No Headline

                                   __________         __________
Ten Spot (#9)                    |            TOP STORY           |
  Big Ten partnering with Fox    |        Playing With Fire       |
to create its own TV network;    |   The Heat’s first NBA title   |
also re-ups with ESPN/ABC.       | caps one of the league’s       |
                                 | strongest postseasons in       |
Wayne’s World (#21)              | recent memory, one in which    |
  Jaguars sell out non-premium   | the NBA has seen ratings       |
seats at Alltel for ’06 season.  | increase and the continued     |
                                 | emergence of stars like Dwyane |
Crossing The Line?               | Wade and LeBron James (#11).   |
  Nike ad featuring England      | The series finale also         |
star Wayne Rooney criticized     | includes its share of drama,   |
for Christ-like pose. (#1)       | as many argue Game Six is      |
                                 | overshadowed by the latest     |
Wind Fall (#10)                  | controversy surrounding Mark   |
  NBC averages 2.3/4 rating for  | Cuban.  The Mavs owner is hit  |
five Stanley Cup Finals games,   | with a $250,000 fine for his   |
down from 2.6/5 on ABC in ’04.   | actions after Game Five, and   |
                                 | while his team does not take   |
Fire Fox                         | home the title, the question   |
  Fox becomes first net to       | of whether his act is a good   |
complete sale of upfront         | thing for the franchise and    |
inventory. (#8)                  | the league is all the buzz.    |
                                 | See (#20) for more.            |
Main Stream                      |________________________________|
  ESPN.com to offer live PPV                      
option during WSOP final (#12);        ==== QUOTE OF THE DAY ====
Tennis Channel Web site eyeing                    
broadband video. (#13)             “I’m a pretty conservative guy.
                                  If I could strike the right deal
It Still Counts (#18)             with the right partner for a long
  MLB, union agree to reward        period of time, I like that.”
All-Star winner with home-field                   
advantage in ’06 World Series.       -- Big Ten Commissioner Jim
                                      Delany, on agreeing to a
Twist Of Fate                         ten-year rights deal with
  Missouri appeals court            ESPN/ABC Sports (THE DAILY).
upholds decision to award                         
former NHLer $15M in comics
controversy. (#3)

1.   NIKE’S NEW ROONEY AD CRITICIZED FOR RELIGIOUS OVERTONES
          A new Nike ad featuring England F Wayne Rooney in a
     “Christ-like pose ... drenched in blood-red paint and
     screaming a war-cry” drew complaints to the Advertising
     Standards Authority (ASA) watchdog group “on religious
     grounds within hours of the advert being posted,” according
     to the London DAILY MAIL.  An ASA spokesperson said that the
     people who had complained about the ad saw it in either a 60-
     foot roadside billboard in West London or in national
     newspapers, and “all thought the picture was a reference to
     the crucifixion.”  Wieden & Kennedy, London, which produced
     the ad, would not discuss it, but a Nike spokesperson said
     that it “would not be shown nationwide or in other
     countries.”  The spokesperson said, “It was intended solely
     as a celebration of Rooney’s return to the team and is based
     on his own trademark goal-scoring celebration, nothing to do
     with the crucifixion at all.”  The spokesperson added, “The
     red paint is not meant to be blood, it’s just echoing the
     body paint which fans cover themselves in and the rest of
     Wayne’s body is painted white.  It’s the flag of St. George,
     and nothing else. ... If we have offended anyone on those
     grounds, we would stress it was unintentional and we
     apologise” (DAILY MAIL, 6/20).
          LAST-MINUTE REPLACEMENT: In Manchester, Stephen Brook
     reports Nike shot the Rooney ad “as a substitute for its
     other big star,” Brazil F Ronaldo.  Nike cut a campaign
     around Ronaldo “when it realised that its flash advert
     recalling his brilliance looked ridiculous in the face of
     the porky reality of their star’s indifference on the pitch
     and the possibility he was turning into the next Maradona”
     (GUARDIAN.co.uk, 6/21).

2.   NIKE ON AS PRESENTING SPONSOR OF NEW N.Y. HALF-MARATHON
     By Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large

          Nike has signed a three-year deal with the N.Y. Road
     Runners to be presenting sponsor of the N.Y. Half-Marathon,
     a new event scheduled for August 27.  The extension of the
     N.Y. Marathon brand comes as many cities are adding distance
     races and marketers within the sport are intent on
     networking distance events.  Like the N.Y. Marathon, the
     N.Y. Road Runners’ top event, the new race will take runners
     through city streets, starting in Central Park and
     proceeding through Times Square and down the West Side
     Highway to the financial district.  NYRR Senior VP/Business
     Development & Marketing Strategy Ann Hinegardner said the
     half-marathon will be limited to 10,000 runners this year,
     but hopes to grow it to 20,000 runners.  She promised there
     will be a field of elite runners in the new event, but
     declined to give any runners’ names.  Nike gets signage and
     apparel rights, and each entrant will be issued a Dri-fit
     shirt, though entrants will not be required to wear them.  A
     “Runners Experience” will also be held at the midtown
     Manhattan Niketown during the three days before the race.
     Hinegardner said a local TV deal is in the works, which may
     attract additional sponsors. The N.Y. Half-Marathon will not
     be sold in combination with the N.Y. Marathon.  “It’s our
     most significant event in a long time, so we think it can
     stand on its own,” she said.  Asics is the footwear and
     apparel sponsor of the N.Y. marathon.

3.   ANOTHER TWIST: COURT UPHOLDS VERDICT TO AWARD EX-NHLER $15M
          A three-judge panel of the Missouri Court of Appeals
     yesterday upheld a $15M jury verdict for former NHLer Tony
     Twist against comic series “Spawn” creator Todd McFarlane
     for “using Twist’s name for a violent, mob boss character,”
     according to Robert Patrick of the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH.
     McFarlane’s attorneys argued that he was “protected by the
     First Amendment and that the instructions given to the jury
     were flawed.”  Patrick notes Twist’s original ’97 suit
     claimed that he was “personally and professionally harmed by
     the use of his name for the comic’s villainous character.”
     A jury awarded Twist $24.5M in ’00, but the trial judge
     “threw out that award.”  The Missouri Supreme Court ordered
     a new trial in ’03 after “determining that McFarlane’s use
     of the name was not protected by the First Amendment.”  The
     appeals court panel echoed the state Supreme Court’s ruling
     saying the “predominant purpose of the use of the name ‘Tony
     Twist’ was to sell comic books and related products and not
     to make an expressive comment about Twist the hockey
     player.”  McFarlane’s attorney, Michael Kahn, said his
     client plans to appeal (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 6/21).

