The Daily Insider
Morning News & Headlines
Monday, July 9, 2001
9:00am ET
| • | As IOC Faces Historic Week, Toronto Gets Approval From A Princess |
| • | Did Britney Contribute To Record NASCAR Rating? |
| • | Pepsi Flaunts It’s Stuff With Britney As The Grand Marshall At Pepsi 400 |
| • | Wimbledon Men’s Final In Progress |
| • | Will Indianapolis Miss Market Square Arena? |
| • | A Lighter Buzz |
IOC MEETS IN MOSCOW TO CHOOSE ’08 HOST & NEW LEADER
The AP reports that the IOC today "opens a momentous meeting" that will select the host of the ’08 Summer Games and a successor to President Juan Antonio Samaranch. Beijing remains the favorite to host the ’08 Games while IOC VP Jacques Rogge is the leading candidate to assume the IOC Presidency (AP, 7/9). Meanwhile, the TORONTO STAR quotes a British newspaper as saying that IOC member Princess Anne "will vote for Toronto" over Beijing to host the ’08 Games. The Princess allegedly will vote against Beijing "because of concerns about China’s abuse of human rights and the continuing occupation of Tibet" (TORONTO STAR, 7/9).
PEPSI 400 DELIVERS HIGHEST-RATED PRIMETIME NASCAR RACE EVER
NBC’s coverage of the Pepsi 400 on Saturday night delivered a 5.8/11 overnight Nielsen rating, making it the highest-rated primetime NASCAR race ever. The overnight rating was 41% higher than last year’s rating on CBS, and surpassed the previous highest overnight mark of 4.9/10 for the Lowe’s 600 this past May on Fox (THE DAILY). Meanwhile the AP reports that NBC saw "the tune-in increased each half-hour" from 8:00-11:00pm ET, "moving steadily from 5.0 to 7.0" (AP/ESPN.com, 7/9). However, USA TODAY notes that for its next NASCAR broadcast, NBC "will have to improve its production" (USA TODAY, 7/9).
BRITNEY SPEARS KICKS OFF THE PEPSI 400
The ORLANDO SENTINEL reported that singer Britney Spears was the Grand Marshall at the Pepsi 400 at Daytona this weekend, as the event’s title sponsor "gets the opportunity to choose" who opens the race as part of its sponsorship package. Spears, who recently signed an estimated 5-year, $50M sponsorship deal with Pepsi, "took part in a private driver’s meeting before the race." According to one "onlooker" of the meeting, "Britney looked bored" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/8).
WIMBLEDON MEN’S FINAL IN ACTION LIVE ON MSNBC
The AP notes that for the first times since ’88, a Wimbledon men’s singles final will be played on Monday, and 10,000 unreserved seats for Center Court went on sale 90 minutes before today’s match. Tickets to Centre Court will be $54. In addition, 5,000 ground passes will be sold for $14, giving fans access to the big-screen TV adjacent to Court 1 (AP, 7/9). Today’s match between Patrick Rafter and Goran Ivanisevic is currently airing live on MSNBC and will later air on tape on NBC beginning at 10:00am in all time zones (USA TODAY, 7/9).
FORMER PACERS ARENA DEMOLISHED SUNDAY
The INDIANAPOLIS STAR reported that Market Square Arena was imploded on Sunday morning, and the implosion took about 12 seconds and consisted of eight explosions (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/8). In Indianapolis, Bob Kravitz wrote that the facility "had its good qualities, and there’s no questioning its role in helping make Indianapolis a first-class sports city. But in sheer terms of creature comforts, it’s hardly a crime that it’s all come down. It’s McNichols Arena in Denver. It’s the Spectrum in Philly. It’s the Kingdome in Seattle. Gone. And quickly forgotten" (INDIANAPOLS STAR, 7/8). You can see more on the explosion at www.msaimplosion.com (THE DAILY).
A LIGHTER BUZZ
From The All-England Club
Tennis analyst John McEnroe had two of his daughters on his lap during his commentary for the BBC’s coverage of Wimbledon. In between matches, 4-year-old Anna "lashed out at 10-year-old Emily, hitting her in the face." McEnroe said on-air: "They are pretty well behaved, aren’t they?" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/8)….Pete Sampras "spent months declining interviews" from Sports Illustrated after they opted to put A’s 1B Jason Giambi on the cover rather than Sampras after he won Wimbledon for his record 13th major title last year. This year, Sampras is "still holding the grudge" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/7)….Former President Bill Clinton was interviewed by the BBC during a rain-delay in the men’s second semi-finals match. Clinton, on Andre Agassi, "I think he’s a prince of a man." Clinton, on Venus Williams, "She’s quite an amazing athlete" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/8).
In Other News
NBC’s Jim Gray asked Charles Barkley Saturday if he was abandoning his NBA comeback during an interview at the American Celebrity Golf Championship. Barkley: "I’m leaning heavily towards that" (AP/ESPN.com, 7/9)…. NASCAR Senior VP/Marketing Brian France, on the circuit’s increased popularity, "We're finding out that every move that you make is scrutinized at a different level. We have the same good intentions and better people managing the business than ever before, but we're subject to a lot more criticism, and that's something we're going to have to deal with." ("Business Center," CNBC, 7/6)….Mystics F Chamique Holdsclaw received the most WNBA All-Star votes with 105,006 (WASHINGTON POST, 7/9)….The Backstreet Boys sang the national anthem before Sunday’s Braves-Red Sox game and "received more boos than cheers" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/9)….Disney announced that DisneyQuest in Chicago is closing after its "fail[ure] to live up to Walt Disney Co.’s financial expectations during its two-year run" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/7)….NBC anchor Tom Brokaw’s "unusually long summer vacation" has produced rumors that he’s preparing to leave his role on the evening news. Brian Williams "is considered by many" to be Brokaw’s likely successor (WASHINGTON POST, 7/7)….On the N.Y. TIMES Bestseller List: "The Russell Rules" is 7th on the Business Best Sellers list, while “Dale Earnhardt: Remembering the Intimidator” is 15th on the Paperback Best Sellers nonfiction list (N.Y. TIMES, 7/8).
SUNDAY NIGHT’S TV MONITOR
FSN’s 10:30pm ET "National Sports Report" led with the Women’s Final at
Wimbledon.
ESPN’s 11:00pm ET "SportsCenter" led with Brewers-Giants.
CNN/SI’s 11:00pm ET "Sports Tonight" led with A’s-D’Backs.
WEEKEND BOX OFFICE
| Title | Weekend Gross | Cumulative |
| Cats & Dogs | $21.7M | $35.7M |
| Scary Movie 2 | $21M | $34.5M |
| A.I.: Artificial Intelligence | $14.1M | $59.7M |
| Kiss of the Dragon | $13.6M | $13.6M |
| The Fast and the Furious | $12.4M | $101.5M |
| Dr. Dolittle 2 | $10.1M | $71.5M |
| Lara Croft: Tomb Raider | $6.8M | $115.6M |
| Shrek | $6.0M | $240.6M |
| Atlantis: The Lost Empire | $5M | $69.4M |
| Baby Boy | $4.8M | $20.8M |
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dailyinsider@sportsbusinessdaily.com
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