Marketplace Roundup

In Toronto, Tony Wong reports Tennis Canada since the '08 ATP World Tour and Sony Ericsson WTA Tour Rogers Cup events "has lost 14 sponsor partners, split between the men's and women's tennis events held in Montreal and Toronto." Tennis Canada indicated that 10 of those losses were "directly attributable to tighter marketing budgets." Tennis Canada VP/Corporate Sponsorships Greg Wood: "The recession really hurt because we had several verbal contracts where the partner would end up trying to back out. The sponsor was saying, 'We love your event, but we've got to cut somewhere.'" However, Wong notes "despite a rocky start, a concerted push by Tennis Canada produced good results," as the organization "ended up with sponsorship dollars just 5[%] below last year's level ... after signing on new partners" including Rolex Canada and Audi Canada (TORONTO STAR, 8/14).

SWEET DEAL: In Raleigh, Alan Wolf reports North Carolina-based doughnut company Krispy Kreme Thursday announced a "three-season sponsorship deal" with the NFL Panthers that includes the "right to sell the company's sweet stuff at Bank of America Stadium." The company said that a "variety of Krispy Kreme products will be available throughout the stadium," and a "club-level doughnut shop will offer soft-serve cones and doughnut sundaes" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 8/14).

Under Armour Developing Line Of  Mouth Gear For Several Sports

SAFETY FIRST: In Baltimore, Andrea Walker reports Under Armour is introducing UA Performance Mouthwear, a "line of mouth gear that it says will not only protect the jaw from hits but will reduce stress to improve athletic performance." A mouthpiece for non-contact sports like baseball, running, golf and tennis costs $495, while a mouthguard for football, hockey, lacrosse and other contact sports costs $450. The products are custom-made and "can only be bought through Patterson Dental and will be available at the end of the month" (Baltimore SUN, 8/14).

NOTES: Carfax will sponsor Front Row Motorsports' No. 34 Chevrolet driven by John Andretti for Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Carfax 400 at Michigan Int'l Speedway (Carfax)....The Int'l Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) has extended its partnership agreement with Seiko as a worldwide sponsor of the IAAF World Athletic Series of competitions. The new deal begins in '10 and runs through '13 (IAAF)....Philippines-based online gaming company 12BET has signed a two-year shirt sponsorship deal with Spanish La Liga club Sevilla (REUTERS, 8/14).