4.   CHAMPIONS TOUR CLOSE TO PLACING TOURNAMENT IN SOUTH FLORIDA
          The Champions Tour is “finalizing details” on an
     agreement to create a tournament at Broken Sound Country
     Club in Boca Raton, Florida, with Allianz as the title
     sponsor, according to sources cited by Randall Mell of the
     South Florida SUN-SENTINEL.  An announcement is expected
     with the release of the ’07 schedule “within the next two to
     three weeks.”  Allianz is ending its sponsorship of the Des
     Moines Champions Tour event.  The circuit has not had an
     event in South Florida since the Royal Caribbean Classic
     left after ’04 (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 6/21).

5.   GOODYEAR’S ANGELS: GEMINI SHOP TO SPONSOR NASCAR SHOW
          Goodyear’s Gemini auto repair shop will be a “prime
     sponsor” of a new reality TV show called “NASCAR Angels,”
     according to Steve Miller of BRANDWEEK.  The 22-episode
     show, which will be a “cross between Extreme Makeover: Home
     Edition and Pimp My Ride,” will begin syndication September
     12 on a variety of networks, including ABC. The show’s host,
     ABC analyst and former NASCAR driver Rusty Wallace, will
     “travel to Gemini shops as mechanics give regular folks”
     help with their cars.  Gemini mechanics will have the show’s
     logo on the backs of their hats, while their work shirts
     will have the NASCAR Performance Network logo on one sleeve.
     The deal also includes 5-7 Gemini ads created by HFA, Akron,
     Ohio, as well as print advertisements in auto technician
     trades and NASCAR publications (BRANDWEEK, 6/19 issue).

6.   U.S. SPORTS SPENDING PROJECTED TO RISE 41% BY 2010
          U.S. sports spending will rise 41% to $61.6B in 2010
     from $43.6B today, according to PricewaterhouseCoopers’
     (PWC) 2006-2010 Global Entertainment & Media Outlook, which
     is cited by Curtis Eichelberger of BLOOMBERG NEWS.  The
     projection covers “spending for items including
     sponsorships, merchandise, [TV] rights and gate revenue.”
     PWC Global Marketing, Entertainment & Media Managing Dir
     Peter Winkler said that “rights fees for cable, satellite,
     Internet and wireless programming” will drive the sector’s
     growth.  Sponsorship and merchandise sales will be “the
     other primary areas of growth.”  Winkler added that the
     “expansion of sports products available on cell phones, Web
     sites and other forms of new media will also drive growth”
     (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 6/20).  The survey also projects that the
     overall U.S. entertainment and media industry will expand
     from about $553.49B last year to $726.22B in 2010, with the
     strongest gains coming from videogames and the Internet.
     Total advertising in the U.S. will increase from $177B last
     year to an estimated $230.44B in 2010, with Internet and TV
     ads expanding by 15.2% and 7.1%, respectively (HOLLYWOOD
     REPORTER, 6/21).

7.   NAMES & FACES: BRADY REPORTEDLY INKS DEAL WITH MOVADO
          In Boston, gossip columnists Fee & Raposa reported
     Movado has signed Patriots QB Tom Brady as a spokesperson
     (BOSTON HERALD, 6/20)....Bike Athletic has signed Bills LB
     Takeo Spikes to an endorsement contract as part of its
     rebranding effort.  In addition to brand representation,
     Spikes will also participate in product development (Bike
     Athletic)....Topps has signed Mets 3B David Wright to a
     promotional contract and is “expected to add a top slugger”
     from the AL (BRANDWEEK, 6/19 issue)....Rockets F Tracy
     McGrady will appear on the cover of EA Sports’ “NBA Live 07”
     this fall (EA Sports)....Mike Tyson has hired Sports
     Placement Services to handle marketing and licensing
     opportunities (Sports Placement Services)....Richard
     Motzkin, the agent for U.S. F Landon Donovan, said Donovan
     is “already at a place before this World Cup that surpasses
     where he was after the last World Cup.”  Donovan has
     endorsements with Nike, Claritin and AT&T (AP, 6/20).

8.   MARKETPLACE ROUND-UP
          Fox is “substantially completed with the sale of its
     upfront inventory,” becoming the “first to cross the finish
     line this year,” according to Paul Gough of the HOLLYWOOD
     REPORTER.  Fox, which has been getting average CPM increases
     of 2-4%, “went for volume and modest price increases and
     found a willing audience among media buyers” (HOLLYWOOD
     REPORTER, 6/20).  MEDIAWEEK’s Consoli & Crupi cite sources
     as projecting that NBC “will write the same [upfront] total
     it pulled in last year: $1.9[B].”  NBC increased the amount
     of upfront inventory for sale “to make up for the price cuts
     ... it had to offer in order to reach the same dollar total
     as last year.”  Some media buyers said that if NBC “ends up
     claiming it wrote $1.9[B] in prime-time business, that
     figure would have to include” Sunday night NFL games
     (MEDIAWEEK, 6/19 issue).
          GAY GAMES: In Chicago, Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz reports
     ESPN and Gatorade have signed on to sponsor Chicago’s Gay
     Games.  Gatorade will be the official sports drink and
     “provide sideline hydration at all sports.”  ESPN will
     “underwrite the opening ceremony fireworks at Soldier
     Field.”  Gay Games spokesperson Kevin Boyer said that
     sponsorships for the event “now number more than 300”
     (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          BREAKFAST NOOK: Wheaties will issue a special-edition
     box honoring the NBA champion Heat that will be available
     nationally in 2-3 weeks.  Heat C Shaquille O’Neal and G
     Dwyane Wade will appear on the front and a photo of the team
     will appear on the back (Wheaties).
          MINING FOR GOLD: VANOC has signed the Royal Canadian
     Mint to a seven-year deal as an official supporter in the
     minting of circulation, precious metal and base metal
     numismatic and bullion coins product and service category.
     The Mint’s commitment is valued at C$15M, which includes
     C$2M towards in-kind goods and services. The deal includes
     rights for the Canadian Olympic Team for the 2008 Beijing,
     2010 Vancouver and 2012 London Games. (Royal Canadian Mint).

 

9.   BIG TEN RE-UPS WITH ESPN/ABC; UNVEILS PLANS FOR OWN TV NET
          The Big Ten today announced new ten-year broadcasting
     deals with ESPN/ABC Sports for football, men’s and women’s
     basketball, and volleyball, while also unveiling a 20-year
     deal with Fox Cable Networks to launch a Big Ten cable
     channel, which will be offered on expanded basic tiers.  Fox
     will be a minority owner in the new network.  Big Ten
     Commissioner Jim Delany said of the new channel, “I think we
     have a chance of distributing this channel beyond the
     confines of the eight [Big Ten footprint] states.  I have
     some confidence that the content has appeal outside the
     eight states.”  Delany, on agreeing to a ten-year rights
     deal with ESPN/ABC: “I’m a pretty conservative guy. If I
     could start the right deal with the right partner for a
     long period of time … I like that” (THE DAILY).

