ANAHEIM
Angels, city fail to reach lease deal
The Los Angeles Angels ended negotiations with the city of Anaheim over a new Angel Stadium lease, unable to finalize a deal more than a year after there was a framework for an agreement, according to a Los Angeles Times report. Angels consultant Marie Garvey said the team would continue to look at all options.
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WILKINS
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ATLANTA
Dominique Wilkins statue planned
The Atlanta Hawks and Philips Arena plan to mark the venue’s 15th anniversary by constructing a larger-than-life-size statue of Hawks legend Dominique Wilkins. The statue will be unveiled at a ceremony on March 5. Also, Wilkins was named as special adviser to CEO Steve Koonin. Wilkins will continue in his vice president of basketball role for the team under the new multiyear contract.
BOSTON
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This rendering shows the bus stop transformation, including a partial replica of the famed TD Garden parquet floor.
Rendering: A&G |
Campaign converts bus stop
The Boston Celtics last week launched a new marketing campaign that includes installing a partial replica of the TD Garden’s parquet floor under an MBTA bus shelter on State Street, according to a Boston Herald report. The replica includes a sliver of the Garden court’s painted lane, and the shelter’s enclosure features a mural of fans in the stands. The activation was conceived by Allen & Gerritsen, Boston.
BUFFALO
Toshiba making copies at stadium
The Buffalo Bills signed Toshiba as the team’s official copier. Toshiba will sponsor in-game instant replays. It also will provide pregame and halftime stats and in-game photos to suite and club seat members at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Bills partner with 100% Natural
The Bills reached a partnership with 100% Natural Beverages and will work with the company to introduce Bills Water to the Western New York region. Bills Water will be available at local Tops Friendly Markets. With each case sold, the company will make a $1 donation to the Hunter’s Hope Foundation, the charity founded by Bills hall of famer Jim Kelly and his wife, Jill.
Nexus offering faster border processing
The Bills, in partnership with Nexus Niagara, will host a mobile Nexus enrollment event Oct. 14 at the Paul Maguire Club at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Participation in the program will allow fans expedited border processing through dedicated lanes, speeding up the process for Canadian fans attending games at the stadium.
BURLINGTON, VT.
Burton signs official snowmobile
BRP’s Ski-Doo will be the official snowmobile for Burton Snowboards’ team of pro riders in a new partnership between BRP and Burlington-based Burton. The two companies also agreed to co-develop products to suit the needs of snowboarders and snowmobilers.
CHICAGO
Marathon wearing Tag Heuer
Tag Heuer was named the official timekeeper and timepiece of the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. The partnership is one element of Tag Heuer’s global “Don’t Crack Under Pressure” campaign.
DURHAM, N.C.
Daktronics installing display at Duke
Duke University is partnering with Daktronics to design, manufacture and install a new LED video display at Wallace Wade Stadium. The display will measure 42 feet high by 76 feet wide and feature a 13HD pixel layout.
LOS ANGELES
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Championship banner gets a personal touch.
Photo by: MATT STROMMER
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Kings ready to hang banner
Watertown, Mass.-based New England Flag & Banner produced the banner commemorating the Los Angeles Kings’ 2013-14 Stanley Cup championship. The hand-sewn, 12-by-18-foot banner will be unveiled during pregame ceremonies at the Staples Center during the Kings’ home opener against San Jose on Wednesday.
MIAMI
Speedway signs Baptist Health
Baptist Health will be the official health care sponsor of Homestead-Miami Speedway in a new three-year agreement. The deal gives Baptist Health a presence at many of the speedway’s events throughout the year, particularly leading up to and during Ford Championship Weekend, Nov. 14-16.
MILWAUKEE
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SELIG
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Selig to have jersey retired
MLB Commissioner Bud Selig will have a number retired in his honor by the Milwaukee Brewers, according to an Associated Press report. Team owner Mark Attanasio said the retirement of jersey No. 1 would be the first in a series of honors for Selig, the former Brewers owner who is departing as MLB commissioner in January.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Medtronic extends race sponsorship
Minneapolis-based medical device company Medtronic extended its title sponsorship of the Twin Cities Marathon through 2020. The five-year deal is valued at $2.5 million total and makes Medtronic the title sponsor of the marathon as well as the associated 1-mile and 10-mile races.
ORLANDO
Stadium groundbreaking next week
The ceremonial groundbreaking for Orlando City SC’s downtown soccer stadium is scheduled for Oct. 16. The event will be open to the public. Orlando City, MLS’s 21st team, will play its home matches at the Florida Citrus Bowl in 2015 while the new venue is under construction. Also, the team launched City Alliance, a network of local ticket holders. Membership in the business-to-business group is complimentary for club, midfield and sideline season-ticket holders.
PHILADELPHIA
Parx Racing breaks one-day handle record
Parx Racing shattered its one-day, all-source handle record on Sept. 18 when just under $10.4 million was wagered on the day’s 13-race card at the Bucks County venue. The figure represents the amount wagered on races at the Bensalem, Pa., facility by people at the track and other locations where the races were simulcast. Parx’s previous one-day, all-source handle record was $5.5 million, set last year.
PHOENIX
PIR license plates available
A new Phoenix International Raceway-designed Arizona license plate is now available through the Arizona Department of Motor Vehicles. It features PIR’s distinctive light-blue mountain background and the PIR and NASCAR logos. A portion of the sale of each license plate and yearly renewal will benefit Phoenix Raceway Charities.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
Symetra Tour event scheduled
Professional women’s golf will return to the Rochester area in 2015 as the Symetra Tour is set for an event at Brook-Lea Country Club in the suburb of Gates, N.Y. The developmental tour will host the Danielle Downey Classic, July 13-19. Rochester had been a longtime stop on the LPGA tour before its 38-year run ended in August.
