| | The Daily Insider
Afternoon News & Headlines
Monday, December 15, 2003
4:00pm ET | |
| |
| • | 24 Hour Fitness To Activate Six-Year USOC Sponsorship Early Next Year |
| • | MLB Advanced Media Selects GSI Commerce To Operate MLB.com Store |
| • | Coyotes To Play Final Game At America West Arena Tonight Against Wild |
| • | Lions President Matt Millen Today Apologizes For Using Homosexual Slur |
| • | Falcons Today Hire Buccaneers GM Rich McKay As Club’s President & GM |
| • | Buzzer Beaters/Tonight’s Events/Channel Surfing/In Other News/The Daily Stat |
24 HOUR FITNESS TO PARTICIPATE IN USOC’S JOB PROGRAM
BRANDWEEKreports that California-based 24 Hour Fitness “willbegin activation of its new six-year [USOC] sponsorship early next year, a corepiece” of its estimated $50M marketing spend in ‘04. The company will participate in the USOC’s Olympic JobOpportunities Program, and will use “some of those athletes as spokespersons ina TV, print and direct mail campaign set for late spring. The ads will focus on the inspirationalaspects of the Olympics and exercise,” with the likely tag: “24 Hour Fitness:Where Olympians Train” (BRANDWEEK,12/15 issue).
24Hour Fitness today announced that is has retained IMG Consulting to assist withexisting and new sponsorship marketing investments as well as corporatealliances, cross promotions and brand integration in entertainment programming(24 Hour Fitness).
MLBAM SELECTS GSI COMMERCE TO OPERATE MLB.COM STORE
MLBAdvanced Media today announced that it has selected GSI Commerce as its newoutsource provider to operate the e-commerce store located at MLB.com and the30 official MLB club Web sites. GSIwill provide e-commerce technology, fulfillment and customer service, whileMLBAM will continue to provide merchandising and marketing for MLB.com (MLBAM).
COYOTES TO PLAY FINAL GAME AT AMERICA WEST ARENA TONIGHT
TheCoyotes host the Wild tonight at 7:00pm MT, the team’s 300th andfinal game at America West Arena. Aftertonight’s game, the team embarks on a four-game road trip before opening the17,799-seat Glendale Arena on December 27 against the Predators (THE DAILY).
TheARIZONA REPUBLIC reports that an “estimated 12,000 fans tolerated long lines” to attend an open houseat Glendale Arena yesterday and “take a quick gander at practice before beingshuttled out the doors to make room for others to be let in. Some fans weren’t happy about the shortexperience, but it was necessary due to fire code laws. Most of the fans appeared to take it instride” (ARIZONAREPUBLIC, 12/15).
AS MANY AS 20,000 EAGLES FANS EXPECTED TONIGHT AT PRO PLAYER
TheDolphins host the Eagles tonight on ABC’s “MNF” at 9:00pm ET, and thePHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS reports that while there is no official estimate, “media reportshave suggested as many as 20,000 Eagles fans could be” at Pro Player Stadium. Dolphins coach Dave Wannstedtrecently said that it is “not an unusual scenario in a region where many of theresidents hail from the Northeast and where many Northeasterners like to travelin winter” (PHILADELPHIADAILY NEWS, 12/15).
MILLEN APOLOGIZES FOR CALLING JOHNNIE MORTON A “FAGGOT”
TheAP reports that Lions President Matt Millen today apologized for using aderogatory term for homosexuals in an exchange with Chiefs WR Johnnie Morton. Millen: “Unfortunately, I retaliated with aderogatory term directed toward Johnnie. I apologize if I offended anyone. It was certainly not meant to do anything other than express my frustrationand disappointment” (AP, 12/15).
TheK.C. STAR reports that Millen was overheard yelling at Morton after yesterday’sgame, “You faggot! Yeah, you heardme. You faggot!” (K.C.STAR, 12/15).
BUZZER BEATERS
TheFalcons today hired Buccaneers GM Rich McKay as the club’s President& GM. McKay, who will report toFalcons Owner Arthur Blank, joins the Falcons immediately and willassume responsibility for all football and other operational areas (Falcons).