10.  RECAPPING THE CUP: NHL FINALS RATINGS
          NBC earned a 3.3/6 final Nielsen rating for Game Seven
     of the Hurricanes-Oilers Stanley Cup Finals, down 21.4% from
     a 4.2/7 for ABC’s Lightning-Flames Game Seven in ’04.  NBC
     delivered a 2.3/4 average rating for its five Stanley Cup
     Finals games, down 11.5% from ABC’s 2.6/5 for five games in
     ’04.  The following charts present round-by-round playoff
     ratings and game-by-game ratings for the Stanley Cup Finals,
     compared to previous years (THE DAILY).

          NOTES: All cable marks are coverage area ratings.  The
     first two games of the Finals aired on OLN in ’06 and on
     ESPN prior to this year, while Games Three through Seven
     aired on NBC this year and on ABC in previous years.

11.  ABC EARNS 11.1 OVERNIGHT NIELSEN RATING FOR HEAT CLINCHER
          ABC earned an 11.1 overnight Nielsen rating for last
     night’s Heat-Mavericks NBA Finals Game Six, up 5.7% from the
     comparable 10.5 for Pistons-Spurs Game Six last year.  There
     was no comparable game from ’04.  The game earned a 39.6 in
     Dallas and a 33.3 in Miami-Ft. Lauderdale (THE DAILY).
     DAILY VARIETY’s Rick Kissell reports ABC won the adults 18-
     49 demo for the week ending June 18 with a 2.5/8 rating,
     edging Fox’ 2.4/8 (DAILY VARIETY, 6/21).  Mavericks-Heat
     Games Five, Three and Four, respectively, were the top three
     shows in the 18-49 demo for the week and took three of the
     top four spots in total viewers (USA TODAY, 6/21).

12.  ESPN TO OFFER LIVE PPV SHOWING OF WSOP MAIN EVENT
          ESPN will offer a live PPV showing of the World Series
     of Poker Main Event final table on August 10 (see THE DAILY,
     6/9) that will be available both on TV and on ESPN.com,
     according to Bill Ordine of the Baltimore SUN.  Also, the
     net’s usual edited airing of the Main Event will begin on
     August 22; last year’s event ran about three months after
     the finish.  ESPN “hopes that the quicker turnaround” on the
     edited version will “bolster ratings that sagged” in ’05.
     The live PPV show will cost $24.95 and will begin at 3:00pm
     ET.  The rail camera that shows players’ hole cards to the
     home audience on the taped shows “will not be part of the
     live broadcast.”  ESPN Producer Dave O’Connor said that not
     showing the rail camera “is for security purposes.”
     O’Connor: “The difference between first and second will be
     worth millions.  Any information that might trickle back to
     the players, we have to be concerned about.”  Ordine noted
     ESPN’s live telecast will feature “pre-recorded features and
     a parade of poker pros and analysts commenting on the final
     table” (Baltimore SUN, 6/20).

13.  TENNIS CHANNEL CHAIR KEN SOLOMON DISCUSSES STATE OF NETWORK
          In a Q&A with TENNIS WEEK’s Richard Pagliaro, The
     Tennis Channel (TTC) Chair & CEO Ken Solomon said the net’s
     launch of a redesigned Web site with broadband video content
     and other features is “literally a second network launch
     for” TTC.  Solomon also said the net is in “serious
     discussions” about offering video streaming on the Internet
     or PPV matches.  Solomon: “We have always looked at this as
     a multi-platform brand that is about making more tennis
     available to more people in an easier-to-use fashion.”  When
     asked why TTC is opposed to being part of a sports tier,
     Solomon said while the net has deals with eight of the top
     ten cable providers, “the sports tiers have essentially
     failed. ... Sports tiers are penetrated by only about [5%]
     of the population.”  When asked if the tennis industry has
     “been as supportive of TTC as you would like,” Solomon said,
     “For the most part, we haven’t really gone to them
     extensively. ... We didn’t just want our partners to be
     satisfied, we want them to be extraordinarily happy and in
     order to do that we had to build our brand.  We’re there now
     and we are just now beginning to approach them on a very
     serious basis” (TENNISWEEK.com, 6/16).

14.  LET’S GET IT ON: UFC REALITY SHOW GROWS IN POPULARITY
          The growth and popularity of UFC and Spike TV’s “The
     Ultimate Fighter” series is examined by R. Thomas Umstead of
     MULTICHANNEL NEWS, who notes the show’s third season, which
     concludes tomorrow, has averaged 2.2 million viewers per
     episode, up from an average audience of 1 million and 1.9
     million, respectively, for its first two seasons.  Spike TV
     Senior VP/Sports & Specials Brian Diamond said, “We
     initially believed the (Ultimate Fighter) would appeal on
     three different levels.  The hardcore (UFC) fans would come
     and watch it because there’s a scarcity of free (UFC)
     programming available; guys who love sports might check it
     out and become fans of the sport, and our general viewership
     of guys who might not have an interest in sports may get
     into the drama side of the reality show.  Lo and behold, we
     put it on and it resonated.”  UFC President & co-Owner Dana
     White said that the popularity of the sport and the show
     “has also helped drive rabid fans to [ufc.com], to the tune
     of 2 million unique viewers a month.”  Umstead reports UFC
     began offering downloads of vintage fights for $1.99 as part
     of its on-demand broadband service, but White did not reveal
     buy or revenue details.  PPV execs said UFC averages 200,000-
     350,000 buys for each of its ten annual events (MULTICHANNEL
     NEWS, 6/19 issue).

15.  BLOG HOUND
          THE DAILY offers a sampling of what some local and
     national bloggers are dishing about this week.

          Do you have a blog that we should be monitoring?
     Contact Jon Show at jons@sportsbusinessdaily.com

16.  MEDIA NOTES
          OLN has launched its broadband channel “The Player” at
     olntv.com, offering exclusive videos, replays and highlights
     from the NHL, Tour de France and PBR, as well as programming
     previews (CABLEFAX DAILY, 6/21)....In Orlando, Jerry Greene
     notes on NFL.com, “you can sign up to have an e-mailed
     letter sent (in your name) to Bright House Networks asking”
     for NFL Network, which said that 15,725 have been sent to
     the MSO in the Orlando and Tampa areas (ORLANDO SENTINEL,
     6/21)....Ed Berliner, host of CN8’s “Sports Pulse,” has left
     the network under “a mutual decision.”  Berliner: “The time
     is just right to move on and try other things.  I am
     considering offers from people here in Boston and elsewhere”
     (MEDIA BLITZ, 6/18)....Jim Hanifan has been hired to replace
     the late Jack Snow as analyst in the Rams radio booth.
     Hanifan filled in for Snow last season (ST. LOUIS POST-
     DISPATCH, 6/17).

