| • | Cowboys Have Sold Almost 85% Of New Stadium Season Tickets |
| • | Olympic Officials Meeting In London To Address Beijing's Lessons |
| • | Jacked's New Deal With NBA Puts Application On Team, RSN Sites |
| • | EPL Club Chelsea Announces Partnership With L.A.Fútbol Club |
COWBOYS ANNOUNCE ALMOST 85% OF SEASON TICKETS SOLD FOR NEW STADIUM
 |
Cowboys Have Sold Nearly 85% Of
Season Tickets For New Stadium |
The Cowboys have sold nearly 85% of the season tickets for next year's inaugural season at the club's new stadium in
Arlington, and the "remaining tickets are now available to the general public." Cowboys Dir of Corporate Communications
Brett Daniels said that "about 9,500 of the 61,000 seats are still available after nearly a year of sales." The team also has sold 240 of 300 suites after increasing the number of planned suites from 200 "in response to strong sales" (
DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/25).
OLYMPIC OFFICIALS CONVENE IN LONDON TO BEGIN APPLYING BEIJING'S LESSONS
More than 400 IOC, BOCOG, LOCOG, VANOC and Sochi 2014 officials are in London this week for a "debrief of the Beijing Games." The conference began last night with IOC President Jacques Rogge delivering the Pierre de Coubertin Lecture and will conclude with meetings Friday. Rogge today is scheduled to tour the London Olympic Park (AROUNDTHERINGS.com, 11/24).
Economics will be a major topic throughout the week. Addressing the challenges presented by the current global economy, IOC Press Commission Chair Kevan Gosper last night said to LOCOG Chair Sebastian Coe, “I think you and your team face the toughest time – short of wartime – to get the project to 2012” (Manchester GUARDIAN, 11/25).
JACKED INKS DEAL WITH NBA TO OFFER SPORTSTOP APPLICATION ON TEAM, RSN SITES
By Eric Fisher, Staff Writer, SportsBusiness Journal
Jacked today will announce a deal with the NBA in which its SportsTop application will be integrated into the Web sites of participating teams and rightsholding RSNs and populated by official content such as highlight videos and ticketing links. The deal, built around a revenue share of advertising funds, is the first season-long pact with a major pro league for Jacked, whose interactive SportsTop synchronizes with live sports telecasts via a real-time stream of stats, news feeds, photos, chat windows, merchandise links and other content. Jacked will lead national sales for the joint effort, while the individual clubs and RSNs will bring in ads from local sponsors as well as national brands activating on a local level.
ENGLISH PREMIER LEAGUE CLUB CHELSEA INKS PARTNERSHIP WITH LAFC
English Premier League club Chelsea has formally announced its partnership with the L.A. Fútbol Club (LAFC), "one of the most prominent youth soccer academies in the U.S." LAFC has become LAFC Chelsea and will host Chelsea tournaments, training sessions and a player and coach exchange program, in addition to offering "more scholarships for young athletes." This marks the third such partnership Chelsea has inked this year (ESPNSOCCERNET.com, 11/24).
FIFA BANS PERU FROM INT'L COMPETITION DUE TO ONGOING ORGANIZATIONAL FEUD
South American Football Confederation Secretary General Eduardo de Luca said that FIFA "has banned Peru from international competition." FIFA President Sepp Blatter previously had given Peru until yesterday to "end a long-running feud between their football federation (FPF) and government or face an immediate international ban." Peru's Institute of Sports does not recognize FPF President Manuel Burga, "claiming his election was irregular" (REUTERS, 11/24).
MICHAEL VICK SET TO ENTER GUILTY PLEA ON STATE DOGFIGHTING CHARGES
Suspended QB Michael Vick today will enter a guilty plea in Surry County (VA) Circuit Court on state dogfighting charges. As part of a plea agreement, Vick will receive a three-year suspended sentence and a $2,500 fine (ATLANTA CONSTITUTION, 11/24). Vick “could have gotten another 10 years in prison,” but the plea deal will allow him to "serve part of his remaining federal sentence in a halfway house," and he will likely be "a free man next summer" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 11/25).
WARREN SAPP TRAILS HEADING INTO FINAL VOTE ON “DANCING WITH THE STARS”
Warren Sapp continued athletes’ success on ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars,” making it to the season finale that began last night. Sapp and his partner Kym Johnson earned a 25 out of 30 for their Samba and a 28 for their Freestyle. Sapp is tied with Lance Bass with a 53 out of 60 and trails frontrunner Brooke Burke, who earned a 58. Johnson said Sapp "captures the essence of what the show is: Warren just lights up the dance floor and really excites the crowd" (“Dancing With The Stars,” ABC, 11/24).
SPEED READS….
Southwest Airlines has inked a deal to become the official airline of Saturday’s State Farm Bayou Classic, the Grambling State Univ.-Southern Univ. football game at the Superdome (
Southwest Airlines).
WashingtonPost.com today launched Press Break, an online source for news and information on NCAA Division I men's college basketball teams in DC, Maryland and Virginia (WashingtonPost.com).
