The ATP Tour "is set to ... radically" change the
business of men's tennis by replacing the title and
presenting sponsors of its "top 10 tournaments with eight to
12 companies that will be asked to pay up to" $10M annually
for 10 years, according to Daniel Kaplan of the
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. As part of "one of the largest
sports marketing deals ever," the ATP and its marketing
agency, ISL, reached "an agreement in principle to
guarantee" the ATP $1.2B in event sponsorship and TV revenue
between 2000-09. Many "details remain to be negotiated,
such as what tournaments will have to do to receive their
share of the money and the costs of unwinding" existing
sponsorship deals, but "most people in tennis now believe"
the deal will get done. In an effort "to create a common,
recognizable sport like the NBA and the NFL," the ATP "may
mandate" a "uniform look" for its tournaments, by making
events "use the same color courts and backwalls." There is
"even talk of requiring players to wear the same type of
clothes" and changing the ATP logo. The new sponsors "will
be granted product exclusivity," but the events would be
able to sell other sponsorships "in the plazas outside the
main tennis stadiums," as long as these deals don't conflict
with the ATP sponsors (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/29 issue).
CLEAN DEAL? Kaplan also reports that the WTA Tour is in
"serious discussions with" Dove about making the soap and
detergent company the Tour's title sponsor. The WTA "hoped
to make an announcement" at the Lipton Championships --
which ended yesterday -- but "talks have not gone as
smoothly as expected." The WTA Tour is reportedly seeking a
deal worth $8M a year (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/29 issue).