 

17.  BETTMAN, SASKIN REACH AGREEMENT ON $44M CAP FOR ’06-07
          NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and NHLPA Exec Dir Ted
     Saskin have agreed to set the upper level of the league’s
     salary cap at around $44M and the minimum at about $28M for
     the ’06-07 season, according to two sources cited by Ira
     Podell of the AP.  The upper-level change is an increase of
     $5M per team.  The salary cap will be a topic of discussion
     when the NHL BOG meets today in N.Y., and “the final numbers
     will be officially set once all the revenues” from the ’05-
     06 season are calculated by the end of the month (AP, 6/20).
     Stars Owner Tom Hicks said of the cap increase, “I
     definitely see it as a good sign.  The large markets and the
     Canadian teams have exceeded expectations in returning
     quickly” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/21).  But Oilers GM Kevin
     Lowe said that the new CBA “doesn’t mean small markets ...
     have had all their problems solved.”  He added that it is
     “simply ‘a coincidence’ two previously struggling teams”
     made the Stanley Cup Finals in the first year of the new
     system.  Lowe: “I still don’t think it’s perfect. ... At
     least there’s a cap on it, at least there’s a ceiling.  But
     you’re always going to have that upward pressure.  As long
     as teams can spend to the cap, you’re going to have, through
     arbitration and through players comparing what other players
     are making, (that pressure to spend)” (TORONTO STAR, 6/21).
          CAP SIZE: USA TODAY’s Kevin Allen notes even though the
     cap will increase to $44M next season, Hurricanes Owner
     Peter Karmanos, whose team had a $32.7M payroll this season,
     “won’t look to go there.”  But Karmanos said, “One of the
     prices you pay when you go to the finals ... is that your
     payroll increases significantly.”  Karmanos has not said how
     much money the team will make this season, but he did say
     that the team “moved into the black during the conference
     finals” (USA TODAY, 6/21).  In Nashville, John Glennon
     reports the Predators wanted to stay under the $28.6M
     midpoint of the cap this season in order to “maximize
     revenue-sharing benefits,” but instead had a payroll between
     $29-30M.  Predators Exec VP/Hockey Operations & GM David
     Poile said that he is “expecting to spend near the NHL’s
     midpoint again next season” (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 6/21).
          NEW NHL: In Toronto, Al Strachan writes, “This year’s
     playoffs were nothing short of magnificent. ...
     Unfortunately, in today’s [NHL], the off-ice developments
     are nowhere near as ideal as the [on]-ice developments.”
     Many of the “key players” on the Hurricanes and Oilers “are
     up for auction,” but “don’t expect anyone in the league
     offices to worry the least bit about these developments.
     That’s what they want.  One of the underlying purposes of
     the cap was to create what the people in the magazine
     business call a churn” (TORONTO SUN, 6/21). Also in Toronto,
     David Shoalts writes the league’s off-ice “problems come in
     two categories, which are usually linked -- lack of interest
     and bad ownership.”  The Thrashers’ owners, Atlanta Spirit,
     are “involved in a nasty court fight.”  In Nashville, the
     city “appears to have finally decided to play hardball with
     owner Craig Leipold in order to get more favourable terms in
     its arena lease.”  The Coyotes have “severe attendance
     problems, as do the” Panthers and Capitals. Even traditional
     NHL markets are “just as troubling” as Bruins Owner Jeremy
     Jacobs and Blackhawks Owner & President Bill Wirtz have
     “alienated hockey fans” in their cities.  Shoalts: “This
     league desperately needs its large-market teams to be
     successful. ... But right now, management in too many big
     markets simply isn’t good enough” (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/21).

18.  BASEBALL NOTES: MLB, MLBPA AGREE ON ALL-STAR GAME FORMAT
          MLB and the MLBPA reached an agreement to award home-
     field advantage in the ’06 World Series to the league that
     wins the All-Star Game.  MLB Commissioner Bud Selig “hopes
     the concept, which began in the 2003 All-Star Game, will be
     included in the next labor agreement” (USA TODAY, 6/21).
          FROZEN ASSETS: Selig said of possibly freezing urine
     samples from players for future testing for performance-
     enhancing drugs, “I’ve talked to a number of significant
     experts on that issue.  They don’t believe it’s a viable
     solution.”  Olympic Analytical Laboratory Dir Donald Catlin
     said that freezing samples “would act ‘as a very strong and
     powerful deterrent,’” but it “would be an expensive and
     challenging process.”  Catlin added that the stability of
     the samples “would be an issue because scientists do not
     know the stability” of HGH (Jack Curry, N.Y. TIMES, 6/21).
          IRISH JIG: The Cubs finalized a contract with fifth-
     round draft pick Jeff Samardzija, who also plays WR for the
     Univ. of Notre Dame, but the terms of the five-year deal --
     “with a bonus worth as much as $7.25[M] -- have changed”
     after Selig “had concerns with virtually everything the Cubs
     attempted to do with Samardzija’s original contract, as well
     as several revamped versions.”  Samardzija’s advisor, Mark
     Rodgers, said, “The agreement that we had in principle is
     still in place, but the terms have changed to abide by the
     rules of [MLB]” (NORTHWEST INDIANA TIMES, 6/21). BASEBALL
     AMERICA’s John Manuel cited a source as saying that the
     “size of the bonus -- clearly above the slot recommended by
     [MLB] -- created friction between the Cubs and MLB.”  The
     record for a signing bonus for a player that signed with the
     club that drafted him is $6.1M, set by the D’Backs and ’05
     No. 1 overall pick Justin Upton (BASEBALLAMERICA.com, 6/19).

