In San Jose, Gary Peterson notes Warriors F Kevin Durant's new Nike T-shirt "lists the cities and schools that Durant has represented on the basketball court," and the "final entry" is S.F. The Warriors currently play at Oracle Arena in Oakland, but will move to S.F. next season to play at the new Chase Center. Peterson: "Well, this clinches it. Kevin Durant is staying put with the Warriors" (MERCURYNEWS.com, 6/5). ESPN's David Jacoby said, “The idea that so many different people had to sign off on this shirt, the design of the shirt, the printing of the shirt, the sample, so many people had to sign off on that. It's shocking that this finds its way to the market" ("Jalen & Jacoby," ESPN2, 6/4).
KICKING THINGS OFF: REP Worldwide President Steve Scebelo said that the USWNT will "have at least 25 signed licensing agreements by the time the World Cup begins" Friday. Scebelo has "conservatively estimated that if the Americans win a fourth title this summer, the 23 players on the roster will have at least" $1M in "royalty revenue to split equally." He added that the "hope" is for retail partners to "sell merchandise through the holidays," into the '20 Tokyo Games and beyond (SI.com, 6/3).
NAME RECOGNITION: The ESPORTS OBSERVER's Andrew Hayward noted the Esports Stadium Arlington has "tapped esports consultancy and marketing firm Abacus3 to market the naming rights and sponsorship packages for the venue." The $10M, 100,000-square-foot facility, was designed by Populous, and is "located in Arlington's entertainment district, in close proximity" to AT&T Stadium and Globe Life Park (ESPORTSOBSERVER.com, 6/4).
