The NBA has thrived in the land of 1.3 billion for years. Now, it’s looking to cash in by creating its own NBA China division, which is valued at more than $2.5 billion. The company, which has opened two NBA stores, is being managed by CEO Tim Chen and supported from the U.S. by Heidi Ueberroth, the league’s president of global marketing partnerships and international business operations. Both sat down in Beijing with SportsBusiness Journal staff writer Tripp Mickle to talk about the company and its plan.    Read More  >

A member of both the AVP and FIVB pro tours and a three-time Olympian with a gold medal from the 2004 Athens Games, Misty May-Treanor is one of the most successful and recognizable female volleyball players in history. May-Treanor shares her fame, success and some endorsements with partner Kerri Walsh, and the pair have advanced to the semifinals of the Beijing Games. But May-Treanor and her agent, WMG’s Dan Levy, have managed to build a brand and endorsement profile that reflects her individual appeal.    Read More  >

From the moment the Opening Ceremony began in Beijing, some of the most lasting images of the Olympics have been created with the help of sophisticated technology. The NBC production teams have paired their technical prowess with the best athletic performances in the world to showcase the defining moments of the XXIX Olympiad.    Read More  >

Michael Phelps currently earns about $5 million a year.

Maybe, just maybe, with his past Olympic week of medals and records, Michael Phelps has single-handedly changed the nature of swimming. It sure feels that way in Beijing.

Let the Phelps Phrenzy begin. His agent is in full leverage mode. His current sponsors are in activation overdrive.

Let us count the ways that Michaelmania is manifesting itself …
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NBC is averaging a 17.4/30 national rating (30.1 million viewers) through Saturday’s coverage and nine prime-time telecasts, up 10.1 percent from a 15.8/28 (26.2 million viewers) for the same period in Athens.

The 17.4 rating through Saturday marks the best rating through nine prime-time telecasts for a non-U.S. Summer Olympics since a 18.6/35 for the 1992 Barcelona Games. NBC’s numbers were boosted as it earned a 17.6/32 rating and averaged 31.1 million viewers for Saturday night's coverage, which saw Michael Phelps win his record eighth gold medal of the Beijing Games.    Read More  >

NBCOlympics.com through Saturday has generated 628 million page views, which is 12 percent more than the 561 million page views for the combined totals of the 2004 Athens and 2006 Turin Games. In addition, the site has delivered 31.1 million video streams, which is up 188 percent from the 10.8 million combined streams from Athens and Turin, according to the network.    Read More  >

Gold
Michael Phelps
Some in the United States feel like NBC overdid it this week in their focus on Phelps. If the swimmer had fallen short of eight gold medals, they might have been on point. But he didn't. And both NBC and Phelps stand to benefit big time. NBC pulled the largest Olympic audience (31.1 million viewers) on a Saturday night since 1990. And Phelps is poised to see a major spike in his income, followed by a lifetime of commanding significant appearance fees.

Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser

Silver
Puma
"The proud sponsors of the Jamaican Olympic team" just got a whole lot prouder. The company can lay claim to the world's fastest man and fastest woman following the 100-meter victories by Usain Bolt and Shelly-Ann Fraser.

The results have given Puma immediate visibility among its competitors (Nike, Adidas and Li Ning) who spent more sponsoring either BOCOG or a multitude of Olympic teams.

Bronze
Mark Wetmore
The agent at Global Athletics Management had a tough weekend. First, Tyson Gay (Wetmore's stud sprinter) failed to qualify for the finals of the 100-meter dash. Then, Liu Xiang, the Chinese superstar hurdler who Wetmore works with, injured his Achilles and exited the competition. In an endorsement world based in part on performance, both results will hurt for some time to come.

Tin
Swedish wrestler Ara Abrahamian
Yes, this one is obvious and the IOC has already penalized Abrahamian, but it's worth repeating. There's no room in the Olympics or any other sport for someone to publicly toss a medal or trophy just because they're dissatisfied with the result. It denigrates the work of your competitors, belittles those who have organized and sanctioned the competition, and is just plain rude.

Mark Wetmore, president of Global Athletics & Marketing, one of the top track and field talent and meet production shops, has had a tough week in China.

Wetmore represents American sprinter Tyson Gay, a gold-medal contender who failed to get to the finals of the 100 meters during the weekend following an injury-plagued summer. Wetmore also is the agent for Liu Xiang, China’s national sports hero and hurdler who pulled out of the Olympics today with an injury.    Read More  >

Nastia Liukin shows off her all-around gold medal.

Not long after Nastia Liukin won gold in the women’s gymnastics all around, her agent Evan Morgenstein escorted her mother down to see her. As mother and daughter hugged, Nastia’s father, Valeri, spoke to Morgenstein.

“I did what I needed to do,” he said. “Now you do what you need to do.”

Morgenstein, who repeated that story a day later, said he is focused on building Liukin’s brand so that it lasts forever.    Read More  >

McDonald’s is a TOP sponsor. McDonald’s is based in Chicago. Chicago wants the 2016 Olympics. A competition is under way between the Windy City, Tokyo, Madrid and Rio de Janeiro.

What’s an influential sponsor to do in the run-up to next October’s vote in Copenhagen?    Read More  >