| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Friday, September 5, 2003
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | 150,000 Attend NFL Kickoff Concert; Pepsi Vanilla’s Presence Noticeable |
| • | Expos To Reconsider Split-Schedule Stance For ‘04 |
| • | NASCAR Set To Launch Watch-And-Win Big Apple Sweepstakes |
| • | Seahawks Blacked Out; Panthers In Danger; Dolphins Hit Sellout |
| • | NASCAR All-Star Race Will Return To Charlotte In ‘04 |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
NOT TOO VANILLA FOR THEM: 150,000 ATTEND KICKOFF CONCERT
By Joe Oliver,Staff Writer, The Sports Business Daily
The NFL hosted Kickoff Live 2003 presented by Pepsi Vanillalast night on the National Mall in DC, a free concert featuring GoodCharlotte, Mary J. Blige, Britney Spears, Aerosmithand Aretha Franklin. Thoughthreatened by several hours of early afternoon rain, the event drew anestimated crowd of 150,000, including 20,000 military members and theirfamilies.
Pepsi Vanilla supported its presenting sponsorship with thedistribution of approximately 100,000 cans of the new brand – 60,000 of PepsiVanilla and 40,000 of Diet Pepsi Vanilla. The company constructed six sampling tents and had hundreds ofPepsi-clad workers distributing the product at main crossroads and via golfcarts. The tricked-out Pepsi truckfeatured in the new TV spot, which has made several stops along the East coastthis summer promoting the launch, was also on hand.
Sixteen oversized signs were suspended from speaker towersalong the Mall – six for Pepsi Vanilla and two each for the event’s othersponsors: AOL, Coors Light, EA Sports’ “NFL Gameday 2004,” Reebok and VerizonWireless. Signage covered the temporarychain-link fencing, as well as virtually everything else.
A rotation of several commercials was featured on the 14Jumbotrons between musical acts. Amongthem the aforementioned Pepsi Vanilla ad, an NFL Network spot featuring variousNFL coaches, as well as spots touting AOL for Broadband, “NFL Gameday 2004” andthe U.S. Department of the Interior’s “Take Pride in America” initiative topromote volunteerism on the country’s public lands.
EXPOS TO BE ASKED TO RECONSIDER SPLIT-SCHEDULE STANCE
MLBPA Associate General Counsel Gene Orza will meetwith Expos players in San Juan today, and the CP reports that the union will ask the teamto "reconsider playing a split home schedule in 2004." Previously, the players "felt a split home schedule this yearcompromised their ability to win" (CP,9/5).
USA NETWORK MAKING GOOD FOR ADVERTISERS TODAY
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that with 22 of its 26primetime telecast hours “washed out this week, the USA Network will spend mostof today’s U.S. Open primetime telecast offering make-goods toadvertisers.” Although USA NetworkPresident of Ad Sales Jeff Lucas said the net “put in provisions againstpre-emptions,” this week’s rain delays “used up that inventory pretty quickly,so USA had to dip into another reserve it keeps for ratings shortfalls” (HOLLYWOODREPORTER, 9/5).
NASCAR SET TO LAUNCH BIG APPLE SWEEPSTAKES
By Bill King,Senior Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
NASCAR today will announce a new watch-and-win promotionthat will begin with Saturday’s Winston Cup Chevy Rock & Roll 400 on TNT,and run through the next ten race broadcasts on NBC and TNT. The sweeps is an effort to drive networkviewership, particularly early in race telecasts. The NASCAR Big Apple Sweepstakes will reward one grand-prizewinner with a trip to N.Y. for the Winston Cup awards banquet, where they willhave behind-the-scenes access as a NASCAR.com correspondent. The promotion also is designed to driveviewers to NASCAR.com and deliver information for NASCAR’s consumer database. To enter, fans must visit NASCAR.com andreport who is leading the race after 50 laps (THE DAILY).
QUEBEC PREMIER CHAREST’S CABINET TO DISCUSS MONTREAL GP
The CP reports thatQuebec Premier Jean Charest's cabinet today "will discussplans to save" the Montreal Grand Prix and "might consider atemporary suspension of its antitobacco law." But even if anexemption is granted, "federal law would still block advertising bycigarette companies and effectively end any chance of the race returning in 2004"(CP,9/5).