19.  TARGET AUDIENCE: IRL TRYING TO STREAMLINE MARKETING PROCESS
          IRL VP/Marketing Michael Ringham said the IRL in the
     past was “shooting at too broad a fan base” in its marketing
     efforts, according to John Irby of the RICHMOND TIMES-
     DISPATCH.  Ringham said, “We see [IRL fans] as NASCAR fans.
     We target to motor sports fans.  I don’t want to steal
     Nextel [Cup] fans, I just want to borrow them for a couple
     hours each week.”  He added that the league needs a
     consistent schedule.  Ringham: “Part of our problem has been
     they didn’t know when and where we were. ... We are working
     on a strategic direction for our schedule so people know
     when and where we’ll be.”  Part of the IRL’s marketing
     strategy is fan access.  Ringham said, “I don’t know any
     other series where drivers dedicate an hour to signing
     autographs and meeting the fans.  Our guys are accessible.”
     Richmond Int’l Raceway (RIR) Senior Dir of Marketing & Sales
     Matthew Becherer said that the “matter of scale is the
     biggest difference” between IRL and NASCAR.  While NASCAR
     has more star power, IRL “is making progress.”  Becherer
     said IRL is “going down the right path.  Indy has tons of
     marketable drivers. ... What they need is a title sponsor.
     People don’t recognize the penetration a sponsor can offer
     in reaching fans.”  Becherer said that ticket renewals since
     RIR’s inaugural IRL race in ’01 “have increased 10[%] a year
     after a 25[%] increase the first year” (RICHMOND TIMES-
     DISPATCH, 6/21).  IRL driver Danica Patrick is featured in
     the “Life On And Off The Field” section of this week’s SI
     (THE DAILY).

 

20.  CUBAN FINED $250,000 FOR ACTIONS FOLLOWING FINALS GAME FIVE
          The NBA yesterday fined Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban
     $250,000 for his actions following NBA Finals Game Five
     Sunday night (NBA).  NBA Commissioner David Stern said
     Cuban’s actions “didn’t leave us any choice but to respond,
     because if we’re going to hold players and fans accountable
     then we have to equally hold owners accountable” (DALLAS
     MORNING NEWS, 6/21). Cuban has been fined at least 13 times
     totaling nearly $1.65M since buying the Mavericks in January
     ’00.  The following details the fines (ESPN.com, 6/21).

          STERN TRYING TO DEFLECT ATTENTION: Stern said, “This is
     a great playoffs, and it’s with some consternation that we
     find the airwaves are loaded with discussions about owners,
     coaches and referees” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/21).  More Stern: “I’ve
     sort of made it an item of mine that I would very much, in
     sort of a relatively turbulent time, to spend a little time
     trying to refocus back on the players.  That’s one of the
     reasons I didn’t respond to [Mavericks coach Avery
     Johnson’s] second outburst [questioning referee calls].
     Normally, we say one is allowed.  I said let’s cool it,
     let’s move on, let’s focus on the game” (PHILADELPHIA DAILY
     NEWS, 6/21).  Stern said the Mavericks are “a terrific team.
     I wish that we could focus on how well they play basketball”
     (“PTI,” ESPN, 6/20).
          CUBAN’S RESPONSE: Cuban said of the fine, “The league
     has to do what the league has to do. ... It’s just a
     business expense” (L.A. TIMES, 6/21).  When asked if the
     fines levied against him could prompt him to sell the team,
     Cuban said, “If it got to a certain point, I’ll know it when
     I cross it.  If it gets to a point where it’s personal
     instead of business.  But I don’t see that anywhere soon”
     (WASHINGTON POST, 6/21).  Cuban was interviewed by ABC’s
     Stuart Scott while working out on a Stairmaster prior to
     Game Six last night.  When asked if his actions affect the
     team, he said, “Not at all.  People have been saying that
     ever since I bought the team.  ‘You’ll never make it to the
     playoffs because you’re in the way.  You’ll never get any
     visibility for your team because you’re out front.  You will
     never get the calls because of your criticism.’ ... If
     someone would have said to me, ‘Mark, all that and if you
     hold home court for the last two games you win a
     championship, would you say yes?’ ... I’d say, ‘Boo-yah,
     hell yes’” (ABC, 6/20).
          PLAYERS DEFEND CUBAN: Mavericks F Josh Howard said
     Cuban’s actions take “some of the heat” off the players.
     Howard: “A lot of guys don’t even know their owner.  Their
     owner won’t even speak up for them.  It’s a blessing for us
     to have a guy ... in our corner.”  Mavericks G Jason Terry
     said, “It’s a pleasure to play for an owner who truly cares
     about the game and its players” (MIAMI HERALD, 6/21).
          STEALING THE SPOTLIGHT: In N.Y., Mitch Lawrence writes,
     “The Cuban saga had dominated the Finals scene the last 48
     hours, something that the NBA did not want or need.”  During
     Heat-Mavericks Game Six last night, Cuban “rarely stood,
     literally kept his head low, and at one point even
     admonished fans around him from getting up and yelling”
     (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/21).  In DC, Mike Wise: “With each
     conspiratorial reference, the game lost.  The talk before
     Game 6 was more about the controversy than the competition”
     (WASHINGTON POST, 6/21).  Also in N.Y., Selena Roberts: “If
     he would have paused from his various profane rants over his
     perception of Heat bias ... Cuban would have discovered he
     was the saboteur of his team’s poise” (N.Y. TIMES, 6/21).
          NOT ALL BAD: In Dallas, Kevin Sherrington writes Cuban
     “is the best thing that ever happened to the Mavs.”  But he
     writes to Cuban, “You don’t understand your own power.  You
     don’t understand what it communicates to your fans, to your
     team, the notion that it’s always someone else’s fault”
     (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 6/21).  In Las Vegas, Ed Graney writes
     Cuban’s “obsession with initiating change has sliced away
     much of the league’s ineptness and yet also wounded his
     cause.  Still, while often childish in its delivery, his
     message needs to be heard” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 6/21).
     ABC’s Michael Wilbon said of Cuban, “Generally speaking he
     is good for the league and good for his team in the way that
     George Steinbrenner is good for the Yankees and good for
     baseball.”  ABC’s Mike Breen: “He’s a great fan, he’s
     terrific for the league but he has to control himself as an
     owner" (ABC, 6/20).
          CREATION OF THE MEDIA? In Ft. Worth, Jennifer Floyd
     Engel writes Cuban “is just a sideshow, one that we in the
     media have created by going to him about every single thing
     and then ripping him to shreds for his responses” (FT. WORTH
     STAR-TELEGRAM, 6/21).  In Chicago, Sam Smith: “Cuban has
     refined ‘Hey, look at me.’  But perhaps it’s more an
     indictment of the media.  Cuban just stands in front of the
     media talking, and the media just writes down what he says
     and shows his picture endlessly” (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          ADMISSION: The MIAMI HERALD’s Greg Cote reported
     yesterday that following Game Five, Cuban said to Stern
     “(Bleep) you!  (Bleep) you!  Your league is rigged!”  Cuban
     on his blog denied having said it, and Stern yesterday said
     he did not hear Cuban say it.  Cote wrote in his blog
     yesterday afternoon, “Someone near the scorer’s table who
     said he heard Cuban say what I quoted him saying passed the
     information to someone I trust who informed me.  My source
     in turn trusted the person who reported hearing it. ... I
     was wrong to use the quote.  That doesn’t mean the words
     were never said, denial notwithstanding.  I was wrong,
     journalistically, to put quotation marks around words I did
     not personally hear.  I would be wrong even if Cuban had not
     denied having said it” (MIAMI.com, 6/20).

