Nike debuts its controversial "Evil" TV spot from Wieden &
Kennedy/Amsterdam during CBS' Final Four coverage. A 90-second
version will appear in movie theaters next month. The spot
features an all-star soccer team of Nike endorsers representing
"good" against "Satanic" forces (AD AGE ONLINE, 3/26)....RC cola
is running a consumer promotion at K-Mart as part of its
sponsorship of the Newman-Haas racing team, offering a trip to
the Indy 500, a limited edition Ford Explorer, or a $1M prize
(BRANDWEEK, 3/25).... The role of cable networks as NASCAR
sponsors is profiled in ELECTRONIC MEDIA. Wayne Walley notes
sponsorship can cost between $2.5 to $5.5M for the 31-race NASCAR
season, but the sponsorship provides "media exposure, promotional
value, merchandising and licensing revenues, and other
intangibles" (ELECTRONIC MEDIA, 3/25 issue).... Finalists in the
MPA Kelly Awards competition, which recognizes top magazine ads,
include Wieden & Kennedy spots for running shoe and Goodby,
Silverstein ads for Bell Sports Corp. helmets (Stuart Elliot,
N.Y. TIMES, 3/26)....ESPN has sold out sponsorship positions for
the '96 X Games. Gold level sponsors are Coors, AT&T, Mountain
Dew, Taco Bell, Nike, Chevy Trucks and Pontiac (ESPN)....Adidas
has paid $3M for naming rights to three Nick Bollettieri sports
training schools in Bradenton, FL (USA TODAY, 3/26)....Sears has
begun airing 30- and 60-second spots featuring the Women's USA
National Basketball Team. The spots will run on network prime-
time programming, including Lifetime (USA National
Team)....Chicago's Sportmart sold more than 1,000 pairs of the
new Air Jordans on Friday (Fred Mitchell, CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 3/26).
