Marketplace Round-Up

Serena Continues To Draw Reactions For Clothing Choices

ESPN’s Dick Enberg, on Serena Williams’ Nike outfit she was wearing prior to her Australia Open semi-final match against Maria Sharapova last night: “Those of you that have been with us throughout the fortnight, she had kind of a bib look that had an attachment to more of a dress covering the shorts; and in frustration, she removed that part of her garb, and now she’s got that slimmed down look. She’s ready to go to work. No frills to get in the way” (ESPN2, 1/26).

AD IT UP: Eric Young of the S.F. BUSINESS TIMES reports the Warriors have begun “several auctions on Ebay that allow people to buy advertising time during games in the Oakland Arena.” Winning bidders will see their message displayed on four new digital displays. Bids begin at almost $100 for one minute of ad time during a game or $250 for pregame or half-time ads. The club will still sell major sponsorships, but team execs said that Ebay allows “small businesses or individuals to get their ads in front of Warriors fans.” Warriors President Robert Rowell: “It has the potential to be the springboard to a new way to sell advertising to the masses” (S.F. BUSINESS TIMES, 1/24 issue).

BEER GOGGLES: USA TODAY’s Steve Wieberg reports the NCAA Div. I BOD “quietly has begun a review of alcohol-related policies -– from advertising guidelines to the allowance of stadium and arena beer sales – at local, conference and national levels.” The deliberations “predate last week’s decision by a New Jersey jury” ordering Aramark to pay $105M in a drunken-driving case and the November 19 Pacers-Pistons brawl. Almost a third of the responding schools to an ’03 survey “allowed alcohol ads in stadium and arena signage” and more than a third “permitted it in game programs” (USA TODAY, 1/27).