AUSTIN, TEXAS
X Games leaving one year early
ESPN is seeking bidders for Summer X Games hosting rights in 2017-18 after executives mutually agreed with Circuit of the Americas to abandon the final year of a four-year deal, said Tim Reed, X Games vice president. ESPN wants to return the action sports festival to its traditional home on the calendar in late July or August, when it faces little competition.
BOULDER, COLO.
USA Rugby gets taped up
USA Rugby agreed to a partnership with KT Tape. As the exclusive kinesiology tape of USA Rugby, which is based on Boulder, KT Tape will be made available to all of the USA Rugby men’s and women’s national team athletes as they prepare for the 2016 Summer Olympics and international test matches.
CLEVELAND
Cavs want to light up the roof
The Cleveland Cavaliers and Dan Gilbert-backed investment firm Rock Ventures plan to drape the roof of Quicken Loans Arena with an LED banner promoting the facility and its naming-rights sponsor, according to a (Cleveland) Plain Dealer report. The team hopes construction on the 360-by-90-foot sign can be finished by mid-May.
DENVER
MLS team extends with Transamerica
The Colorado Rapids agreed to a three-year extension of their partnership with Transamerica, which will continue to be featured on the team’s home and away jerseys. The deal, which runs through 2019, was brokered by Rapids President Tim Hinchey and Tom Philand, Kroenke Sports & Entertainment executive vice president and chief marketing officer.
DES MOINES, IOWA
Drake plugging in with Daktronics
Drake University has retained Daktronics to design, manufacture and install an LED video display for Drake Stadium. The 925-square-foot display will be installed this spring for outdoor track season and the Drake Relays.
DETROIT
PS&E partners with WaitTime
Palace Sports & Entertainment has partnered with WaitTime to provide an interactive tool for real-time information on concessions and restroom wait times. WaitTime’s patent-pending crowd science technology gives stadium operations access to information on crowd movement, line length and line attrition.
LOS ANGELES
Clippers tune to KLAC-AM
The Los Angeles Clippers made a late-season move on the radio dial, switching to KLAC-AM for their final 14 games of the regular season and for the playoffs, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The team since 2009 had been on KFWB-AM but sought an alternative after that station’s change to a South Asian, Bollywood music format this month.
MILWAUKEE
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The team returns to the arena it called home from 1977-88 as part of the now-defunct IHL.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Admirals moving to UWM arena
The Milwaukee Admirals will move to the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Panther Arena beginning with their 2016-17 season. The AHL team signed a 10-year lease with the Wisconsin Center District to make the move. The Admirals have played their home games at the BMO Harris Bradley Center for the past 28 years. Panther Arena opened in 1950 and was formerly known as MECCA Arena.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Vikings submit Eagan HQ plans
The Minnesota Vikings submitted extensive design plans to Eagan City Hall to take over the former headquarters of Northwest Airlines in the suburban city, according to a (Minneapolis) Star Tribune report. Unlike the team’s new downtown Minneapolis stadium, the land in Eagan would belong to Vikings co-owners Mark and Zygi Wilf.
City denies Vikings’ street name change
The Vikings withdrew their application to rename Chicago Avenue in downtown Minneapolis after facing strong backlash from Minneapolis City Hall, according to a Star Tribune report. The team had applied to change the name to Vikings Way for the three blocks in front of the new stadium, but the city’s planning commission unanimously denied the application.
City Council OKs arena renovation
The Minneapolis City Council gave final approval for a $129 million Target Center renovation that will improve the building’s exterior, add club spaces and improve basic infrastructure. Minnesota Timberwolves officials said construction should begin in May and will be complete in fall 2017.
PHILADELPHIA
Phillies’ April pass converts SRO tickets
The Philadelphia Phillies have come up with a new way to sell tickets during April, a time when unpredictable weather can challenge attendance. The team is selling a $50 “spring pass” that includes tickets to all April home games except for the home opener. Fans can purchase up to six passes, which are initially standing-room-only tickets. But 15 minutes before first pitch, ticket holders will get a text message with an upgrade to a reserved seating location in one of five locations at Citizens Bank Park: the terrace, terrace deck, pavilion, pavilion deck or outfield.
PITTSBURGH
Penguins sign Safelite AutoGlass
Safelite AutoGlass is now the official mobile auto glass repair company of the Pittsburgh Penguins through a new three-year agreement. Safelite was scheduled to host special on-site repair opportunities at Consol Energy Center this week. Additionally, Safelite will offer fans the chance to win “on-the-glass” seats at a home game by participating in a social media promotion for Tuesday’s game.
Pirates celebrate collegiate pride
The Pittsburgh Pirates will host University Nights at PNC Park to celebrate local universities on specific Wednesday dates this season. Students, alumni and fans of the universities who purchase specially designated tickets will receive an official co-branded Pirates/university cap.
ROCHESTER, N.Y.
New name for Symetra Tour event
The Symetra Tour event in Rochester will now be known as the Danielle Downey Credit Union Classic after multiple credit unions in the region stepped up to sponsor the pro women’s golf event now in its second year. Downey is a former LPGA player, born in Rochester, who died in a car crash in 2014. The tournament is set for July 11-17 at Brook-Lea Country Club.
