The AP reported FIFA has "met with some World Cup sponsors in a meeting they demanded after a corruption crisis rocked football’s governing body," but "little detail was revealed after the closed-door session Thursday." The meeting was "shrouded in secrecy at FIFA headquarters and attended by Adidas, Budweiser, Coca-Cola, McDonald’s and Visa." Gazprom and Hyundai were "absent without a reason given by FIFA or the sponsors." No mention was made Thursday of "appointing two sponsor representatives scheduled to join a FIFA-appointed reforms committee" (AP, 8/20). REUTERS' Brian Homewood reported a security guard was "placed on the entrance" to FIFA's HQ (REUTERS, 8/20).
GREEN MEANS GO: Dairy producer Shamrock Farms on Thursday announced that Bengals WR A.J. Green has agreed to endorse its Rockin' Refuel line of milk beverages and will be the face of the brand's "Rockin'" national ad and PR campaign. Early activation includes an online video released via the Rockin' Refuel Facebook page. WNBA Shock G Skylar Diggins also endorses Rockin' Refuel (Shamrock Farms).
WATT POWER: In Ontario, Scott Radley notes Texans DE J.J. Watt in a new Reebok commercial featuring him and UFC fighter Ronda Rousey "starts pulling a weight sled across a field and running the stairs" at McMaster Univ.'s Ron Joyce Stadium. Anonymous Content director Chris Sargent said, "We were looking for something that looked like Wisconsin." On a "beautiful Sunday in early May, Watt was snuck onto campus -- staff on duty weren't allowed to let anyone know what was going on." Two CFL Toronto Argonaut linemen and one of the team's trainers "spent an additional day serving as body doubles for many of the running shots" (HAMILTON SPECTATOR, 8/21).
THAT'S NOT A SWOOSH: SI.com's Christopher Chavez noted the Yale Univ. track & field women "will wear an uncommon logo on their uniforms this season as women's apparel company Oiselle has partnered with the Ivy League school to outfit its first NCAA affiliate." The Seattle-based company, founded in '07, "makes women's apparel." The women on the Yale team "were previously outfitted by Asics" (SI.com, 8/19).