      

21.  DREAM WEAVER: JAGUARS SELL OUT NON-PREMIUM SEATS FOR ’06
          The Jaguars have sold all 54,000 non-premium seats at
     Alltel Stadium for the ’06 season, which “will lift the
     television blackout for every game this season,” according
     to Vito Stellino of the FLORIDA TIMES-UNION.  The team also
     sold all group tickets, close to 5,000, for games against
     the Cowboys, Steelers, Colts and Giants, and have just 1,500-
     2,500 remaining for the other four regular-season games and
     two preseason games.  The only remaining tickets are about
     900 of the 11,000 premium-level seats.  Jaguars Owner Wayne
     Weaver said that the team “will start a waiting list for
     fans who want to pay a refundable $50 fee.”  But he added
     that the team “can’t automatically expect to keep selling
     out in the future.”  Stellino notes as demand grows, Weaver
     “wants to raise ticket prices, which are now among the
     lowest in the league.”  The Jaguars covered nearly 10,000
     seats at Alltel Stadium last season to lower capacity to
     67,164 and have “no plans to uncover” the seats.  Weaver:
     “We’re not going to uncover those seats for a long time.
     One of the reasons we covered them is that we have too big a
     stadium for our market size.  It doesn’t make any logical
     sense to (uncover them) to satisfy the demand for a game or
     two and still have blackouts for several other games”
     (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 6/21).

22.  MLB ATTENDANCE NOTES: WHITE SOX NEARING TICKET SALES RECORDS
          The White Sox home game last night against the
     Cardinals was their 16th sellout of the season, two short of
     the club record set in ’05.  The team has sold over 2.68
     million tickets this season, the second-highest in team
     history.  The White Sox’ attendance record of 2,934,154 was
     set in ’91 during U.S. Cellular Field’s inaugural season.
     Capacity was reduced by 6,600 beginning in ’04 (White Sox).
          RANGERS: In Dallas, Evan Grant reported Rangers
     attendance through 37 home games was 1,041,797, down 11.7%
     from the same point last season.  Rangers President Jeff
     Cogen: “I’m not going to make any excuses.  We should be
     doing a better job.”  The Rangers “have stepped up
     advertising campaigns” and are moving back the start of
     Friday night home games.  The team raised ticket prices 9.6%
     this season and “seem to have been impacted by” the
     Mavericks’ run to the NBA Finals (DALLAS MORNING NEWS,
     6/18).  Cogen said the Mavericks “definitely have been
     deflecting fan attention away from us” (SPORTSBUSINESS
     JOURNAL, 6/19 issue).
          TIGERS: In Detroit, Lynn Henning reported the Tigers’
     total attendance through 34 home games was up 76,184 from
     the same point last season, placing them eighth in the AL in
     attendance.  The team “in recent weeks” has sold an
     additional 250 full-season tickets and 425 partial-season
     tickets.  Tigers Senior VP/Business Operations Duane McLean:
     “We’ve seen increased activity in advance sales over the
     last few weeks.  We’ve been selling a lot of pro-rated
     season-ticket packages” (DETROIT NEWS, 6/20).

23.  FRANCHISE NOTES
          In N.Y., Marc Berman reports Selltheknicks.com is
     planning a protest aimed at MSG Chair James Dolan next
     Wednesday.  The group will meet at at the ESPN Zone in N.Y.
     next Wednesday before the NBA Draft, march to Madison Square
     Garden and “vocally attend the NBA Draft at the Garden’s
     Theatre.”  They plan to wear T-shirts reading “Sell The
     Knicks” and “Duck Folan” and carry signs.  But the
     SelltheKnicks.com founders “are concerned Garden security
     will forbid anti-Dolan T-shirt wearers from entering the
     Garden.”  Selltheknicks.com Founder Mr. Orange said, “Since
     Dolan won’t give us the time of day, the protest is to get
     the attention of [NBA Commissioner] David Stern, who will be
     there, and the ESPN cameras” (N.Y. POST, 6/21).
          VIKINGS: In Minneapolis, Lora Pabst reports the Vikings
     from January to May spent more than $745,000 lobbying for
     their proposed Anoka County stadium, according to a report
     from Minnesota’s Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board.
     Advertising cost about $707,000.  Vikings VP/Public Affairs
     & Stadium Development Lester Bagley said that the team
     “needed to draw awareness to its plan.”  Bagley: “We had to
     overcome basically two years of [former Vikings Owner Red]
     McCombs’ regime [which made] virtually no stadium effort”
     (STAR TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          PIRATES: The Pirates have launched a campaign to help
     elect LF Jason Bay to the NL All-Star team, and Pirates Dir
     of Media Relations Jim Trdinich said of voting online, “You
     can go in and change your e-mail address. It’s called
     ‘change your cookies.’ If you change your cookies, you can
     vote more than [the permitted] 25 times. I’ve done that.”
     MLB VP/PR Pat Courtney responded, “I can’t believe Jim said
     that.”  Trdinich “clarified his comments yesterday, saying
     that he meant he simply voted from his home and work e-
     mails.”  Bay has jumped from 15th to third in All-Star
     voting in the two weeks since the team began the campaign
     (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 6/21).
          ORIOLES: Former MLBer David Segui, who last week
     admitted to using HGH, said that he “informed the [Orioles]
     in 2003 that he had obtained a prescription” for HGH.  Segui
     said that he notified then-Orioles Exec VP/Baseball
     Operations Jim Beattie that he was prescribed HGH “because
     of an abnormally low insulin-like growth factor count, ‘but
     not right away.’”  Orioles Exec VP/Baseball Operations Mike
     Flanagan: “He never revealed to us or the medical staff that
     he had a chronic condition that required [HGH].  That
     information was never divulged to us” (Baltimore SUN, 6/21).
     Beattie said that he “told others in the Baltimore front
     office that Segui asked him if he could see his doctor in
     Florida. ... It was clear Segui wouldn't play again in 2004,
     the final year of a four-year contract with the Orioles, and
     given Segui's inactive status, no action was taken by the
     team” (ESPN.com, 6/21).