NFL BLACKOUT WATCH
The SEATTLE TIMES reports that the Saints-Seahawks game willnot be televised locally in Seattle, as roughly 17,500 tickets remain unsold (SEATTLETIMES, 9/5).
The WINSTON-SALEM JOURNAL reports that after the NFL“granted the Panthers a 24-hour extension to reach a sellout” by 1:00pm ETtoday to avoid having the team’s game against the Jaguars blacked out, lessthan 700 tickets remained by the close of business yesterday (WINSTON-SALEMJOURNAL, 9/5).
The Ft. Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL reports that Dolphins homeopener against the Texans “has been declared a sellout and will be televisedlocally” (Ft.Lauderdale SUN-SENTINEL, 9/5).
TODAY THE DAILY GOES ONE-ON-ONEWITH…
Which league exec relates to “That ‘70s Show” due to hisMidwestern roots, and also remembers days gone by with his baseball-relatedreading material? To find out, seetoday’s “Sports Industrialists” section for “THE DAILY Goes One-On-One With…”
MORNING BRIEFS
KNIGHT RIDDERreports that NASCAR's annual all-star race – formerly known as The Winston –will return to Charlotte next season. Last year, "NASCARsuggested it might rotate The Winston to other cities" (CHARLOTTEOBSERVER, 9/5).
The ST. PAUL PIONEERPRESS reports that the Univ. of MN today is expected to announce that theanonymous donor of $35M for a new on-campus football stadium is First PremierBank Chair T. Denny Sanford (ST. PAUL PIONEERPRESS, 9/5).
The HOUSTON CHRONICLE reports that the Rockets businessstaff today will “move out of Greenway Plaza,” and into the 18,500-seat ToyotaCenter Monday. Most of the remainingwork on the facility “will be done in the lounges, suites and restaurant” (HOUSTONCHRONICLE, 9/5).
The WASHINGTON POST reports that 14-year-old phenom FreddyAdu “almost certainly will not be a member of the squad that participates”in FIFA’s World Youth Championship November 27-December 19 in the United ArabEmarites (WASHINGTONPOST, 9/5).
ESPN Int’l and the NFL yesterday jointly announced anextension of their existing worldwide distribution agreement through the ’05season. ESPN Int’l will televise NFLgames in more than 120 countries and territories (ESPN).
The PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER reports that nine members of thenow-disbanded West Chester Univ. women’s gymnastics team yesterday filed asex-discrimination lawsuit against the school, alleging the school “was inviolation of Title IX” (PHILADELPHIAINQUIRER, 9/5).
With reports that the National Association of BasketballCoaches has called an emergency meeting for October 15 in Chicago, USA TODAYreports that members not attending will lose “ticket privileges for the 2004NCAA Final Four” (USA TODAY, 9/5).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
The N.Y. TIMES reports that in the third set of yesterday’s FrancescaSchiavone-Ai Sugiyama match at the U.S. Open, a ball boy “threw aball from the far end of the court that struck the chair umpire, Lynn Welch,in the face, cutting the bridge of her nose and forcing play to be stopped oncemore. Schiavone sprinted off to find ice and Sugiyama dug into her tennis bagfor a plastic bag to hold it” (N.Y. TIMES,9/5).
ESPN's Max Kellerman, host of ESPN's "Around TheHorn" which is filmed in Washington, DC, said he "doesn't likeDC." Kellerman: "I reallyhave this theory, because statistically it would be unlikely otherwise, thatthe attractive women are killed and hidden by the unattractive women inDC" ("Last Call," NBC, 9/3).
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. Daily News |
TODAY’S EVENTS
The Ravens will host a photo/video opportunity at M&TBank Stadium, where an M&T Bank Stadium sign will be mounted on thefacility at 3:30pm ET (Ravens).
Lance Armstrong will discuss his bout with cancerwith other cancer survivors in Denver (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 9/4).
