Gart Sports And The Sports Authority Announce Plans To Merge
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Little Activity Expected Today As NBA Trade Deadline Nears
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Drakkar Noir To Launch New TV Campaign Featuring Earnhardt Jr. Today
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PGA Tour And RealNetworks To Debut TOURCast Plus Today
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Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit To Be Held Today In Dallas
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Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy!
COMBINED COMPANY TO BE NAMED THE SPORTS AUTHORITY
Gart Sports and The Sports Authority today announced that their BODs have approved a merger between the two companies, making the combined group the largest sporting goods retailer in the U.S. The combined company, which will be named The Sports Authority and headquartered in Englewood, CO, will have 385 stores in 45 states. The company will apply for listing on the NYSE under the symbol TSA. The transaction is expected to complete in Q3 ’03. After the merger, TSA Chair & CEO Martin Hanaka will serve as Chair of the combined company, while Gart Sports President & CEO John Douglas Morton will become Vice Chair & CEO (THE DAILY).
FEAR OF LUXURY TAX PROMPTING MINIMAL NBA TRADE TALK
The NBA trade deadline is today at 3:00pm ET, and the Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that “fears of the pending dollar-for-dollar luxury tax that will be levied at the end of the season have dampened trading enthusiasm.” Raptors GM Glen Grunwald: “Not only do I not foresee anything big happening, but I don't see anything little happening” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/20). Nets President Rod Thorn: “It’s all about saving money.” Hawks GM Pete Babcock echoed Thorn’s sentiment, saying, “Getting cap relief drives all of our conversations. That’s the prevailing thought around the league” (BLOOMBERG.com, 2/20).
DRAKKAR NOIR/EARNHARDT JR. TV AD TO BREAK ON SPEED CHANNEL
Drakkar Noir today launches a new TV ad campaign on Speed Channel featuring NASCAR Winston Cup driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. and his No. 8 Chevrolet, the first of four to six ad flights planned for ’03. The ad will also be seen in regional markets through department store ad buys. Supporting the TV campaign is the continuation of a print campaign and personal appearances by Earnhardt at retail outlets in more than 25 U.S. markets. The ad is via Publicis (THE DAILY).
TOURCAST PLUS TO ALLOW SUBSCRIBERS TO FOLLOW LIVE ACTION
The PGA Tour and RealNetworks today will debut TOURCast Plus, a stand-alone online subscription service that provides exclusive audio and video golf programming. The application, which allows users to follow tournament action in real-time or replay, will be available for the Nissan Open, which begins today at Riviera Country Club in CA. A three-hole free version of the service and a 14-day free trial offer are available on the PGA Tour’s Web site. Cost for the service is $9.95 per month or $59.95 for the entire year (THE DAILY).
SUMMIT TO ADDRESS FAN-RELATED INCIDENTS AT SPORTING EVENTS
The Sportsmanship and Fan Behavior Summit will be held in Dallas today, where participants will address recent fan-related incidents at major collegiate sporting events. The summit was organized by commissioners, ADs, coaches and administrators from all NCAA Div. I conferences. Other organizations represented at the summit include the TEAM coalition, the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators, the NCAA Sportsmanship and Ethical Conduct Committee as well as football and basketball officials. (THE DAILY). SEC Commissioner and NCAA Football Chair Mike Slive: “I think we hope to come out with a sort of a menu of ‘best practices,’ of how people might do things, how a community might deal with these issues” (USA TODAY, 2/20).
TODAY THE DAILY GOES ONE-ON-ONE WITH…
Which sports exec, a former paramedic, has found his way from Lynchburg, VA, to the sunny shores of L.A.? To find out, see today’s Sports Industrialists section for “THE DAILY Goes One-On-One With...”
MORNING BRIEFS
Rawlings investor Daniel Gilbert today announced that he is supporting the company’s proposed merger with K2 (THE DAILY).
The AP reported that NFL Commissioner Paul Tagliabue dined yesterday in Indianapolis while attending the scouting combine with Colts coach Tony Dungy, Jets coach Herman Edwards, Bengals coach Marvin Lewis and Jaguars VP/Player Personnel James Harris to discuss the NFL’s “new plan to promote minority hiring” (AP, 2/19).
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL reports that the CFL will announce a TV deal next week, and despite an “earlier impasse in negotiations, it is almost certain that TSN and CBC will be back as rights holders” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 2/20).