 

24.  NATIONALS SAY MAYOR JUMPED THE GUN ON PARKING ANNOUNCEMENT
          DC Mayor Anthony Williams yesterday presented plans for
     underground and aboveground parking at the Nationals new
     ballpark “as a compromise between city officials” and the
     team, according to Nakamura & Heath of the WASHINGTON POST.
     But incoming Nationals President Stan Kasten said an
     agreement is “at best, premature.  In fact, we first
     received this latest version of the new proposal ... only
     last Thursday.  Our development experts reviewed the plan
     and forwarded a series of questions.”  Nakamura & Heath
     report under the Williams’ plan, “each of the two structures
     would have one level of underground parking and 13 stories
     aboveground, including one level of retail, four levels of
     parking masked by condominiums and an additional eight
     levels of condominiums.”  DC-based Western Development Corp.
     President Herbert Miller, whose company would oversee the
     project, said that the parking portion of the structures
     “would be completed by April 2008 but that the rest of the
     construction would take an additional year.”  He added that
     construction companies “would mask the unfinished portion
     with a curtain wall and pledged that no work would be done
     on game days” (WASHINGTON POST, 6/21).  In DC, Tim Lemke
     reports the city will pay about $21M toward construction of
     the garages, “but the commercial development -- would could
     be worth $300[M] -- will be paid for through private
     financing arranged by Western” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 6/21).

25.  FLORIDA GOV. SIGNS FUNDING BILL FOR SPRING TRAINING, MAGIC
          Florida Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill that makes “up to
     $75[M] available to five communities with aging spring
     training venues,” and gives the Magic a $60M sales tax
     rebate toward a new or renovated arena, according to Sarah
     Talalay of the South Florida SUN-SENTINEL.  The measure
     allows six communities hosting MLB teams to vie for five
     grants of up to $15M each that “must be matched and will be
     paid out over 30 years.”  The communities eligible are Ft.
     Lauderdale (Orioles), Sarasota (Reds), Winter Haven
     (Indians), Bradenton (Pirates), St. Petersburg (D’Rays) and
     St. Lucie County (Mets) (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 6/21).
     Bush said that he agreed to sign the measure “after getting
     confirmation that Arizona would likely continue to use state
     dollars to lure teams from the Grapefruit League in Florida
     to the Cactus League” (MIAMI HERALD, 6/21).

26.  FACILITY NOTES
          In Minneapolis, Mike Kaszuba reports the Hennepin
     County (MN) BOD has approved a $5M spending plan to “begin
     work that includes land acquisition, environmental studies
     and a development agreement” for the Twins’ new ballpark.
     The BOD selected former Minneapolis City Council member
     Steve Cramer “to chair a new ballpark authority that will
     oversee construction” of the facility.  Retiring Minnesota
     state Rep. Barb Sykora, who was on the Senate-House
     committee that “guided the stadium to its final passage,”
     was appointed to the authority, as was former Minneapolis
     City Council member Joan Campbell.  Minnesota Gov. Tim
     Pawlenty will name the remaining two members of the
     committee later this week (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          JUST DUCKY: In California, Sarah Tully reports the word
     Anaheim is “required to be the only geographic reference on
     either the city-owned [Arrowhead Pond of Anaheim] or on at
     least one team playing there” under an agreement approved 5-
     0 the Anaheim City Council.  The Mighty Ducks are changing
     their name to the Anaheim Ducks, which means the arena “is
     free to remove the city from [its] name.”  But Anaheim Arena
     Management “can’t remove ‘Anaheim’ from both.”  Arrowhead
     Mountain Spring Water’s arena naming rights deal expires at
     the end of September (ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER, 6/21).
          RUNNING THE OPTIONS: In San Diego, Ronald Powell
     reports the San Diego Board of Supervisors voted 5-0 to hire
     “legal and financial consultants to advise them on football
     stadium talks with the Chargers.”  The vote allows the
     committee to hire outside lawyers and financial advisors
     “who are experts on stadium issues.”  No cost guidelines
     were adopted, but the committee emphasized that the action
     “does not mean they will spend taxpayer money on a new
     stadium” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          WHAT’S IN A NAME? In New Jersey, John Brennan cites
     experts as saying that the naming rights for the new
     Jets/Giants Meadowlands stadium could sell for as much as
     $20M annually.  But 16W Marketing Partner Frank Vuono, whose
     firm lost its bid to sell the rights to Wasserman Media,
     said that it is “difficult to predict whether having two
     teams playing in the same building would double the usual
     naming rights price.”  Vuono: “Maybe it’s worth even more,
     in the sense of one plus one equaling three, because you’re
     getting this constant exposure.  The other argument, though,
     is that you’re not actually getting a deal for two separate
     stadiums” (Bergen RECORD, 6/21).

 

27.  SCHOOLS TAKING LESS GIMMICKY APPROACH TO HEISMAN PROMOTIONS
          While campaigns to promote Heisman Trophy candidates
     “have become a necessity,” schools “have eschewed gimmicks”
     for the upcoming NCAA football season, according to Eric
     Crawford of the Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL.  The Univ. of
     Louisville is promoting RB Michael Bush and QB Brian Brohm
     by launching derbycityduo.com and distributing notebooks
     with their images on the covers to reporters and Heisman
     voters.  Fans printed “Bush-Brohm ‘06” T-shirts this spring
     with the logo from President Bush’s re-election campaign,
     but the NCAA ruled that “such use of athletes’ images or
     names in a commercial venture is a violation, so the school
     asked that the T-shirt sales be discontinued.”  Notre Dame,
     “in a rare move for its sports information department,
     invited national media members to South Bend in May to meet
     with” QB Brady Quinn (COURIER-JOURNAL, 6/20).

 

28.  MATCH MADE IN NEW ENGLAND: FAN RUNNING A RED SOX DATING SITE
          TIM LAMPA has founded an online dating service for Red
     Sox fans called MatchingSox.com that “works like most other
     dating sites, with a search tool that turns up matches
     according to gender, age, and location,” according to Matt
     Viser of the BOSTON GLOBE.  The site is not affiliated with
     MLB or the Red Sox.  Users fill out standard information
     about themselves, but also “list whether they bat left or
     right and their favorite players.”  Also, their photos “show
     up on the screen like baseball cards.”  While membership
     costs $4.95 a week, or $34.95 annually, Lampa said that he
     “has yet to make any money” since starting the site last
     March.  MLB asked him to stop handing out leaflets at Red
     Sox games to promote the site and giving out “free game
     tickets for blind dates,” saying that he was “improperly
     using league material” (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/21).