TheAP reports that all ITF-rechecked drug tests from the U.S. Open and Davis Cup“came back clean for the steroid THG.” Samples taken both in-competition and out-of-competition were checked (AP, 12/15).
TheORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL reports that the Capital One Bowl set a single-weekrecord last week, as “more than 6,300 tickets were sold during the five-dayperiod.” The Univ. of Georgiaand Purdue Univ. will compete in the January 1 game at the Florida Citrus Bowl(BIZJOURNALS.com,12/15).
BUFFALOBUSINESS FIRST reports that an investigation of New Era Cap by the U.S. Department ofLabor “has resulted in a settlement by the manufacturer to pay $124,509 to 596workers.” Employees at the Buffalo andDerby plants “were not properly compensated for overtime for a two-year periodfrom April 2001 through April 2003” (BIZJOURNALS.com,12/15).
TONIGHT’S EVENTS
GiantsLB Michael Barrow and his wife Shelley will host the secondannual NY/NJ Sports Celebrity Carnival at MSG, beginning at 6:00pm ET. More than 1,000 children will attend theevent, which includes interactive games, magicians and an appearance by SantaClaus. Others scheduled to attendinclude Knicks Gs Allan Houston and Charlie Ward, Jets QB ChadPennington, Jets WR Santana Moss, Jets RB Curtis Martin,Giants DE Michael Strahan, Giants RB Tiki Barber and Nets coach ByronScott.
Celticsradio analyst Cedric Maxwell will have his No. 31 raised to theFleetCenter rafters at halftime of the team’s 7:00pm ET game against theTimberwolves.
NikeJordan brand, Wieden & Kennedy, N.Y., Anonymous Content, Mackenzie-Cutlerand director Brett Morgan will host a 7:30pm ET screening of “Roy JonesJr.: The Sweet Science” at the Tribeca Film Center in N.Y.
McDonald’sRestaurants in select Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware counties beginselling 76ers G Allen Iverson collectible banks for $6.99 with anypurchase.
CHANNEL SURFING
NBATV will air Cavaliers-Pacers at7:00pm ET.
ESPN2will air the PBA Dexter Tournament ofChampions at 7:30pm ET.
ESPNClassic’s “SportsCentury” will profile TerryBradshaw at 8:00pm ET.
TheGolf Channel will air “Best of GreyGoose 19th Hole” at 8:00pm ET.
Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban will appear on CNBC’s “Leaders with David Faber”at 8:00pm ET.
Yankees manager Joe Torre will appear on Fox News' "The O'Reilly Factor" at8:00pm ET.
ProFootball HOFer Eric Dickerson, Strahan and actors Tracy Morgan and Billy Connolly are scheduled to appear on FSN’s “BDSSP.”
ABCwill air Eagles-Dolphins at 9:00pmET.
Frank Gifford will be on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.”
A&E’s“Biography” will profile MatthewBroderick at 8:00pm ET.
E!’s“True Hollywood Story” will profile HeatherHills McCartney at 8:00pm ET.
HEADLINERS
Here are tonight’s headline guests on thefollowing talk shows:
| “Late Show” | Liv Tyler |
| “The Tonight Show” | Ewan McGregor |
| “The Late Late Show” | Tom Green |
| “Late Night” | Charlie Sheen (r) |
| “Jimmy Kimmel Live” | Tracy Morgan |
TODAY’S ARTICLES OF INTEREST
TheDALLAS MORNING NEWS’ Kevin Blackistone writes in the seventh of a ten-partseries on collegeathletics, “Colleges are spending hundreds of millions of dollars to buildpractice facilities, expand stadiums and improve all types of buildings thatmake up their sports complexes. … The good news: Most of the building boom isbeing funded by private donations raised by athletic departments. The bad news: In many cases, the buildingboom is being funded by private donations that very well could have been tappedby academic departments” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS).
TheAP’s Jim Litke writes, “After beating the feds not once, but twice, andmanhandling just about everybody else who ever came after him in a courtroom, DonKing finally lost a big one. Thisweek, he agreed to settle a lawsuit against him by former middleweight champ TerryNorris for $7.5[M]. All of asudden, like all those aging fighters whose pockets he supposedly picked overthe years, Kinglooks vulnerable, easier to hit” (AP).
