Morning Buzz, May 28, 2003

NFL GIANTS SEEK TO MODERNIZE STADIUM IN RETURN FOR CONTROL

The N.Y. TIMES reports that the NFL Giants will meet todaywith the NJSEA “in hopes of advancing an agreement on modernizing GiantsStadium to make it eligible to be the site of the 2008 Super Bowl.”  The team “would finance the project, at acost of [$250-275M], but wants the sports authority to hand over fullmanagement control of the stadium.” Giants co-Owner Robert Tisch said that the “primary obstacle toan agreement was over how much the team would pay to take over the stadium” (N.Y.TIMES, 5/28).

FED CUP QUARTERFINALS TO BE PLAYED ON PUBLIC COURT INDC

The office of DC Mayor Anthony Williams today willhost an 11:00am ET press conference to announce a major int’l sporting event,and the WASHINGTON POST reports that the Fed Cup quarterfinals will be playedat William H.G. FitzGerald Center in Rock Creek Park on July 19-20, “a weekbefore the same facility hosts the Legg Mason Tennis Classic.”  USTA Chair & President Alan Schwartz:“To have this international event played in a public park is a real coup.  About 75[%] of tennis in this country isplayed on public courts, and 50[%] of that is played in public parks, so thisis really great” (WASHINGTONPOST, 5/28).

ESPN TO EMPOWER FANS WITH VOTING FOR 17 INDIVIDUALESPYs

ESPN today will announce that voting in the 17 individualsports categories for the ESPY Awards, such as Best NFL Player and Best WNBAPlayer, will be turned over to the fans. ESPN Dir of Media Relations Josh Krulewitz told The Dailyof the impetus for the change: “Recognizing that baseball, the NFL and othersports have their own MVPs, we wanted to differentiate our individualawards.”  ESPN will announce thenominees during the week of June 9 as the lead-in to a two-week stretch of fanvoting on ESPN.com, as well as a number of yet-to-be confirmed league andindustry Web sites.  The winners in the“cross-cutter” categories, such as Best Team and Best Game, will continue to bechosen by the ESPY Academy.  ESPN, whichwill support the initiative with a cross-platform advertising campaign, willtelevise the event, now it its eleventh year, live from Hollywood’s KodakTheatre on July 16 at 9:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

BETTMAN BELIEVES NHL IS OFTEN UNJUSTLY CRITICIZED BY MEDIA

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman last nightpresented his annual address to the media before the start of the Stanley CupFinals, and the BOSTON GLOBE reports that Bettman said that theleague’s “overall business is good, attendance is strong, game times havebeen shortened significantly and players are paid in relation to revenue.”  Bettman also made it “abundantly clearhe believes his league is often unjustly criticized by the media, especiallyinvolving the reporting of television ratings and the entertainment value ofthe on-ice product” (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/28).

GROUP TO DISCUSS ENGLISH SOCCER TV RIGHTS WITH MONTI

The FINANCIAL TIMESreports that a delegation of soccer supporters led by two Labour MPstoday will tell European Competition Commissioner Mario Monti that he“would seriously damage football in England” if he “forces the Premiership tochange the way it sells TV rights.” Teams collectively bargain broadcast rights, andthe delegation said that “forcing clubs to negotiate deals separatelywould widen the financial gap that means only a handful of clubs canrealistically expect to win the Premiership” (FINANCIALTIMES, 5/28).

MORNING BRIEFS

USA TODAY reports that the Univ. of Miami Board of TrusteesExec Committee today will meet to further discuss the university’s potentialsecession from the Big East.  ACCofficials are traveling to Miami tomorrow for a tour of the university’sfacilities on Friday (USATODAY, 5/28).

ESPN.com reported that Carmelo Anthony yesterday“signed three separate one-year trading card and memorabilia deals … worth morethan $1[M] combined” with Upper Deck, Topps and Fleer.  Anthony will “sign autographs and donategame-used gear” to the three competing companies (ESPN.com, 5/27).

U.S. IOC member Anita DeFrantz, dismissing thethought Vancouver being awarded the 2010 Olympics would hinder N.Y’s 2012chances: “There have been numerous times when there have been two Europeancities in a row.  And we had Lake Placidin 1980 and [L.A.] in 1984” (AP,5/28).

