ON THE TOUR: WTA Tour CEO Bart McGuire said that "a
dozen or so companies are interested" in the Tour's vacant
title sponsorship, but "some are trying to gauge whether the
current phenomenal television and attendance records for the
female game will be lasting." While he ruled out a tobacco
company's title sponsorship, he didn't dismiss a brewery
sponsoring the Tour. McGuire: "We'd have to look at that"
(TORONTO STAR, 8/18). Tennis Canada CEO Bob Moffat: "Tennis
was dying, according to Sports Illustrated, five years ago.
But there seems to have been a major resurgence. ... Right
now, the women's game is driving that" (NAT. POST, 8/18).
TIGHT FIT: Speedo has inked a deal with the Australian
Olympic Committee under which all of the members of its
nat'l swim team "must wear the Speedo product." But
Australian Swimming Exec Dir Vena Murray said, "I would
think that if a swimmer had a major problem wearing Speedo
and genuinely believed another product would help them, then
we wouldn't inhibit anyone" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 8/18).
NOTES: HomePoint.com formally announced its title
sponsorship of the Music City Bowl. The company will
feature comedian Martin Mull in an $8M ad campaign over the
next five months and its deal to title sponsor the game is
"a continuation of that campaign" (Nashville TENNESSEAN,
8/18)....Hasbro's new Nerf "Turbo Blast-Back" football bears
the NFL logo, with commercials set to feature Packers QB
Brett Favre and other NFL players (SEATTLE POST-
INTELLIGENCER, 8/17)....GOLFWEEK's "Forecaddie" reports that
adidas-Salomon Golf Group CEO Jim Stutts is "heading to
Germany the week of [August] 16 to get Adidas-Salomon's OK
on top-level management realignment" (GOLFWEEK, 8/14 issue).
...AD AGE's Mark Rechtin reports that American Isuzu is
"sponsoring off-the-beaten-path sports with more marketing
dollars," including the Ironman Triathlon and the Eco-
Challenge. Company GM Bob Reilly said, "We need to show how
distinctive we are, based on the events we affiliate
ourselves with" (AD AGE, 8/16)....Braves SS Ozzie Guillen,
on the "Turn Ahead the Clock" uniforms the team will wear
today: "This is the very best I've seen." Manager Bobby
Cox: "What happened to the sleeves? I'm going to have to
get out the barbells today" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/18).
...Athlete's Foot's new "computerized foot scanner" debuted
in Atlanta and will be installed in a "still-undetermined
number" of stores nationwide as "part of the company's bid
to sell more shoes." Athlete's Foot Senior VP/Stores Tim
Brannon: "If they leave the store with a fit shoe, we've got
them again and again" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/18).
