Apparel brand O'Neill Thursday announced that its O'Neill 365 collection, a female-targeted fitness line, will hit stores next spring. Gold Medal-winning U.S. swimmer Natalie Coughlin will serve as the face of the collection and will be featured in the brand's national advertising campaigns and in-store collateral. Coughlin also will promote the launch of the new line at events nationwide via the O'Neill 365 Icons program, which will recognize female athletes at a grassroots level (O'Neill). Meanwhile, Under Armour announced an endorsement deal with U.S. Olympian Alicia Sacramone, the first gymnast to sign with the Baltimore-based apparel company. Sacramone worked with Under Armour to design a custom leotard, and she will represent the brand in the '12 London Games should she make the U.S. team (Under Armour).
PAINT THE TOWN RED: In Miami, George Richards noted the NHL Panthers are "in the middle of replacing the green seat coverings in the lower bowl of the BankAtlantic Center with red ones" as part of the team's new "Seeing Red" campaign. Zimmerman Advertising "has its logo on the new seats," which "look pretty nice." Since Zimmerman Advertising Owner Jordan Zimmerman is a partner in the Panthers, "it's not known how much -- if anything -- he shelled out for this" (MIAMIHERALD.com, 8/18).
PUT A CAP ON IT: In Atlanta, George Mathis reports California-based Billion Int'l Trading Inc. is "being sued for more than half a million dollars for trying to import counterfeit" Braves caps into the U.S. Federal prosecutors on Thursday said that a "federal complaint seeks the financial penalty for violating the intellectual property rights" of the MLB club. The caps, "intended for distribution in the Atlanta area, were seized" at the city's Hartsfield-Jackson Int'l Airport in December '08 (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 8/19).