29.  EXECUTIVE TRANSACTIONS
          MSG Networks named LYDIA MURPHY-STEPHANS to the newly
     created position of Exec VP/Programming & Production.  Most
     recently, Murphy-Stephans was Founder of media consulting
     company Peace Tree Inc. (MSG)....Stats LLC promoted GREG
     KIRKORSKY to VP/North American Sales, WALTER LIS to
     Assistant VP/Marketing and NICK STAMM to Senior Manager of
     Communications (Stats)....Prince Sports promoted BRAD GLEN
     to Regional VP/Sales for the South Region.  Previously, Glen
     was Territory Manager in NC and SC.  The company also named
     JEFF LININGER Territory Manager for PA and WV and SEAN WREN
     Territory Manager for NJ and upstate NY (Prince)....Under
     Armour named Level 5 Sports President EMILY RIES Sport
     Marketing Associate in Athlete Relations (Under Armour).
          COMMISSIONED OFFICER: The Palm Beach County (FL) Sports
     Commission BOD elected Baron Event Management Owner GERRY
     BARON Exec Dir.  He replaces PAM GERIG-BLAND, who is
     retiring on August 15 (THE DAILY)....The Maricopa County
     (AZ) Sports Commission named MICHAEL BENSON Exec Dir
     (Maricopa County Sports Commission).

          Do you have an executive announcement? If so, please
     send to editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

30.  NAMES IN THE NEWS
          U.S. Olympic Gold Medal-winning sprinter GAIL DEVERS is
     “demanding a press release and a public apology” for her
     name being included in “GAME OF SHADOWS,” which details
     steroid use by numerous athletes.  Authors MARK FAINARU-WADA
     and LANCE WILLIAMS and the attorney for publisher GOTHAM
     BOOKS “acknowledge that Devers was included by mistake and
     regret the error,” but they said that the book “never
     accused her of using [steroids] or implied that she did.”
     They said that Devers is “overreacting and are offering a
     private letter of apology and to remove her name from future
     editions of the book” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 6/21).
          NOT LIKE A ROCK? Disney has postponed production of
     “THE GAME PLAN,” after DWAYNE “THE ROCK” JOHNSON ruptured
     his Achilles tendon while preparing for the role.  A source
     said that the film, which was set to begin filming in Boston
     next week, “will be on hiatus until Johnson is fully
     recovered” (L.A. TIMES, 6/21).
          COURT REPORT: Haas Automation and NASCAR team Owner
     GENE HAAS was arrested on federal tax fraud charges alleging
     that about $50M of “bogus expenses” were put on Haas
     Automation’s books to avoid paying over $20M in federal
     income taxes (Mult., 6/20)....The San Diego City Attorney’s
     Office filed two misdemeanor charges against the SAN DIEGO
     AFRICAN-AMERICAN SPORTS ASSOCIATION, which put on the Gold
     Coast Classic college football game from ‘97-‘04.  The group
     is accused of “filing false documentation and a false claim
     with the intent to defraud the city” (SAN DIEGO UNION-
     TRIBUNE, 6/21).
          BETTING INDEX: Pro poker player ED MILLER appeared on
     last night’s episode of Bravo’s “QUEER EYE FOR THE STRAIGHT
     GUY.”  Miller said his second book on poker “hasn’t sold
     quite as well” as his first because the “audience of
     beginners doesn’t know about the book yet.”  Miller, a New
     Orleans native, hosted the Travelocity/Caesar’s Palace
     Charity Poker Tournament to raise money for Hurricane
     Katrina relief. Travelocity donated $10,000 (Bravo, 6/20).
          CHARITY STRIPE: Astros P ROGER CLEMENS is partnering
     with Memorial Hermann Hospital in Houston on the ROGER
     CLEMENS INSTITUTE FOR SPORTS MEDICINE & HUMAN PERFORMANCE.
     The institute will offer sports research, education,
     nutrition, conditioning, biomechanics and massage, as well
     as surgery and sport-specific treatment for patients.  While
     Clemens will receive a fee for his services, he and Memorial
     Hermann CEO DAN WOLTERMAN declined to reveal specifics.
     Clemens is donating $3M to Children’s Memorial Hermann
     Hospital (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 6/21)....Maple Leaf Sports &
     Entertainment Chair LARRY TANENBAUM has donated C$25M to
     Mount Sinai Hospital, “the largest single donation ever
     received by the hospital” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 6/21).
          AWARDS SHOW: 2929 Entertainment co-Owners TODD WAGNER
     and MARK CUBAN will be honored at the 16th annual Gotham
     Awards on November 29 in N.Y. (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER,
     6/21)....Fiesta Bowl Exec Dir JOHN JUNKER will receive the
     BERT MCGRANE AWARD from the FOOTBALL WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF
     AMERICA for performing “great service to the organization
     and to the writing profession” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/21).

 

31.  IN NEED OF TIGER: GOLF RATINGS THROUGH JUNE 18
          Seven of ten events played since Tiger Woods last
     participated in weekend play have posted final-round ratings
     declines from last year.  The following presents golf
     ratings through June 18, with comparisons to ’05 events.
     Also presented are tournament finishes for Woods both years
     (THE DAILY).

          NOTES: Marks for cable networks are coverage area
     ratings and are not provided to the hundredth decimal. DNP =
     Did not play. WD =Withdrew. ^ = ABC provided coverage in
     '05. ^^ = No golf played during '05 Saturday coverage due to
     rain. '05 Sunday coverage featured the tournament's second-
     and final-round of play. ^! = Saturday and Sunday coverage
     aired from 11:00pm-1:00am. ^$ = NBC’s '05 Saturday coverage
     of the PGA Tour Players Championship is considered second-
     round play, while Sunday’s coverage is of second- and third-
     round play. The final round took place the following Monday
     and earned a 2.5 rating. ^^^ = The '05 BellSouth Classic was
     delayed two days due to rain.  Saturday coverage was of
     first-round play, while Sunday coverage was of second-round
     play. $ = Previously MCI Heritage. # =  Major event. % =
     Rain delay on Saturday in both '06 and '05.

 

33.  JULY 17 SBJ EXAMINES THE HOT DOG’S IMPACT ON SPORTS BUSINESS
          SportsBusiness Journal has a frank discussion about the
     concession industry’s staple food item, the hot dog. We’ll
     look at how the hot dog became a ballpark fixture and see
     what new spins have been placed on this old product to drive
     sales. We’ll find out the role the hot dog plays in the
     bottom line of sports facilities and whether trends toward
     healthier foods have had any adverse effect on sales. From
     hot dog producers to concession managers, we’ll examine the
     business relationships that drive supply lines and increase
     feeding lines. And we’ll order a few “all the way” ourselves
     to see just who really is top dog among sports venues.
     Publishing Date: July 17.  Closing Date:  July 3.  For
     information on advertising contact National Advertising
     Director Julie Tuttle at 212-500-0711 or
     jtuttle@sportsbusinessjournal.com.


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