| • | Don Garber Formally Announces MLS Expansion Team For Portland |
| • | Roy Jones Jr. Promoting PPV Card With Both Boxing And MMA Bouts |
| • | Nike Outlines Plans For Corporate Restructuring |
| • | Bristol Motor Speedway’s Streak Of Soldout Races In Danger |
DON GARBER FORMALLY ANNOUNCES MLS EXPANSION TEAM FOR PORTLAND
 |
Garber (c), Paulson (r) Announcing
Expansion Franchise For Portland |
MLS Commissioner
Don Garber Friday formally announced an expansion franchise for
Portland, Oregon, that will begin play in ’11. Season tickets went on sale today at portlandmls2011.com (
THE DAILY). Team Owner
Merritt Paulson told the crowd that “the team would be called the Portland Timbers” (
PORTLANDTRIBUNE.com, 3/20). During the press conference, Garber acknowledged the large crowd in attendance when he addressed U.S. Soccer Federation President
Sunil Gulati, who was sitting in the crowd, and said, “I think we made the right decision as evidenced by what’s going on today” (
FSN Northwest, 3/20).
Garber said of the addition of an MLS team in Portland, “To think about what we’re going to have in the Pacific Northwest, this will drive the further growth, the excitement and the passion of the sport in this country.” Paulson: “The potential for the Pacific Northwest to be the center of soccer in North America, between Portland, Seattle and Vancouver, is indeed an extremely special opportunity for this region.”
In a lighter moment, Garber was greeted with chants of “Don Garber!! Don Garber!!” from fans following his introduction to open the press conference. Garber responded, “Okay, okay. Remember that when we fine or suspend any of your players” (FSN Northwest, 3/20).
ROY JONES JR. HEADLINING MIXED MMA-BOXING PPV CARD IN PENSACOLA
Roy Jones Jr. and his Square Ring Promotions on Saturday will promote a PPV card that combines MMA and boxing at Pensacola Civic Center. Several MMA matches and a boxing bout will lead up to a Jones-Omar Sheika main event. Jones said of being the first major promoter to combine the two sports on the same card, “I just wanted to close the gap. I respect all types of fighting” (USA TODAY, 3/20).
The N.Y. DAILY NEWS’ Tim Smith writes the mixed card “is a marriage that is doomed from the start. … The two sports are completely different. And the fans are completely different because they have different expectations of what their sport is supposed to deliver” (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/20). But Jones counters fans are “getting the best of both worlds. … You’ve got boxing to make it last a little while, and you’ve got MMA to bring the excitement” (PENSACOLA NEWS JOURNAL, 3/20).
NIKE OUTLINES PLANS FOR CORPORATE RESTRUCTURING
Nike Friday outlined plans to “reorganize its namesake brand, part of a broader corporate restructuring that may include the elimination” of up to 4% of its work force, which would “reduce layers of management and focus the Nike brand into six regions instead of four” (AP, 3/20). Sterne Agee & Leach analyst Sam Poser said that the plan to “zero in on specific regions such as China is a good one, and will let the company more accurately tailor its business” (CNNMONEY.com, 3/20).
BRISTOL MOTOR SPEEDWAY’S STREAK OF SOLDOUT RACES IN DANGER
Despite tickets still being available for Sunday’s NASCAR Sprint Cup Food City 500 at Bristol Motor Speedway, track President & GM Jeff Byrd said that ticket sales had increased and that he expected to sell out the race. Byrd: “I anticipate putting up those soldout signs for the 54th straight Cup race at Bristol sometime (Friday) afternoon or early Saturday morning” (“NASCAR Now,” ESPN2, 3/19).
Meanwhile, Globalstar subsidiary SPOT, which specializes in personal satellite messaging and emergency communications, will sponsor Robby Gordon Motorsports’ No. 7 Toyota driven by Robby Gordon for Sunday’s race (SPOT).
FIA PREPARED TO DEFER CONTROVERSIAL RULE CHANGES TO 2010
The FIA Friday said that it was “prepared to defer to 2010 a controversial new system awarding the drivers’ championship to whoever wins most races.” The FIA released a statement that read in part, “If, for any reason, the Formula One teams do not now agree with the new system, its implementation will be deferred until 2010” (REUTERS, 3/20). F1 driver Lewis Hamilton, who opposes the FIA’s new rule, said, “It’s hard to believe that these recent decisions will improve things for the trackside spectators and TV viewers” (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 3/20).
SEPP BLATTER SAYS FIFA TO CONTINUE WITH 6+5 PROPOSAL
FIFA President Sepp Blatter after meeting with the organization’s Exec Committee Friday said that FIFA would “press ahead with plans to increase the number of home-grown players” on soccer clubs after a Institute for European Affairs study last month said that the “idea was compatible with European law.”
Blatter also addressed the organization’s concern over WADA’s “strict whereabouts rule” that requires athletes to inform anti-doping officials of their location for an hour every day. Blatter: “It is not a question of not fighting doping, but one should not go in for witch-hunting as this has never had a good outcome” (REUTERS, 3/20).
