The PGA Tour today announced a five-year extension of FedEx' sponsorship of the tour's season-long points championship through '17. The FedExCup will continue to offer $35M in total bonus money to players based on their finish in the points standings, including $10M to the winner. Beginning in ‘13, the four-tournament PGA Tour Playoffs for the FedExCup will be officially rebranded as the FedExCup Playoffs. As part of the extension, FedEx will continue to advertise in PGA Tour telecasts and other media outlets and become further integrated into the Tour's digital and global endeavors. FedEx also plans to continue its B-to-B initiatives at tournaments in key markets (PGA Tour). PGA Commissioner Tim Finchem said FedEx' renewal provides "great continuity, and it allows us to continue to build what the FedExCup is all about in a continuous fashion, which drives value for everybody." It also covers "about 60% of our new television agreement." He added of the FedExCup, “It's become a big part of what the PGA Tour is all about. It has had the effect of pulling our season together, and we're going to try to make some adjustments in the next couple of years to do that with the FedExCup in an even more impactful way" ("Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 2/22).  GOLFWEEK’s Alex Miceli said, “We think the deal was probably inked a little while ago, but they wanted to wait to a time when they could actually present it in front of the national media." Miceli: "The one thing that I think is the most important is that it allows for continuity of the Cup with the same name. NASCAR had that continuity with their Cup, and then it started losing its luster when you had to changing different sponsors” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 2/22).

IMPACT ON THE TOUR'S FUTURE: GOLFCHANNEL.com's Rex Hoggard reports the only potential "drastic change" as part of FedEx' new deal would "move the beginning of each season to the fall after the Tour Championship." The 16-member Player Advisory Council was "briefed on the new plan last week in Los Angeles," and Finchem earlier this season indicated that the "new off-calendar schedule could be in place by the end of 2013." While Finchem "said that the contract extension was not contingent on the new schedule alignment," FedEx Exec VP/Market Development Mike Glenn "did not dismiss the impact the new schedule could have on the overall strategy" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 2/22). Golf Channel’s Gary Williams said, “What's going to be interesting is how many people will lose, and I'm talking specifically about the West Coast swing." Williams: "FedEx had to know, almost to the detail, what direction the PGA Tour is going in. ... What’s going to happen to these events, the Fall Series, which may start the meter on the New Year. FedEx has to know all these things to re-up their sponsorship. You cannot change the overall perimeters of what this system is without the people who are ponying up the money in order to do so." He added, "The renewal from FedEx is a big deal. ... It's great -- if you retain sponsorship as the economy tries to kind of crawl their way back to some level where people feel some sense of prosperity, let alone normalcy. ... I just want to know who's going to be affected in a negative way. The West Coast swing -- with all these events that may gain more relevancy, and I am talking about FedExCup-relevancy, going forward. What happens to Hawaii? What happens to some of these events in the state of California? The Waste Management? … These guys are playing so late into the year, and there’s so much money to be earned in the Far East these guys are shutting down and a lot of them are not saying hello to the PGA Tour until the month of February, that’s five weeks into the season” (“Morning Drive,” Golf Channel, 2/22).

HYUNDAI A NO GO: GOLFWEEK’s Miceli cited a source as saying that the PGA Tour’s “quest for an umbrella sponsor for the Nationwide Tour will continue after Hyundai declined a proposal.” It was “widely reported" several weeks ago that Hyundai was “close to signing a $100 million deal to have its name on the developmental tour.” But the source said of Hyundai, "They were considering it but never got to the point of more than kicking the tires.” The source said that Hyundai reps were “pitched the proposal” at the Tournament of Champions at Kapalua in early January and “took the next month to review it.” Ultimately, Hyundai officials “thought that sponsorship of the Nationwide Tour, estimated to cost $12 million to $14 million annually, was not a good marketing fit.” Golfer and former PGA Tour Players Advisory Council member Tom Pernice Jr. said that if an umbrella sponsor is not signed, the Tour “would fund the developmental tour in 2013 and beyond” (GOLFWEEK.com, 2/21).

