This Week's Newsmakers: Aston Villa Chooses Charity Over Profit
THE DAILY each Friday offers our take on the performances over the past week of people and entities in sports business. Here are this week’s newsmakers.
WIN: ASTON VILLA -- RANDY LERNER's EPL club this week exercises a good deed rarely seen in professional sports, shunning a jersey sponsorship and some $4M to instead promote a charitable venture. The Lions are the first Premiership team to forsake corporate dollars, opting instead to parlay their global popularity into a goodwill initiative. Villa's DUNCAN RIDDLE sums it up best: "The shirts have monetary value, but they also have emotional value to fans and this is something to give back to them."
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Critics Pan CBS' Coverage Of
Kimbo's EliteXC Debut |
LOSE: ELITEXC -- Allow us to look past the good ratings for MMA's introduction to network TV -- America even flirted with the XFL before quickly dismissing VINCE MCMAHON's football venture. While the legend of KIMBO lives on, his victory comes via a questionable referee stoppage. Also, pundits everywhere pan all aspects of the event, from CBS' decision to carry the bloody sport to the mediocre quality of EliteXC fighters.
DRAW: CHICAGO 2016 -- The city long has been reported as one of the favorites to host the 2016 Olympics, but despite being named a finalist to host the Games, Chicago doesn’t score tremendously well in the IOC’s report on bid cities this week. In what could/should/will be a wake up call for the bid group, the city places fifth in three of the 11 areas evaluated, fourth in three others and no higher than second in any. However, bid officials are saying all the right things -- claiming they are taking the report as a guideline on what to improve.
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