Emirates is "out as naming-rights sponsor of the U.S. Open Series, ending the airline's seven-year deal 24 months before it is set to expire," according to Daniel Kaplan of SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL. The USTA will use the extra commercial space to "promote an as yet unnamed youth initiative that it plans to invest in heavily in the coming years." Emirates reportedly is paying the USTA $90M over seven years. USTA CEO of Professional Tennis Stacey Allaster said that Emirates will "not pay less but will shift resources into its U.S. Open sponsorship and now name the line-calling technology on ESPN's U.S. Open Series broadcasts," which JPMorgan Chase previously had naming rights to. The USTA will pay the eight U.S. Open Series tournaments the "same amount they would have received had Emirates stayed in, on average about a quarter-million dollars per event." However, the USTA is "doing away with the bonus pool, millions of dollars in prize money awarded annually to players who accumulated the most points based on how they performed in the series." While Allaster did "not rule out a naming-rights company for the series, she is eager to use the mini-circuit to promote kids playing tennis" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 2/6 issue).
