BROADCASTING & CABLE’s George Winslow noted the co-presenting sponsors for NCAA March Madness Live “are NCAA Corporate Champions AT&T, Capital One and Coke Zero.” Buick, Capital One and Coke Zero “will sponsor the NCAA March Madness Live iOS app for Apple devices, while AT&T, Infiniti and LG Electronics USA will sponsor the Android app” (BROADCASTINGCABLE.com, 2/20). MULTICHANNEL NEWS’ Mike Reynolds noted Capital One is “sponsoring the official NCAA March Madness Bracket Challenge, featuring new designs and enhancements on smart phones and tablets, along with expanded social functionality across all devices allowing fans to join groups, share brackets and chat with friends and other passionate fans via Facebook” (MULTICHANNEL.com, 2/20).
FOR PETE'S SAKE: USA TODAY’s Jon Saraceno reported former MLBer Pete Rose on Tuesday pleaded with MLB and Topps "to restore deleted references of his record achievements on baseball cards of today’s players.” He remains on the "permanently ineligible list and therefore cannot be included on any licensed MLB products." Rose said, "I am not asking for anyone to feel sorry for me. I am asking only that Topps/MLB not compound my punishment by deleting the truth of what I achieved" (USA TODAY, 2/20).
HOME OF THE BRAVES: Bradley Univ. and adidas agreed to a five-year deal for the company to be the official footwear, apparel and accessory brand of the school through the ’17-18 season. The partnership begins this fall for all 15 teams with the exception of men’s basketball and baseball, which will join during the ’14-15 season (Bradley/adidas).
RUSHING THE QB: ESPN’s Jalen Rose said of adidas’ new campaign around Redskins QB Robert Griffin III, “I love adidas … (but) for him to put Week One on it, that puts undue pressure on the entire situation.” Rose: “There’s nothing positive about glorifying an injury.” ESPN’s Hugh Douglas said adidas “gave this man a ton of money.” Douglas: “They have an ad campaign that they have to run. It was unfortunate that he got hurt, but I guarantee you when he shot that ad, he put a whole bunch of money in his pockets … and that’s what it’s all about” (“Numbers Never Lie,” ESPN2, 2/20).