NESN PLANS TO RE-INTRODUCE RED SOX PREGAME SHOW ON OPENING DAY
NESN Friday announced it will re-introduce on Opening Day its Red Sox pregame show, “Red Sox Game Day Live.” The show will offer expanded access to the team, as well as updated graphics and several new features: The Monday Conversation, Just a Bit Outside (off-the-field player profiles), Opposite Field (opposing team insights) and Face the Nation (Red Sox execs answering questions) (NESN). NESN Exec Producer & Exec VP/Programming Joel Feld: “It’s about the Red Sox and NESN working even more closely than we have in the past to deliver deeper access to the team” (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/20).
BUZZER BEATERS….
 |
ASC Wants To Host A Georgia-
Florida Game At Georgia Dome |
The Atlanta Sports Council is “in discussions” with the
Univ. of Georgia “about trying to bring the Georgia-Florida football game to the Georgia Dome periodically.” The ASC wants to host “at least one of the four years in an upcoming new contract between the schools” (
AJC.com, 3/20).
The Barber Motorsports Park on Saturday will begin hosting a three-day IndyCar Series test that is “an audition of sorts for the track,” which is hoping to secure a spot on the IRL schedule in ’10 (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 3/20).
QUICK HITS….
“Congress screwed it up, and it sure would be nice to have somebody stand up and say, ‘You know what? I screwed up and supported sending tax dollars to a company to bail them out and didn’t put more stipulations in there’” – NASCAR driver Jeff Burton, on AIG paying bonuses (AP, 3/20).
“There is no racing today. It’s a fraud, and that’s why they lose fans. That’s why people could care less about it” – Former Richard Childress Racing official Lou LaRosa, on the current state of NASCAR (SCENEDAILY.com, 3/20).
“We’re trying to make the profile of players as high as possible, and have some fun and be creative at the same time. But it’s primarily what goes on on the ice” – Blackhawks President John McDonough, on his team leading the NHL in attendance (“NHL Live,” NHL Network, 3/19).
THE DAILY'S HOT READS….
The COLUMBUS DISPATCH’s Shawn Mitchell writes of Crew Stadium, the first major-league stadium built primarily for soccer in ‘99, “It’s not a stretch to say Major League Soccer might not exist today if not for the construction of Crew Stadium” (COLUMBUS DISPATCH).
NASCAR.com’s David Caraviello writes despite the recession, NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. “remains a one-man economic powerhouse, a figure who by his very association can lift share prices of a company’s stock more than two points or sell nearly 9,000 race tickets in two days” (NASCAR.com).
Also:
See the Articles of Interest section for more sports business-related links.
WEEKEND EVENTS….
SATURDAY
Florida State Univ. College of Law’s Entertainment, Arts & Sports Law Society will host its 6th Annual Conference on the school’s campus.
The U.S. WBC team will host players from the newly formed Compton Little League and the Venice Boys & Girls Clubs/Urban Youth Academy Junior RBI programs at MLB's Urban Youth Academy in Compton, California.
Redskins DT Albert Haynesworth will co-host Survivor Tampa Bay, a fundraiser for the Crisis Center of Tampa Bay at a private residence in Lutz, Florida. Tickets for the event are $100 ($150 for couples).
Bristol Motor Speedway will host the inaugural Scotts Saturday Night Special, a charity event where teams of celebrities and NASCAR legends will partner to compete in a 50-lap race. NASCAR legends participating in the event include Junior Johnson, Harry Gant, Cale Yarborough, Jimmy Spencer and Rusty Wallace.
DAILY DOWNLOAD….
Pistons G Richard Hamilton appears in this Funny or Die production trying to buy alternative masks on the black market.
$TREET WRAP….
The following companies reported earnings this week:
| COMPANY | HIGHLIGHT |
| Nike | Q3 profit declines 47% to $243.8M, or $0.50 per share, as the company takes a $240.7M "writedown in the value of its investment in British soccer-gear maker Umbro" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 3/18). |
| Ticketmaster Entertainment | Posts $1.07B Q4 loss, or $18.82 per share, after the company has to take a $1.1B “impairment charge to account for its falling share price.” Sales grew 9% to $384M, “mainly from acquisitions” (AP, 3/20). |
WEEKEND CHANNEL SURF….
FRIDAY
ESPN will air “Truth in 24,” a documentary about the Audi team at last year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans, at 8:00pm ET. The film, which was co-produced by NFL Films and Intersport, is narrated by actor Jason Statham.
SUNDAY
FSN will air the second-season premiere of “Sport Science” at 9:00pm local time.
DAILY DIGIT….
13,228 – Combined miles MLB Network’s Trenni Kusnierek and Hazel Mae travelled during the “30 Clubs in 30 Days” series, which concludes on Sunday with a look at the White Sox. During the series, the pair recorded over 7,200 minutes of footage and conducted 187 interviews with mangers, players and front office personnel (MLB).
NOTES & QUOTES FROM THIS DAY IN SBD HISTORY….
1996
Indianapolis Motor Speedway says it is ending an agreement that gives CART the use of the brand name "IndyCar." CART licensed the brand name from IMS in '92, but IMS officials say CART violated the deal by agreeing to stage an event against the Indianapolis 500.
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
The Closing Bell provides an update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 4:00pm ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Closing Bell, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.
