Marketplace Roundup
REUTERS' Antonella Ciancio reported 15 top European soccer clubs are "under pressure to renew their shirt sponsorships by next season as their contracts expire amid the economic downturn." Jersey sponsorships have "commonly been considered immune to the financial crisis because of their long duration and large media exposure," but analysts "expect tough times ahead for clubs with troubled owners or smaller appeal." While experts indicated that it is "unlikely that top clubs such as Manchester United will be unable to sign lucrative new deals, smaller clubs may have to accept lower income" (REUTERS, 2/26).
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Yankees Official '09 Cap Features
Patch Commemorating New Stadium |
TRY THIS ON FOR SIZE: On Long Island, Neil Best reports MLB Thursday unveiled the Yankees' official cap for the '09 season, which features a patch commemorating the opening of the new Yankee Stadium. The patch is the "first of its kind to ever appear on the back of an official MLB Authentic Collection cap." The cap officially debuts on Opening Day and be available for purchase starting this Sunday at retailers and on MLB.com (NEWSDAY, 2/27). In N.Y., Tyler Kepner wrote of the new cap, "I'll let you be the judge as to whether it's a good idea or not, but it strikes me as overkill" (NYTIMES.com, 2/26). The Mets also will wear new caps this season.
FLYING HIGH: CNBC.com's Darren Rovell reported the NBA has released a new T-shirt around Knicks G Nate Robinson after a "licensing issue derailed the initial 'Krypto-Nate' shirts, which were never made." In addition, Nike reportedly is planning to release the green Nike shoes Robinson wore during the Sprite Slam Dunk Contest in "limited edition quantities" in March (CNBC.com, 2/26).
SKI JUMP: VANOC Dir of Licensing & Merchandising Dennis Kim said that souvenir sales surrounding the '10 Vancouver Games "bucked the national trend" and increased to C$1.6M over the "three-month Christmas period," up 49% from C$1.1M for the year ago period (Vancouver PROVINCE, 2/27).
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