Closing Bell, July 7, 2006

UPS INKS DEAL WITH MICHAEL WALTRIP RACING TO SPONSOR DALE JARRETT

UPS Following Jarrett To MWR

UPS today announced it has signed a two-year deal with Michael Waltrip Racing (MWR) to sponsor NASCAR Nextel Cup driver Dale Jarrett in a Toyota Camry for the ’07 and ’08 seasons.  Jarrett earlier this year agreed to move to MWR beginning with the ’07 Daytona 500.  UPS will continue its sponsorship of Jarrett and Robert Yates Racing through the ’06 season (UPS).

Meanwhile, Lenox, which is an associate sponsor of Roush Racing’s No. 26 NASCAR Nextel Cup Ford driven by Jamie McMurray, has agreed to serve as the primary sponsor of McMurray’s car for three races this season, starting with Sunday’s USG Sheetrock 400 (AUTORACING1.com, 7/6).

BOSTON TO SHOW FIFA WORLD CUP FINAL AT CITY HALL PLAZA

Boston Mayor Thomas Menino, joined by U.S. men’s national soccer team and MLS Revolution F Clint Dempsey, announced yesterday that the city will set up a big-screen TV at City Hall Plaza for Sunday’s 2:00pm ET FIFA World Cup final between France and Italy.  Fans will be able to take part in soccer activities and meet “Revolution coaches and players, Patriots cheerleaders, and the teams’ mascots.”  Menino is Boston’s first Italian-American mayor (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/7).

Meanwhile, Rogers Communications and adidas Canada will host a day-long soccer celebration at Rogers Centre, with live coverage of the final on the venue’s video board.  adidas Canada President Jim Gabel: “We’re trying to get people to experience soccer at a different level” (TORONTO STAR, 5/26).

SONY ERICSSON WTA TOUR SIGNS FOUR-YEAR EXTENSION OF TV DEAL

The Sony Ericsson WTA Tour, Eurosport and Regency Enterprises today announced a four-year extension of their int’l TV rights agreement.  The parties call the deal, which covers the Tour’s ten Tier 1 and fifteen Tier II events, as well as the Sony Ericsson Championships, the largest in the history of women’s tennis.  The tournaments will air across Eurosport’s 54 country Pan-European platform (Sony Ericsson WTA Tour).

49ERS BEGIN SELLING SEASON TICKETS VIA DIRECT MAIL

The 49ers have begun selling season tickets using Valpak, a form of direct mail.  49ers VP/Marketing & Sales David Peart, who said that the team does not discuss its renewal rate, added that it is “better than last year,” which came in at 90%.  He also said that the team is “projecting more new season-ticket sales than last year’s 4,000.”  Peart: “After we finish our selling season we’re confident that we will be sold out” (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/7).

“ONCE IN A LIFETIME,” DOCUMENTARY ON NASL COSMOS, OPENS TONIGHT

Miramax’ “Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos,” directed by Paul Crowder and John Dower, opens tonight in N.Y.  Closing Bell offers a sampling of reviews of the documentary:

The N.Y. TIMES’ Jeannette Catsoulis writes, “Fielding heroes and villains, gentlemen and rogues, booze and women, it plays like the ‘Dynasty’ of sports documentaries.  There’s even a little soccer” (N.Y. TIMES, 7/7).

NEWSDAY’s Stephen Williams writes the film “focuses on the players – on the field and off – that made the Cosmos such a super, if short-lived team … and one that was doomed even as it achieved success” (NEWSDAY, 7/7).

The N.Y. DAILY NEWS’ Jack Mathews writes the film “performs a belated autopsy on the Cosmos and the North American Soccer League and basically concludes that they died of impatience.” The team’s backers “knew that pro soccer’s future in the U.S. depended on a network TV contract, and moved too quickly to secure it” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/7).

BUZZER BEATERS….

The winning team at the FIFA World Cup will receive $19.9M, with the second-place team receiving $18.25M.  The third- and fourth-place teams will each receive $17.5M (AP, 7/6).

Madrid, which last year finished third in bidding to host the 2012 Olympics, announced that it will bid for the 2016 Games (BBC.co.uk, 7/7).

USA Basketball today announced that the men’s national team will train and play two exhibition games in Guangzhou, China, from August 6-8, as part of the ’06 China Basketball Challenge.  The U.S. team will play China and Brazil (USA Basketball).

Despite MLB reportedly reaching out to Yankees 3B Alex Rodriguez’ agent, Scott Boras, “to prod his client” into participating in the All-Star Home Run Derby, Rodriguez decided not to do so due to a nagging right groin injury (N.Y. POST, 7/7).

Bank of America today launched the MLB Extra Bases credit card, which allows customers to “redeem their rewards points for World Series tickets or the opportunity to throw the ceremonial first pitch” at an MLB game (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/7).

Broncos P Todd Sauerbrun, who was implicated in a steroid scandal while with the Panthers, reportedly has tested positive for ephedra and will be suspended for the “first four regular-season games, if appeals don’t cause a delay” (DENVER POST, 7/7).

QUICK HITS....

