Facility Notes

In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports Nets Sports & Entertainment President & CEO Brett Yormark, having already sold a five-year, $1.2M arena naming-rights deal to Izod at the former Continental Airlines Arena, is now "floating a separate founding sponsorship" for the arena.  Sources said that the package is going for the "mid-six figures per year and includes signage within the arena bowl and plenty in the main concourse" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 12/3 issue).

NATIONALS: In DC, Tim Lemke reports the Nationals "are in talks with the federal government about setting aside land for a youth baseball academy" at Fort DuPont Park in Southeast DC, a "key step in satisfying a major provision of the lease for the team's new ballpark." The new lease requires the Nationals "to help youth baseball programs in [DC] by operating a new baseball academy, holding clinics and providing free equipment to groups in need." The academy will "be designed to support" MLB's Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities program (WASHINGTON TIMES, 12/5).

GIANTS: In Baltimore, J.K. Dineen reports the MLB Giants have partnered with Cordish Co. in a "bid to develop a 13.6-acre parking lot across the street from" AT&T Park, and the partnership "will be a clear front-runner in the competition to take on the prime port-owned waterfront parcel." Giants Senior VP & General Counsel Jack Bair said the proposal would be a "mixed-use project that includes a substantial open space component" (BALTIMORE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 11/30 issue).