| | The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, August 16, 2004
9:00am ET | |
| |
| • | Opening Ceremony Ratings Down, But Record 56,000,000 Watch In The U.S. |
| • | IOC Disciplinary Committee Today To Rule On Greeks On Skipped Doping Tests |
| • | Rose Bowl Leader John Moag Today To Meet With NFL Execs In N.Y. |
| • | NCAA Today To Continue Deliberating On Eligibility Of Jeremy Bloom |
| • | Lance Armstrong Says He Will Return To The Tour de France In 2005 Or 2006 |
| • | Morning Briefs/In Other News/Laugh Track/TV Monitor/Final Jeopardy! |
THE ATHENS SUMMER GAMES, DAY 4: TODAY’S HEADLINES
Kathimerini (Greek English-Language Newspaper):
- Kenteris And Thanou In New No-Show.
- Olympic Broadcasts Fizzle Anew.
- Editorial: Opening Ceremony Exceeds Expectations.
More Headlines:
- U.S. Hoops Team Takes First-Round Drubbing (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/16).
- U.S. Men’s Basketball Suffers Stunning Defeat (L.A. TIMES, 8/16).
- A World Beater Gone Amiss: The U.S. Loses Athens Opener (N.Y. TIMES, 8/16).
- U.S. Men Slammed By Puerto Rico (WASHINGTONPOST, 8/16).
- U.S. Men’s Basketball Falls Flat On World Stage (USA TODAY, 8/16).
- No Insecurity (Yet) Over Security (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/16).
- Lagging Ticket Sales Mean Venues Are Full Of Empty Seats (WASHINGTON POST, 8/16).
- Not Too Late To Order Those Tickets (N.Y. TIMES, 8/16).
- Greece Greets Games With A Touch Of Angst (N.Y. TIMES, 8/16).
- Early TV Ratings Dip (USA TODAY, 8/16).
Weekend quotes from Athens:
“A stirring conclusion to a very well-conceived
and satisfying Opening Ceremony in Athens.”
NBC’s Bob Costas, after the fireworks near the
end of the Opening Ceremonies (NBC, 8/13).
“Everything worked.”
Athens Mayor Dora Bakoyannis, on the Opening Ceremonies (“Today,” NBC, 8/14).
“If you can’t beat us fairly…”
U.S. gymnast Blaine Wilson, on officials changing the judging
rules of the high bar just before the Olympics began (NBC, 8/14).
“They talk about that wake-up call from Italy.
It seems like they’re still a bit groggy.”
NBC’s Mike Breen, during the U.S. men’s basketball
team’s loss to Puerto Rico (NBC, 8/15).
OPENING CEREMONY RATINGS DOWN, BUT VIEWERSHIP SETS RECORD
NBC’s tape-delayed broadcast Friday night of the Opening Ceremony earned a 14.4/26 overnight Nielsen rating, down from the 16.1/29 from Sydney and the lowest Opening Ceremony rating since the 13.8/29 for the Barcelona Games in ’92. The broadcast drew 56 million viewers, the most-viewed non-U.S. Summer Games Opening Ceremony ever. NBC's ‘04 Athens Olympic two-day Nielsen ratings average stands at a 13.2/25, down 9% compared to Sydney's 14.5/27 (THE DAILY).
The LONDON TIMES reports that while low crowd levels “are becoming a major concern” in Athens, ATHOC execs have “ruled out ticket discounts or giveaways in a bid to boost attendance” (LONDON TIMES, 8/16).
NBC’s Al Trautwig, on the gymnastics crowds: “You’ve seen the empty seats here in the indoor hall. That may or may not turn out to be a story of these Olympic Games, but I can tell you this that the upper deck is filled, the less expensive seats” (NBC, 8/14).
The AP noted that ATHOC President Gianna Angelopoulos-Daskalaki “threw a party at her hillside villa Saturday after Athens’ lavish Opening Ceremony had gone off without a hitch. The party, however, was a disaster. Fireworks set off at the mansion caused a fire in the nearby wooded area, burning out of control for nearly an hour” (AP, 8/15).
Meanwhile, the N.Y. POST notes that the five cities competing to host the 2012 Olympics each gave a 25-minute presentation yesterday to the international press in Athens. NYC2012 Exec Dir Jay Kriegel: “We thought it went extremely well.” Kriegel “refused to speculate on which city made the best sales pitch” (N.Y. POST, 8/16).
The London TELEGRAPH reported that an IOC disciplinary committee hearing scheduled for today has been postponed until Wednesday. The hearing will decide the fate of Greek Olympians
Kostas Kenteris and
Katerina Thanou, who allegedly have missed at least two doping tests in the past few weeks. The sprinters have been removed from the Greek team until the IOC rules (
London TELEGRAPH, 8/16). Hospital officials “insisted that the sprinters were not well enough to attend” the hearing today. Kenteris and Thanou reportedly were in a motorbike accident “as they rushed back to the Olympic Village to take the missed tests” (
London TELEGRAPH, 8/16).
