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Coast to Coast

Coast to Coast

ALLENTOWN, PA.
Team suiting up as Festers

The Lehigh Valley Iron Pigs, Class AAA affiliate of the Philadelphia Phillies, are changing their name to the Festers for one game, on Aug. 4. The name change is in celebration of Musikfest, a 10-day music festival in August that attracts tens of thousands of visitors to the area. The team will donate half of the proceeds from Festers merchandise sales and an on-field uniform auction to ArtsQuest, the Bethlehem, Pa.-based nonprofit organization behind the festival.

BALTIMORE
UA pays $70M for parcel

Under Armour purchased land in Baltimore’s Port Covington area, where it plans to build its new headquarters, for $70.3 million, according to a Baltimore Sun report. That is more than double what CEO Kevin Plank’s private real estate firm, Sagamore Development, paid in 2014, according to land records.

Flacco endorsing Ravens’ bank
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco beginning this fall will endorse M&T Bank in the Baltimore area. M&T is the official bank of the Ravens. Flacco will promote M&T’s Ravens debit card. He also will participate in M&T events and activities in the community.

Ravens retain flagship radio stations
The Ravens reached a six-year deal to keep their radio game broadcasts on Hearst-owned WBAL-AM and WIYY-FM, which will remain the team’s flagship stations through the 2022 season. In addition, WBAL-NBC will continue as an official TV broadcast partner. The deal formally takes effect in 2017 as an extension of the previous 2011-16 deal.

BOSTON
BC launches new campaign

With a goal of widening the footprint and visibility of Boston College sports, the BC athletic department is launching a marketing campaign themed “Boston’s College — in America’s best sports town.” The theme will be branded on all marketing and sales collateral, tickets, signage and advertising campaigns.

DANVILLE, VA.
VIR signs aviation partner

Virginia International Raceway signed Jets.com as an official sponsor of the Michelin GT Challenge, the track’s largest race of the year taking place during the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship weekend, Aug. 26-28. Jets.com — a New York-based private aircraft travel service — will have signage throughout VIR as well as a display area on-site during the race weekend.

DETROIT
Pistons will stretch out with Delta

The Detroit Pistons beginning next season will retire their team-owned airplane — Roundball One — and join the NBA’s charter agreement with Delta Air Lines, according to a Detroit News report. Delta services 27 of the league’s 30 teams. The change for the Pistons is not a cost-savings move but will provide significantly more space and comfort and a flying range of about 3,400 miles (1,500 miles more than Roundball One).

ELON, N.C.
New displays rising for Phoenix

Elon University selected Daktronics to design, manufacture and install a total of five LED displays for Rhodes Stadium. The displays are being installed this summer. The new main video display measures approximately 21 feet high by 38 feet wide with a 15HD pixel layout.

INDIANAPOLIS
Colts using Lisnr to reach fans

The Indianapolis Colts, beginning at training camp at nearby Anderson University, will employ technology provided by Lisnr to interact with fans’ mobile devices in real time during games and events. The technology deploys inaudible frequencies through any sound system that are picked up by fans’ phones, prompting the display of anything from wayfinding information to an instant replay to branded messaging.

The VR sightseeing tour includes going inside a Lynx huddle and practice session.
Photo by: MINNESOTA LYNX

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
WNBA team offers VR experience

The Minnesota Lynx and Explore Minnesota launched a virtual reality experience at the team’s home game on July 15, allowing fans to explore local Minnesota landmarks and view behind-the-scenes Lynx footage. The experience will be available at two more Lynx home games: Aug. 28 and Sept. 17. The Lynx and Explore Minnesota worked with Minneapolis-based Visual to produce the videos.

NEW ORLEANS
Tulane, IMG extend rights through 2026

Tulane University reached an extension of its deal with IMG to manage its multimedia rights and licensing agreements through 2026. The deal includes additional signage and naming-rights opportunities, as well as a mutual agreement to fund a TV production and new media facility.

NEW YORK
Barclays Center content on the big screen

Brooklyn Sports & Entertainment is partnering with National CineMedia on a campaign to promote artists who play at the Barclays Center through video content on 441 movie screens across 36 movie theaters in the area. BSE’s trailers featuring upcoming concerts and other events at Barclays Center, such as the Brooklyn Nets, New York Islanders, boxing and college basketball, will run before every movie showing across all ratings.

PHILADELPHIA
Flyers, Royals extend affiliation

The Philadelphia Flyers and Reading Royals extended their working arrangement under a multiyear agreement. Under the affiliation extension, which originally was signed in June 2014, the Royals of the ECHL will receive players designated for assignment within the professional hockey operations development system of the Flyers.

Sixers’ summer tour in 21st year
The Philadelphia 76ers this summer will hold the 21st year of the Sixers Summer Hoops Tour. More than 2,000 kids ages 5 to 14 are expected to participate in the clinics being held at 13 sites in Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware. Philadelphia-based Lundy Law is the presenting sponsor for the tour.

Photo by: PHILADELPHIA 76ERS
Wines to commemorate 76ers’ titles
The 76ers formed a partnership with Chaddsford Winery in Chester County to produce three branded wines that will commemorate the franchise’s three championships. The Banner Series will honor the 1966-67 and 1982-83 Sixers and the 1954-55 Syracuse Nationals. The team is limiting production to 76 cases for each wine in the series.