Beijing Business Today reports that Nike is "extending a contract" with Knicks G Jeremy Lin, according to He Shan of CHINA.org.cn. Terms of the renewed contract have not been made public, but the Internet "has already been flooded with a myriad of news" about Lin's upcoming signature shoes. Several China-based companies, including Li Ning, Peak Sports Products and Qiaodan Sports "had been lining up" for Lin to become "one of the ambassadors of their companies." Lin signed with Nike in '10 as a rookie with the Warriors (CHINA.org.cn, 2/22). Nike Brand President Charlie Denson said of Lin, “He is already an overnight sensation in China. We are working on plans as we speak on how to continue to leverage that and use him in China" ("Bloomberg Bottom Line," Bloomberg TV, 2/21). Meanwhile, the N.Y. POST's Page Six cites sources as saying that Lin’s reps have “turned down offers from a wireless phone company as well as a watchmaker, potentially worth ‘millions of dollars.’” Brands courting Lin reportedly are “being tight-lipped to not to lose ground to competitors.” A source said, “Jeremy doesn’t want to jump into anything. He wants to sit back and wait and see what suits him. He’s not looking for the quick money. The deals have to be right.” Another source added, “Asia is a major growth market right now for luxury brands. Using (Lin) in that market will be huge.” One source noted, “Jeremy is Harvard-educated, and he’s not going to do something flashy that’s just for the money” (N.Y. POST, 2/22).

CHINESE TRADEMARK OBTAINED: The FINANCIAL TIMES’ Simon Rabinovitch notes China-based Wuxi Risheng Sporting Goods has "obtained a trademark on the Chinese name” of Lin. The Oriental Morning Post reported Wuxi Risheng Sporting Goods Owner Yu Minjie paid US$708 last year "for 10-year ownership of the trademark.” The trademark will “allow Wuxi Risheng to use Lin’s Chinese name on shirts, hats, shoes, balls, toys and more.” The trademark is “not for his name alone but for the more expansive and cumbersome 'Jeremy S.H.L. Lin Shuhao,' with Lin Shuhao written in Chinese characters.” The implication is that Wuxi Risheng “was unable to buy his name in isolation, which should protect any company that signs endorsement deals with Lin” (FT.com, 2/22).

CAN'T GET ENOUGH: In Miami, Greg Cote writes what Lin “has done now for the past few weeks has been a phenomenon that is probably equal parts the sheer out-of-nowhere surprise of it, the New York market that tends to shoot everything up with media steroids and, yes, the fact Lin’s nationality is like a David Stern dream come true in terms of seeding NBA popularity in the Asian market” (MIAMI HERALD, 2/22). In DC, Dan Daly wrote in Lin, we “might have the perfect storm, the ideal confluence of race (Asian-American), religion (Christian), market (New York) and improbability (Harvard University, Class of 2010).” Daly: “Let’s face it, there’s no telling when the Linsanity will blow over. After all, it’s already lasted longer than anyone could have imagined” (WASHINGTON TIMES, 2/20). In Boston, Kevin Cullen wrote Lin is “as much a cultural phenomenon as a sporting one.” The NBA can “thank Lin for this overnight burst of domestic and international interest and excitement.” He is the first American of Taiwanese descent to play in the NBA and “there are viewing parties from Taipei to Hong Kong” (BOSTON GLOBE, 2/21). GRANTLAND.com’s Charles Pierce wrote part of Lin’s fame “is the fact that this is all happening in New York, and it's impossible to do anything spectacular in New York without turning your life into a brass band.” However, out in the “dim lands beyond the Hudson, it really is time for people to step slowly away from the vehicle into which they've turned Jeremy Lin's life.” It is going to take “a formidable effort for him to control the cartoon that is already under construction, no matter how flattering and well-intentioned that cartoon may be.” It is going to take “a formidable will for him to keep from becoming the symbol other people want to make of him for their own purposes” (GRANTLAND.com, 2/21).

SAY CHEESE: In N.Y., Janon Fisher reports Lin for the “second week in a row” appears on the cover of SI, the “first New York athlete to hold the honor.” The last athlete to “create enough buzz to merit back-to-back covers" was Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki last June during the team's run to the NBA title (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/22).

