THE DAILY each Friday offers our take on the performances over the past week of people and entities in sports business. Here are this week's newsmakers:
WIN: LRMR -- The marketing company for Heat F LEBRON JAMES scores with a new marketing/endorsement partnership alongside Fenway Sports Management. James also receives a small stake in EPL club Liverpool that could lead to increased exposure in more foreign markets. Analysts have watched to see how LRMR would extend the LeBron brand, and teaming with FSM gives MAVERICK CARTER and company more bandwidth and expertise, which should allow for more creative and lucrative partnerships.
LOSE: DODGERS -- The franchise finds itself on the defensive all week after a fan is beaten and critically injured in the Dodger Stadium parking lot on Opening Day. Ownership response could have been crisper. FRANK MCCOURT says he is satisfied the venue is "as safe as possible," but days later the club hires a former L.A. Police Chief to assess security and the LAPD says it will double the number of officers posted on game days. And at a time when the club should be reassuring fans that attending a game is safe, the club also sticks to its PR line of "no comment on security issues."
DRAW: MOHAMED AL-FAYED -- The owner of EPL club Fulham gets international attention for the unveiling of a statue of the late singer MICHAEL JACKSON outside of the team's Craven Cottage venue in London. But not all fans and media respond positively to the statue, which prompts Al-Fayed to tell fans they can "go to hell" if they don't like it. Al-Fayed even goes so far as to tell Fulham fans to support another team if they're not supportive of the idea. Overdone? Maybe, but boy, what passion and great copy!
