The PGA Tour has asked Yahoo to remove ads for online
sports bookmakers on golf pages, becoming the fifth U.S.
sports league or organization to "demand that the world's
second-most popular Web site remove the ads," according to
Newman & Eichelberger of BLOOMBERG NEWS. While PGA Tour
VP/Legal Affairs Rick Anderson expected Yahoo to honor the
Tour's request, Newman & Eichelberger reported that as of
Monday evening, the ads "were still running." Newman &
Eichelberger note Yahoo spokesperson Dean Jutilla did not
return telephone calls or e-mails seeking comment. Media
execs said that the sports-related gambling ads are
generating $4M this month for Yahoo at a time when company
sales growth "is slowing." Anderson: "To me, it's an uphill
battle for someone like Yahoo to insist that they can put
these things near sports content, not to mention bad
business." Yahoo said Thursday that it was "eliminating
ads" for sports wagering services in areas where the NFL,
NBA, NHL and MLB supply content. However, sports gambling
ads "were appearing on the front pages of Yahoo's MLB and
NHL sections as of Thursday evening." NHL VP/Media
Relations Frank Brown said that the league's attorneys "were
in discussions" with Yahoo, and "both parties would have
more to say" today (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 12/18). As of
presstime, gambling ads were not seen on the golf page.
