Closing Bell, August 4, 2004

ABC EXTENDS TV RIGHTS FOR THE ROSE BOWL THROUGH 2014

ABC today reached aneight-year deal with the Rose Bowl Management Committee to extend its TV rightsfor the Rose Bowl through 2014.  The BCSNational Championship game will continue to be played at the Rose Bowl everyfour years.  USATODAY reported earlier this week that the deal may increase the average annualrights fee from $25.5M a year under the current agreement to more than $30Mannually (USATODAY, 8/3).

WHAT’S THAT SMELL? FINISH LINE LAUNCHES NEW CAMPAIGN

FinishLine today launched a new TV ad, via N.Y.-based Heavy, to promote the store ashaving the best selection of athletic footwear. The spot, “Success,” opens with a Finish Line employee discussing thesecrets of the store’s success, including blowing new shoe aroma out of thestore to draw customers in from the mall. The smell draws customers into the store, and many bury their nose insneakers.  The spot ends with the line,“Love that new shoe smell?  We have moreto smell than anyone” (Finish Line).

“NFL ON FOX” BROADCAST TEAMS UNCHANGEDFROM LAST YEAR

FoxSports today announced its broadcast teams for the ‘04 NFL season, and thenet’s weekly pregame show, “Fox NFL Sunday,” again will feature host James Brown alongside analysts Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson.  The lead broadcast team remains unchangedwith play-by-play broadcaster Joe Buck,analysts Troy Aikman and Cris Collinsworth and reporter Pam Oliver.  The following details remaining gamebroadcast teams (Fox Sports):

SPEEDWAY MOTORSPORTS REPORTS RECORD NET INCOME & REVENUES

SpeedwayMotorsports today reported record revenues and net income for Q2 ’04 and thefirst six months of ’04.  Q2 net incomewas $39.9M, up 271% from $10.7M in the year ago period. Revenue totaled$164.9M, up 50% from $109.8M.  The Q2figures are not directly comparable to last year as Texas Motor Speedway hostedNASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series races this year in Q2, but last year the racesfell in Q1.  Net income for the first sixmonths of ’04 totaled $64.6M, up 42% from $45.6M.  Revenue reached $287M, up 12% from $255.9M inthe year ago period (SMI).

A-B SIGNS 20-YEAR NAMING-RIGHTS DEAL WITHMLB CARDINALS

TheMLB Cardinals today signed a 20-year naming-rights deal with A-B for the club’snew ballpark, which becomes the third Busch Stadium in club history.  The pact provides A-B with categoryexclusivity on all Cardinals radio and TV broadcasts, promotions, use of theteam logo and stadium signage.  Groundwas broken on the ballpark in January. The ballpark is scheduled to open prior to the ’06 season.  A-B is an official MLB sponsor and sponsors24 MLB teams (Anheuser-Busch).

BURRITO EATERY GIVING AWAY 2,500 TIX FOR RED SOX-DEVIL RAYS GAME

The Devil Rays host the RedSox tonight at Tropicana Field, and the TAMPA TRIBUNE reports that two TijuanaFlats Burrito restaurants in Tampaare giving away 2,500 outfield upper reserve seats for the game – valued at $18each – to customers who bought a $7.79 combo meal this week.  Flats Burrito Owner Steve Finelli said that business is “up 35[%] at his restaurantssince Sunday, when the free ticket deal was first advertised.”  Checkers Restaurants gave away 5,000 ticketsto customers for upper-deck seats for Monday’s game against the Red Sox (TAMPA TRIBUNE, 8/4).

BUZZER BEATERS

Sporting News this weekfeatures two covers.  Falcons QB Michael Vick graces the national cover,under the header “The MVP (Michael Vick Plan).” Boston athletes are featured on the NewEngland cover, under the header “Boston:Best Sports City 2004.”

Sports Illustrated this weekfeatures Joe Namath, under theheader “Where have you gone, Joe Namath?”

ESPN The Magazine this weekfeatures U.S.decathlete Tom Pappas, under theheader “Ready or not, here they come.”

Sporting News	Sports Illustrated

ESPN Magazine

John Clune,one of the attorneys for Kobe Bryant’saccuser, said that his client will “have to discuss with prosecutors whethershe will go ahead with the criminal case because she fears the release of courtdocuments about her sex life threatens her chance of getting a fair hearing” (AP, 8/4).