ST. THOMAS, ONTARIO
Track joins IHRA family
The International Hot Rod Association welcomed St. Thomas Raceway Park to its family of member tracks. The Ontario venue serves racers in the Detroit, Toronto, Niagara Falls, London and Windsor markets.
TORONTO
Fewer Leafs tickets, higher per-game cost
The average per-game cost of season tickets to Toronto Maple Leafs games next season will rise by 2 percent, according to a Toronto Star report. However, with the World Cup of Hockey occupying the Air Canada Centre for part of the traditional NHL preseason, and the Jan. 1 NHL Centennial Classic removing a regular-season game from the arena, the Leafs’ season-ticket package is smaller than in previous years. Those changes mean the price of the bundle will drop by 2.4 percent compared with this year.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
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Patients are all smiles as Backstrom, Holtby and Alzner help cut the ribbon.
Photo by: PAUL KIM
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Caps players debut pediatrics area
Karl Alzner, Nicklas Backstrom and Braden Holtby of the Washington Capitals and local radio talk show host Elliot Segal from the “Elliot in the Morning” show unveiled a refurbished pediatric hematology/oncology outpatient waiting area at MedStar Georgetown University Hospital earlier this month. The room is themed with Capitals highlights and was funded using money raised from the last three seasons of So Kids Can, which was created in 2008 by Segal and former Caps defenseman Mike Green.
Arena features virtual reality zone
The Capitals and the Washington Wizards unveiled the Virtual Reality Experiential Zone presented by Pepsi and Mountain Dew at the Verizon Center this month. The feature gives fans a chance to immerse themselves in various visual simulations with Capitals and Wizards players. Through April 4, fans who post videos of themselves making 3-point shots using the hashtag #3LikeBeal #Entry will have a chance to win a VIP experience at a Wizards game.
COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS
BARCELONA
La Liga team bets on Botemanía
La Liga club RCD Espanyol and online betting company Botemanía signed a sponsorship agreement that will run until the end of the current season, with an option through next season. Botemanía branding will have a presence at the club’s stadium, Estadi Cornellà-El Prat.
BEIJING
President wants scandal-free Games
China President Xi Jinping said China must hold a Winter Olympics that is “clean as the snow” when it hosts the event in 2022, after two corruption scandals involving Chinese officials linked to the Games, according to a Reuters report. Xi said that there must be strict budget management to ensure costs are kept under control.
BRISBANE, AUSTRALIA
Bond University aligns with QRU
Bond University signed a three-year agreement across multiple categories with Queensland Rugby Union. Bond University will remain naming-rights partner of National Rugby Championship club Queensland Country for the next three years and become official coach partner of the St. George Queensland Reds.
LE HAVRE, FRANCE
French and Spanish play together
French Ligue 2 club Le Havre signed a kit sponsorship for the next three seasons with Spanish sportswear company Joma. Financial details were not released.
LONDON
London Marathon signs TCS
Tata Consultancy Services reached a three-year partnership with the Virgin Money London Marathon to enhance the digital experience delivered to marathon participants. TCS will become the race’s official technology partner for the 2016, 2017 and 2018 events.
MANCHESTER
Man City eyes Chinese Super League
Manchester City’s owners reportedly will set up a franchise in the Chinese Super League as the next step in their global expansion, according to a (London) Independent report. City Football Group, the holding company that owns the Premier League club, owns New York City FC and Melbourne City in the A-League.
Man City, China group sign 2-year deal
Manchester City reached a two-year partnership with events organization Soccer World China. Joint branding will appear throughout Soccer World’s centers in China, and Man City will send coaches to help train children. Soccer World also will run competitions for children to go to Man City to receive both training and education at Etihad Campus facilities.
PARIS
PSG signs official chauffeur G7
European transportation service G7 will be the official chauffeur for Paris Saint-Germain. G7 will offer transportation services to PSG supporters to improve access to the Parc des Princes. The price of the service starts at $17.
RIO DE JANEIRO
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Guanabara Bay is under heavy scrutiny ahead of the Olympics.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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World Sailing OK with bay prep
World Sailing said that it is satisfied with preparations for this year’s Olympic regattas at Rio’s Guanabara Bay, according to a Xinhua report. A delegation completed a four-day visit to the city. Medical representative Nebojsa Nikolic praised a new pipe belt built to block sewage and the use of ecobarriers to trap rubbish.
Anti-doping legislation passed
Brazil passed key anti-doping legislation that avoided the embarrassing possibility of the country being in breach of the rules at its own Olympic Games, according to a Reuters report. The legislation was confirmed in the government’s official gazette, one day before the deadline set by the World Anti-Doping Agency. The decree creates one tribunal for doping cases across all sports.
ROSTOV-ON-DON, RUSSIA
Agrokom aligns with FC Rostov
Russian football club FC Rostov, a surprise on top of the Russian Premier League, has a new general sponsor: agricultural group Agrokom. The deal of an undisclosed value was signed through the end of the 2015-16 season, but Agrokom said it is interested in long-term ties with the South Russian squad.
TAVARUA, FIJI
SUP finale headed to Cloudbreak
The 2016 International Surfing Association World StandUp Paddle and Paddleboard Championship will be held at Cloudbreak from Nov. 5-13. ISA and its 98 national members are preparing for the inclusion of surfing and SUP in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. The confirmation is expected this summer.
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