Closing Bell, February 4, 2005

PAUL TAGLIABUE DELIVERS STATE OF THE LEAGUE ADDRESS

NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue today delivered his annual state of the league address in Jacksonville, where one notable presence in the media room was that of Michael Ovitz, sitting near Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder. When approached, Ovitz politely shunned off questions and said he was there only to enjoy the game. Arthur Blank, Dan Rooney, Wellington Mara, Lamar Hunt and Tom Benson, among others, also were in attendance. Giants co-Owner Robert Tisch, who was diagnosed last year with an inoperable brain tumor, was in the room and told those around him that he is feeling good.

The press conference was dominated by questions on the small-market host city and increasing diversity in both the coaching and front-office ranks. The following is a sampling of Tagliabue’s remarks:

When asked by USA Today’s Rudy Martzke about how he would characterize the TV rights talks between the league and Disney, Tagliabue responded, “Not the way you characterized them the other day.” Tagliabue also said, “The discussions will probably be complicated because we’re looking at it from a strategic perspective. We are giving very serious consideration to being part of the launch of another major sports network on cable and satellite television. That’s a complicated thing, but we’re looking at that very seriously.” Notably, News Corp. Chair & CEO Rupert Murdoch said earlier this week of launching a sports network to rival ESPN, “Will we be taking on ESPN? We would not do that without a pretty full NFL franchise.” ESPN has exclusive negotiating rights with the NFL through October.

Tagliabue, on CBA negotiations with the NFLPA: “I think we have a long way to go. I know Gene said he’s optimistic, but he’s also a realist. I don’t know whether I’m optimistic or pessimistic because we have a long way to go in getting a consensus that’s going to get 24 votes on an agreement with the players association.”

On the importance of a salary cap: “We could recommend it to anyone else who’s interested in having a good league.”

On his role in this year’s halftime show, “I’m happy to say, when you get the right people and the right policies and the right processes, I’ve left most of this to other people.”

On whether there will be an NFL franchise north of the border in “our lifetimes”: “Depends on how long you expect to live.”

On returning to L.A.: “We’ve been working very hard with the four sites. … We expect as early as our May meeting this year to have one or more term sheets finalized with those cities for the building of a stadium and for the use of a stadium. … It is a top priority and has been for quite some time.”

Meanwhile, Connie Payton presented the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award to Falcons RB Warrick Dunn for his “Homes for the Holidays” program, through which he has helped 52 single mothers become homeowners by paying their down payments and furnishing their homes. NFL Dir of Football Operations Gene Washington said of Dunn, “He is not about flash, he is about quiet dignity. He has a competitive spirit and a compassionate heart.”

Also today, Paramount Pictures held a press conference with the cast of its “The Longest Yard” remake, which includes Adam Sandler, Chris Rock and Burt Reynolds, and unveiled a new trailer that will debut in theaters next week with the new movie “Hitch.” When asked if he ever played football growing up, Rock said, “Well, I got my ass kicked by the football team” (THE DAILY).

PATRIOTS AND EAGLES TO SQUARE OFF IN SUPER BOWL XXXIX

The Patriots will attempt to win their second consecutive Super Bowl and their third in four years when they take the field at 6:27pm ET against the Eagles on Sunday. Fox will begin its Super Bowl XXXIX coverage at 2:00pm ET with “Fox Super Bowl Sunday,” featuring its “Fox NFL Sunday” group of James Brown, Terry Bradshaw, Howie Long and Jimmy Johnson. Chris Myers and Pam Oliver will provide special reports. Joe Buck, Cris Collinsworth and Troy Aikman will call the game. The following details Fox’ Super Bowl coverage:

NETWORKS PLAN COUNTER PROGRAMMING FOR SUPER BOWL XXXIX

While Fox will easily dominate Sunday’s ratings battle, several networks will air marathon programming or other counter-programming initiatives. The following details some of the counter programming opposite Fox’ Super Bowl coverage:

While the Super Bowl promises to be a family-friendly broadcast, “The Lingerie Bowl” and “The Girls Gone Wild Halftime Games” will air on PPV during halftime of Fox’ Super Bowl broadcast (THE DAILY).