Nike yesterday “rolled out its top product innovations for this summer's Olympic Games in London” -- the new uniforms for the U.S. basketball and track and field teams, according to Allan Brettman of the Portland OREGONIAN. The Nike Pro TurboSpeed is the “lightest and fastest track uniform.” The Nike Hyper Elite Basketball Uniform is also the company's "lightest ever. The 11.8-ounce jersey is 415% lighter "than the uniform worn by Nike-sponsored teams in Beijing.” The products introduced “would seem to appeal only to the world's top athletes and the truly gear-obsessed.” But the importance to Nike “goes deeper,” as the company's sales “historically spike in years of major global events.” Sterne Agee stock analyst Sam Poser said that the show is “only half done: Nike is expected to unveil digital products today at the same venue as on Tuesday, a converted warehouse in the shadow of the Manhattan Bridge.” At least “half of the 250 members of the press on hand were from outside” the U.S. (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/22). In a separate piece, Brettman noted the “sustainability theme seemed to be hovering over the whole affair” at yesterday’s introduction. The basketball uniforms are “made from polyester created from the equivalent of 22 recycled plastic bottles.” The men's jersey is “made of approximately 96 percent polyester fabric derived from recycled plastic bottles, while the short is 100 percent recycled polyester" (Portland OREGONIAN, 2/22). USA TODAY’s Michael McCarthy notes the men’s basketball uniforms to be worn during the ’12 London Games are “lighter and sleeker than the more baggy uniforms worn by players recently.” Nets G Deron Williams, a Nike endorser, "modeled the lightweight performance uniforms," and said, “It almost feels like you’re just wearing your tights underneath” (USA TODAY, 2/22).

DIFFERING STYLES: ESPN.com’s Alyssa Roenigk noted the Pro TurboSpeed track suit “comes in a one-piece, full-body suit, a two-piece option and shorter styles for athletes in longer distances.” Roenigk wrote, “Of course, when talking about suits that are astonishingly ‘faster than skin,’ questions arise as to the legality of such suits and the debate over what constitutes performance enhancement begins.” But Nike Global Creative Dir Martin Lotti said, "We are following all the rules and guidelines, so it is a legal suit" (ESPN.com, 2/21).

FIND A PHONE BOOTH TO CHANGE IN: YAHOO SPORTS’ Chris Chase wrote under the header, “Nike’s Team USA Basketball Logo Is Hideous.” The pyramid-shaped USA logo “has earned derision for looking too angular, too Superman-like and way too ugly.” Nike unveiled the uniforms for both the men's and women's U.S. teams but “didn't say whether the logo would be used in other uniform designs” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/21).

YAHOO SPORTS’ Dan Wetzel reported NASCAR driver Danica Patrick has “turned down exponentially more commercial deals and magazine covers than she’s accepted.” Patrick: “They ask me to do different things I’m not comfortable with.” She added, “Some things I do I am there to look pretty and lend my name to it. And other things I do I am there to drive a race car. I’m not there to look pretty necessarily. … This is my racing world. The (other stuff) doesn’t really mingle with this world” (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/20). Patrick has endorsement deals with Go Daddy, Tissot, Academy Sports & Outdoors, Hot Wheels and Peak Antifreeze, among others (THE DAILY).

LOOKING FOR THE RIGHT FIT: In Milwaukee, Rich Kirchen notes Packers QB Aaron Rodgers has been “deemed the hottest NFL celebrity for commercial endorsements,” but his approach to signing his next advertising deal seems to be “carefully calculated.” Rodgers and his advisers “certainly want to strike while he’s top-of-mind with football fans, but will be deliberate about their next move.” Rodgers’ only national TV commercials to date have been for State Farm. He also has a deal with Nike that “so far has not involved TV commercials.” In Wisconsin, he has “become a top commercial spokesman for Associated Bank, Ford trucks, Gruber Law Offices and Prevea Health.” Rodgers’ business manager and spokesperson H. Koal said that Rodgers “will continue to be selective,” and that he “already has turned down ‘a lot of deals’ that didn’t meet his standards” (MILWAUKEE BUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/17 issue). Rodgers tops THE DAILY's list of the most marketable NFL players.

SLOWER SALES: Team Fever VP Anton Huber, whose company owns and operates six Bama Fever and Tiger Fever stores around the state of Alabama, said that Univ. of Alabama fans after winning their second BCS in three years “don't appear to have the same appetite for championship-related gear.” Huber said, "In 2009, it was absolutely crazy. There was a lot of excitement since it had been 17 years since anyone in the state had won a national championship. Our sales met expectations and even exceeded them a little." He added, "Then last year, Auburn fans really turned out well and our Tiger Fever sales were extremely strong." Huber said that while January sales “were still far above what they would typically be in a non-championship year (Huber estimates between a 400% and 500% increase in sales), the decrease was noticeable” (AL.com, 2/21).

NOT WASTING TIME: In Boston, Scott Lauber reports Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia reported to Spring Training yesterday “and promptly filmed two television commercials” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/22).