| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Thursday February 6, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | Sprite, adidas, Cadillac Begin To Roll Out NBA All-Star Campaigns |
| • | Foot Locker Today Releases Q4 And Fiscal Year ’02 Sales Numbers |
| • | World Arena Rugby Federation Today Announces Plans For Inaugural Season |
| • | POWERade Offers Package Design Contest To Leverage NHRA Title Deal |
| • | Arthur Ashe Award Given To Amir Hadad And Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
NBA ALL-STAR WEEKEND ACTIVITIES HEAT UP IN HOTLANTA
The NBA and Avaya today announced a partnership in which Avaya will assist the NBA in the development and implementation of a portable wireless network called “Event-in-a-Box” that the league will utilize during NBA All-Star Weekend. The product will enable instant courtside access to Internet and business applications for NBA staff and journalists (THE DAILY).
Coca-Cola has wrapped the south side of the Coca-Cola Tower with a 25,000 square-foot, 15-story NBA-themed Sprite poster welcoming fans and players to Atlanta (THE DAILY).
Furthermore, Lakers G Kobe Bryant will be featured on 30 outdoor Sprite billboards throughout Atlanta, including at Turner Field and in front of Grady Memorial Hospital. The billboards feature messages promoting NBA All-Star Weekend, such as “Georgia On His Mind” and “All-Stars Are Not Created Equal” (THE DAILY).
adidas’ presence in Atlanta this weekend includes ad displays featuring two different creative executions. Magic G Tracy McGrady is featured in the “T-Mac 2 Wings” campaign around his signature T-Mac All-Star limited edition shoe, while Celtics F Antoine Walker and Bulls G Jay Williams will be paired in the “Toe-to-Toe” campaign for the Polished basketball shoe (THE DAILY).
Cadillac’s “Evolution” ad will run through February in several locations on MARTA’s (Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority) north-south line as “part of the larger All-Star campaign, which will include an All-Star party, street marketing and the installation of more than 140 billboards promoting Cadillac” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 2/1).
FOOT LOCKER REPORTS Q4 AND FY ’02 SALES NUMBERS
Foot Locker, which will report its Q4 ’02 earnings on March 12, today announced that same-store sales declined 0.9% in Q4, while total sales for the quarter rose 4.9% to $1.21B. Foot Locker expects its ‘02 profit to fall within its previous estimate of $1.10-1.12 per share. For the FY ended February 1, total sales increased 4.2% to $4.5B. Comparable store sales for the year increased 0.1%. The company said that sales were “boosted by its strategy of opening stores in under-penetrated markets while closing unproductive stores. The total sales were also helped by strong European and direct-to-customer businesses” (DOW JONES NEWSWIRES, 2/6).
WORLD ARENA RUGBY FEDERATION ANNOUNCES 30-GAME SEASON
The World Arena Rugby Federation (WAR) today announced a six-city, 30-game inaugural regular season, with teams located in Chicago, Dallas, L.A., Denver, San Diego and St. Louis. S.F.-based venture capital firm Tesla Capital is financing the league, which opens its season in June. WAR Commissioner Rodger Bailey handles management and sales out of King of Prussia, PA. Bailey: “This is not some made-up tertiary sport by P.T. Barnum a.k.a., Vince McMahon, backed by $70[M] of hype. This is real and it’s rough and it’s non-stop action” (THE DAILY).
POWERADE LEVERAGING NHRA SPONSORSHIP W/ PACKAGE CONTEST
POWERade is highlighting its NHRA title sponsorship with the introduction of an NHRA-themed flavor and package design. Visitors to the NHRA’s Web site will be able to vote on two potential package designs now through February 24. The design receiving the most votes will be used on product beginning in June. The NHRA opens its season this weekend with the K&N Filters Winternationals in Pomona, CA (THE DAILY).
BUZZER BEATERS
PAINT BOOTH: Each week, various auto racing teams display different paint schemes on their cars to reflect a different sponsor, brand, promotion or special cause. This week, the NASCAR Winston Cup Series visits Daytona Int’l Speedway for Saturday night’s preseason Budweiser Shootout. As part of an associate sponsorship with Roush Racing, Kraft Foods will be the featured sponsor on the No. 6 Ford of Mark Martin, replacing Pfizer, whose logo will appear on the car for the remainder of the season. Meanwhile, Ford will honor its 100th anniversary on the No. 21 Wood Brothers Ford of Ricky Rudd, which is backed by Ford’s Motorcraft division (THE DAILY).
Chris Evert today announced that she has decided to retire as a broadcaster. Evert began as an NBC Sports tennis analyst during Wimbledon in ’90 (THE DAILY).
REUTERS reports that the ATP today awarded the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian Award to Israel’s Amir Hadad and Pakistan’s Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi for their on-court tennis partnership (REUTERS, 2/6).
The Expos announced that the club renewed its lease with Olympic Stadium for the ’03 season, where it is scheduled to play 59 of its 81 home games. The remaining home games will be played in Hiram Bithorn Stadium in San Juan, Puerto Rico (THE DAILY).
Manchester United MF David Beckham was “urged to boycott the adidas football boots he wears because the firm uses kangaroo skin” (London MIRROR, 2/5).
