ATLANTA
GSU fans unlock new uniforms
The Georgia State football team unveiled new uniforms for the 2013 season, with 12 possible outfit combinations for the Panthers this fall. For the unveiling, Seattle-based startup Tagboard.com aggregated social-media messages about the new uniforms, with GSU posting a new piece of the uniform “puzzle” over the course of two days.
BOSTON
Northeastern offers MLL scholarship
Major League Lacrosse has partnered with Northeastern University’s College of Professional Studies to develop a scholarship program for MLL players. The program will provide athletes with an opportunity to enroll in the college’s bachelor or master’s degree programs to further their educational goals.
BUFFALO
Bills sign waste services partner
The Buffalo Bills reached a deal with Republic Services that makes the company the official waste services provider of the team. The Bills and Republic will partner to form the Blue Team on game days, handing out recycling and garbage bags to tailgaters. The joint goal is to make Ralph Wilson Stadium a zero-waste facility.
WKBW continues as Bills station
WKBW-TV will remain the official station of the Bills for another three years. The ABC affiliate will continue to broadcast preseason games along with a live pregame show (“Buffalo Bills Live”) and a wrap-up show on Sunday evenings (“Buffalo Bills Tonight”). Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
CALGARY
Preseason possible at Saddledome
Calgary Flames President and CEO Ken King said that the Scotiabank Saddledome could be ready as early as Sept. 1 after floodwaters in June damaged portions of the arena, according to a Calgary Herald report. The cleanup progress means that preseason NHL dates can be staged at the arena.
CINCINNATI
Bengals link up with Queen City
The Cincinnati Bengals reached a marketing deal with Queen City Sausage Co., whose products will now be available at concession stands throughout Paul Brown Stadium. Queen City signed a three-year deal with the Cincinnati Reds in 2010 to sell sausages at Great American Ball Park.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Vikings, MSFA, Mortenson to lease space
The Minnesota Vikings, the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority and Mortenson Construction all will lease space in a Metrodome Square office building during construction of the team’s new stadium. The Vikings’ space will be a 27,000-square-foot “preview center” for the venue.
NEW YORK
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It’s the first pro sports venue in the New York area to achieve the status for its sustainable design and construction methods.
Photo by: PATRICK E. MCCARTHY
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Arena earns LEED certification
The U.S. Green Building Congress awarded LEED Silver Certification for New Construction to Barclays Center. The Brooklyn Nets’ arena was recognized in five environmental categories: sustainable sites, water efficiency, energy and atmosphere, materials and resources, and indoor environmental quality.
OAKLAND
Warriors see positive ticket trends
The Golden State Warriors have gained 2,900 season-ticket holders since the end of last season despite a 20 percent average increase in ticket prices, according to an Oakland Tribune report. The Warriors now have 13,600 season-ticket holders, the most in franchise history. The team since this time last year has sold 4,771 season tickets, the most in the NBA, according to the report.
ORLANDO
Magic, WYGM extend contract
The Orlando Magic and WYGM-AM 740 reached a contract extension for the station to continue to host the “Magic Drive Time with Dante Marchitelli” radio show. The third season of the 30-minute weekday show debuts Oct. 7. It concludes one week after the final Magic game of the season.
PHILADELPHIA
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The new store is across the Delaware in Cherry Hill, N.J.
Photo by: PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
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Eagles open third retail store
The Philadelphia Eagles opened The Eagles Pro Shop retail store in the Market Place at Garden State Park in Cherry Hill, N.J., earlier this month. The team also operates stores at the HeadHouse Plaza at Lincoln Financial Field and at the Rockvale Square Outlets in Lancaster, Pa.
Eagles’ Peters settles lawsuit
Eagles left tackle Jason Peters received nearly $2 million following a lawsuit he filed against the makers of the Roll-A-Bout knee walker. Peters was using the rolling walker last year while recovering from a torn Achilles tendon when, according to the lawsuit, the walker broke and caused him to re-injure the tendon.
Eagles partner with brokerage
The Eagles formed a partnership with Johnson, Kendall & Johnson, an insurance brokerage and risk management firm based in Newtown, Pa. The deal runs through the 2018 season. Financial terms were not disclosed.
PITTSBURGH
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Test drive = free game tickets
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irates team with Honda dealers
The Pittsburgh Pirates and Western Pennsylvania Honda Dealers are collaborating on a promotion called “The Perfect Road Trip” at dealerships and online at pirates.com/roadtrip. The offer runs through Aug. 31. Fans who test-drive a 2013 Honda Civic receive a pair of tickets to the Sept. 15 Pirates game at PNC Park. Ten selected finalists at the game have a chance to win a two-year vehicle lease, a $500 PNC Visa gift card and tickets to a Pirates road game in 2014.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Fans can set PGA Championship hole
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Fans can have a direct impact on the hole location of the par-3 15th hole at Oak Hill Country Club during next month’s PGA Championship. A promotion called the “PGA Championship Pick the Hole Location Challenge Hosted by Jack Nicklaus” drives fans to visit PGA.com through Aug. 10 to vote for one of four hole locations.
SACRAMENTO
New USL team name chosen
Sacramento Republic Football Club was selected as the name for Sacramento’s United Soccer Leagues Pro team that will play its inaugural season next year. The new team’s crest features a bear and a red star, recognizing the state’s official animal and the city’s role as a capital.
SEATTLE
Donation will follow each Wilson TD
Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and asset management firm Russell Investments have established a charitable giving program called “Invested with Russell.” For every Seahawks touchdown pass and run that Wilson records during the 2013 season, Russell Investments will donate $2,000 to Wilson’s charitable foundation, which supports youth activities for communities in need.
