Ethical "quandaries" have arisen with the "explosion"
of sports Web sites, according to David Sweet of the WALL
STREET JOURNAL, who questions whether a site can "cover a
league or a player fairly when it has inked a side deal with
them." ESPN.com, NFL.com and NBA.com are all produced by
Walt Disney's ESPN Internet Ventures, while SportsLine USA
runs MLB.com and has deals with athletes such as Shaquille
O'Neal and Tiger Woods. Emerson College Department of
Journalism Chair Jerry Lanson: "I think it's a big problem.
Are you not going to hype the NBA? ... It's a real conflict,
that's not appearance of conflict." But SportsLine
President of Marketing & Sales Mark Mariani said, "We have
on numerous occasions run articles that were not popular
with the business side" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/22).
AMATEUR APPEAL: The INDUSTRY STANDARD's Bernhard Warner
wrote that many Web sites are now "choosing" amateur
athletes "to promote their brands." One reason is that
"teens don't necessarily idolize professional athletes
anymore" and they "tend to surf the Web for product
information." adidas "has taken this notion a step further"
by featuring amateur runners on its "100 Days" site, a
countdown to the N.Y. Marathon (INDUSTRY STANDARD, 9/20).
NET SPIES? In Seattle, Bud Withers wrote that some
college football coaches are closing team practices because
"most major-college programs are closely watched by one or
more Internet entities, which report recruiting news and,
sometimes, practice developments." Withers wrote that the
new threat "is providing headaches" for coaches who now
"must decide whether the Internet army is composed of
legitimate journalists or simply amateurs who could
disseminate inside information" (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/22).
YOU CAN'T PEEK-AT-BOO.COM YET: In N.Y., Evelyn
Nussenbaum reports on the much-anticipated launch of
Boo.com. Boo.com North American President Jay Herratti, on
the delay of launching the site that will offer sports/
casual clothing: "We decided to take the time and beef up
the system to handle the extra volume. But we are certain
to launch within the next few weeks" (N.Y. POST, 9/23).
NOTES: ESPN.com is partnering with FANSonly to provide
live audio and exclusive content packages over the Internet.
The packages will include live game audio, press conferences
and coaches' shows (ESPN)....Former GT Bicycles COO Bill
Duehring has launched Nirve, an Internet action sports brand
that will include its own line of BMX bikes, freestyle
bikes, trail bikes, snowboards, skateboards, wakeboards and
surfboards. Nirve's initial products will be available to
consumers during this holiday season at www.nirve.com
(Nirve)....Don Shula will write an exclusive column and
provide special NFL coverage for Foxsports.com
(Foxsports.com)....Rivals.com has signed Broncos coach Mike
Shanahan as an official spokesperson and will produce a Web
site for him that will feature chats (Rivals.com)....ESPN's
Peter Gammons reported in his "Diamond Notes" that the
"best" baseball Web site is www.CJbaseball.com, which was
built and is maintained by Tigers P C.J. Nitkowski. The
site contains his own daily updates, ratings of his favorite
road restaurants and links to his favorite Web sites,
including Gammons' column in the Boston Globe (ESPN, 9/22).
