U.S. Sen. JOE BIDEN (D-DE), who wrote the ‘90 law making steroid trafficking illegal and the ‘04 law banning androstenedione and tetrahydrogestrinone, today writes about the negotiations to strengthen MLB’s drug-testing policy in the S.F. CHRONICLE, “If the testing system the players and owners agree to isn't as credible as the system used to test Olympic athletes, I will work with my colleagues in Congress to impose a system that will return integrity to the game and send a strong message to kids that cheating has consequences. ... For the good of the game, the health of the players and the future of the kids who want to be just like their favorite athletes, they need to do it” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 12/16).
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Krzyzewski On College
Basketball Partnership Panel |
HOOPS THINK TANK: College basketball coaches, ADs and the NCAA announced the formation of the COLLEGE BASKETBALL PARTNERSHIP. The group is charged with “shaping the future of the college game for 327 Division I schools and 4,000 Division I men's players.” It includes high-profile coaches such as Duke's MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, Syracuse’s JIM BOEHEIM and Oklahoma's KELVIN SAMPSON in addition to NCAA President MYLES BRAND and representatives from the NCAA's broadcast partners at CBS and ESPN. The men's group has already met twice, in June in N.Y. and in October in Chicago, and will next meet in April at the Final Four in St. Louis (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 12/16).
IN THE BONUS: SMI Chair BRUTON SMITH earned a $1M cash bonus for helping the company exceed earnings expectations. Other bonuses included: SMI President HUMPY WHEELER earning $550,000; VP & CFO WILLIAM BROOKS earning $400,000. Also, Exec VP MARCUS SMITH, Bruton Smith's son, will earn a $532,000 bonus if the company meets year-end sales goals. For the nine months ended September 30, the company earned $60.1M, compared with $47.5M in the same period last year (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 12/16).
PRISM AWARDS: Official application information and forms for the ‘05 PRISM AWARDS are now available at www.umass.edu/sptmgt. The PRISM Awards, which stand for Professionalism, Results and Innovation in Sport Management, are presented annually by the University of Massachusetts-Amherst Sport Management Program. The PRISM Awards are the only industry-wide awards honoring overall excellence in professional sport franchise management at both the Major League and Minor League levels across each of five areas: Strategic Mission, Innovative Marketing, Customer Relations, Employee Relations and Community Relations. Initial applications, in the form of a ten-page Executive Summary, are due by Friday, February 25. Finalists in both the Major and Minor League categories, will be notified in April, and winners will be announced in June (THE DAILY).