TheN.Y. TIMES’ Harvey Araton writes of the Edgewater-Lincoln highschool basketball game on ESPN, “It’s the wave across America, from collegeathletic departments to the suburban soccer club. It’s the execution of adult agendas loosely disguised as thepromotion of the young. In the case ofthe national TV game, it’s the hunt for basketball’s next Joe Multimillionaire,in synergistic partnership with the corporations, the coaches and the assortedclimbers. In the process, another levelof the education is left wide open to the distortion of its purpose” (N.Y.TIMES).
TheSAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE’s Tom Cushman writes of the Chicago Tribune’s coverageof the WrigleyPremium Ticket Services verdict, “The Tribune’s apparentattempt to brush the gist of the story under its regal rugs ignores a messagedelivered by a Cubs representative during the trial – that they hope towithstand the initial PR hit and eventually extend their brokering business toother Chicago teams” (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE).
- Interview with Browns Owner Randy Lerner on his first season at the helm.
- N.Y. TIMES editorial observes that team owners are apologizing a lot lately.
- Profile of sports satire Web site SportsPickle.com and its author D.J. Gallo.
- Vancouver unveiling facility additions and improvements for 2010 Olympics.
SeeThe Daily Insider’s Articles ofInterest section for more sports business-related links.
TODAY’S TEASER…
Sports: The world basketballattendance record was set Saturday at Ford Field, where 78,129 fans watchedKentucky defeat Michigan State. Whatwas the previous record for an NCAA basketball game?
- 48,112
- 58,112
- 68,112
- 78,112
IN OTHER NEWS…
BROADCASTING& CABLE reports that EchoStar CEO CharlieErgen “is taking aim at Turner Broadcasting System, threatening to pullsuch channels as CNN, Cartoon Network and Turner Classic Movies off his DishNetwork at the end of the year, if Turner does not moderate its license-feedemands.” Dish’s carriage contracts forseveral Turner nets expire December 31. Deals for Turner’s biggest networks, TNT and TBS, “are said to beunaffected” (BROADCASTING& CABLE, 12/15).
TheDALLAS BUSINESS JOURNAL reports that Pier 1 Imports has named ThomFilicia, one of the Fab Five on Bravo’s “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,”as its new spokesperson. The move marksthe end of the company’s relationship with Kirstie Alley. Pier 1 ad agency, Campbell-Ewald, Detroit,is “developing the 2004 marketing campaign, which will feature Filicia inbroadcast and print media, as well as other marketing initiatives” (BIZJOURNALS.com,12/15).
THE DAILY STAT: N.Y. TIMES BESTSELLING NONFICTION
Thefollowing presents best selling nonfiction books for the week ending December14 (NYTIMES.com, 12/15):
| THIS WEEK | HARDCOVER NONFICTION |
| 1) | WHO'S LOOKING OUT FOR YOU?, Bill O'Reilly (Broadway) |
| 2) | FLYBOYS, James Bradley (Little, Brown) |
| 3) | DUDE, WHERE'S MY COUNTRY?, Michael Moore (Warner) |
| 4) | LIES (AND THE LYING LIARS WHO TELL THEM), Al Franken (Dutton) |
| 5) | A NATIONAL PARTY NO MORE, Zell Miller (Stroud & Hall) |
| 6) | AMERICA 24/7, created by Rick Smolan & David Elliot Cohen (DK Publishing) |
| 7) | FRANKLIN AND WINSTON, Jon Meacham (Random House) |
| 8) | LT: OVER THE EDGE, Lawrence Taylor with Steve Serby (HarperCollins) |
| 9) | BENJAMIN FRANKLIN, Walter Isaacson (Simon & Schuster) |
| 10) | A SHORT HISTORY OF NEARLY EVERYTHING, Bill Bryson (Broadway) |
…TODAY’S ANSWER
The record was 68,112, set during a 1990Notre Dame-LSU game at the Superdome.
If you have any questions,comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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