The Int’l Court of Arbitration for Sport today will hear U.S. sprinter Torri Edwards’ appeal of a two-year ban for doping. The result will “determine whether [she] competes at the Athens Games.” A decision is expected Tuesday (AP, 8/14).
ROSE BOWL LEADER MEETING WITH NFL EXECS OVER L.A. FRANCHISE
The L.A. DAILY NEWS reported that Moag & Co. Chair John Moag, who is leading the Rose Bowl’s efforts to land an NFL team, will meet today in N.Y. with NFL execs. Rose Bowl officials plan to present their response to the NFL’s term sheet proposal on Saturday, “kicking off the start of an environmental review process that is key to their hopes of landing” a team. Carson officials “plan to put out to bid this week proposals for conducting an environmental impact report for a new stadium the NFL is considering building on a 157-acre former dump site.” L.A. Coliseum officials also plan to present their proposal to NFL officials this week (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/14).
JEREMY BLOOM JOINS SKI TEAM IN CHILE WHILE WAITING ON NCAA
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS reported that the NCAA today will resume deliberations on the eligibility of Univ. of Colorado WR & moguls skier Jeremy Bloom. Bloom has decided to travel with the U.S. ski team to El Colorado, Chile, for a three-week training camp. He will “return to Boulder if the NCAA rules in his favor” (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS, 8/14).
MORNING BRIEFS
In his first public comments in the U.S. since the Tour de France, Lance Armstrong confirmed that he will compete in the race again. He did not say whether his next Tour would be in ’05 or ’06 (L.A. TIMES, 8/14).
T’Wolves Owner Glen Taylor during an interview Thursday said of negotiations to buy the Vikings from Red McCombs, “Things are closer now than they’ve ever been” (Minneapolis STAR-TRIBUNE, 8/14).
Eagle County Judge Terry Ruckriegle on Friday denied prosecutors in the Kobe Bryant case an indefinite delay. Jury selection will begin August 27 (USA TODAY, 8/16).
NC State Univ. has reassigned football strength & conditioning coach C.J. Hunter due to his connection with the BALCO probe, which includes an investigation of his ex-wife Marion Jones (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 8/14).
ATTENDANCE WATCH
The PGA Championship attracted nearly 314,000 during its nine-day run at Whistling Straits in Kohler, WI, surpassing the previous record set at Hazeltine in ’02. Roughly 100,000 attended the weekend rounds (Green Bay PRESS-GAZETTE, 8/16).
Approximately 10,000 attended Smarty Jones’ retirement party Saturday at Philadelphia Park. The front row “was perhaps 80[%] women” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 8/15).
Roughly 40,000 people attended Austin’s parade for Lance Armstrong Friday (AUSTIN AMERICAN-STATESMAN, 8/14).
A crowd of 46,350 attended Saturday’s Yankees-Mariners game, the second-largest regular-season crowd in Safeco Field history (SEATTLE TIMES, 8/15).
WEEKEND RAP
The following are excerpts from the panelists’ “parting shots” on Sunday’s edition of ESPN’s “The Sports Reporters”:
- N.Y. Daily News columnist Mike Lupica: “In August of 2004, I am here to tell you that reports of baseball’s death were more exaggerated than reports about weapons of mass destruction. Baseball is bigger than ever in a season that is as interesting as the one we lost in ’94. It’s not perfect. No sport is. … Baseball, ten years after the strike, is all the way back.”
- K.C. Star columnist Jason Whitlock, on Reds CF Ken Griffey Jr: “Griffey Jr., just like his good friend Tiger Woods, was once on track to become the greatest of all-time. … No one could have predicted all the injuries that have steamrolled Griffey’s career in the last five years. … Griffey’s misfortune reminds us how foolish it is to place Woods’ name alongside Nicklaus’ before Tiger has accomplished Jack.”
- Detroit Free Press columnist Mitch Albom: “(The NFL pre-season) is the most destructive excuse for making money in all of sports. … Smart coaches get their stars in and out faster than a Britney Spears marriage. … The whole thing is like sending soldiers through a minefield to retrieve a little treasure chest, but with one exception: war is hell (and) pre-season is just stupid.”
- ESPN’s John Saunders, on Redskins head coach Joe Gibbs: “The players may change, but the game doesn’t, and as long as people like Joe Gibbs continue to work harder than everyone else then forget their age or how long they’ve been away, they’re always going to be winners” (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 8/15).
Heard elsewhere over the weekend:
- ESPN’s Sean Salisbury, on the Chargers offering QB Philip Rivers a contract loaded with incentives of reaching four Super Bowls and four Pro Bowls in a row: “They might as well say if you get us to one Super Bowl in 27 years we’ll give you $45[M] because they ain’t getting there” (“NFL Live,” ESPN2, 8/14).
