The PGA Tour and LendingTree.com have signed a two-year marketing deal making the company the official mortgage and home lending partner of the PGA Tour and the Champions Tour. It is the first significant sports sponsorship for the company, which will offer consumers PGA Tour-related rewards. The sponsorship will be supported through TV, online and print ads (PGA Tour).
MANU MAY SELL ASSET-BACKED BONDS TO CUT INTEREST PAYMENTS
English Premier League club Manchester United may follow the lead of Arsenal and “sell bonds backed by ticket sales to cut its interest charges.” Deutsche Bank and Royal Bank of Scotland are “looking at ways of raising money” for the club, which “needs to refinance debt because it’s accruing interest as high as 20[%] on loans used by” Owner Malcolm Glazer for his US$1.4B takeover of the team in ’05 (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 1/29).
DIRECTV ANNOUNCES FIRST FIVE DRIVERS FOR NASCAR HOTPASS DEBUT
DirecTV today announced that NASCAR Nextel Cup drivers Dale Earnhardt Jr., Kevin Harvick, Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart and Michael Waltrip will be the first five drivers for the debut of NASCAR HotPass, which will offer five channels per week dedicated to specific drivers during the series’ races. DirecTV also has completed its first national ad campaign for the service, with a spot featuring Earnhardt Jr. to debut just before the Daytona 500 (DirecTV).
LOWE’S MOTOR SPEEDWAY LAUNCHES CAMPAIGN AROUND NEW NICKNAME
Lowe’s Motor Speedway (LMS) has launched a marketing campaign that brands the track as “The Beast of the Southeast.” Officials will use a logo and theme based on the nickname in print and electronic ads, in direct-mail marketing campaigns and on the LMS Web site. The track is also developing a line of “Beast” souvenirs (LMS).
PETE SAMPRAS TO PLAY OUTBACK CHAMPIONS SERIES EVENTS
The Outback Champions Series tomorrow will formally announce that Pete Sampras will play in at least two events in ’07, with the first coming May 2-6 at BostonUniv.’s Agganis Arena. InsideOut Sports & Entertainment co-Founding Partner Jim Courier: “Pete’s got a great connection with tennis fans in this country. People will enjoy seeing Pete really lace it up and go for it with his ‘A’ game” (AP, 1/29).
BARBARO EUTHANIZED FOLLOWING FURTHER COMPLICATIONS
Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro was euthanized today after complications from his breakdown at last year's Preakness. Barbaro suffered from a “series of ailments, including laminitis in the left rear hoof and a recent abscess in the right rear hoof.” Co-Owner Roy Jackson said, “We just reached a point where it was going to be difficult for him to go on without pain. It was the right decision, it was the right thing to do. We said all along if there was a situation where it would become more difficult for him then it would be time” (AP, 1/29).
SBD, SBJ OPEN ANNUAL SUPER BOWL PICK ‘EM CONTEST
With the Colts and Bears set to meet in Miami for Super Bowl XLI on February 4, SportsBusiness Daily's and SportsBusiness Journal's annual Super Bowl pick ‘em contest is open. Test your prognostication skills against those of your fellow subscribers. Those who best predict the game’s outcome will receive an award perhaps second only to the Vince Lombardi Trophy itself -- recognition of your feat in the Morning Buzz, The Daily, the Closing Bell and SportsBusiness Journal! To enter, fill out the fields below, providing your name, company, winning team, score and MVP.
In addition to your Super Bowl picks, we are again asking this year for your choice of which advertiser will win the top spot in USA Today's Ad Meter the Monday following the big game? Enter the winning brand in the field provided.
SBD, SBJ OFFER SPORTS AND POP CULTURE READER SURVEY....
IN or OUT? .... Thunder Sticks (promotional item)? .... SportsBusiness Journal and SportsBusiness Daily want you to weigh in on current SPORTS and POP CULTURE issues.
Please take a minute and GIVE US YOUR SPIN! To access the quick, four-question survey, please click HERE. Then, look for the results in coming issues of THE DAILY and SBJ. View the results from the SBD/SBJ sports and pop culture polling effort from January 15-21.
BUZZER BEATERS….
CBS today approved the third Super Bowl ad submission from GoDaddy.com. The net initially rejected three concepts before approving a revised version of what GoDaddy calls “The Office” (GoDaddy.com).
Alameda County (CA) Superior Court Judge Barbara Miller today issued a preliminary injunction that stops the Univ. of California at Berkeley from building a $125M training center near Memorial Stadium. The project “has been vigorously opposed by neighbors and city officials” (AP, 1/29).
The Mets today announced that advance ticket sales for the ’07 season have surpassed 1.5 million and are 50% ahead of last year’s pace (Mets).
TSN today announced an agreement with ESPN.com that enables Canadian advertisers to purchase Internet exposure exclusively in Canada on the Web site (TSN).
