N.Y.-based Vivaldi Partners Group Partner Seth Traum said that there is "a tremendous amount of distrust of the Patriots" outside of the New England region, and marketers "will be wary of initiating new associations unless the NFL investigation clears the team in the deflated ball controversy." Traum: "The Patriots can -- in spite of their success -- be seen as a very risky proposition because, right now, the court of public opinion is they’ve done something wrong. From a consumer perception standpoint, the Patriots start to become public enemy No. 1." Harvard sports marketing professor Stephen Greyser said, "If it turns out that the investigation comes out with anything of substance, that will have an effect on the Patriots’ brand to some extent" (BOSTON HERALD, 2/3).
CHARGED UP: In San Diego, David Garrick reports City Council members Todd Gloria and David Alvarez in a joint memo "criticized Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s new Chargers stadium task force on Monday for planning to hold its meetings behind closed doors and for not being diverse enough ethnically, politically or socio-economically." They also said that the "lack of diversity means the nine-member task force, which Faulconer unveiled on Friday, doesn’t represent a 'true cross section' of San Diego." They added that those shortcomings "could make it difficult to persuade voters" to approve the future stadium proposal (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 2/3).
ROYAL DECREE: In K.C., Jason McKee reports a new billboard featuring the feet of Royals CF Jarrod Dyson and the team's '15 slogan, "Forever Royal," has been erected "outside of downtown" on I-35. The campaign was designed by Kansas-based Walz Tetrick Advertising, "in its third year working with the Royals" (K.C. STAR, 2/3). FOXSPORTS.com noted Dyson "literally blazes a trail across this year's sign." The billboard is "a tribute to the team's emphasis on speed, both on the bases and in the field" (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/2).
BROTHERS BY THE BAY: SI.com's Brian Straus reported the 49ers "now hold a significant minority stake" in USL Pro club Sacramento Republic, and the NBA Kings "round out a suddenly formidable investor group." The deal "does more than add capital to Republic's coffers: it unites potential rivals firmly behind a single bid" for an MLS franchise. That is something MLS, which "intends to announce its next expansion teams in June, had asked for." Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson "has delivered" (SI.com, 1/30).