Following former U.S. sprinter Tim Montgomery admitting to drug use before the 2000 Sydney Olympics, IOC spokesperson Emmanuelle Moreau said the organization “would look into the matter as part of its open file on the BALCO case.” Montgomery's interview airs tonight on HBO’s “Real Sports” (REUTERS, 11/25).
The St. Louis Women's Professional Soccer franchise today will unveil the team's name and logo at a press conference at the Missouri Athletic Club (St. Louis Soccer United).
The Yankees run a full page ad in today’s N.Y. Times paying tribute to P Mike Mussina, who recently announced his retirement. The ad features the copy, "Farewell Moose" (THE DAILY).
QUICK HITS….
“The BCS may have its challenges, and refinements may be necessary, but when I go to meet with the people involved in the process, they’re in the room of their own free will” – Fiesta Bowl Exec Dir John Junker, explaining how "all politics are local" when it comes to the BCS (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 11/25).
“When you see this pattern of conduct, you wonder why any baseball owner would even consider associating with this guy” – John O’Connor, an attorney representing former Mavericks coach Don Nelson, on Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban delaying his $7.1M payment to Nelson for back pay (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 11/25).
“He’s been indicted. He hasn’t been found guilty of anything. Sometimes people get ahead of themselves” – Penske Racing President Tim Cindric, on IRL driver Helio Castroneves' tax evasion trial in March possibly affecting his employment with the team (ST. PETERSBURG TIMES, 11/23).
A LIGHTER BUZZ….
The National Collegiate Basketball HOF's '08 induction class was honored during halftime of last night's Syracuse-Florida men's basketball game at the Sprint Center in K.C. Inductees TNT's Charles Barkley and ESPN's Dick Vitale "went one-on-one after the intro." Barkley "blocked Vitale's old-school hook shot" and "banked his home for the victory" (K.C. STAR, 11/25).
The seats for members of the media attending Barack Obama's financial-team press conference yesterday were divided into two sections – White Sox and Cubs – in a "nod to Chicago's rival baseball teams" (HUFFINGTONPOST.com, 11/24).
TODAY’S EVENTS….
CFL Commissioner Mark Cohon and TSN's Michael Landsberg will take part in a discussion about the CFL and its future during the Canadian Club of Toronto Luncheon at the Fairmont Royal York.
THE BACK PAGES….
The Morning Buzz offers today’s back page sports covers from some of the nation’s major metropolitan tabloids:
| | | |
| N.Y. Post | N.Y. Daily News | Newsday |
| | |
| Philadelphia Daily News | Boston Herald |
FINAL JEOPARDY!
Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Shakespeare’s Women.”
“The last words spoken by this character are, ‘What’s done cannot be undone: to bed, to bed, to bed.’”
Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy” featured the category “Sullivan Award Winners.” The Sullivan Awards are presented annually by the United States Amateur Athletic Union to the most outstanding amateur athlete from any sport in the U.S.
For $200: “1971: Male swimmer.”
For $400: “2003: Male swimmer (greater days lay ahead).”
For $600: “2001: Chinese-American figure skater.”
For $800: “1930: Golfing Grand Slam winner.”
For $1000: “2004: Gymnast (but not twin brother Morgan).”
LAUGH TRACK….
THE MONOLOGUES:
CBS’ David Letterman: “Here’s how bad it's getting. I'm walking through Times Square earlier today … (and) I saw a hooker with a sign that said, ‘Will have sex for money.’ … You know the International Space Station is up there and goes around the earth. The shuttle docked up there and they changed personnel and brought up some new machines. NASA has developed a urine machine. What this thing does is – it sounds bad, but it's not that bad – because it will convert urine into water. Well, guess what? It's on the blink, and you thought the coffee was bad where you work. … You know Sarah Palin? For awhile she was going to be our vice president. I guess she's in Alaska, wherever it is she lives, and you know what they do with this holiday, Thanksgiving? The president pardons a couple of turkeys on the White House lawn. It's like a big deal. She's up there and she's going to pardon some turkeys. So she pardons them and then right behind her they've got the big turkey grinding device where they are just chucking turkeys and feathers and blood and everybody is chanting ‘Kill, baby, kill!’ It was just awful. I honestly hadn’t seen a slaughter like that since November 4th. … The Capitol Hill Christmas tree arrived in Washington. It's no surprise here, they've got to decorate the tree. So the contract to decorate the tree: A $10[B] ornament contract went to Halliburton. … There's a restaurant in Tokyo and guess who brings you your food? Guess who takes your orders and brings you your food? That's right, monkeys. A genius in Tokyo has trained monkeys … Trained monkeys come out, take your order and bring you your food. But even more impressive in the (U.S.), we have a monkey right now who is the governor of California” (“Late Show,” CBS, 11/24).
