Marketplace Roundup

ManU Has Agreed To Sponsorship Deal With Hutchison Telecommunications International

BLOOMBERG NEWS' Tariq Panja reports EPL club Manchester United has agreed to a "three-and-a-half season sponsorship deal with Hutchison Telecommunications International Ltd.'s 3 Indonesia brand." ManU "confirmed the deal, and neither side gave financial details." 3 Indonesia Chief Commercial Officer Suresh Reddy in an e-mail said that the deal gives the company the "use of the team's Red Devil logo, other club insignia and exclusive video content" in Indonesia. Panja notes the deal "comes three months before the club ... embarks on its fifth tour of east Asia in a decade" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 4/21).

SMALL MARKET, MAJOR PLAYER: In Milwaukee, Don Walker notes Brewers LF Ryan Braun has "quietly and successfully raised his national profile when it comes to landing endorsements." Braun has deals with several companies, including Nike, Wilson, and AirTran Airways, and CAA Sports' Nez Balelo, Braun's agent, said that Braun "had been successful in overcoming perceptions that Milwaukee was too small a market to allow athletes to make a dent nationally." Balelo: "Everybody says it's not a big market, but I think we've overcome that and we've been successful, and we've ignored any company that has said, 'It's the Milwaukee market and we're not going to play in that arena.' ... Other people are starting to recognize that Ryan Braun is a marketable individual and he's becoming more and more a recognizable face in baseball" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 4/21).

Hartman Oil Will Sponsor Sarah Fisher Racing For At Least Four Races In '09

HELPING HAND: In K.C., Randy Covitz reports Hartman Oil has agreed to serve as an associate sponsor of IRL team Sarah Fisher Racing for "at least four races in 2009," beginning with Sunday's Road Runner Turbo Indy 300 at Kansas Speedway. Hartman Oil President Wink Hartman, who will also sponsor Fisher during the Indianapolis 500, said the company is looking at possibly adding several other races. Hartman: "Right now, I'm crying the blues like everybody else. It's going to be a wait-and-see attitude." Covitz notes Hartman last year "decided to help [Fisher], sight unseen and became an associate sponsor for last year's Indy 500" (K.C. STAR, 4/21).

ROUNDUP: Falcons QB Matt Ryan yesterday filmed a commercial for ESPN's ongoing "This is SportsCenter" campaign. The 30-second spot, titled "Amazing," will "debut in the fall during the NFL season" (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 4/21)....FIRSTCUTS' Chris Littmann cited blog PastaPadre as reporting former USC QB Mark Sanchez will be on the cover of EA Sports' "NCAA Football 10" for the PlayStation Portable, while former Univ. of Texas DE Brian Orakpo will be on the cover for the PlayStation2 version, and former Univ. of Utah QB Brian Johnson will be on the cover for the PlayStation3 version (SPORTINGNEWS.com, 4/20).