Chevrolet today runs a full-page ad in USA TODAY congratulating Daytona 500 Champion Michael Waltrip with the text, “5:45pm / feb 16 / ‘two-time champ’ finally sinks in” (THE DAILY).
Mets Owner Fred Wilpon said that MLB “was not reconsidering the Mets’ having two exhibition games with the Dodgers in Mexico City in the face of the possibility of war in Iraq” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20).
The DETROIT FREE PRESS reports that Tuesday night’s Canucks-Red Wings game posted a 9.3 Nielsen cable rating on FSN, the “third highest rated game of the season” on the net. The final fifteen minutes (9:45-10:00pm) drew a 12.8/(240,000 HHs) cable rating, “making it the most watched show in Detroit" in that period (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 2/20).
USGA Senior Communications Dir Marty Parkes, on Phoenix touring pro Brian Kontak attempting to play in the U.S. Women’s Open: “I don’t know why this thing is even a story. Some lunatic comes up with something, and people are calling me. The criteria say specifically on the entry form that the person must be a female at birth” (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 2/20).
ATTENDANCE WATCH:
The New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE reports that Michael Jordan’s final regular season appearance at New Orleans Arena last night drew “a record crowd of 18,522,” as the Hornets beat the Wizards (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 2/20).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
Red Sox SS Nomar Garciaparra, on when he and WUSA Washington Freedom F Mia Hamm will officially tie the knot: “I am getting married eventually. When that time comes, when our schedules permit, I’m sure we’ll get married” (BOSTON HERALD, 2/20).
Yankees Owner George Steinbrenner, on the back-and-forth comments between him and Yankees SS Derek Jeter: “I got my message through. If I’m paying a guy $16[M], I want him to listen” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20).
The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reports that basketball HOFer Oscar Robertson will co-produce “Something To Cheer About,” a film about the ’55 Crispus Attucks IN High School State Championship team, on which he played (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 2/20).
THE BACK PAGES
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
N.Y. Post
N.Y. Daily News
Philadelphia Daily News
Boston Herald
TODAY’S EVENTS
The N.Y. chapter of the National Sports Marketing Network will host a panel discussion, “Changing Times: The New Role of Sports Agencies,” from 8:00-10:30am ET at the SportsClub/LA. The Daily’s Editor-At-Large Terry Lefton will moderate a panel that includes Octagon CMO Curt Curtis, Millsport President Jim Millman, IMG Senior VP Doug Pirnie, Velocity Sports & Entertainment Principal Mike Reisman and SFX Sports Group Exec VP Rob Urbach (THE DAILY).
The IOC Exec Board will meet today and tomorrow in Lausanne to discuss future TV rights, the status of certain sports and other int’l issues (THE DAILY).
The U.S. Post Office at 5805 White Oak Avenue in Encino, CA, will be renamed the Francis Dayle “Chick” Hearn Post Office at a 3:00pm PT ceremony. U.S. Rep. Brad Sherman, Hearn’s widow Marge and Lakers G Derek Fisher are scheduled to attend (L.A. TIMES, 2/20).
Brewers President & CEO Ulice Payne Jr. and Village at Manor Park President & CEO Reginald Hislop III will make several announcements regarding the team’s new “60+ Fan Club,” designed for senior citizens, at 10:30am CT (THE DAILY).
IN OTHER NEWS….
During last night’s finale of ABC’s “The Bachelorette,” former Heat dancer Trista Rehn chose poetry-writing firefighter Ryan Sutter, and the two are now engaged. The CP reported that the CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers “once tried to sign Sutter, and it seems [he] is still interested” in playing in the league. Blue Bombers VP/Player Personnel Brendan Taman: “We actually legitimately tried to sign him a few years back and his agent says he may be interested in playing football again” (CP, 2/19).
The AP reports that after a “dismal consumer response, America Online has stopped selling its interactive TV product, AOLTV.” AOL will continue “to support current subscribers who use the product, which allows users to surf the online service and send e-mail from their televisions” (AP, 2/20).
The N.Y. TIMES reports “Dateline NBC” co-anchor Jane Pauley said yesterday that she “would leave NBC in May after 27 years with the network” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/20).
The ORLANDO SENTINEL reports that Walt Disney World has “ordered a hiring freeze immediately and indefinitely – or until tourism picks up again” (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 2/20).
