Jump Around: SlamBall To Return For Season, Seeks TV Partner

SlamBall, the "hybrid basketball-gymnastics extreme sport" that aired on Spike from '02-03 is "being resurrected for a 'showcase' season to be taped in June with expectations of selling eight franchises" before '09, according to Richard Sandomir of the N.Y. TIMES. The new season is financed by IMG, which has joined with Producer Mike Tollin and Mason Gordon, the sport's creator. Former 76ers President Pat Croce, who along with Tollin and Gordon were partners in the earlier version of SlamBall, will be Commissioner. IMG Global Media President Chris Albrecht said SlamBall was initially "more a television show than a sport, and Spike wasn't widely distributed then." Tollin said that a reason for reviving SlamBall was the "success it had when it was licensed as a league last summer in Italy," as TV ratings "outstripped projections." The goal is to "elevate its quality and establish a viable league that could spin off leagues in Asia and Europe." Albrecht said that he is "hoping to find a TV partner to carry the showcase season," but he added that if a deal is not made, he is "prepared to show it as a Webcast." Tollin said he expects franchises to sell "in the low seven figures" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/27).