DAILY VARIETY notes that for movie studios, the Super Bowl “is a problem. With so many people distracted by the big game on the small screen, grosses for Sunday are usually cut almost in half. Sony and Universal present two ways to get around football this weekend.” For Sony’s horror flick ‘Boogeyman,’ which opens Friday, “the strategy is to go out with a film that normally does the bulk of its biz on Friday and Saturday nights.” Universal is debuting “The Wedding Date” and hopes to “draw the [audience] that’s most pigskin averse – adult femmes” (DAILY VARIETY, 2/4).

DAILY VARIETY also noted that to “combat the slow biz that plagues [theaters] on Super Bowl Sunday, Loews Cineplex is this year expanding a one-day two-for-one ticket promotion to 13 cities, including the hometowns of this year’s Super Bowl teams, Boston and Philadelphia.” Loews Senior VP/Marketing John McCauley said that the program is “aimed at football fans who don’t plan on watching the hours of coverage before kickoff as well as people who have no interest in the game” (DAILY VARIETY, 2/3).

CIALIS AND AMBERBOCK PEGGED AS BRANDS LIKELY TO SUCCEED SUNDAY

MEDIA POST cites a recent Carat Insight study that found ED drug Cialis and Anheuser-Busch’s Michelob AmberBock “have the greatest likelihood of reaching people who consume their products of any advertisers” in the Super Bowl. The least likely consumers to watch the game are “users of Ciba Vision, Degree deodorant and Diamond Emerald Nuts, which indexed below the average TV viewer.” The study was based on Mediamark Research’s Spring 2004 report (MEDIAPOST.com, 2/4). For the following chart, the “Index Vs. Viewers 18+” column represents the likelihood that users of that brand will watch Super Bowl XXXIX compared to the average adult viewer.

Blockbuster will launch a new ad campaign on Fox prior to and after the net's Super Bowl broadcast. The campaign, via Doner, Detroit, touts the video rental firm's online capabilities and will run through February 22 (Blockbuster).

The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER notes that Eagles QB Donovan McNabb “will be wearing a new shoe that Reebok custom-designed for him, one that combines elements of a ‘speed shoe’ with features made for ‘large-framed’ players. The Force B-Mid II is a shiny green, black and silver. McNabb doesn’t like having the laces show, so Reebok created a lace cover that secures with snaps. The shoe will become available to the public next football season” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 2/4).

The BOSTON HERALD reports that Gillette CEO James Kilts “and a close group of about 30 executives, pals and business contacts are packing off for a $10,000-a-head weekend Super Bowl jamboree at shareholders’ expense” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/4).

ANNUAL SUPER BOWL PICK ‘EM COMING TO A CLOSE AT 5:00PM ET

The Sports Business Daily and SportsBusiness Journal Super Bowl Pick ‘em is open until 5:00pm ET today. If you have yet to enter, be sure to take some time out and test your prognostication skills against those of your fellow readers. The best and brightest in the sports industry will receive an award perhaps second only to the Vince Lombardi Trophy itself – recognition in The Daily and SportsBusiness Journal.

As of Friday morning, more than 75% of the respondents were hopping on the Patriots bandwagon. About 50% of respondents tabbed Pats QB Tom Brady as the MVP, while Corey Dillon and Eagles QB Donovan McNabb had received 20% and 15% of the votes, respectively. The winner will be announced Monday.

RECORD CROWD EXPECTED FOR WELTERWEIGHT BOUT IN ST. LOUIS

Unified welterweight champion Cory Spinks will defend his titles against Zab Judah in a rematch at Savvis Center in St. Louis on Saturday night. The ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH reports that the paid crowd will be 20,655, making the bout, “as best as anyone can tell, the largest paid crowd ever for a fight at an indoor arena.” Including complimentary tickets, media and others, the fight will attract 22,048. Savvis Center GM Dennis Petrullo: “I never thought we would have 21,000-plus, especially with this being Super Bowl weekend” (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/2).

FBR OPEN HOPES THRONG OF FANS CONTINUE THROUGH WEEKEND

The PGA Tour FBR Open continues this weekend at the TPC of Scottsdale, and the ARIZONA REPUBLIC reported that spectators “could get an even bigger kick out of [the tournament] this week as a result of changes designed to make the Open more fan-friendly. The Birds Nest [party tent] is back at the tournament site after three years at WestWorld; an interactive expo tent will greet fans at the entrance; more general admission seating has been added at the popular 16^th hole; and kiosks around the course will allow fans to get real-time updates on their favorite players” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 1/30).

The EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE reports that an event-record gallery of 78,864 was on hand for Thursday’s opening round, shattering the previous mark of 72,650 in ’01 (EAST VALLEY TRIBUNE, 2/4).

Meanwhile, the ARIZONA REPUBLIC also reported that FBR is expecting 600 clients this year, compared to roughly 250 last year. The clients “pay for their own transportation and hotel accommodations, and FBR provides access to the golf tournament and meals” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/2).

BUZZER BEATERS

Manchester United has been granted permission to expand Old Trafford’s capacity by 7,900 to about 76,000. Construction is expected to cost ManU about $84.8M and will bring the club about $9.5M more each season. The seats are expected to be installed prior to the ’06-07 season (BBC.co.uk, 2/4).

Thrashers C Dany Heatley today was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to give 150 speeches about the dangers of speeding after pleading guilty to second-degree vehicular homicide for the death of teammate Dan Snyder in a car accident in ’03 (AP, 2/4).

NOW HEAR THIS

The following are notable quotes from today’s news:

• GoDaddy.com Founder Bob Parsons told The Daily of his Super Bowl ad buy, “If it’s a complete waste, we’ll be just fine.” Read the full story.

• Fox will debut Turf Cam during its Super Bowl broadcast, and Fox Sports TV Group Chair & CEO David Hill said, “Turf Cam really is a huge gamble. ... The chance of us getting a meaningful shot out of it, in reality, is probably like 100-1 against. But if we do get the shot, it will be absolutely awesome” (THE DAILY). Read the full story.

• There has been much discussion of the relatively small size of Jacksonville, as well as the weather, and Eagles WR Chad Lewis said, “Being in the Super Bowl is fun. Being in Jacksonville isn’t what I expected. It doesn’t look like the brochures” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS, 2/4). Read the full story.

WEEKEND EVENTS

Friday

The Univ. of Alabama and Auburn Univ. women’s gymnastics teams will wear pink leotards to help raise awareness for breast cancer during their “Target the Cure” meet in Tuscaloosa. Attending fans will receive pamphlets, T-shirts and pink bracelets. All donations will benefit the DCH Breast Care Fund (USA TODAY, 2/2).

Saturday

The MLB Rangers will host their Winter Warmup event at Ameriquest Field, where fans can purchase mini-plans ranging from 14-24 games at 2004 prices. Rangers President Jeff Cogen said that the club has “already renewed more than 90[%] of last year’s season-ticket base of approximately 10,000 full-season equivalencies.” Last year’s partial-season-ticket sales were the “smallest since the club moved to Ameriquest Field” in ’94. The club is raising ticket prices this year for the first time in three years (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 2/4).

The Marlins will begin their “weeklong BankUnited Caravan of player, executive and Marlins Mermaid visits to South Florida schools, hospitals and businesses.” The caravan culminates with the BankUnited FanFest at Dolphins Stadium on February 12 (Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 2/4).

Astros P Roger Clemens will help his wife Debbie launch her denim jacket line at the Capri Store at Bellagio in Las Vegas from 2:00-4:00pm MT. Debbie will “sign jackets available for purchase, and [Roger] will, upon request, autograph each jacket purchased along with a maximum of two items with each jacket purchased” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/22).

CHANNEL SURFING

Friday

USA will air second-round coverage of the PGA Tour FBR Open at 4:00pm ET.

Patriots Vice Chair Jonathan Kraft will appear on CNBC’s “Kudlow & Cramer” at 5:00pm ET.

ESPN will air Mavericks-Pacers at 7:00pm ET and Rockets-T’Wolves at 9:30pm.

Pat O’Brien and MTV’s Vanessa Minnillo will host CBS’ “The Greatest Commercials: Super Bowl vs. The World,” an hour-long special that pits Super Bowl spots against ads that have aired around the world, at 8:00pm ET.

Football HOFer Marcus Allen will appear on Fox’ “The Bernie Mac Show” at 8:30pm ET.

