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Friday 9:00am ET....Today's News....Give Me Moore

  • Electronic Arts Promotes Moore To COO Of Entire Company
  • Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith Set To Formally Sign CBA
  • PepsiCo. To Feature "The X Factor" Winner In Super Bowl Ad
  • FullCircle Ventures To Represent Pocono Raceway For Marketing

Electronic Arts Promotes Moore To COO Of Entire Company

By Eric Fisher

Electronic Arts Inc. late Thursday announced a corporate restructuring in which EA Sports President Peter Moore has been elevated to COO for the entire company. Moore, who came to EA in '07 from Microsoft, takes over in the expanded role for John Schappert, who left in April for social gaming outfit Zynga. EA Sports Exec VP Andrew Wilson, a key lieutenant to Moore, will now be the head of EA Sports in a slightly altered label structure for the video games giant. Wilson will run the day-to-day operations of EA Sports, now one of four primary labels for the company along with EA Games, EA Play and Bioware.

Wilson and the other label heads will report to company veteran Frank Gibeau, a former SportsBusiness Journal/SportsBusiness Daily Forty Under 40 recipient who now takes on the title of president of EA Labels. Both Gibeau and Moore will report to EA CEO John Riccitiello.

Roger Goodell, DeMaurice Smith Set To Formally Sign New CBA

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith today will sign the new CBA at the front steps of the Pro Football HOF in Canton, Ohio, as a "final, formal step" to implementing the labor deal (ESPN.com, 8/5). The NFL as part of the agreement "stands to become the first major sports league that tests blood" for HGH, pending final approval by the NFLPA. NFL Senior VP/PR Greg Aiello said, "The goal is to begin testing for HGH the first week of the regular season. Over the next several weeks, we will discuss and develop with the union the specific arrangements for the test" (L.A. TIMES, 8/5). 

NFLLabor.com, the website designed to push the league’s position on issues regarding the work stoppage, yesterday included a final posting stating it “bids adieu ‘for at least 10 years.’” Meanwhile, the union-driven NFLLockout.com “remains active, with no new postings since July 26.” The NFLPA’s official website “has been resurrected, but for now it has no publicly-available information” (PROFOOTBALLTALK.com, 8/4).

PepsiCo. To Feature "The X Factor" Winner In Super Bowl Ad

PepsiCo. today announced the Pepsi brand's marketing plans for Super Bowl XLVI in Indianapolis. Efforts will include giving the winner of Fox' "The X Factor" singing competition a "featured spot" in its ad during NBC's Feb. 5 game telecast (USA TODAY, 8/5). The Super Bowl spot, for which the winning contestant will not be paid, will be "regularly invoked" on the Fox show "as one of the ultimate prizes." The Pepsi brand last year did not run a Super Bowl ad "for the first time in 23 years," but instead put $20M toward the charitable Pepsi Refresh Project (N.Y. TIMES, 8/5).

FullCircle Ventures To Represent Pocono Raceway For Marketing

By Brian Helfrich, Staff Writer

FullCircle Ventures will announce as early as today a new multiyear partnership with Pocono Raceway to represent the Pennsylvania track in marketing initiatives. As part of the deal, the Charlotte-based firm will aim to find a naming-rights partner for Pocono. In addition, FullCircle will focus on corporate sponsorship, race entitlement, suite sales and trackside marketing, while also identifying and developing new entertainment opportunities for the track.

FullCircle’s aim is to secure long-term title sponsorships for Pocono Raceway’s two NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events, following Sunday’s Good Sam RV Insurance 500. The entitlement contracts for Pocono’s August race, as well as for the June Sprint Cup event that was sponsored in '11 by 5-Hour Energy, expire this year. Pocono also hosts one NASCAR Camping World Truck Series race and two ARCA Series races each year.

Stephen Colbert Takes Over MLB Twitter Feed For The Day

Comedy Central's Stephen Colbert has "taken over" the MLB Twitter account for the day. His stint began at midnight ET and will end at 11:59pm tonight. Colbert "won the keys fair and square by defeating MLB in the Beat the Streak Challenge" on June 14 (MLB.com, 8/5).