“You have to wonder what Champ Car was thinking.  It’s no secret that’s the day of the World Cup final and Wimbledon” - Global TV VP/Programming Adam Ivers, on the scheduling of Sunday’s Molson Grand Prix of Toronto.  CBS and Global will air the race at 12:30pm ET, just after the Wimbledon men’s final and overlapping with the FIFA World Cup final (TORONTO STAR, 7/6).

“It’s going to be hard to get a U.S. Open crowd to stay quiet that long” – NBC’s Ted Robinson, on the time Rafael Nadal was taking between his service points today in his Wimbledon semifinal match against Marcos Baghdatis (NBC, 7/7).

“I’m against switching.  I think we need to keep to classic sport” - Swimming Canada CEO Pierre Lafontaine, on NBC’s request to the Int’l Swimming Federation and the IOC to move the ’08 Beijing Games swimming finals to the morning to coincide with U.S. TV’s prime time (Toronto GLOBE & MAIL, 7/7).

ARTICLES OF INTEREST….

The LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL’s Richard Eng writes, “If the horse racing business can’t win any battles by itself, it needs to find and create allies who can help” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL).

The MIAMI HERALD’s Linda Robertson writes, “The cheaters are winning – and not just the war on drugs.  The lack of ethical behavior by players in the [FIFA] World Cup has sullied this summer’s spectacle” (MIAMI HERALD).

The INDIANAPOLIS STAR’s Bob Kravitz writes of a potential IRL-Champ Car merger, “If open-wheel racing is sucking NASCAR’s fumes now, imagine where this sport will be if this latest merger talk turns out to be a lot of hot air” (INDIANAPOLIS STAR).

Also:

• Research links nations’ World Cup, stock market performances.
• Columnist glad certain MLBers will not be playing in All-Star Game.
• New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE editorial bids farewell to Hornets F P.J. Brown.
• Siena College men’s basketball player facing complex scholarship conflict

See the Articles of Interest section for more sports business-related links.

WEEKEND EVENTS….

SATURDAY

Steelers QB Charlie Batch and Sean Gibson, the grandson of Negro League baseball player Josh Gibson, will host a celebrity softball tournament “to raise money for a $2[M] upgrade to West Field, the historic home” of the Negro League Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords (Pittsburgh TRIBUNE-REVIEW, 6/29).

Raptors President Bryan Colangelo and Reebok Senior Dir of Grassroots Basketball Sonny Vaccaro will be guests on Sports Business Radio, which can be heard on the Sports Byline Broadcast Network or Sirius Satellite Radio channel 122 at 3:00pm ET.

SUNDAY

The Indians at their game against the Orioles will give away a bobblearm doll, featuring Indians fan John Adams, who has been a drummer at the team’s games since ‘74.  Adams will also throw out the first pitch.

MLB Properties and its MLB Authentic Collection music-marketing program, along with Bud Light, will host “Access To The Show,” the first official MLB All-Star Game concert, at the Chevy Amphitheatre at Station Square in Pittsburgh.

$TREET WRAP….

The following companies reported earnings this week:

CHANNEL SURF….

SATURDAY

GSN will air special “What’s My Line” episodes featuring appearances by HOF players and managers starting at 9:00am ET.  The show’s guests include Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio, Jackie Robinson and Willie Mays.

Lakers Exec VP/Business Operations Jeanie Buss will appear on FSN Prime Ticket’s “In My Own Words” at 12:30am ET.

SUNDAY

Actor Will Ferrell will take part in the “Wally’s World” segment, which involves TNT race analyst and former driver Wally Dallenbach taking celebrities for a ride-along in a NASCAR Nextel Cup car, as part of TNT’s pre-race coverage of the USG Sheetrock 400 at 3:00pm ET.

ESPN will air “Portraits of Courage: Best of the ESPYS Ashe Award” at 5:00pm ET.

Yankees SS Derek Jeter will be profiled on CBS’ “60 Minutes” at 7:00pm ET.

CLOSING STAT: WIMBLEDON FAN DEMOS

The following presents Scarborough Research data detailing Wimbledon fan demos, indexed to the U.S. population.  For instance, Wimbledon fans are 13% more likely to be male than the U.S. population as a whole.  In this case, fans are those respondents who watched Wimbledon on TV in the past 12 months.  Data was taken from August ’04 through September ’05 (Scarborough Research).

NOTES & QUOTES FROM THIS DAY IN SBD HISTORY….

2003
Lakers G Kobe Bryant is arrested on suspicion of felony sexual assault at a resort hotel near Vail, Colorado.  In March ’05, Bryant and his accuser would reach an out-of-court settlement of a civil suit stemming from the incident.

2000
Rams Minority Owner Stan Kroenke completes a $404M purchase of the Nuggets, Avalanche and the Pepsi Center from Liberty Media.

1998
The Vikings’ exec board chooses San Antonio business exec Red McCombs’ $205M offer to buy the team over three other bids.  McCombs: “I will continue in every effort to see that San Antonio gets a team.  But that has nothing to do with the Minnesota Vikings.”  In May ’05, NFL owners would approve McCombs’ sale of the team to New Jersey-based real estate exec Zygi Wilf for $600M.

If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

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