The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports that Deutsch Agency Chair & CEO Donny Deutsch is “shooting a pilot for CNBC for a prime-time show on advertising, marketing and pop culture.” It is not yet clear if the program titled “Deutsch on Demand” will “become a regular part of CNBC’s prime-time lineup” (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/20).
FINAL JEOPARDY QUESTION
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was “Company Names.”
“This company was named for the sound made by its top product – a slingshot hitting its target.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS' David Letterman: “Monday night Dr. Phil was a guest on the show, and I’ve been making fun of Dr. Phil for like half a year, and never really paying attention to him. I just thought he was a guy with a show. He’s an amazing man, Dr. Phil, and thank God because I’ve talked with him, and I’ve been working with him ever since and finally, I’m beginning to cut down on the phone sex. He's a miracle worker. ... You got to feel bad for President Bush. He’s really fed up with the U.N.'s foot-dragging. He’s really had it because he's very frustrated. He wants to attack Iraq, and wipe them out before his one-term Presidency is up. ... During the blizzard, crime was way down here in (N.Y.), and that’s because the muggers couldn’t get in from the suburbs” ("Late Show," CBS, 2/19).
NBC's Jay Leno: “Did you see (N.Y. after the blizzard)? It was whiter than an episode of 'Friends.' ... The big twist on 'Joe Millionaire' was that Evan admitted to the girls he didn't really inherit $50(M), and then the butler came in and gave him and Zora a check for $1(M). So what’s the lesson here for our young people? Good things come to those who lie. ... Next month, NBC is coming out with a show called ‘The Search For the Most Talented Kid In America,’ or as Michael Jackson calls it, ‘Are You Hot?’ ... Scientists at the (Univ. of IL) have developed a plastic that repairs itself. If it cracks or breaks, it automatically repairs itself. Do you know what this means? Women in L.A. can now live forever. ... Bears prefer masturbation over sex. Masturbating bears. I thought it was pretty good when they rode the unicycle. This is why they hibernate all winter. They’re exhausted. ... Mike Tyson has changed his mind. His fight Saturday night is back on. ... First it was on, then it was off, then it was on, then it was off, now it’s back on. It’s good to see Mike isn’t suffering from any of those wild mood swings anymore. Did you see the tattoo he got on his face? ... Is he fighting for the Romulans now? ... This fight is actually going to be a combination rap concert and boxing match. That’s a great idea. Now you can get punched and shot at the same time” ("Tonight Show," NBC, 2/19).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Good Things About Not Getting In To See The ‘Late Show,’” read by ten members of the “Late Show” stand-by audience ("Late Show," CBS, 2/19).
10) “You don't have to sit through an hour of ‘The Late Show.’”
9) “There's two feet of snow outside and it’s still warmer than the Ed Sullivan Theater.”
8) “My hotel room has adult films on Spectravision.”
7) “Everyone on the stand-by line receives one Ritz cracker.”
6) “Hey, if I wanted to see Dr. Phil say something dumb, I’d watch his show.”
5) “While waiting outside, I bought a beautiful Rolex watch for only ten bucks.”
4) “You don't get hit on by that creepy announcer, Alan Kalter.” (Read by a female).
3) “You don't get hit on by that creepy announcer, Alan Kalter.” (Read by a male).
2) “Don't want the life sucked out of me right before I see ‘Mamma Mia.’”
1) “The ‘Late Show?’ I thought this was the ‘Tonight Show.’”
NBC’s Conan O’Brien: “President Bush has a lot of problems these days. The French are mad at him, everyone is mad at him. Atheist groups are upset with President Bush because they say that lately he’s been using more and more references to Christianity in his speeches. In fact, it happened this morning. This morning President Bush gave a speech and said, ‘Jesus, look at all those big words.’ … Big news in politics today; Congressman Dick Gephardt announced his candidacy for President. Wow. People are thrilled about that. He really knows how to whip a crowd into a frenzy. Gephardt now plans to look for a running mate, or as he put it, ‘the alcohol to my sleeping pills.’ … It’s been reported that one of the contestants of ‘Survivor: The Amazon’ contracted malaria while filming the show. It’s too bad. When asked to comment, the guy said, ‘That’s nothing, you should see what the girls caught from Joe Millionaire’” (“Late Night,” NBC, 2/19).
WEDNESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET “SportsCenter” led with Lakers-Jazz.
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