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Coast to Coast

Coast to Coast

AMHERST, MASS.
UMass, WEEI partner for broadcasts

The University of Massachusetts has partnered with WEEI 105.5-FM of Springfield, Mass., making it the official home of UMass football and men’s basketball. The five-year agreement was brokered by Nelligan Sports Marketing, the multimedia rights holder for UMass athletics.

AUSTIN, TEXAS
Grand Prix survey issued

The city and the Austin Convention and Visitors Bureau issued a 15-question online survey to find out what information local businesses need to help them prepare for the U.S. Grand Prix in November. Additionally, the city will launch an online portal July 9 to provide Austin visitors, residents, businesses and media with information about Formula One race weekend activities. The event is scheduled to take place Nov. 16-18 at the Circuit of the Americas facility under construction southeast of Austin.

BETHESDA, MD.

Last year, thousands signed the wall, including fans, caddies, volunteers and players.
Photo by: GARY NEWKIRK / TIGER WOODS FOUNDATION
Sponsors sign for tribute wall
PenFed (Pentagon Federal Credit Union), Prudential PenFed Realty and the PenFed Foundation signed a multiyear partnership with the AT&T National to serve as the presenting sponsors of the We Salute Our Heroes tribute wall at the 2012 AT&T National at Congressional Country Club. The wall gives fans the opportunity to write a personal message of thanks to U.S. service members. The PGA Tour event tees off on Thursday.

BOSTON
BU to join Patriot League

Boston University is leaving America East to join the Patriot League beginning with the 2012-13 academic year, according to a Boston Herald report. BU will compete in eight men’s and 12 women’s sports in the conference.

BUFFALO

Kemba Walker, Gerald Henderson and Bismack Biyombo model the new threads.
Photo by: CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
Bills’ lease terms may be finalized soon
Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said the major terms of a new lease for the Buffalo Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium could be finalized before the Bills go to training camp near the end of July, according to a Buffalo News report. Poloncarz suggested that those terms would include the length of the lease, the amount being spent for stadium renovations and how those costs would be divided among the county, the state and the team.

CHARLOTTE
More blue, less orange for Bobcat
s
The Charlotte Bobcats have new uniforms and a new color treatment for the team’s logos. The
Pete Ricketts, Tom Ricketts, Theo Epstein and Laura Ricketts celebrate the opening.
Photo: COURTESY OF CHICAGO CUBS
primary and secondary logo marks remain the same, with a new color scheme that includes a darker shade of blue. The team will also use light blue and reduce the amount of orange.

CHICAGO
Cubs help open hospital classroom

Chicago Cubs owners and players attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new Cubs Classroom at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. The classroom, donated by Chicago Cubs Charities, will serve as the focal point for all of the hospital’s education-based programming.

Bears debut rookie video series   
The Chicago Bears launched a five-part video series on chicagobears.com focusing on the team’s rookie minicamp. “Inside Rookie Minicamp” features footage from meeting rooms and practice fields, covering every aspect of a player’s first weekend with the team. Lexus is the presenting sponsor.

CINCINNATI
Micros expands deal with concessionaire

Micros expanded its deal with Great American Ball Park concessionaire Delaware North Sportservice. Delaware North will now use Micros’ IT systems for its food, beverage and retail points of sale at the Cincinnati Reds’ home venue.

COLUMBUS
Jackets foundation donates $450K

The Columbus Blue Jackets Foundation donated more than $450,000 to local charitable and youth hockey organizations for the 2011-12 grant cycle. Among the recipients were local nonprofit organizations focused on the foundation’s fight against pediatric cancer and on the development of youth and amateur hockey.

DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
Track to hire 1,000 temporary workers

Daytona International Speedway is looking to hire more than 1,000 temporary workers for its July 5-7 NASCAR race weekend, featuring the annual Coke Zero 400, according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal report. Leonardo Santiago, senior director of public relations for the facility, said 830 hires will be for guest services, including admission staff, ticket sellers, tram ambassadors and ushers.