NBC’s Jay Leno: “In political news, it looks like Hillary Clinton has accepted
Barack Obama’s offer to be Secretary of State. Yep, she accepted. Very exciting. She accepted after Barack Obama’s vetting process could not find any link between her and Bill Clinton. … Talking about the economy over the weekend, Barack Obama said there are no quick, easy fixes. To which Amy Winehouse said, ‘There are in my neighborhood.’ … Because of the economic slowdown, in an attempt to save money, General Motors is ending their endorsement deal with Tiger Woods. He's very expensive. Yeah, they're not going to keep that going, although they were able to sign John Daly for a 12-pack and a plate of chicken wings. … You know the most popular toy this Christmas? The snowball. I’ll tell you how bad the economy is. Last night, I saw Jack Nicholson at a Clippers game. … This pirate situation, that's getting more and more dangerous. See, today a group of Somali pirates took over the boat of the jungle cruise at Disneyland. … The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that obese people have the right to two seats for the price of one. In America, if you're too fat, they charge you for two. In Canada, no. See, I hope this doesn't catch on in America. That's all we need is another excuse for people not to lose weight. ‘Hey Bob, you put on weight? No, no, I'm just trying to get that two-seat deal on Canadian Air.’ But it is different. You see, with the exchange rate, two obese Canadians barely equal one obese American. … This new study says babies in baby carriages that face forward could be emotionally impoverished because they're not facing their parents. Actually, facing backwards can be bad for babies, too. They say babies who face backwards and that get used to moving backwards all the time have a greater chance of winding up being members of the Detroit Lions football team. Lions lost again yesterday. They are 0-11! 0-11! I don't want to say they're bad but today, even Peter recommended the Lions be put down” (“Tonight Show,” NBC, 11/24).
LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:
Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Sarah Palin Excuses.” CBS’ David Letterman read the list after showing the video clip of Palin’s recent interview after she pardoned a turkey in Alaska. During the interview, a turkey is being slaughtered in the background (“Late Show,” CBS, 11/24).
| 10) “I can see Russia, but I can’t see what’s going on 5 feet behind me.” |
| 9) “Not thinking straight after spending all night reading every newspaper and magazine.” |
| 8) “Damn ‘gotcha’ media got me again!” |
| 7) “My Remington shotgun says I don’t need an excuse.” |
| 6) “Those were al Qaeda turkeys.” |
| 5) “I thought they were just torturing the little guy.” |
| 4) “I mean, doggonit, you know, like we have to lower taxes, and like, it all falls under job security, and we need to drill, you know?” |
| 3) “Uh, stomach flu?” |
| 2) “I’ll get right back to ya! I’m still adorable, America.” |
| 1) “Don’t blame me! Blame Joe the Turkey Slaughterer.” |
During his monologue, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel had a clip played of ABC college football play-by-play announcer Brent Musberger mispronouncing the names of singers Beyonce and Kanye West during the broadcast of Texas Tech-Oklahoma. Kimmel prefaced the clip by saying, “On Saturday, while I was supposed to be preparing for the show, I was watching a football game between Oklahoma and Texas Tech and the announcer, Brent Musberger, read a little promo for the AMAs. And suffice to say, I don’t think Brent Musberger has synched his iPod for awhile” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 11/24).
Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night to promote his new book, “32 Ways to Be a Champion in Business.” Kimmel jokingly noted that Chapter 1 was titled, “Make A Ton of Money Playing Basketball.” When Kimmel said that Suns C Shaquille O’Neal stated he and Lakers G Kobe Bryant were the greatest guard and center combination in Lakers history over Magic and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Johnson said, “We just count our rings. We say we got five, they got three.” Kimmel noted the title of the book features “32 ways,” which was also Johnson’s number in the NBA. Kimmel: “Did you have to pad and add a couple of fake ways, or did you have to cut some real ways out (to have 32)?” Johnson: “Had to cut some real ways out” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 11/24).
LAST NIGHT’S TV MONITOR….
| NET | SHOW | LEAD | NEXT ITEMS |
| ESPN | “Around The Horn” | Eagles benching QB Donovan McNabb | Are Jets best team in AFC?; Patriots’ beating Dolphins |
| ESPN | “PTI” | Who has brighter future, Jets or Titans? | Colts-Chargers; McNabb starting against Cardinals |
| ESPN | “SportsCenter” | Packers-Saints | Eagles benching McNabb; Brady Quinn remaining Browns starter |
| FSN | “FSN Final Score” | Packers-Saints | Wizards firing Eddie Jordan; Rockets-Heat |
FINAL JEOPARDY….
“Who was Lady Macbeth?”
For $200: “Who is Mark Spitz?”
For $400: “Who is Michael Phelps?”
For $600: “Who is Michelle Kwan?”
For $800: “Who was Bobby Jones?”
For $1000: “Who is Paul Hamm?”
If you have any questions, comments or suggestions, please let us know at:
pbounds@sportsbusinessdaily.com.
The Morning Buzz provides an early update of the news and headlines each Monday through Friday at approximately 9:00am ET. If you would like to sign up for an e-mail alert to the Morning Buzz, go to My Account and personalize your e-mail alert options.
