GOLF: U.S. District Court in MA ruled that Spalding
Sports cannot continue to sell its Etonic golf shoes using
the term "Ecomfort," after Acushnet claimed that it had
exclusive rights to the "ecomfort" name for its FootJoy
shoe. The Court did say that Spalding may use the term
"comfort" (GOLF Online, 8/30)....In Atlanta, Glenn Sheeley
writes that in what "would be another blow for Titleist,"
Davis Love III and Jesper Parnevik are "reported to be
switching to Tiger Woods' same" Nike Tour Accuracy golf ball
(ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/31)....Titleist/Cobra President Ed
Abrain, on custom-made golf equipment for pros not being
available to consumers: "If someone had a custom-tailored
suit, would you want to wear it? It might be beautiful for
the person it was made for, but it probably wouldn't look
good on someone else" (USA TODAY, 8/31).
NAMES & FACES: The SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Marcy Frank
reports that Lance Armstrong -- once "lauded by SAG after he
declined to film" ads for his sponsors, including Nike,
Yahoo! and Bristol-Myers Squibb -- crossed the SAG picket
line and filmed a Nike ad in Hungary last week. Sources
said that Armstrong had been training abroad and "did not
fly out of the [U.S.] solely to shoot a commercial"
(SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 8/28)....The "first of five" new TV
ads for Campbell's Chunky Soup featuring Rams QB Kurt Warner
and/or Broncos RB Terrell Davis will air during the teams'
season-opening game on ABC's "MNF" (ROCKY MTN NEWS, 8/31).
...S.F.-based ad agency Hoffman/Lewis is "in the process of
trying to" re-sign former 49ers QB Steve Young "to continue"
to star in ads for Northern CA Toyota "despite significant
changes in the Young brand." Young is "no longer the
hapless bachelor depicted in previous Toyota spots," as he
is now married and expecting his first child, and is also a
dot-com exec and a GOP "luminary" (AD AGE, 8/28 issue).
DEALS & DOLLARS: The Nokia Sugar Bowl has signed a
three-year deal to replace Gatorade as the title sponsor of
the LA state high school football championship games.
Gatorade will remain a sponsor of the event (Baton Rouge
ADVOCATE, 8/30)....MD-based Gilco Sports & Entertainment,
headed by David Cope and Sara Gilbertson, has named DC-based
Sports Wave as its PR agency of record. Sports Wave will
provide media relations and Internet communications during
Gilco's launch and inaugural year (Sports Wave).