SYRACUSE, N.Y.
Sponsors sign for historic hockey event
The Syracuse Convention & Visitors Bureau and Pathfinder Bank will be presenting sponsors of the Toyota Frozen Dome Classic on Nov. 22, the first professional hockey game to be played in the Carrier Dome. The game will feature the AHL Syracuse Crunch and Utica Comets.
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
Rays raise $55K with ‘Shirts’
The Tampa Bay Rays’ “Shirts Off Our Backs” fundraiser, held during the team’s season-ending home series against the Chicago White Sox at Tropicana Field, raised more than $55,000 for the Rays Baseball Foundation, which supports local nonprofit organizations.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
MVP Interactive opens social media lounge
MVP Interactive has developed and opened its most expansive single-venue activation, a Social Media Lounge at FedEx Field featuring customized MorphingStations, tablets and its interactive gaming wall. The activation, sponsored by Bud Light, launched at the Washington Redskins’ home opener last month and will be active for each of the team’s home games over the course of the next two seasons.
COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS
BIRMINGHAM, ENGLAND
Bidders expect lower Aston Villa price
Potential bidders for Premier League club Aston Villa believe owner Randy Lerner may now be willing to sell for $162 million, half of what was thought to be the original asking price when he put the club up for sale in May, according to a (London) Telegraph report. The price was characterized as a way for Lerner to cut his losses on the club, which he acquired in 2006.
DOHA, QATAR
Handball final signs prestige partner
Qatar Petroleum signed a major sponsorship agreement with the organizing committee for the World Men’s Handball Championship, according to a Qatar Tribune report. The deal makes Qatar Petroleum a prestige partner for what will be Qatar’s first international men’s handball world championship, taking place in January.
DONCASTER, ENGLAND
Ladbrokes stays on with St. Leger
The St. Leger Stakes and host track Doncaster received a boost with news that sponsor Ladbrokes extended its deal for the event until 2016, according to a (London) Daily Mail report. A clash with the new Irish Champions Weekend had been seen as a threat for the bookmaker pulling back from the race it has supported for 10 years.
FRANKFURT, GERMANY
Racing club may sue track
The Frankfurt Racing Club is unwilling to leave the Niederräder racetrack and is threatening a lawsuit, according to a Frankfurter Rundschau report. The racetrack is scheduled to become the new home of the German Football Federation’s academy and headquarters.
FREIBURG, GERMANY
New name set for team’s stadium
The stadium of Bundesliga club SC Freiburg will be renamed Schwarzwald Stadium, according to a Spiegel Online report. Schwarzwald, the Black Forest tourism company, secured funding from private corporate partners in the region to acquire the stadium naming rights for five years.
INCHEON, SOUTH KOREA
Qatar team’s scarves not allowed
A Qatari official said the country pulled out of the women’s basketball competition at the Asian Games after it was denied permission for team members to wear hijabs, the Islamic headscarf, according to a Reuters report.
LONDON
NFL partners with EE, Sportlobster
The NFL agreed to two new partnership deals in the United Kingdom for its 2014 International Series games. British mobile network and Internet service provider EE along with social media website Sportlobster signed on to become official partners of the league in the U.K. and its three International Series games at Wembley Stadium this fall.
MANCHESTER
Man U extends Gloops deal
Gloops extended its partnership with Manchester United. The Japanese social gaming company has seen nearly 1.4 million downloads of its Man U-titled game (“European Club Team Soccer Best Eleven Plus”) since the partnership started just over a year ago.
Tech firm will help Man U save resources
Manchester United and technology company Abengoa reached a global partnership. Abengoa will identify, advise and implement sustainable ways in which ManU can save resources and reduce waste.
MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA
Retired player unwraps condom line
Former Parma and Newcastle striker Faustino Asprilla confirmed he will be launching a line of condoms in his native Colombia. Asprilla said that production of his own line of condoms is already underway in China and that the line will go on sale in Colombia under the brand name Tino.
MUNICH
Hoops team extends with Bwin
Basketball Bundesliga club Bayern Munich extended its partnership with betting provider Bwin for another two years, until 2016. Bwin has been a partner of the club since 2011.
PERTHSHIRE, SCOTLAND
Tourism industry hails Ryder Cup
Scottish tourism bosses hailed the success of the Gleneagles Ryder Cup and claimed it can become the launchpad to boost visitor numbers in Scotland, according to a (Scotland) Daily Record report.
RIO DE JANEIRO
Road project displacing residents
In the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Vila Uniao, which was built in the 1980s, 876 residences will be destroyed to make room for a freeway that will run through the Rio 2016 Deodoro Olympic Park, according to an AS report. The affected residents will be relocated to apartments in the region.
VALENCIA, SPAIN
Valencia renews pact with EA Sports
La Liga side Valencia renewed its partnership with Electronic Arts for three years, reaffirming EA Sports as the club’s official gaming partner. The extension was announced at the same time that the “FIFA 15” video game was launched globally.
WARSAW, POLAND
Legia Warsaw restructures ownership
Polish football club Legia Warsaw announced a new ownership structure, with entrepreneur Maciej Wandzel acquiring a 20 percent stake in the club, according to a SoccerEx report. The level of Wandzel’s investment was not revealed, but he will join current owners Boguslaw Lesnodorski and Dariusz Mioduski as shareholders.
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