ESPN2 will air Friday Night Fights: Edner Cherry-Ricky Quiles at 9:00pm ET.

The Golf Channel will air “Tiger’s Prints,” the finale of the net’s story of Tiger Woods' rise to the professional ranks, at 9:00pm ET.

Patriots players – including Tedy Bruschi, Larry Izzo, Willie McGinest, Troy Brown and Adam Vinatieri – will present the “Top Ten Things You Don’t Want To Hear in a Huddle” on CBS’ “Late Show” with David Letterman at 11:35pm ET.

NASCAR driver Jeff Gordon will appear on CBS’ “The Late Late Show” at 12:35am ET.

Eagles WR Terrell Owens will appear on “BDSSP.”

Saturday

ESPN will air “College GameDay” from Syracuse Univ.’s Carrier Dome.

USA will air the World Alpine Championships: Men’s Downhill at noon ET.

Speed Channel will air the Rolex Sports Car Series at noon ET.

NBC will air the Millrose Games at 2:00pm ET.

The Disney Channel will air “The Garbage Picking Field Goal Kicking Philadelphia Phenomenon” at 2:00pm ET.

ABC will air Winter X Games IX highlights at 3:00pm ET.

CBS will air third-round coverage of the FBR Open at 3:00pm ET.

ABC will air day one of the Wendy’s Champions Skins Game at 4:00pm ET.

NBC will air the PBR Southern Ford Dealers Invitational at 4:30pm ET.

Fox will air the College Football All-Star Skills Classic at 4:30pm ET.

Holly Robinson Peete, the wife of Panthers QB Rodney Peete, will host “Football Café” on Food Network at 5:00pm ET.

Spike TV will air “The Longest Yard” at 8:00pm ET.

NBA TV will air Hornets-Jazz at 9:00pm ET.

Sunday

HBO will replay the ’04 documentary “The Wild Ride to Super Bowl I” at 11:00am ET.

CBS will air coverage of the Triathlon World Championships at noon ET.

NBC will air coverage of the Snowboarding World Championships at noon ET.

Fox will air “Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam” at noon ET.

USA will air skiing: World Alpine Championships: Women’s Downhill at noon ET.

ABC will air day two of the Wendy’s Champions Skins Game at 1:00pm ET.

NBC will air regional coverage of the AFL: Dallas Desperados-N.Y. Dragons or Philadelphia Soul-Chicago Rush 1:00pm ET.

Fox will air “Best Darn Super Bowl Road Show Period” at 1:00pm ET.

ESPN will air PBA: Atlanta Classic at 2:00pm ET.

Fox will air “Fox Super Bowl Sunday”at 2:00pm ET.

CBS will air final-round coverage of the FBR Open at 3:00pm ET.

ABC will air Lakers-Rockets at 3:30pm ET.

ESPN will air the European Figure Skating Championships at 3:30pm ET.

NBC will air the Poker Superstars Invitational at 4:00pm ET.

Fox will air Super Bowl XXXIX at 6:00pm ET.

FSN will air boxing: Cesar Figueroa-Jorge Martinez at 9:00pm ET.

Tom Brady, Warren Sapp, Yao Ming, LeBron James and Michelle Kwan will appear on Fox’ “The Simpsons,” in which athletes enlist Homer to choreograph their celebrations, at 10:00pm ET.

THE DAILY STAT: SUPER BOWL XXXIX FRANCHISE VALUATIONS

FORBES.com noted that both the Patriots and Eagles are “among the NFL’s most valuable franchises. The value of both teams has jumped more than 50% over the past two years.” The following offers more details on the two teams (FORBES.com, 1/27):

FORBES.com also notes that since ’98, the Super Bowl winner “has been the more valuable franchise each year. This includes 2002 and 2003, when the winning team was the underdog going into the game. While the Patriots might not cover the point spread, their fans will be celebrating a third title in four years if history repeats itself” (FORBES.com, 1/27):

CRITICS WEIGH IN: “THE WEDDING DATE” DRAWS POOR REVIEWS

“Will & Grace’s” Debra Messing stars in “The Wedding Date” as a woman who shows up with a male escort to her sister’s wedding, and, of course, ends up falling in love with him. “Boogeyman” is also opening in a wide release, but was not given an advanced screening.

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

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