JACKSONVILLE
Jags to build indoor facility

The Jacksonville Jaguars have decided to build an indoor practice facility, and team President Mark Lamping said the facility would likely fall under the financial responsibility of the team, according to a Florida Times-Union report. The $10 million project is still in the planning stages, and neither a location nor the type of indoor facility has been determined.

LAS VEGAS
UFC plans Fight Week fest

UFC unveiled plans for a five-day International Fight Week leading up to the July 7 UFC 148 event at MGM Grand Garden, according to a Las Vegas Review-Journal report. The festivities include pool parties, a concert, a pub crawl and other events that will feature appearances from UFC fighters and be open to the public.

MIAMI
Dolphins iPadding up at camp

The Miami Dolphins’ team playbook was put on Apple’s iPad and all 90 players on the training camp roster have been issued one, according to a report in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. The Dolphins are among a handful of teams, including the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers, using iPads as teaching tools.

Marlins Park tours available
The Miami Marlins have started offering behind-the-scenes tours of Marlins Park. The tours are open to the public on non-event days for $10 a person. They include visits to the field, home clubhouse, home batting cage area, the ballpark’s bobblehead museum and the premium-seating areas.

Johnson
Magic Johnson assists with HIV/AIDS care
In town for the NBA Finals last week, Magic Johnson visited the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine to announce that Simply Healthcare Plans, a Medicaid plan the NBA hall of famer invested in, will partner with UM for HIV/AIDS care. In April, Magic Johnson Enterprises bought a minority stake in Simply Healthcare, which is mostly owned by Coral Gables, Fla.-based MBF Healthcare Partners.

NEW YORK
Globetrotters to play first Brooklyn event

The Harlem Globetrotters will play in Brooklyn for the first time when they bring their game to Barclays Center on Oct. 7. Tickets go on sale on Wednesday. Brooklyn Nets All Access season-ticket holders can purchase tickets for Barclays Center events before the general public.

Cyclones, WWE join campaign
The WWE, The Creative Coalition and the Brooklyn Cyclones are joining forces for Anti-Bullying Night at MCU Park on Wednesday. WWE stars David Otunga and Zack Ryder, WWE diva Natalya and WWE personality Lilian Garcia will be on hand to spread the message of the “Be a STAR” anti-bullying campaign.

OMAHA, NEB.
Alliance Baseball acquires Storm Chasers

The Omaha Storm Chasers were purchased by Alliance Baseball Omaha. Parent company Alliance Baseball is led by Gary Green and Larry Botel. The deal ends more than 20 years of minority ownership by Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and CEO Warren Buffett. The current management team, led by president and general manager Martie Cordaro, will remain in place. The Storm Chasers are the Class AAA affiliate of the Kansas City Royals.

ORLANDO

Russell Athletic signs on for bowl
Russell Athletic and Florida Citrus Sports entered into a partnership to present the Russell Athletic Bowl in Orlando through 2015. The 2012 Russell Athletic Bowl, most recently known as the Champs Sports Bowl, will be played Dec. 28 at Florida Citrus Bowl Stadium. The game will pit top teams from the Atlantic Coast and Big East conferences.

PHILADELPHIA
Phillies purchase energy credits

The Philadelphia Phillies agreed to purchase more than 22 million kilowatt-hours of renewable energy credits, matching 100 percent of their electricity usage with wind and solar generation. The two-year commitment includes purchasing a significant portion of generation from local sources, including a new solar generation project under development in Lancaster County by Community Energy Inc. The deal is part of the Phillies’ Red Goes Green program.

Ashe name dropped from program
The Arthur Ashe Youth Tennis and Education program in Philadelphia changed its name to Legacy Youth Tennis and Education. The change was the result of the 60-year-old nonprofit organization’s 10-year licensing agreement with Arthur Ashe Inc. coming to an end. About 4,500 children a year participate in the organization’s programs, which focus on tennis, tutoring, leadership development and life skills.

