| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Wednesday, July 14, 2004
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | AFL Today Announces Three-Year Licensing Deal With Haddad Apparel |
| • | HBO Tonight To Premiere “Hitler’s Pawn” Documentary On Gretel Bergmann |
| • | ESPN Begins Coverage Of Great Outdoor Games Tonight From Madison, WI |
| • | Lightning RW Martin St. Louis Named Cover Athlete For “ESPN NHL 2K5” |
| • | THQ Wireless Today Announces Licensing Deals With MLBAM And MLBPA |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
AFL INKS THREE-YEARLICENSING DEAL WITH HADDAD APPAREL
TheAFL today announced a three-year exclusive licensing agreement with HaddadApparel Group to design, market and manufacture AFL-branded apparel andaccessories for children. The agreementcommences with Haddad’s Spring ’05 shipments. SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL reports that the deal includes licensingguarantees, and Haddad has an option to extend the deal. Like the AFL’s recent apparel deal with Nike,Haddad “is not required to buy media” (SPORTSBUSINESSJOURNAL, 7/12 issue).
HBO DOCUMENTARY “HITLER’S PAWN” MOSTLY APPLAUDED
HBOwill air “Hitler’s Pawn,” the story of German Jewish high-jumper Gretel Bergmann, who Adolf Hitler publicly confirmed wouldparticipate in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, but blocked from competing one dayafter the U.S. team set sail for Germany. Bergmann now lives in Queens under thename Margaret Lambert.
InN.Y., Richard Sandomir wrote the documentary “is enriched with excellentarchival footage, including film of Lambert winning the high jump at the 1934British Track & Field Championships, photographs and riveting interviews,many of them with other Jewish athletes with whom Lambert trained” (N.Y.TIMES, 7/7).
InNew Orleans, Pierce Huff wrote, “‘Hitler’s Pawn’ is told with a deft touch thatconsists of smooth reenactments of Bergmann’s younger days, strong interviewswith Bergmann and her German teammates and lots of touching sequences” (NewOrleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 7/11).
In L.A., Larry Stewart wrote, “Lambert, 90, tells her storywith the lucid, concise style of a professional narrator, although actress Natalie Portman is used to fill in thegaps” (L.A.TIMES, 7/13).
In Orlando, Jerry Greenewrites, “The producers take a risk by mixing and matching archival footage fromnearly 70 years ago with actors today representing Lambert and others at thetime. It works for the most part,although there are moments when the viewer is unsure about which is beingshown” (ORLANDOSENTINEL, 7/14).
In Hollywood, Irv Letofsky writes of the use of actors, “Itbecomes heavy-handed after a time and brings a falsity to the production” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 7/14).
NHL RELEASES ’04-05 SCHEDULE; SEASONBEGINS ON OCTOBER 13
TheNHL released its ’04-05 schedule today and will open its 88th seasonon Wednesday, October 13 with seven games, highlighted by the Stanley Cupchampion Lightning hosting the Flyers. The 1,230-game schedule concludesApril 10, and features an NHL first on March 26: All 30 teams are slated toplay for a one-day record of 15 games. National broadcast schedules for’04-05 will be announced at a later date (THEDAILY).
ESPN BEGINS GREAT OUTDOOR GAMES COVERAGE FROM MADISON, WI
ESPNtonight begins its 22 ½ hours of tape-delayed Great Outdoor Games coverage fromthe Alliant EnergyCenter in Madison, WI,at 9:00pm ET. Merrill Hoge and JamieLittle will anchor the net’s coverage, while Bill Clement, Jimmy Dykes,Ron Franklin, Paul Page and Tommy Sanders,among others, will call the action.
TheMadison CAPITAL TIMES reports that the event,which took place July 6-11, drew a total crowd of 68,424, nearly 11,000 greaterthan last year’s Games in Reno. Meanwhile, the Hoeschler sisters – Katie,Lizzie and Abby – wore matching outfits with the words “Sponsor Me!” on theback of their shorts during the events (MadisonCAPITAL TIMES, 7/12).
THQ ANNOUNCES LICENSINGDEALS WITH MLBAM AND MLBPA
THQ Wireless today officiallyannounced licensing deals with MLBAM and the MLBPA, under which THQ willdevelop officially licensed MLB-themed games – “MLB Slam 2004” and “MLB HomeRun Derby 2004” – as well as fantasy applications, ringtones featuring thevoice of several MLB players and player wallpapers (THQ). THQ alsohas deals with the NFL and NHL (THEDAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
Sporting News this weekfeatures two covers as part of its NFL Training Camp Preview issue. The national cover features Giants QBs Eli Manning and Kurt Warner, while the Midwestcover features Bears LB Brian Urlacher.
XM Satellite Radio today inkeddeals with the ACC and Pac-10 to broadcast the conferences’ football and men’sand women’s basketball games (XMSatellite Radio).
ESPN Videogames today named Lightning RW Martin St. Louis as the cover athlete for “ESPN NHL 2K5” (ESPN Videogames).
TNT today announced that itwill cut its NASCAR in-race promotional time in half by reducing the length ofthe net’s promotional spots in order to show more green-flag racing (TNT).