The DETROIT NEWS reports that MI State Univ. and the Univ.of KY are in “discussions” to play a men’s basketball this upcoming season atFord Field, home of the Lions, which could break the “13-year-old nationalcollege basketball attendance record of 68,112” set by Notre Dame-LSU at theSuperdome in ’90 (DETROIT NEWS,5/28).

The WASHINGTON POST notes that in making its Indy 500debut, Toyota manufactured the engines that powered 14 of the 33 cars inthe field – including six of the top seven finishers.  A Toyota enginealso won the pole (WASHINGTONPOST, 5/28).

MLB yesterday announced that MLBP and Fox Sports will launchan MLB trading card tune-in sweepstakes to culminate during the ‘03 All-StarGame telecast, featuring a grand prize of a trip for eight to Game One of the’03 World Series.  Consumers will beentered into the sweepstakes each time they mail in a code from speciallymarked baseball cards from Donruss, Upper Deck, Topps and Fleer (THE DAILY).

The CHICAGOSUN-TIMES reports that William Ligue Jr., the elder of the infamousshirtless-father-and-son duo who attacked Royals first base coach TomGamboa last September, pleaded guilty yesterday “to storming onto thefield” and attacking Gamboa.  Ligue faces up to five years in prison whenhe is sentenced June 18 (CHICAGOSUN-TIMES, 5/28).

A LIGHTER BUZZ

The N.Y. POST’s Page Six notesthat six Red Sox fans “claim they were thrown out of Yankee Stadium on MemorialDay just because they were cheering for the wrong team.”  YankeeNets BOD member Howard Rubenstein:“They were doing more than cheering. They were cursing, and one of them used the finger.”  One of the Red Sox fans, Kristin Lemkaw,said, “I think it’s unconstitutional.  Iactually called a lawyer I was so upset” (N.Y. POST, 5/28).

THE BACK PAGES

The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sportscovers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post	N.Y. Post
N.Y. Daily News	Philadelphia Daily News

TODAY’S EVENTS

The Sabres will hold a 3:00pm ET press conference concerninghockey department issues at HSBC Arena in Buffalo.  Sabres Owner B. Thomas Golisano and Managing Partner LarryQuinn are scheduled to participate (THE DAILY).

IN OTHER NEWS….

The N.Y. TIMES reports that the cable upfronts are “beingcompleted more quickly than usual,” with sales possibly increasing to$5.4-5.6B, compared with $4.6B last spring. Turner Broadcasting Systems Int’l co-President/Entertainment Ad Sales& Marketing and Turner Sports President David Levy said that amongthe busiest categories for TNT, TBS and Turner Sports were “prescription drugssold directly to consumers, fast food, foreign cars, home entertainment (DVD’sand video games) and movies” (N.Y. TIMES,5/28).

The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that FX Entertainment PresidentKevin Reilly “has been hotly pursued by [NBC] for a senior post thatwould bring Reilly back to the network where he started his TV career in thelate 1980s.”   Sources said that Reilly“was in [N.Y.] on Tuesday for a meeting” with NBC Chair & CEO Bob Wright,but “there was no formal deal” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 5/28).

DAILY VARIETY reports that the ’02-03 Broadway season set abox office record as “receipts for the52 weeks totaled $705,445,651, up $62.9[M] or 9.8% from 2001-02.”  Paid attendance totaled 11,150,501, “up192,069 or 1.75% from a year ago, but down a hefty 800,000 from what Broadwaywas packing in during the 2000-01 season.” Average ticket price went from $58.63 last season to $63.80 in ‘02-03,“the biggest increase in more than 20 years” (DAILYVARIETY, 5/28).

The N.Y. TIMES reports that Foote, Cone & Belding, NorthAmerica, COO Gene Bartley “was named to two senior posts at the agency’sflagship [N.Y.] office in addition to his current duties.”  Bartley becomes N.Y. Chair, a new post, andCEO, “assuming that title from Jeff Tarakajian, who continues aspresident” (N.Y. TIMES, 5/28).

FINAL JEOPARDY!

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “ClassicLiterature.”

“‘A Bird’s Eye View of Paris’ and ‘The Bells’ are chaptersin this 1831 novel.”

TUESDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR

ESPN’s 10:30pm ET 90-minute edition of “SportsCenter” ledwith Red Sox-Yankees, followed by A's-Twins and MightyDucks-Devils Game 1.

FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER

“What is ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame?’”

If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com

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