PORTLAND

Euro 2012 fans surround Cobi Jones (center, standing) at one of many stops in the city.
Photo by: FOX SOCCER
Euro 2012 on the Fox Soccer bus
Fox Soccer’s multi-city Mobile Viewing Party rolled through Portland last week. Fans were able to watch Euro 2012 in luxury onboard a decked-out bus that traveled around the city with prominent soccer personalities. Viewers watched Group C action (Spain vs. Croatia and Italy vs. Ireland) along with special guest Cobi Jones, the former U.S. men’s national team and Los Angeles Galaxy player.

QUANTICO, VA.
MCM Series partners with Scion

Scion was named the exclusive vehicle partner of the MCM Event Series, which is organized by the Marine Corps Marathon and features the Run Amuck, Gender Defender 5K and Turkey Trot 10K races held aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico. Scion will display vehicles at each MCM Event Series packet pick-up location as well as in the finish areas.

RALEIGH
Facility gets youth lacrosse events

US Lacrosse named the WRAL Soccer Center in Raleigh site of the 2013 and 2014 US Lacrosse Southeast Championships, powered by Lacrosse Unlimited. The three-day youth lacrosse tournament features boys’ and girls’ teams in the U11, U13 and U15 age divisions.

SAN FRANCISCO

Online, mobile consumption were up over 2011.
U.S. Open online numbers soar
The U.S. Golf Association reported that the 2012 U.S. Open Championship at The Olympic Club set records for website and mobile-device engagement by golf fans. Overall fan visits to usopen.com during the week of the championship increased by 79 percent over the week of the 2011 event. Fan viewership of live streaming video increased 210 percent.

SEATTLE
Hansen buying more land for arena

Seattle pro sports arena backer Chris Hansen snapped up two more properties as he continues to assemble land for a proposed $490 million arena just south of the Safeco Field parking garage. In his latest acquisition earlier this month, the San Francisco hedge fund manager paid $9.45 million for the Seattle Canine Club building and the Broadcast West building.

SPRINGFIELD, MASS.
AHL, teams raise more than $3M

More than $3 million was raised over the course of the 2011-12 AHL season by the league and its 30 member clubs for donation to various charitable causes and relief funds. Since 2001-02, the league and its teams have raised more than $27 million for charities through their community relations efforts.

SYRACUSE, N.Y.
Crunch shift affiliation to Tampa Bay

The AHL Syracuse Crunch agreed to a multiyear affiliation deal with the Tampa Bay Lightning, beginning in the 2012-13 season. The Crunch had been affiliated with Anaheim since 2010.

VANCOUVER
$263K spent on naming-rights effort

British Columbia government figures indicate that B.C. Pavilion Corp. spent $263,000 (Canadian) in a failed effort to negotiate a $40 million naming-rights deal for BC Place with Telus, according to a Vancouver Sun report. In March, the BC Liberal Party killed the proposal to rename the stadium Telus Park, saying it didn’t think people would appreciate losing such a valued name as BC Place.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Redskins offer new SRO tickets

The Washington Redskins completed the project that has added standing-room-only viewing areas to FedExField, according to a Washington Post report. The team in an email sent to fans announced that it has sold out all general admission lower and upper deck tickets, and that “party deck” tickets can be purchased for $290 apiece for the season.

WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.
Continental, Dunn sign track deals

Watkins Glen International signed marketing deals with two tire companies. Continental Tire, already the official tire at the track, will increase its presence at The Glen by becoming the title sponsor of the Grand-Am Rolex Sports Car Series race on Aug. 11. Dunn Tire of Buffalo will become the presenting sponsor of that race and the official tire retailer of the track.

Send your Coast to Coast news to: CoastToCoast@sportsbusinessjournal.com or phone (704) 973-1436.

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