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:
 |
| Derek Jeter's 3,000th hit brought State Farm valuable exposure |
WIN: STATE FARM -- The insurance company definitely received some bang for its marketing buck at Yankee Stadium last weekend. The sponsor was in the right place at the right time for DEREK JETER's 3,000th hit -- a home run to left field in an area completely plastered with State Farm logos, giving the brand fantastic and repeated exposure during an historic event. State Farm also took over the new-look Home Run Derby on Monday night with six spots airing during the telecast and massive branding around Chase Field.
LOSE: KENTUCKY SPEEDWAY -- This week's a no brainer. Miles of gridlock spoiled the track's debut in the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series on Saturday, and SMI execs inexplicably expressed little remorse until nearly 48 hours after the race. While we appreciate the better-late-than-never apology and subsequent free ticket offers, one can’t help but wonder if the words of regret were too little too late. Will the 20,000 fans who sat in traffic instead of in seats even bother to return next year?
DRAW: DEREK JETER -- The Yankees captain sails into the record books in style, smacking his 3,000th hit for a home run and starting a merchandising bonanza around the milestone. But just as quickly as Jeter is hailed as a conquering hero, he fast becomes the face of a large contingent of MLB players skipping out on the All-Star Game. Baseball could have definitely benefited from having one of its most marketable stars at the Midsummer Classic.