Bell Sports today introduceda multi-sport helmet featuring DaleEarnhardt Jr.’s signature and No. 8 Chevy. Earlier this year, Bellintroduced similar helmets for the late DaleEarnhardt and Tony Stewart (Bell Sports).

TONIGHT’S EVENTS

Pat Collinswill moderate a 5:30pm ET panel discussion, “Teen Girls and Body Image:  A Healthy Discussion & Exploration of aNew Role Model,” at the NBA Store on Fifth Avenue.  Thepanel will include WNBA President ValAckerman, YM Magazine Exec Editor TamaraGlenny and Saatchi & Saatchi VP PatriciaMesseroux.

Cadillac will unveil the ’05STS Prestige Luxury vehicle at 6:00pm ET at Citizens Bank Park.

CHANNELSURFING

ESPN will air A’s-Yankees at 7:00pm ET.

ESPN Classic will air “Roadto Glory: Swimming and Diving” at 7:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air early-roundcoverage of the Western & Southern Financial Group Masters at 7:30pm ET.

ESPN Classic’s“SportsCentury” will profile RichmondFlowers at 8:00pm ET.

Texas Tech coach Bobby Knight, former NC Statebasketball player Lorenzo Charlesand actor Jeremy Piven will appearon FSN’s “BDSSP.”

Former Olympians Bart Conner and Nadia Comaneci will appear on CNBC’s “Dennis Miller” at 9:00pm ET.

PBS will air Part II of “TheReal Olympics,” an exploration of the contrast between reality and myths of theancient Olympic Games, at 9:00pm ET.

Travel Channel will air theWPT Foxwoods World Poker Finals at 9:00pm ET.

ESPN2 will air Phillies-Padres at 10:00pm ET.

Former Olympian Mark Spitz will appear on CBNC’s“McEnroe” at 10:00pm ET.

NASCAR driver Kevin Harvick will appear on SpeedChannel’s “Wind Tunnel” at 10:00pm ET.

ESPN’s “OTL Nightly” willexamine the rise and fall of skating prodigy Christian Hosoiat midnight ET.

Magic Johnsonwill appear on NBC’s “Late Night” at 12:35am ET.

A&E’s “Biography” willprofile Christina Onassis at 8:00pmET.

HEADLINERS

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

TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST

The WASHINGTON POST’s ThomasHeath writes in a front-page piece, “A small army of personal assistants andlifestyle management firms has grownup around professional athletes, offering 'round-the-clock hand-holdingthat ranges from stocking refrigerators to paying the dry cleaner to makingsure grandmothers get to the airport on time. The business is expected todouble to $1.3[B] in annual revenue in the next five years” (WASHINGTON POST).

The L.A. TIMES’ Meg James writes that advertisersare “trying to navigate the politically charged atmosphere in the wake of Janet Jackson's breast-baring stunt atthis year's Super Bowl. Advertisersconcede that it sometimes takes just a handful of complaints for them topull tens of thousands of dollars in advertising from a show. They say theymust protect their product's image and customer base at all costs” (L.A. TIMES).

• Changing taste of American racing fan raises challenges for Road America.
• NASCAR’s Brickyard 400 still revs up the Indianapolis economy.
• Profile of Jacobson sisters – members of U.S. Olympic fencing team.
• Decision to drop some X Games competitions irks several participants.

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

TODAY’S TEASER…

Mindbenders: There is a town where 5% of all the people livingthere have unlisted phone numbers. If you selected 100 names at random from thetown's phone directory, on average, how many of these people would haveunlisted phone numbers?

THE DAILY STAT: SPORTING NEWS RANKS THE BEST SPORTS CITIES

SportingNews released its ninth annual ranking of the best sports cities from July’03-July ’04 in the U.S.in its August 9 issue.  To be included inthe rankings, a city must have at least one NCAA Div. I basketball team or aSingle-A minor league baseball team, or it must score in select othercategories upon which the magazine bases its rankings.  The following details the top 20 (Sporting News, 8/9 issue):

…TODAY’SANSWER

None,because you wouldn’t find unlisted numbers in the phone directory.

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

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