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
Bowl, Big Ten sign through 2019
The Outback Bowl and the Big Ten reached an agreement to extend their contract six additional years, through the 2019 college football season. The agreement extends a 20-year relationship with the conference to play in Tampa on New Year’s Day at Raymond James Stadium.
TULSA, OKLA.
Diggins lifts Shock to No. 1 in sales
Tulsa Shock rookie Skylar Diggins’ popularity helped the WNBA team claim the No. 1 position in team merchandise sales for the regular season so far, a first for the club. The league’s “3 to See” claimed the top three spots on the top-selling jerseys list. Rookies Brittney Griner of the Phoenix Mercury, Diggins, and Elena Delle Donne of the Chicago Sky ranked first, second, and third, respectively.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
Craft beers added to ballpark lineup
After two seasons of comments from local fans, Nationals Park is upping its local beer lineup, according to a Washington Post report. Port City, DC Brau and 3 Stars say their beers will be available outside Section 139 in right field. Nationals Park had been selling a limited number of regional craft beers in the Red Porch and Red Loft areas, including Flying Dog, Dogfish Head and Heavy Seas.
COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS
Students, elderly
to get World Cup
ticket discount
Officials from FIFA and Brazil’s local organizing committee said that tickets to next summer’s World Cup in Brazil will cost about 10 percent more than tickets to the 2010 event in South Africa, according to a Los Angeles Times report. International fans will have to pay as much as $990 for a seat at next July’s final, while the cheapest tickets for a group-play game will sell for $90.
In an apparent nod to the demonstrators, who were protesting the country’s massive expenditures — estimated at $13.4 billion — on the World Cup rather than on health care, education and other public services, a special ticket category for Brazilians was established. Locals will be able to buy tickets to any of the 47 group games, excluding the June 12 opener, for as little as $30. The elderly, students and people receiving social benefits will get a further 50 percent price reduction, which will allow some Brazilians to attend matches for as little as $15. In addition, 60,000 free tickets will be distributed to those who did construction work on the World Cup stadiums, according to the report.
CANBERRA, AUSTRALIA
CBD roof style undetermined
The Australian Capital Territory government said that the proposed CBD stadium will have a roof — it is just a question of whether it will be a retractable roof or a fixed one, according to a Canberra Times report. Construction hoped to begin before 2020, according to the report.
CHELTENHAM, ENGLAND
Planners OK $69M renovation
A $69 million redevelopment of Cheltenham Racecourse to include a new 6,500-capacity grandstand and royal box was unanimously approved by planners, according to a BBC report. Work will begin at Prestbury Park after the 2014 National Hunt Festival in March. The current royal box, which was built in 1952, and 55 other boxes, which were built in the 1920s and ’30s, will be demolished.
FRANKFURT
Handball opener could draw 50,000
The Handball Bundesliga will play the opening game of the 2014-15 season at Frankfurt’s Commerzbank-Arena on Sept. 6, 2014, according to an SID report. Up to 50,000 people are expected to attend the game, between defending Champions League champion HSV Hamburg and Rhein-Neckar Löwen. Ticket sales for next year’s game will start in September, and prices start at $13.
HINWIL, SWITZERLAND
F1 team awaits Russian investment
The Sauber F1 team’s debt of $112 million will soon be erased as its new Russian investors will invest a reported $499 million in the team, according to a Blick report. Team founder Peter Sauber will keep the majority of shares, and the team’s headquarters, including wind tunnel, will stay in Hinwil.
ISERLOHN, GERMANY
Roosters sign 6-year beer deal
German Hockey League side Iserlohn Roosters signed a new title sponsorship deal with brewery Krombacher. The six-year deal is backdated to take effect from July 1. Krombacher’s logo will be featured on the front of the team’s jerseys. The brewery will receive marketing opportunities for all club publications.
LEEDS, ENGLAND
Red Bull on lips of Leeds United
Leeds United is in talks over a deal with energy drink giant Red Bull that could lead to the renaming of the club’s Elland Road ground, according to a Yorkshire Post report. Additionally, top-level discussions are underway between the club and the company about a possible shirt sponsorship agreement.
LIVERPOOL
Liverpool extends with Standard Chartered
Liverpool FC reached a two-year extension to its main sponsorship deal with Standard Chartered, according to a Liverpool Echo report. The initial four-year contract, worth up to $31 million a year, expires next summer, but the lucrative partnership with the bank will now run until the end of the 2015-16 season, according to the report.
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U.K. track and field operations will join West Ham as tenants in the stadium.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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LONDON
Stadium to serve as U.K. base
The Olympic Stadium will serve as a new national base for U.K. track and field in addition to housing West Ham United. A new track will be built on the site to offer all-year-round facilities for local athletes and clubs, according to a Reuters report. The venue will host the IAAF World Championships in 2017.
MANCHESTER
Man U considering badge change
Manchester United may reintroduce “football club” to its badge after it was dropped 15 years ago, according to a Manchester Evening News report. The words were controversially removed in 1998.
SOFIA, BULGARIA
Levski begins stadium project
Bulgarian club Levski began a large-scale reconstruction of its Georgi Asparuhov stadium in Sofia, according to an Inside World Football report. The team has not yet signed an agreement with Russian energy giant Gazprom that will help fund the project, according to the report.
STOKE-ON-TRENT, ENGLAND
Team offers fans free travel to EPL games
Stoke City will offer its supporters free travel to all of its Premier League games in the 2013-14 season. Coach buses will leave from Britannia Stadium for all 19 EPL top-flight matches, starting with the Aug. 17 match at Liverpool.
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