NFL: The NFL announced its official postseason locker
room licensees: Logo Athletic will supply the Super Bowl
locker room coaches cap and Divisional Champions locker room
hat and T-shirt; Starter the locker room T-shirt for both
the Super Bowl and AFC/NFC Championship Games; and Sports
Specialties the AFC/NFC Championship locker room coaches cap
(NFL)....As part of Visa's NFL marketing partnership, 49ers
QB Steve Young and WR Jerry Rice will be featured in two new
30-second spots for Visa USA, which will debut nationally
during Sunday's 49ers-Dolphins game on Fox (Visa USA).
NOTES: The average cost of making a national 30-second
spot last year hit $308,000 -- more than $10,000 a second --
compared with $278,000 in '96 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/19).
...Puma officially announced the signing of Raptors rookie
Vince Carter, the only NBA player currently endorsed by the
company (Puma)....Callaway Golf introduced its new line of
Little Bertha Golf Clubs for junior golfers. A set including
a driver, 6-iron, 8-iron, wedge, putter and bag has a
suggested retail price of $500 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 8/18).
MOTORSPORTS: Bayer reached a sponsorship deal for its
Aspirin and Alka-Seltzer brands with BACE Motorsports for
the '99 NASCAR Busch Grand National Season. The sponsorship
marks the seventh consecutive year the company has backed a
Busch team (SPEEDNET, 8/18)....MI-based Fastlane Footwear
acquired NC-based Jebco, which manufactures and sells a full
line of NASCAR licensed products. Fastlane has a NASCAR
license for its line of footwear products. Jack Stecher
will remain Jebco President and will be elected to
Fastlane's Board of Directors (Fastlane).