Colbert’s first tweet came shortly after midnight, when he posted, “SCORE UPDATE! Seattle Salamanders 7, Albuquerque Balloons, aught. Also, it's Toss Your Trash On The Field Day at all stadiums!” He followed that up immediately with, “Well, I've exhausted my baseball knowledge. On to pole vaulting! How about Chelsea Johnson taking the silver in the '09 Worlds?” Colbert later added, “I can't wait to see Ken Burns' nine-part documentary about my control of baseball's twitter feed” (TWITTER.com, 8/5). Colbert last night previewed what his takeover of the MLB Twitter feed would look like during the "Sports Report" segment on Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report."

Purdue Univ. Unveils New Home, Away Nike Football Uniforms

The Purdue Univ. football team is getting new uniforms "for the first time in five years," with the black, gold and white Nike jerseys and pants unveiled yesterday. The team "can feature two home combinations" and for road games, "the Boilermakers have three combinations." Purdue also will wear a "slightly modified helmet," with a black stripe replacing the single white stripe and "two black stripes down the middle" (Lafayette JOURNAL & COURIER, 8/5).

How Sports-Specific Stocks Fared In Thursday's Market Drop

Stocks fell across the board yesterday "in the worst day of trading since 2008." The Dow fell 4.3%, the S&P 500 fell 4.8%, and the Nasdaq fell 5.1%. Most media stocks "took a larger hit than the market as a whole." Poynter media business analyst Rick Edmonds: "Many stocks follow economic expectations up and down. A few, like hard metals, do better in a down market. But newspapers' fortunes vary up and down even more than the economy itself" (POYNTER.org, 8/4).

Here is a look at how some sports-specific stocks fared for the day:

COMPANY
CLOSING PRICE
DECLINE
adidas*
$47.48
-2.18%
Nike
$81.55
-6.35%
Under Armour
$64.79
-7.61%
Dick's Sporting Goods
$33.20
-6.21%
Foot Locker
$19.37
-6.61%
Electronic Arts
$20.15
-5.58%
Take-Two Interactive
$12.28
-5.90%
Churchill Downs Inc.
$43.33
-3.75%
Daktronics
$9.75
-4.69%
Interpublic Group of Cos
$8.74
-6.82%

* adidas trades on Germany's DAX stock index.

Speed Reads....

ESPN today will formally unveil the games that "College GameDay" will travel to for its first three Saturday broadcasts this football season: Oregon-LSU in Arlington, Texas, on Sept. 3, Notre Dame-Michigan on Sept. 10 and Oklahoma-Florida State on Sept. 17. Also, ESPNU's David Pollack "will become a 'GameDay' regular" (USA TODAY, 8/5).

The IOC today announced that Swedish IOC member Gunilla Lindberg will head the organization's panel "monitoring preparations" for the '18 Pyeongchang Games (AP, 8/5).

Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.'s acquisition of Academy Sports + Outdoors has been completed (CHRON.com, 8/4).

The UFC runs a full-page ad in USA Today promoting tomorrow night's UFC 133 PPV fight card featuring the main event of Rashad Evans-Tito Ortiz (THE DAILY).

Quick Hits....

"The position the NBA has taken is so outlandish, I don't know how you can get a deal done" – Agent Mark Bartelstein, following up on NBPA Exec Dir Billy Hunter's comments that he is not currently confident that the '11-12 season will be played (USA TODAY, 8/5).

"Does it make me want to stamp my feet and say we're not ever doing it again? No, but it would be great to have those players here" – Mercury Insurance Advertising Manager Erik Thompson, on six top players having withdrawn from this week's WTA event the company sponsors in Carlsbad, Calif. (L.A. TIMES, 8/5).

"I don't think there will be any lingering affects from their vote (Thursday). They made the statement they wanted to make, and that's fine. They're happy to be back playing football" – Steelers President Art Rooney II, on the team's players voting against ratification of the CBA because they did not believe it sufficiently addressed the NFL's disciplinary system (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 8/5).

