This Week's Newsmakers: Ask.com Strikes A Winning Answer
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: ASK.COM -- At a time when not many brands are spending, and those that are spending are not being very public about it, the search engine heads against traffic and lands a significant presence in NASCAR. In addition to obtaining an official-level partnership with the sanctioning body, Ask.com gains sponsorship of BOBBY LABONTE's Cup ride for at least 16 races, including the Daytona 500. Too bad Jeeves is not still along for the ride.
LOSE: CHARLES BARKLEY -- We never like to kick someone when they are down, but it is not a good week for the former Round Mound of Rebound. Barkley agrees to take a leave of absence from TNT following his December 31 arrest on suspicion of drunk driving in Arizona, T-Mobile drops its much-discussed ad campaign featuring him and DWYANE WADE and more questions are raised about his future credibility.
DRAW: MEN'S TENNIS -- The ATP World Tour officially introduces The ATP World Tour appears off to a strong start in '09, as it officially introduces ADAM HELFANT as its new Exec Chair & President. The tour also announces the launch of TennisTV.com, a joint project with the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, and finds a sponsor for the popular Indian Wells stop. But how Helfant will improve upon what predecessor ETIENNE DE VILLIERS is to be determined, and it still needs to find a replacement for ubiqutous sponsor Mercedes-Benz.
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