The MLS Fire drew a franchise-record crowd of 37,122 at
Soldier Field on Saturday for their game against the Galaxy
(CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 8/9)....Lifetime's Mary Murphy reported
that the MN expansion WNBA team sold over 1,000 tickets last
week and "are now up to almost" 3,800. The team needs to
sell 1,200 more to hit the 5,000 league-imposed mandate on
September 1. Murphy: "So they're getting close and they're
feeling a lot better in Minnesota" (Lifetime, 8/7)....In
N.Y., Sherry Ross profiled Devils draft pick Scott Gomez,
"the first Hispanic player ever selected in the first round
of the NHL draft." Ross called Gomez "a marketing commodity
waiting to happen," and if he plays for the Devils, he will
be playing in a metro area with more than 2.7 million people
of Hispanic heritage (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 8/9)....BLOOMBERG
examines teams aiming to increase revenue streams around
training camp. NFL execs say that "well-managed" camps,
with corporate sponsorship and hospitality tents, can earn
teams $1M in revenue, including $250,000 in merchandise
sales (BLOOMBERG, 8/8)....Dan Jauregui, who created and has
performed as the Chargers' mascot "Boltman," says the club
"has failed to pay him for the nearly" $50,000 he has
invested in costumes and overhead. Last week, the Chargers
offered $20,000 for all "Boltman" rights, but Jauregui
"refused, saying that amount would not even come close to
covering what he has invested" (S.D. UNION-TRIBUNE, 8/9).