SI.com has unveiled a new look to its homepage that includes a larger pixel screen, more personalization capabilities and a permanent scoreboard feature (SI.com).
ESPN today announced that NASCAR drivers Boris Said and Stacy Compton and radio host Doug Banks will be part of the net’s “NASCAR Now” daily TV news show (ESPN).
QUICK HITS….
“Despite news reports to the contrary, The San Francisco 49ers are not in discussions with the Oakland Raiders concerning the sharing of a new stadium” – Statement today from the 49ers (49ers).
“We’ve got a lot of restaurant operators who are very mad at Nationwide right now” - National Restaurant Association President & CEO Steven Anderson, on the new Nationwide Insurance Super Bowl ad, which depicts Kevin Federline working in a fast food restaurant (“GMA,” ABC, 1/29).
“I’m a big fan of his commercials” – Bears LB Brian Urlacher, on Colts QB Peyton Manning (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 1/28).
“I think those guys owe [Michael] Jordan a little thank-you note” – ABC’s Mike Tirico, on the endorsement success of Cavaliers F LeBron James and golfer Tiger Woods (ABC, 1/28)
“We’ve had discussions with a variety of individuals [from K.C.] but have yet to really hear from an ownership group” – WNBA President Donna Orender, on interest in placing a team in the city (K.C. BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/26 issue).
“I still get the excitement of playing the games, even though I’m not in the lines, ... and the (AFL) has gotten me as close to that level of the NFL as anything has” – Pro Football HOFer and AFL Crush co-Owner John Elway, on life after retiring from the NFL (“OTL,” ESPN, 1/28).
A LIGHTER BUZZ….
Four North Carolina men have created a Web site to petition a national holiday status for the Super Bowl. The goal “is to present 50,000 signatures” to U.S. Rep. Sue Myrick (R-NC) supporting the observance of the holiday on the Monday following the Super Bowl (NEWSDAY, 1/28). As of presstime, 8,041 “yes” votes had been cast.
ARTICLES OF INTEREST….
The Newark STAR-LEDGER’s Jerry Izenberg, one of only four writers to have covered every Super Bowl, writes, “From a simple beginning that grew out of a 100-yard war between rival sets of millionaire club owners, it has morphed into the biggest one-day sports event in the world” (Newark STAR-LEDGER).
Author Dave Zirin writes in an Op/Ed in the L.A. TIMES, “In comparison with other professional sports, the NFL’s progress in diversifying its coaching ranks has been glacial, and the league’s executive suites are all but closed to African Americans” (L.A. TIMES).
The ATLANTA CONSTITUTION’s Furman Bisher writes, “With [Falcons QB] Michael Vick, it seems there can be no peace. Six years have passed, and it seems it’s like waiting for a child to get potty-trained” (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION).
The ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS’ Bernie Lincicome writes, “Hockey will not settle for being a perfectly acceptable little border game, the treasure of a passionate few, and keeps trying to be, instead, a diversion of the bored many” (ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS).
Also:
Why can’t college football institute something like the Rooney Rule?
Report says Super Bowl’s impact on South Floridacould be $400M.
Jackie Robinson relevant 60 years after breaking color barrier.
Q&A with Wild Chair Bob Naegele.
See the Articles of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
DAILY DOWNLOAD….
A group of Bears fans have created a parody of the team’s “Super Bowl Shuffle” theme song from ’85-86. The video, which is called “Da Superfan Shuffle” and can be downloaded on YouTube.com, has its own Web site (THE DAILY).
$TREET WATCH….
The following companies are scheduled to report earnings this week:
See $treet Wrap in Friday’s Closing Bell for highlights of the earnings reports.
IN OTHER NEWS….
TBWA/Chiat/Day, N.Y., which had handled part of Sprint Nextel’s creative account, has declined “an invitation to participate in a review” that began January 3 (N.Y. TIMES, 1/29).
CHANNEL SURF….
Former NFLer Rodney Peete and his wife, Holly Robinson Peete, will appear on “The Oprah Winfrey Show.”
HEADLINERS….
Here are tonight’s headline guests on the following talk shows:
“Late Show”
Will Smith (r)
“The Tonight Show”
Bill Cosby
“Late Night”
Brad Garrett
“The Late Late Show”
Dylan McDermott
“Jimmy Kimmel Live”
David Arquette (r)
DAILY DIGIT….
$86,667 – The reported cost per second for a 30-second ad on CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl XLI.
$85,000 – The cost per minute for an ad on CBS’ coverage of Super Bowl I (AD AGE, 1/29 issue).
NOTES & QUOTES FROM THIS DAY IN SBD HISTORY….
2004 "What do they have to offer? This is a series that can't put together drivers, teams or cars anybody has heard of" – McAlpine & Associates analyst Dennis McAlpine, on the future prospects of CART, after U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Frank Otte accepts a $3.2M cash bid by Open Wheel Racing Series to buy CART and rejects the IRL's $13.5M bid.
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