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 | Newsday |
TODAY’S EVENTS
Maryland House Speaker Michael Busch set a deadline for today for Governor Robert Ehrlich to “decide whether to place a constitutional amendment on gambling before voters” (Baltimore SUN, 8/15).
South Florida’s WQAM-AM, which “had dubbed itself all sports all the time and broadcasts Dolphins, Marlins and Panthers games,” will begin airing the Howard Stern show from 6:00-10:00am ET (PALM BEACH POST, 8/15).
The MLB Giants will host the 14th Giants Community Fund Golf Tournament at 10:00am PT at The Olympic Club in S.F. Tournament proceeds benefit the Giants Community Fund.
Today marks the 50th Anniversary of Sports Illustrated’s first issue.
THIS WEEK IN SISTER PUBLICATION SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL…..
This week’s cover story examines the growth of BASS, and whether sponsors will latch onto the sport, making it the next NASCAR.
| Also in this week’s issue: |
| • | Omnicom’s Millsport to be folded into The Marketing Arm. |
| • | New Moorad CEO Greg Genske set to defend his turf. |
| • | USTA aiming its U.S. Open ads at the suburbs. |
| • | Spurs and Kings continue building on their market monopolies. |
| • | One-On-One with The Home Depot Exec VP/Merchandising & Marketing John Costello. |
For these stories and more, please visit the SportsBusiness Journal.
IN OTHER NEWS….
This week’s cover of TIME examines “Saving The Big Cats,” while NEWSWEEK offers “When Fat Attacks.”
The N.Y. TIMES reports that the National Corporate Theater Fund has hired Andover, MA-based Seven 2 Sports Marketing for a “new nationwide corporate marketing effort.” Seven 2 Sports will “identify and cultivate sponsorship opportunities that will help corporations reach the audience buying theater tickets.” Seven 2 Sports is led by former Celtics Exec VP/Marketing Stuart Layne (N.Y. TIMES, 8/16).
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Geographic Superlatives.”
“Among the world’s rivers, the Nile is the longest and the Jordan holds this geographic distinction.”
LAUGH TRACK
THE MONOLOGUES:
NBC’s Jay Leno: “Welcome to ‘The Tonight Show’ on NBC, home of my big, fat Greek Olympics. … (The Opening Ceremonies) start with the Parade of Nations where all the athletes walk into the stadium behind their country’s flag. It’s four hours. Aren’t these people athletes? Can’t they pick up the pace a little? … The British Virgin Islands has just one athlete. Not too much pressure on that guy? He’s in 1,500 events. They got one guy on the whole team. It’s like the Lakers. … Scott Peterson was at the Olympics in Athens today, or at least that’s what he told Amber Fry. … The British women’s swim team is wearing these new skintight Lycra swimsuits. It turns out they’re see-through in water. You can see right through them when they’re wet. So if you’re thinking about getting one of those high definition TVs, this is the time to do it. … Authorities are telling people to evacuate certain areas because of Hurricane Charley. Do you know when Florida should be evacuated? On Election Day” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 8/13).
SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
Last night’s 11:00pm ET 90-minute edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” (late due to Cardinals-Braves) led with the Olympics: Puerto Rico-U.S. men’s basketball and the U.S. men’s swimming 4x100 freestyle Bronze Medal finish. The first non-Olympics report, at 9:12 into the broadcast, was the final round of the PGA Championship.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE: “ALIEN VS. PREDATOR” STEALS THE SHOW
The HOLLYWOOD REPORTER notes that 20th Century Fox’ “Alien vs. Predator,” which earned an estimated $38.3M over the weekend, “far exceeded expectations heading into the frame and deftly surpassed all previous openings of either franchise. The opening also bettered the debut of New Line’s horror match, ‘Freddy vs. Jason,’ which opened with $36.4[M].” The top 12 films earned an estimated $121.9M, down 4% from the comparable weekend last year. The total for all films is forecast to be in the low- to mid-$130M range, down from last year’s $139.5M (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 8/16).
| Title | Weekend | Cumulative |
| “Alien vs. Predator” | $38.3M | $38.3M |
| “The Princess Diaries 2: Royal Engagement” | $23.0M | $37.2M |
| “Collateral” | $16.0M | $52.4M |
| “Yu-Gi-Oh! The Movie” | $9.4M | $9.4M |
| “The Bourne Supremacy” | $8.3M | $139.4M |
| “The Village” | $7.0M | $99.7M |
| “The Manchurian Candidate” | $6.0M | $48.0M |
| “Little Black Book” | $3.7M | $14.6M |
| “I, Robot” | $3.6M | $133.7M |
| “Spider-Man 2” | $3.4M | $360.9M |
FINAL JEOPARDY ANSWER
“What is the lowest in elevation?”
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
The Morning Buzz provides an early update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Morning Buzz, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.
