In '95, The Sports Authority's first full year as a public
company, the sporting goods retailer topped $1B in sales (MIAMI
HERALD, 5/13)....AC Milan, an Italian pro soccer team, is
planning an IPO on one of the New York financial markets (N.Y.
POST, 5/13)....Nike kicks off a $35M marketing relaunch of its
revamped Air cushioning technology with an insert in this week's
Rolling Stone that takes a "cynical poke" at '96 Olympic
sponsors. Wieden & Kennedy-created ads hit next month, and a Web
site will arrive this summer (AD AGE ONLINE, 5/13)....Nutmeg
Mills will provide Lee Sport golf shirts to all NFL players
competing in the NFL Cadillac Golf Classic, an official Senior
PGA Tour event. The shirts will feature the Cadillac Golf
Classic logo on the left chest, the player's team logo on the
left sleeve and the Lee Sport logo on the right (Nutmeg Mills).
....The Marlins have announced they will feature OFs Jeff Conine
and Gary Sheffield along with C Charlie Johnson on transit
shelter ads throughout Dade and Broward Counties
(Marlins)....Restore Inc. has signed an agreement to become title
sponsor of the inaugural Restore Automotive Football Classic
involving FSU and Maryland. The game is presented as a joint
venture between the Carquest Bowl Committee and Joe Robbie
Stadium (Carquest Bowl)....As part of a two-year licensing deal
between Marvel Entertainment Group and Wilson Sporting Goods,
Wilson will produce tennis racquets emblazoned with Marvel
characters the Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man and X-Men Wolverine
and Storm (Wilson)....Volvo has signed a three-year deal to
sponsor the Omega Tour's Volvo Asian Matchplay Championships
(Omega Tour)....In DC, Steven Ginsberg writes the biggest
beneficiaries thus far from DC United's inaugural season have
been local media outlets. The team has spent $145,000 on local
radio ads and $100,000 on newspaper ads. United Dir of Business
Development Strickland Heilman says the impact for local
retailers will be felt "later on," and he expects it to "be huge"
(WASHINGTON POST, 5/13)....PepsiCo, Sony, Motorola and Viacom's
MTV have teamed up to give away 500,000 beepers to teenagers as
part of a $40-50M summer marketing program for Mountain Dew. The
beepers will link customers in a network offering discounts and
prizes (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 5/13).
