Facility Notes
In this week's SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, Terry Lefton reports CAA Sports has won the right to be MSG's "outside sales and marketing agency," as new MSG Sports President Scott O'Neil "continues to reconfigure the sports and entertainment empire." CAA will "help MSG sell much of the new commercial inventory associated with the renovation" of the arena, though O'Neil was "reluctant to reveal specifics, saying that MSG and CAA have just started formulating new marketing inventory." O'Neil added, "I guarantee we won't sell (overall) naming rights, but with existing partners we've spoken more conceptually than 'insert logo here'" (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 4/6 issue).
LOW PRIORITY: The GLOBE & MAIL's David Naylor notes an Ottawa City Council report on "two unsolicited proposals for stadiums -- backed by would-be owners of CFL and MLS franchises, respectively -- gave higher marks to the football bid, but raised the question of whether the city should be engaged in any stadium construction process." The Council members "took a decidedly negative stand on where a new outdoor stadium stood in terms of city priorities." Council member Rainer Bloess: "If you asked me what's the priority ... a stadium or investing in transit? It's investing in transit. Not a stadium" (GLOBE & MAIL, 4/7).
ON TRACK: In Minneapolis, Sid Hartman reported all but $4.5M of the $86M the Univ. of Minnesota was "required to raise" for the construction of TCF Bank Stadium "has been raised." Thirty-two of the stadium's 37 suites "have been sold," and there is a "waiting list of 3,500 for season tickets." Around $40M in academic scholarships also "was raised through the stadium process" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 4/3).
SEXY LADY: Architect Frank Gehry appeared on CNBC’s “Conversations With Michael Eisner,” where host Michael Eisner said Gehry designed the Ducks’ Anaheim Ice training facility when the company owned the team and Eisner was Disney CEO. Eisner said the building is “as much Frank Gehry as any building I’ve seen you build.” Eisner noted the outside of Anaheim Ice looks like “two breasts.” Eisner: “I said to you once, ‘Where do these two breasts come from?’ And you said, ‘Michael, as you know all my work has a sexuality to it’” (“Conversations With Michael Eisner,” CNBC, 4/6).
|
