Marketplace Roundup

Heat G Dwyane Wade Has Yet To Wear New Wade 4 Converse Sneaker This Season

CNBC.com's Darren Rovell reported Heat G Dwyane Wade "hasn't yet worn the model of Converse shoes -- the Wade 4 -- that hit stores at the beginning of the season." CSMG Sports President Henry Thomas, who reps Wade, said that it is "highly likely that [Wade] won't put that model on his feet for the rest of the season." Thomas noted Wade wears the Wade 1 model shoes "because he really liked them." Thomas: "Given that he was playing in the Olympics, he was preoccupied this past summer, so he didn't have the chance that he and Converse wanted to get used to his new shoes." Rovell noted rumors indicate that Converse is "re-releasing the Wade 1's in different styles starting next month," which "might have to do with the fact that the Wade 4's clearly aren't selling well" (CNBC.com, 1/28).

NEW-LOOK MELO: In Denver, Lesley Kennedy notes since Nuggets F Carmelo Anthony teamed up with N.Y.-based stylist Khalilah Williams-Webb last September, he has "gone preppy-cool with sharp blazers and stylish suits," and "gone are the braids, untucked shirts and baggy jackets of seasons past." Williams-Webb "selects the styles and fabrics, and then has the majority of Anthony's clothes custom-made." Anthony said of his favorite designers, "I wear a lot of Gucci and Louis Vuitton. Of course Jordan (Brand)" (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 1/29). Anthony has a sponsorship with Jordan Brand (THE DAILY).

TRIPLE TEAM: MULTICHANNEL NEWS' Mike Reynolds noted the Big Ten Network (BTN) has inked "a trio of media pacts, with sponsored elements for its men's and women's hoops action." Auto Owners Insurance is sponsoring the "Big Ten Tip-Off Show" on Wednesday and Saturday nights, while Hampton Hotels is sponsoring the men's postgame "Big Ten Tonight -- The Finale" show. State Farm sponsors the net's halftime shows. BTN VP/Sales Roy Seinfeld said that the deals "contain 'significant' buys within the games." While he did not specify the value of the deals, Seinfeld noted that they "were all in the 'six figures'" (MULTICHANNEL.com, 1/24).

OUT OF THE GATES: Investment firm Bessemer Trust is not retuning as a sponsor of the Breeders' Cup in '09 after its deal expired last year. Bessemer Trust sponsored the both the Breeders' Cup Juvenile and Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies races. Breeders' Cup CMO Peter Land noted that "no other sponsors from last year have left the fold" (BLOODHORSE.com, 1/28).