NLL moving to Philadelphia suburb
The National Lacrosse League is relocating its corporate headquarters from New York to Conshohocken, Pa. The new operations center will occupy a top floor suite at Spring Mill Corporate Center where it will have about a dozen employees. The league will continue to maintain a sales office in New York, where its headquarters was based since 2001.

PITTSBURGH
Pens court firms for Civic Arena site

The Pittsburgh Penguins are in discussions with three major companies that have an interest in building a headquarters on the former Civic Arena site, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report. The team is searching for new office tenants after financially struggling U.S. Steel dropped plans last fall to build a new headquarters at the site.

One presentation features QB Jameis Winston.
Image: COURTESY OF TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
Bucs open VR space to see project

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers opened the New Raymond James Stadium Experience, a visualization of its renovations to the venue that employs computer modeling and VR technology. The new PreView Center at the team’s training facility is powered by Philadelphia-based MVP Interactive and will allow for a virtual sampling of the more than $100 million renovation to the 18-year-old facility.

WASHINGTON, D.C.
Valor is newest AFL team

Monumental Sports & Entertainment and the AFL revealed Washington Valor as the name of the league’s new team. The Washington Valor will join the indoor football league in 2017 and play at Verizon Center.


      COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS


BARCELONA
Betfair signs global deal

FC Barcelona and Betfair signed a global agreement that makes the betting company one of the official global partners of the club for the next three seasons. The team and Betfair will be collaborating in areas such as image association rights, visibility of branding on the Camp Nou LED system, and a variety of digital benefits.

NBA-themed restaurant planned
The first NBA Café in Europe will open this fall on the iconic La Rambla street in Barcelona. Managed and operated by AN Grup, NBA Café Barcelona will be designed by renowned Spanish interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán. The 13,000-square-foot space will feature NBA imagery, memorabilia and merchandise, and the menu will offer American bar and grill favorites along with local and Mediterranean dishes.

Airline stays on jerseys into 2017
FC Barcelona and Qatar Airways extended their shirt sponsorship agreement for one more season, through June 2017, under the same conditions as the current deal. The airline has doubled the frequency of its flights to Barcelona and Madrid since it started sponsoring the club in 2013.

KAUSALA, FINLAND
MotoGP returning after 36 years

MotoGP is set for a return to Finland for the first time since 1982, with Dorna Sports announcing that an agreement has been reached for Finland to join the FIM MotoGP World Championship schedule in 2018. The new Kymi Ring track is under construction in Kausala, about 80 miles northeast of Helsinki.

LONDON
Tour of Britain lathers up

Shampoo brand Alpecin, title sponsor of the Giant-Alpecin cycling team, became an official partner of the Tour of Britain, the U.K.’s biggest professional cycling race, according to a Bike Biz report. The Tour of Britain takes place from Sept. 4-11. In addition to VIP hospitality packages and experiential rights, Alpecin also will benefit from additional branding around the Stage Seven individual time trial.

Hammers kick off new ground
West Ham United will begin its new era at the Olympic Stadium on Thursday with a Europa League third qualifying round tie against either Belarus club Shakhtyor Soligorsk or Slovenian side NK Domzale, according to a Reuters report. West Ham originally was due to open the stadium against Italian champion Juventus on Aug. 7.

QPR’s residential project OK’d
League Championship side Queens Park Rangers was given the green light to build 605 new homes in west London, according to a (London) Evening Standard report. The club hopes the $231 million development project for Old Oak Common is the first step toward building a new stadium on the site.

MUNICH
Team creates business circle

Basketball Bundesliga club Bayern Munich created a new platform for its sponsors. The club founded a business circle, which consists of around 80 members from business, sports and society. The business circle initially will include four events at which members can exchange ideas and network.

RIO DE JANEIRO
More security measures planned

Brazil’s government said that it will step up security cordons, add further roadblocks and frisk more visitors to the Olympic Games, according to a Reuters report. Already on guard because of recent attacks in France and Belgium, Brazilian officials met to reassess preparations for the Games, which start
Aug. 5 and are expected to attract as many as 500,000 foreign visitors.

SÃO PAULO
Corinthians using tracking technology

Stats LLC will provide Brasileiro club Corinthians with Stats SportVU player tracking technology and Prozone3 analytics software to support enhanced performance analysis operations. Stats SportVU is an optical player tracking system that tracks the positions of players and the ball 25 times per second.

ST. PETERSBURG, RUSSIA
Stadium contractor fired

The city fired the general contractor building a trouble-plagued stadium that is to host World Cup matches in 2018, according to an AP report. The stadium, provisionally called Zenit Arena, has taken almost a decade to build, prompting Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev to publicly call it “disgraceful.”

TRABZON, TURKEY
Trabzonspor signs main sponsor

Qatar National Bank and Turkish football club Trabzonspor signed an agreement under which the bank has become the main sponsor of the Turkish team, according to a report in The Peninsula. The deal grants the bank access to jersey sponsorship for three years and access to advertising rights, public relations cooperation, social media and digital rights.

For more international news, visit www.sportsbusinessdaily.com/global.

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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