5/17).


BUZZER BEATERS

BLOOMBERGNEWS reports that the U.S. Supreme Court today rejected an appeal by FrederickBouchat, who claims the Ravens and NFL Properties “owe him $10[M] forstealing his design for the Ravens’ team logo” (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/17).

AROUNDTHE RINGS reports that there will be “no changes to the Olympic sports programuntil the 2012 Games.”  The announcementby IOC President Jacques Rogge “means a reprieve for baseball, modernpentathlon and softball.”  For sports“such as golf and rugby, which are seeking to join the program, their hopeswill have to wait until after the 2008 Games” (AROUND THERINGS, 5/17).

Comcasttoday announced that it will offer NHL Conference Finals and StanleyCup Final simulcasts from ESPN HD and ABC HD.  Additionally,Comcast is offering game highlights after each contest through its OnDemand service and via streaming video on Comcast.net, Comcast’shigh-speed Internet portal (Comcast).

Oscar De La Hoyahas inked a licensing agreement with retailer Mervyn’s to launch an exclusiveline of casual apparel and accessories for men.  The partnership includes the Oscar De La Hoya Collection, as wellas the Oscar De La Hoya Experience, a mobile retail and entertainment showcase,and a community-relations effort to promote child literacy (Mervyn’s).

TheSports Network today announced that it has filed a lawsuit againstESPN/SportsTicker alleging theft, copying, illegal use and re-sale of TheSports Network’s proprietary Minor League Baseball data (The Sports Network).

TheJeep World of Adventure Sports series today announced that Columbia Sportswear,Garmin Int’l, Goodyear and America Online will join Jeep and NBC as seriessponsors (Jeep World of Adventure Sports).

TheNashville TENNESSEAN reports that the local ABA franchise will be called theNashville Rhythm, and the team will play an 18-game regular season homeschedule at Lipscomb Univ.’s Allen Arena (NashvilleTENNESSEAN, 5/17).

TheCleveland PLAIN DEALER reports that Cleveland-area developer Bert Wolsteinpassed away this morning at age 77. Recently, Wolstein was trying to bring an MLS franchise to NortheastOhio (CLEVELAND.com,5/17).

ATTENDANCEWATCH:

  • The CALGARY SUN notes that 6,000 Flames fans were on hand yesterday at McMahon Stadium, home of the CFL Calgary Stampeders, to watch Sharks-Flames Game Four on the stadium’s video board (CALGARY SUN, 5/17).  However, the EDMONTON SUN notes that more than 8,000 fans attended the event (EDMONTON SUN, 5/17).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

On NBC’s “Saturday Night Live,” cast member Horatio Sanz portrayed fictitious Olympic SupervisingContractor Costas Popakanstantis during “Weekend Update.”  In a Q&A with co-host Jimmy Fallon, Popakanstantis said of construction delaysin Athens: “Maybe they could change some of the events to correspond to oursituations.  You know, get rid of someof the old events.”  Fallon responded,“You want some new events?” Popakanstantis: “Yes.”  Fallon:“Like what?”  Popakanstantis: “Just offthe top of my head, stadium construction” (“Saturday Night Live,” NBC, 5/15).


TONIGHT’S EVENTS

MLB.comRadio will debut “Under the Lights,” a live fan call-in show hosted by Ed Randall, from 10:00pm-1:00am ET.


CHANNEL SURFING

Betonsports.comCEO David Carruthers will appear onCNBC’s “Bullseye” at 6:00pm ET.

Syndicatedcolumnist Norman Chad and pokerplayer Chris Moneymaker will appearon CNBC’s “Special Report” at 7:00pmET.

ESPNwill air White Sox-Indians at 7:00pmET.

LakersG Gary Payton, Fox Sports’ Joe Buck, former NFLer Bryan Cox,Jerry Springer, supermodel Karolina Kurkova and actor RachaelLeigh Cook are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”

SunshineNetwork will debut “Florida Golf with Peter Kessler” at 8:00pm ET.

ESPNwill air the NHL Western Conference Finals: Flames-Sharks Game Five at10:00pm ET.

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


HEADLINERS

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

“Late Show” LaToya London
“The Tonight Show” Rodney Dangerfield
“The Late Late Show” Paula Abdul
“Late Night” Adam Sandler (r)
“Jimmy Kimmel Live” Rebecca Romijn-Stamos (r)

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

TheN.Y. DAILY NEWS’ T.J. Quinn offers a Q&A with MLB Commissioner Bud Selig, “Twelve years ago he tookover a game that was on the verge of disaster: Two years later there was noWorld Series.  Now, he sips a Diet Cokewith lemon, explaining how baseball will set attendance records thisseason.  The game was making about$1.3[B] in revenues when he took over; now the number is closer to$4.2[B].  Pete Rose? BALCO?  Steroids? Spider-Man?  It’s OK.  The commissioner has a plan” (N.Y.DAILY NEWS).

TheWASHINGTON POST’s Kenneth Bredemeier writes of Bobcats Owner Robert Johnson, “Those who have knownhim for a long time or have struck recent deals with him say that he islow-key, yet astuteand detail-oriented when it comes to analyzing deals.  Johnson’s dealmaking outside cabletelevision started before he sold BET, but it seems to have intensified sincethen” (WASHINGTON POST).

TheAP’s Elliot Spagat writes Padres Owner JohnMoores has “emerged as a powerful player in [San Diego’s] 5-year-old downtownconstruction boom, led most famously by the Padres’ new Petco Park.  Moores is a major landowner and developer inthe area that was once a seedy collection of residential hotels, offices thathad seen better days and red-light zones catering to passing sailors” (AP).

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


TODAY’S TEASER…

Sports: Of the five Africancountries in the 2002 World Cup, name the only one to advance into the secondround.


IN OTHER NEWS…

TheAP reports that Lucent Technologies was fined $25M by SEC regulators today “ina settlement of civil fraud allegations because it failed to fully cooperate inan investigation of its accounting.” The SEC also “charged nine current and former executives of the telecomequipment maker, along with one former official of Winstar Communications, withsecurities fraud and aiding and abetting Lucent’s alleged violations ofsecurities laws in the accounting irregularities” (AP, 5/17).


THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION

Thefollowing presents best selling nonfiction books for the week ending May 16 (NYTIMES.com,5/17):

THIS WEEK
HARDCOVER NONFICTION
1)
PLAN OF ATTACK, Bob Woodward (Simon & Schuster)
2)
EATS, SHOOTS & LEAVES, Lynne Truss (Gotham)
3)
FOUNDING MOTHERS, Cokie Roberts (Morrow)
4)
THREE WEEKS WITH MY BROTHER, Nicholas & Micah Sparks (Warner)
5)
ALEXANDER HAMILTON, Ron Chernow (Penguin Press)
6)
AGAINST ALL ENEMIES, Richard Clarke (Free Press)
7)
REWRITING HISTORY, Dick Morris with Eileen McGann (ReganBooks/HarperCollins)
8)
WORSE THAN WATERGATE, John Dean (Little, Brown)
9)
ON THE DOWN LOW, J.L. King with Karen Hunter (Broadway)
10)
BELLY LAUGHS, Jenny McCarthy (Da Capo/Lifelong)

…TODAY’S ANSWER

Senegal

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

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