THE HOCKEY NEWS' Stu Hackel writes on the legacy of the
FoxTrax, and noted that Univ. of MD Sports Management
Professor Daniel Mason will present a paper at the 27th
Annual Convention of the North American Society for Sports
History on, "Media, Nationalism and Hockey: Fox's Glowing
Puck as a 'Threat' to 'Canada's Game.'" Mason, a BC native,
says that Canadians turned Fox's glowing hockey puck "into a
cross-border issue," as the fans "felt insulted" with the
network's "tampering" of the sport (HOCKEY NEWS, 3/26).
INTERNET: Nielsen Media Research and Net Ratings
launched their new Internet measurement service, called
Nielsen//NetRatings. The N.Y.-based service will measure
Internet use and advertising and, at launch, its panel
includes more than 9,000 users providing data as they surf
the Web (Nielsen)....Shares of Broadcast.com surged 37%
yesterday following "speculation" that Yahoo!Inc. is in
talks to buy the company. Broadcast.com's stock closed up
$31.50 at $116.50 (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/23)....BRANDWEEK's
Terry Lefton reports that the NFL has joined Microsoft and
Intel to invest in Thingworld.com. The investment will
allow NFLP's QB Club to use Thingworld's technology, which
prevents digital manipulation of Web images, to explore e-
commerce in collectibles (BRANDWEEK, 3/22)....GOLFWEEK's
Sandra Dolbow reports that Nike's e-commerce venture is
"troubling" some golf retailers. PGA pro and country club
Manager Steve Brown, whose clubhouse sells Nike merchandise:
"It would bother me if Nike began to sell the same product
that I sell to my members." Golf club Owner Dale Robbins:
"It's another way for them to eliminate the middle man and
to reap bigger profits." But golf club pro Leigh Bader
said, "We had the same problem with the Nike Towns, which
actually enhanced sales of Nike merchandise in some of the
towns where they opened" (GOLFWEEK, 3/20 issue).
MORE NOTES: Marv Albert returns to national TV tonight
as studio host during TNT's coverage of the Heat-Jazz game
(USA TODAY, 3/23)....BROADCASTING & CABLE's Dan Trigoboff
writes that Reds do not have an over-the-air carrier this
season, as games will "be seen only on regional cable
network Fox Sports Ohio." Reds Dir of Media Relations Rob
Butcher: "Broadcasters don't want to give up their other
programming for baseball" (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 3/22).