Ping today announced that five golfers representing the PGA Tour, European PGA Tour and LPGA Tour – Anders Hansen, Louis Oosthuizen, Mark Wilson, Dorothy Delasin and Paula Marti – will join the Ping worldwide Tour staff this month. All five will play Ping equipment, carry the Ping Tour bag and wear the company’s headgear (THE DAILY).
Greenville, SC-based Matrix Sports Management today announced an agreement to manage the public relations functions for NASCAR Busch Grand Nationals driver Mike Bliss, who drives Joe Gibbs Racing’s No. 20 Rockwell Automation Chevrolet (THE DAILY).
Racing Champions Ertl today announced that it has entered into licensing agreements with Honda/Acura, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Toyota, and is now delivering die-cast replicas of the cars to the marketplace (THE DAILY).
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
The Atlanta Sports Council hosts the third annual Horizon Awards from 5:30-10:30pm ET at the Sheraton Atlanta Hotel. Presenters include former ACOG CEO Billy Payne, Redskins CB Champ Bailey and Sparks C Lisa Leslie (THE DAILY).
CHANNEL SURFING
Skateboarder Mike Vallely and freestyle BMX rider TJ Lavin will be on FSN’s “54321” at 5:00pm ET.
ESPN will air “Sports Reporters II” at 7:30pm ET.
ESPN will air Avalanche-Red Wings at 8:00pm ET.
ESPN2 will air NCAA men’s basketball, NC State-Wake Forest at 7:00pm ET, and Virginia-Maryland at 9:00pm ET. Univ. of IL coach Bill Self will be a special studio analyst.
ESPN Classic’s “SportsCentury” will profile Arthur Ashe at 8:00pm ET.
NBA Commissioner David Stern, Eagles DE Hugh Douglas, former MLBer Mitch Williams and rapper LL Cool J are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”
TNT’s “Listen Up!” will air live from the NBA All-Star Jam Session in Atlanta at 7:00pm ET.
TNT will air Lakers-Knicks at 7:30pm ET and Spurs-Nuggets at 10:00pm ET.
A&E’s “Biography” will profile Rock Hudson at 8:00pm ET.
E!’s “True Hollywood Story” will profile Richard Pryor at 8:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
| “Late Show” | Stupid Pet Tricks |
| “The Tonight Show” | Dr. Phil McGraw |
| “The Late Late Show” | Gabrielle Union |
| “Late Night” | Matthew McConaughey |
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
The Toronto GLOBE & MAIL’s Michael Grange writes, “Corporate marriages between sports and media companies have always had a seductive air about them, but like other relationships, both parties can lose passion as the years pass. A reported ownership shuffle that would put a share of [MLSE] in the same financial family as CTV, TSN, and The Globe and Mail is the latest in a string of sales, mergers and takeovers that have been driven by the desire to vertically integrate teams, buildings and broadcasters. But the latest may be too late” (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL).
The L.A. TIMES’ Norah Vincent writes, “If you want to understand why nontraditional, independent women like me who were raised as beneficiaries of the women's movement are today eschewing the F word – ‘feminism’ – you need look no further than Title IX and the fracas now surrounding it. … Male athletes deserve a fair shake on Title IX, and any feminist worth her heritage should see that they get it” (L.A. TIMES).
The ST. PETERSBURG TIMES’ Dave Gussow writes, “America Online lost its way because it forgot the basics that made it the biggest online service.” AOL Vice Chair Ted Leonsis: “We stopped listening to Main Street. We listened too much to Wall Street” (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES).
See The Daily Insider’s Articles Of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
TODAY’S TEASER…
Sports Business: Fujifilm yesterday announced that it will be an Official Partner of FIFA World Cup 2006, extending a partnership that began in 1982. Which of the following has been a FIFA World Cup Partner longer than Fujifilm?
- Budweiser
- Gillette
- McDonald’s
- Philips
IN OTHER NEWS…
The CHICAGO SUN-TIMES reports that actor Rick Schroder will make his “feature directorial debut helming ‘Black Cloud,’ a tale about a Native American Golden Gloves boxer from a reservation who makes it all the way to the Olympics” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 2/6).
THE DAILY STAT: BILLBOARD CHARTS
The N.Y. POST reports that the Dixie Chicks, “boosted by their star-spangled Super Bowl appearance … returned to the top of the album sales charts this week.” Also, a primetime appearance at the Super Bowl helped Shania Twain move into the top ten this week (N.Y. POST, 2/6).
The following lists Billboard Magazine’s top-selling CDs for the week ending January 30 (BILLBOARD.com, 2/6):
| RK | ALBUM | ARTIST | LABEL |
| 1) | Home | Dixie Chicks | Monument/Columbia |
| 2) | Come Away With Me | Norah Jones | Blue Note |
| 3) | Mary Star Of The Sea | Zwan | Martha's Music/Reprise |
| 4) | Let Go | Avril Lavigne | Arista |
| 5) | This Is Me…Then | Jennifer Lopez | Epic |
| 6) | Chicago | Soundtrack | Epic |
| 7) | Cocky | Kid Rock | Lava/Atlantic |
| 8) | Up! | Shania Twain | Mercury |
| 9) | Under Construction | Missy "Misdemeanor" Elliott | The Gold Mind/Elektra |
| 10) | 8 Mile | Soundtrack | Shady |
…TODAY’S ANSWER
Gillette has been a FIFA World Cup partner since 1970.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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