IN CASE YOU MISSED IT…
Every Friday, the Morning Buzz highlights a videoclip, chart or piece of information that might have fallen through the cracks.This week, Fox NFL analyst Terry Bradshaw discusses his use of frequent flyer miles with JayLeno on NBC’s “Tonight Show” (THE DAILY):
IN OTHER NEWS….
The WASHINGTON POSTreports that the Senate Appropriations Committee “dealt another potentialsetback to the [FCC’s] new media ownership rules yesterday, adding an amendmentbill that would prevent the agency from raising its cap on the size of largebroadcast [TV] networks.” The action“follows similar action by the House in July, in defiance of a threatenedpresidential veto. It comes one day after a federal appeals court issued anemergency stay preventing the new rules from taking effect until the courthears briefings and conducts a review of the rules' merits” (WASHINGTONPOST, 9/5).
The L.A. TIMES reports that three CA-based retailersyesterday “logged double-digit gains in same-store sales, which are a keymeasure of a merchant’s financial health.” Guess posted a 14.5% increase, while Hot Topic revealed a 11.8% rise andPacific Sunwear posted a 15.6% jump (L.A.TIMES, 9/5).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night's "Final Jeopardy!" category was"Word Histories."
“In old philosophy this 12-letter word referred to a fifthsubstance, superior to Earth, air, fire or water.”
LAUGH TRACK
THEMONOLOGUES:
CBS' DavidLetterman: "What a rough crowd last night. They were just horrible. They had just gotten back from egging Arnold Schwarzenegger. This happened out there in Long Beach, andhe was being heckled and somebody heaved an egg and it bounced right off hisshoulder. But I thought this was quickthinking. To quiet the crowd Arnolddidn't panic. Instead, he did a scenefrom 'Kindergarten Cop.' ... The egg hit Arnold on the first throw so thatmeans I think we can rule out any member of the Yankee bullpen. ... Madonnais publishing a children's book and it's a great story. In the story Rapunzel gives Sleeping Beautya lesbian kiss. I believe the name ofthe book is 'The Little Slut That Could'" ("Late Show," CBS,9/4).
NBC'sJay Leno: "Arnold called former President Bill Clinton tosee if he could get the name of a good dry cleaner. ... In the next Californiagubernatorial debate on September 17th, the candidates will be given thequestions ahead of time so they can think them over and then devise the bestanswers to please the audience. That'snot a debate. That's called 'HollywoodSquares.' ... The United States Army announced today it is a race against theclock to capture Saddam Hussein. They're hoping to catch him before he dies of old age. ... LanceArmstrong getting a divorce. That'sgot to be tough. He's got threekids. Divorce! Now he'll really be riding a bikeeverywhere" ("Tonight Show," NBC, 9/4).
LATENIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night's Top Ten list was "Top Ten ArnoldSchwarzenegger Debate Conditions" ("Late Show," CBS, 9/4).
| 10) "Questions may be answered in English, German or a combination of both." |
| 9) "Long breaks to allow screenwriters to craft candidates' responses." |
| 8) "Debate ends when gasoline truck plows through wall and Arnold gets everyone out just before the whole place blows up." |
| 7) "Candidates may use their time to show 90-second clip from 'Terminator.'" |
| 6) "No tricky words like 'budget' or 'Sacramento.'" |
| 5) "Attire – bathing suit and baby oil." |
| 4) "Candidate receives a standard $30 million fee, plus 10% of box office gross." |
| 3) "Moderator – Lou Ferrigno." |
| 2) "No questions that can't be answered 'I'll be back.'" |
| 1) "Arnold must win." |
THURSDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
| Net | Show | Lead | Secondary Items |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Pre-empted by PGA Tour's Bell Canadian Open |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Pre-empted by PGA Tour's Bell Canadian Open |
| ESPN | “SportsCenter” | Jets-Redskins | Cardinals-Cubs; A's-Orioles |
| FSN | “BDSSP” | Cowboys QB Quincy Carter | Sergei Federov |
| FSN | “Southern Sports Report” | Falcons DE Patrick Kerney | |
| FSN | “Southwest Sports Report” | Falcons-Cowboys | Texans-Dolphins |
| | | | |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What was quintessence?”
If you haveany questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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