FedEx "will not renew its NHL sponsorship" when its
two-year deal expires this year, according to "agency
sources" of Terry Lefton of BRANDWEEK. Lefton writes,
"Assuming the NHL sends players to the next Winter Olympics,
[UPS] seems a likely replacement as it already has an
Olympic deal." Lefton also reports that Nike is "close to"
a licensing agreement with MLB. The deal being negotiated
is "not the on-field arrangement long sought" by MLB, but it
would "move Nike closer to that kind of pact, while giving"
the company's Team Sports unit the rights to manufacture
"sweats, fleece, and t-shirts." Lefton notes that "more
than" 60% of MLB players are "under contract to Nike, or use
its products." Additionally, Nike produces MLB caps under
its SPL 28 sub-brand (BRANDWEEK, 3/13 issue).
ATHLETE MONEY MATTERS: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's
Mullen & Kaplan report that IMG and Merrill Lynch are "in
talks about a business alliance involving" IMG's "$1
billion-in-assets investment advisory arm," but it is "not
clear what form the alliance might take or when it could be
finalized" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/13 issue).
MCDONALD'S PICKS AND CHOOSES NASCAR TIE: The
SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Andy Bernstein writes that while
NASCAR did get McDonald's to renew its sponsorship through
2003 plus an option year, it "won't be a central cog in the
McDonald's promotional machine." The QSR's sponsorship with
NASCAR "does not call for" it to run a "NASCAR-themed
promotion every year." Instead, McDonald's will run "two or
three NASCAR Happy Meal promotions over the course of the
deal." But McDonald's Department Dir of National Marketing
Neil Perry said that the QSR will advertise in "most if not
all of the races" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 3/13 issue).
