Names In The News

FSI Currently Only Offers Football Insurance, But Execs Hope To Expand To Other Sports Soon

The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Nando Di Fino profiled Fantasy Sports Insurance (FSI), the "brainchild" of Long Island-based Intermark Insurance Agency, Inc. brokers ANTHONY GIACCONE and HENRY OLSZEWSKI. FSI "offers the fantasy owner the ability to recoup league fees and all other related costs if one of their star players falls to an injury and misses the bulk of the season." FSI only offers football insurance, but its execs "hope to expand soon to baseball, basketball and hockey." Giaccone and Olszewski "first went about getting underwriters" for FSI, and they "found A-rated carriers at Lloyd's of London." The two then made a list of the "top 50 fantasy players in the NFL," which comprise the "marquee group eligible for insurance claims" (WSJ.com, 8/19).

TRADE SECRETS: BRAND REPUBLIC's Jennifer Whitehead reports Wieden & Kennedy co-Founder Dan Wieden and Goodby, Silverstein & Partners co-Chairs Jeff Goodby and RICH SILVERSTEIN are among the ad industry execs that appear in the documentary ART & COPY, which, "lifts the lid on how some of the most famous slogans were thought up." The film "reveals a little known fact about the 'Just Do It' slogan used by Nike, which is that it was derived from the phrase 'let's do it' -- the last words uttered by GARY GILMORE, the murderer who notoriously asked to be executed by firing squad." Whitehead notes the film is directed by DOUG PRAY and opens on limited release in the U.S. tomorrow (BRANDREPUBLIC.com, 8/20).

SETTLEMENT REACHED: The Rams yesterday agreed to "settle a discrimination suit filed on behalf of former assistant trainer RON DUBUQUE, who claimed he was fired for having epilepsy." The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission in an '08 suit said that DuBuque was diagnosed in '84 and "worked for years before managers fired him in 2006, claiming he was a medical liability and threat to safety." The team denied that claim, but it did agree to "pay DuBuque $100,000 in compensatory damages and employ him for two years as a rehabilitation specialist, worth $34,000" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 8/20).

NAMES: Approximately 500 armed forces members attended the Ravens' Military Appreciation Day yesterday at the team's training camp. The Ravens "invited the military personnel to encircle their huddle," and coach JOHN HARBAUGH said, "We thank you for everything you do. We can't thank you enough" (Baltimore SUN, 8/20)....Steelers coach MIKE TOMLIN and Penguins coach DAN BYLSMA yesterday exchanged a "quick handshake in the rain" after Steelers practice. The handshake was "believed to be the first time the coach of an NHL champion appeared on the same practice field with the coach of the NFL champs" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/20)....Stars and MLB Rangers Owner TOM HICKS yesterday "had hip replacement surgery" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 8/20)....Steinbrenner High School in Lutz, Florida, will officially open next Tuesday. The $60M school near Yankees Chair GEORGE STEINBRENNER’s home will have nearly 2,000 students and offer classes such as sports marketing, sports medicine and the business of sports(NEWSDAY, 8/20)….The Basketball HOF is set to unveil a new NBA Finals photo exhibit from NBA Photos Senior Dir ANDREW BERNSTEIN. The exhibit will be open throughout the ’09-10 NBA season (Basketball HOF)….Yankees P CC SABATHIA yesterday made a visit to his former elementary school, Loma Vista, in Vallejo, California, as part of his PitCCh In Foundation (NEWSDAY, 8/20)….Former Houston Chronicle sports writer NEIL HOHLFELD has been elected to the Houston Baseball Media Wall of Honor, becoming the third person to earn that honor (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 8/20)....NBA Kings and WNBA Monarchs co-Owner JOE MALOOF sold his 6,100-square-foot Brentwood, California, home for $4M. Maloof bought the house for $4.75M in '04 (L.A. TIMES, 8/19).

IN MEMORY: Seattle-based travel startup Yapta co-Founder & Chair BRETT ALLSOP died Tuesday at the age of 38. Allsop started Fogdog, "an online sporting goods store that received backing from Nike before it was sold" in '00 (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/20).