U.S. women's soccer team M Michelle Akers appeared on
NBC's "Today" this morning to promote the new series of
Wheaties boxes which features individual members of the U.S.
women's team. Akers: "I've been on the team going on
fifteen years, and ... a Wheaties box was the furthest thing
form my mind when I first started" ("Today," NBC, 8/30).
GOLF: NEC Invitational Tournament Dir Tom Strong said
while there was "more signage" at this year's event, it was
"more discreet and more uniform" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL,
8/30)....In Calgary, Eric Francis asks, "Anyone still think
Nike paid too much to sign Tiger?" (CALGARY SUN,
8/30)....David Duval, asked what balls should be used at the
Ryder Cup: "As long as they play Titleist, I don't have a
problem with it" (AKRON BEACON JOURNAL, 8/30).
SHOE NEWS: MA-based Puma N.A. "will open its first
outlet store" Wednesday at the Belz Factory Outlet World in
St. Augustine, FL, and a second outlet store is "slated to
open in mid-September" in Orlando. The company will sell
its sportswear and footwear "at least" 20% below retail at
the stores (FL TIMES-UNION, 8/30)....In N.Y., Phil Mushnick
criticizes Nike for naming a new shoe the "Rimbreaker": "Of
course, a broken basketball rim means the end of the
basketball game, and, in some playgrounds, the end of the
game for many, many months, if not forever. But Nike has
long sought to market young vandals" (N.Y. POST, 8/30).
NOTES: In Richmond, Bob Lipper criticized John Elway's
Coors ad appearance: "What's a nice guy like John Elway
doing in an ad campaign like this? ... Michael Jordan
doesn't do beer commercials. Wayne Gretzky doesn't do beer
commercials. That doesn't make them saints -- just sensible
and sensitive to their place in the sportsbiz cosmos"
(TIMES-DISPATCH, 8/29)....More reaction to FIVB's snug-
fitting uniform policy: The Venezuelan women's junior
volleyball team's uniforms are "raising eyebrows" at the
World Championships in Edmonton, as they "had a habit of
turning into thongs, requiring constant adjustment."
Meanwhile, the Italians "have drawn the ire" of the FIVB
"for wearing uniforms not revealing enough" (CP, 8/30).
