WOMEN'S TENNIS: The WTA Tour will formally announce
Sara Lee's Sanex brand as its title sponsor Wednesday at the
Chase Championships. USA TODAY reports that the deal is
"expected to be" for $30M over five years (USA TODAY,
11/12)....Wavex Int'l has inked a three-year deal for Chris
Evert to endorse the company's rackets. Evert will have her
own signature line of racquets (Wavex)....BRANDWEEK's Terry
Lefton reports that IMG "isn't rushing into licensing deals"
for Serena and Venus Williams. IMG VP/Apparel & Fashion
Licensing Jeffrey Ceppos: "We want to get into lifestyle
apparel first. ... We're looking for things like dresses and
accessories, stuff you'd wear to a party rather than a
tennis court. Once we get a fashion story going, we think
the rest will follow" (BRANDWEEK, 11/8 issue).
NOTES: Jay Leno, on Jazz F Karl Malone's endorsement
deal with the NRA: "Just what America needs -- another
mailman with a gun" ("Tonight Show," 11/11)....CBS
SportsLine's Mark Alesia: "Arrogant commercials that used to
boast of Bulls tickets being the toughest in town to find
have changed their tone. Now they talk about tickets being
available." The tagline of one ad reads, "The fair-weather,
front-running fans are gone" (CBS SportsLine, 11/11).
DO NOT PASS GO, DO NOT COLLECT ANY GOALS! Hasbro has
introduced The Monopoly Game: NHL Collector's Edition, which
is now available at U.S. and Canadian department stores, as
well as toy and gift shops, for $30 (NHL). In Ottawa, Allen
Panzeri, on the game: "Imagine the vicarious fun. After a
hard day of threatening to sell the Senators if he doesn't
get sufficient tax breaks, [Senators Chair Rod] Bryden can
go home, roll the dice, move his Zamboni game piece, and
sell the team" (OTTAWA CITIZEN, 11/11).