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reportsthat Alderman Tom Tunney yesterdaydemanded that police eliminate the "Bourbon Street" atmosphere aroundWrigley Field by “cracking down on drunk and rowdy fans and holding courthearings the same day, possibly on a bus parked outside the stadium” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES,7/14).
The Raleigh NEWS &OBSERVER reports that the Hurricanes have offered C Ron Francis the position of Dir of Player Development (RaleighNEWS & OBSERVER, 7/14).
The Lakers today officiallytraded C Shaquille O’Neal to theHeat for Fs Caron Butler, Lamar Odom, Brian Grant and a future first-round draft pick (Lakers).
The AFL today announced thatthe league drew a record 1,920,405 fans for its ’04 regular- and postseasongames, marking a 21% increase over the previous record of 1,587,412 set lastseason (AFL).
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notesthat Ben Affleck will no longer starin Disney’s “Glory Road,” a film around ’66 Texas Western men’s basketball teamand coach Don Haskins. The studio has “already started checking theavailability of a replacement and may have zeroed in on” Josh Lucas as a replacement (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 7/14).
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
The Target Centerwill begin a seat renovation project to be completed prior to the start of the’04-05 NBA season.
CHANNELSURFING
FSN will air “The AmericanPoker Championship” live at 6:00pm ET, the first live U.S. telecastof a pro poker tournament. FSN willunveil some new technology during its coverage, including tracking devices incards allowing viewers to see instantly what’s been dealt. Comcast SportsNet will pick up FSN’s feedbeginning at 7:00pm ET.
ESPN’s “SportsCentury” willpremiere the profile of Pedro Martinezat 7:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air the Triple-AAll-Star Game at 7:00pm ET.
CBS’ “60 Minutes” willprofile a father’s attempt to make his son a PGA Tour player at 8:00pm ET.
MSNBC’s “Countdown” willexamine Pamplonabullfighting at 8:00pm ET.
NFL Network will premiere“NFL Cayman Challenge,” featuring eight NFLers in a series of competitions,tonight at 8:00pm ET. ADWEEK reportsthat the Cayman Islands’ creative agency,Chowder, brokered and co-produced the event. Neither Chowder nor the NFL “would discuss financial details of the dealother than to say it is part barter, part cash” (ADWEEK,7/12 issue). The one-hourspecial will "include vignettes about the athletes’ and their families’vacations on the islands" (SBJ, 7/12issue).
Swimmer Lenny Krayzelburg and former Olympians Karch Kiraly and Bart Connor will appear on CNBC’s“Dennis Miller” at 9:00pm ET.
Former NASCAR driver BobbyAllison will appear on Speed Channel’s “Wind Tunnel” at 10:00pm ET.
A&E’s“Biography” will profile John F. Kennedyat 8:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Hereare tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “The Late Show” | Hillary Duff |
| “The Tonight Show” | Halle Berry |
| “The Late Late Show” | Brandy |
| “Late Night” | Queen Latifah |
| “Jimmy Kimmel Live” | Jeremy Piven |
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER’sMark Lelinwalla writes, “Although [Larry] Bird’s reasoning may be questionable,at only 21[%], the NBA’s white-playerpopulation is diminishing. Thequestion is: Why?” Univ. of CentralFlorida Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport Dir Richard Lapchick: “Many times, whiteplayers select themselves out of basketball because they see a predominatelyblack player base, the competition level is high and they get discouraged orintimidated” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER).
SeeThe Daily Insider’s Articles ofInterest section for more sports business-related links.
TODAY’S TEASER…
Mindbenders: What has holes in the top and bottom, leftand right, and in the middle, but still can hold water?
IN OTHERNEWS……
AU.S. Commerce Department study released today reports that U.S. retail sales dipped 1.1% in June, showingthat U.S.consumers are “struggling to deal with rising fuel costs.” The decline is the “largest since a matchingdrop in February 2003” (REUTERS,7/14).
THE DAILY STAT: PRIMETIME NIELSEN RATINGS
Thefollowing lists the final Nielsen ratings for the top ten primetime broadcast showsfor the week of July 5-11 (TV.YAHOO.com, 7/14):
| RK | SHOW | NET | DAY | RAT/SHR | HHs (IN MILLIONS) |
| 1) | CSI | CBS | Thu | 9.8/17 | 10.6 |
| 2) | CSI: Miami | CBS | Mon | 8.8/15 | 9.5 |
| 3) | Without A Trace | CBS | Thu | 8.4/15 | 9.1 |
| 4) | 60 Minutes | CBS | Sun | 8.1/17 | 8.7 |
| 5) | Two And A Half Men | CBS | Mon | 7.8/13 | 8.4 |
| 6) | Everybody Loves Raymond | CBS | Mon | 7.7/13 | 8.4 |
| 7) | Law & Order | NBC | Wed | 7.4/13 | 8.1 |
| 8) | Cold Case | CBS | Sun | 7.2/13 | 7.8 |
| 9) | Law & Order: SVU | NBC | Tue | 7.2/12 | 7.8 |
| 10) | Amazing Race: 5 | CBS | Tue | 6.4/11 | 6.9 |
…TODAY’SANSWER
A sponge
If you have any questions,comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
The Closing Bell providesan afternoon recap of the latest news and headlines each Monday through Fridayat approximately 4:00pm ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert tothe Closing Bell, go to MyAccount and personalize your e-mail alert options.
