GREG NORMAN was asked Tuesday if he was a better businessman than golfer, and said he had a "pretty good platform to kick it off on with my brand and my logo and my positioning, so you might be right." Norman said the concept of "brand recognition" came about with Reebok Founder PAUL FIREMAN when they started the Greg Norman Collection. Norman: "Fireman taught me to understand about marketing ... and today I use that advice and experience very, very well to be where I'm at today" ("The Dan Le Batard Show," ESPN Radio, 8/1).
WHAT A HOOT: Temple Univ. has a new spin on fundraising: A $50,000 donation will "allow donors to sponsor one of nine Owls football player numbers this season." The program, called "The 9," offers "exclusive benefits" that include "travel on the team plane to one away game, a custom jersey and 'interaction with your assigned student-athlete throughout the year'" (USA TODAY, 8/3).
HERE'S TO YOU: The Sports Broadcasting HOF announced its 11th annual class, to be inducted Dec. 12 at the N.Y Hilton Midtown. The inductees include ESPN's CHRIS BERMAN, America's Cup Technology Dir STAN HONEY, BRENT MUSBURGER, CBS' BILL RAFTERY, graphic designer LINDA RHEINSTEIN, MLB Commissioner Emeritus BUD SELIG, former Fox Sports VP/Production JACK SIMMONS, CBS Sports' LESLEY VISSER, former ESPN Exec VP & Exec Editor JOHN WALSH and former NBC Sports Exec Producer MICHAEL WEISMAN (Sports Broadcasting HOF)....The Pro Football HOF will present a youth football award named for the late HOFer CHUCK NOLL. The award is called the "Chuck Noll Hall of Fame 'Game for Life' Award" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 8/2).
NAMES: Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT and President JONATHAN KRAFT were in Pawtucket, R.I., last weekend to “celebrate a local expansion” of their Rand-Whitney packaging plant. The Krafts "opted to come to the ceremony rather than attend the first day of Patriots training camp" (VALLEYBREEZE.com, 8/1)....Panthers DE JULIUS PEPPERS “just bought” the 115,000-square-foot Hudson Motor building on Chicago’s Near South Side that was built in the '20s (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 8/3)....Former Disney CEO MICHAEL EISNER has completed the purchase of third tier English soccer club Portsmouth FC. Eisner and his three sons will be among those on the club BOD. N.Y.-based Inner Circle Sports advised Eisner on the deal (THE DAILY)....A judge has awarded more than $1M to former Kentucky basketball player JOSH HARRELLSON in his civil case against former UK Dir of Basketball Operations LEON SMITH. In a civil suit filed earlier this year, Harrellson “alleged that Smith had defrauded and stolen money from him during the time that Smith was supposed to be looking after Harrellson’s investments” (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 8/2)....The Phillies announced that PETE ROSE will “not participate in Alumni Weekend events the team is holding” from Aug. 10-13. The announcement “came two days after an unidentified woman alleged in an deposition that she and Rose had a sexual relationship when she was 15” (N.Y. TIMES, 8/3)....Pro Football HOFer CRIS CARTER spoke yesterday at the “first Addiction and Recovery Symposium" at The Metropolitan Centre in Canton, Ohio (Canton REPOSITORY, 8/3).
