NHL LOCKER ROOM RIGHTS: In the "wake of Starter's
bankruptcy filing," the NHL has "reassigned" the Stanley Cup
locker room merchandise licensing rights to Pro Player for
T-shirts and to New Era for caps (BRANDWEEK, 5/10 issue).
The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Andy Bernstein puts the value
of the locker room rights between $3-10M, "depending on
which team wins" the Cup (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 5/10
issue)....Sabres G Dominik Hasek has started a sportswear
company called "Dominator" in the Czech Republic, and "plans
outposts" for the U.S. and Canada. Hasek: "Already I'm on
the phone to Prague almost every day talking about the
business, about quotas and things" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/9).
FROM MANCHESTER TO ORANGE COUNTY: Manchester United
will open a chain of amusement parks called "Theater of
Dreams" in the Far East. The United plans to open parks in
Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and China (LONDON
TIMES, 5/7)....In N.Y., Alec Foege wrote that the NASCAR
concert tour, "NASCAR Rocks," was helped developed by John
Schreiber and his ad agency, John Schreiber Group. CBS
Sports Senior VP Keith Ritter: "Other people got focused on
the idea that we were doing Nascar Rocks simply as a concert
series. John immediately understood that we wanted a really
cool entertainment experience, but that it also had to serve
a broader marketing goal" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/9)....Oakley Sports
Marketing Manager Bruce Fraser, after supplying Heat C
Alonzo Mourning with protective eyewear: "We spent a lot of
time and money helping him out. He said everything was
great with the glasses. He definitely feels some loyalty to
us now" (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 5/8).
SURFING: CA-based Ocean Pacific Apparel Corp. has
officially ended its 17-year sponsorship of the two-week
beach festival in Huntington Beach, CA. CA-based apparel
company Gotcha Int'l will pay $600,000 for title rights to
the event (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 5/6). In San Diego, Erik
Bratt wrote that in addition to "appealing to men," surfing
"has gained tremendous popularity with women." Wholesale
sales to surf shops and specialty stores increased an
"estimated" 12% in '97, to $1.68B (UNION-TRIBUNE, 5/9).
