The TAIPEI TIMES reported world No. 1 female golfer Yani Tseng Tuesday "signed a sponsorship agreement with the Beijing-based Reignwood Group." Terms were not disclosed, but reports have speculated that Tseng will receive US$500,000-600,000 "a year under the two-year deal." The deal "requires Yani Tseng to attend two activities organized by the group every year and to wear Reignwood's English-language logo on her shirt during tournaments." Tseng's father "denied the company had asked his daughter to change her nationality." A China Times report last April said that Reignwood offered $25M "to have the Taiwanese golfer switch her nationality" to Chinese (TAIPEI TIMES, 4/27).
RAM-PING IT UP: The THOROUGHBRED TIMES' Frank Angst noted "all evidence in the Churchill Downs stable area shows that Dodge has clearly stepped up its sponsorship exposure in advance of this year's Kentucky Derby." Large Dodge Ram "emblems and lettering were unveiled on barn roofs in the stable area" yesterday, and they will be "clearly visible on television." The stable area also "features posts outside each barn with Dodge lettering." Angst noted Dodge Ram "was the official truck of the 2010 Kentucky Derby and Derby jockeys wore the Dodge Ram emblem on their pants" (THOROUGHBREDTIMES.com, 4/27).
TRUTH IN ADVERTISING: CAMPAIGNLIVE.co.uk's Daniel Farey-Jones reported Coca-Cola Great Britain "has lost its appeal" against the U.K. Advertising Standards Authority's "ban on describing Vitaminwater drinks as 'nutritious' in its advertising." The ASA "applied the ban in January after receiving three complaints about a poster ad with the line 'enhanced hydration for the nation delicious and nutritious.'" The group "ruled the description of Vitaminwater as 'nutritious' was misleading because each 500ml bottle contained about 23g of sugar or a quarter" of consumers' recommended daily intake of sugar (CAMPAIGNLIVE.co.uk, 4/27).
GRASS NOT PROVIDING GREEN: THEPOSTGAME.com's Steve Henson reported a 20-by-20-foot section of turf "behind home plate at the old Yankee Stadium" was "considered so precious by the team and memorabilia partner Steiner Sports that after the stadium was demolished two years ago it was covertly transplanted to the premises of DeLea Sod Farms on Long Island." However, the turf is "still there, unsold," and the "same goes for at least half the 100,000 square feet of stadium sod put up for sale in one-square-foot, $120 pieces." Steiner and the Yankees "won't divulge how well other stadium memorabilia is selling, including the 50,000 or so seats, priced from $400 to $1,500" (THEPOSTGAME.com, 4/27).