“No disrespect to mustard or certainly to Abe Lincoln or anything, but I love the fact that in Boston, we just play baseball” – Red Sox manager Terry Francona, on not being a fan of in-game entertainment like the Racing Presidents at Nationals Park (“PTI,” ESPN, 8/4).

Twitter Me This....

NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith: “Thanks to Roger Goodell and the owners for their commitment to getting this done. Our players and our fans #winning today. Let us play.”

Best Buy CMO Barry Judge: “Watching rugby at a pub in Hong Kong. Never watched before. Now that game is brutal. Football is nothing compared to it.”

Newsday’s Neil Best: “Fox scheduled Yankees-Red Sox Saturday for more than 150 stations. Only one asked to be switched to Phillies-Giants: Lincoln, Neb.”

NASCAR.com’s David Caraviello: “So glad this Carl Edwards watch is finally over so we can all go back to our lives. And by that, I mean the Danica Patrick watch.”

Golf coach Christopher Noss: “Watched @RickieFowlerPGA sign at least 1000 autographs yesterday after the round! Sharpie was running out of ink at the end... Great stuff!”

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com

Tweet Pic Of The Day....

This candid shot captures driver Danica Patrick and Buddy Valastro, star of TLC’s “Cake Boss.” Patrick taped an episode of the show on Thursday that will debut sometime later this fall.

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 “The 1930s.”

“In April 1935 in Oklahoma, when blowing soil darkened the sky, a reporter coined this term for the region.”

Laugh Track....

CBS’ David Letterman: “You know what happens in August? All the psychiatrists and psychologists and therapy counselors go on vacation in August. So today I had to tell my cab driver that I was a man trapped in a woman's body. And tomorrow, I'm going on Dr. Phil's show. … There was a theological poll. The category of the poll is ‘Do you think God is doing a good job?’ So they're trying to determine among the faithful the approval rating of God. His approval rating is down. We could be looking at a one-term God. Here's how it breaks down: 52% of the people participating in the poll approve of the job God is doing. The other 48% were turned into pillars of salt. … Happy birthday today to President Barack Obama. 50 years old today. He got some lovely things: China gave him an extension on his rent. Newt Gingrich gave him a $500,000 gift certificate to Tiffany’s. They bring in the cake and the candles and he makes a wish and he blows out the candles. He opens his eyes and oh, darn, he's still president. … A year ago the Chilean miners were rescued. That was the feel good story of 2010. I think the feel good story of 2009 is when the guy landed the plane in the Hudson. I was thinking ‘well what's the feel good story of 2011?’ Anthony Weiner. … On this date in 1884, the cornerstone of the Statue of Liberty was first laid in New York City. How about that? A gift to us from the French. We still apparently had to build it. In 1884, I think, Barbara Walters – also first laid” (“Late Show,” CBS, 8/4).

NBC’s Jay Leno: “The market is so bad, Mila Kunis is now looking for friends with pension benefits. The stock market is so bad, the ‘Twilight’ kids are biting people’s necks and then selling it to the blood banks. The stock market is so bad, today Tobey Maguire and A-Rod switched from poker to ‘Go Fish.’ … In just nine days they're gonna hold the Iowa straw poll. Straw poll. Doesn't that sound like some kind of date with Charlie Sheen? … In Omaha, Nebraska, police shut down a 4-year-old girl's lemonade stand because she didn't have the necessary licenses and permits. You know what they say: ‘When life gives you lemonade, be sure to fill out form 403b and submit it to the State Board of Equalization.’ … The FBI has finally revealed the identity of famed hijacker D.B. Cooper. They say his real name is L.D. Cooper. He changed the first letter. He’s not the first one to do this. In fact, Bonnie and Clyde eluded capture for years by calling themselves Clyde and Bonnie. … Hugh Hefner posted a picture of himself planking on Twitter. Is that the best idea when you're 85 years old, lying facedown, completely motionless? By the time you explain to people it's a joke they've already buried you. … A new lingerie basketball league has just started up. All the players are wearing lingerie. How the Clippers spend their time during the lockout – that's their business. … According to a new study, people in their 40s are happier with their sex lives than people in their 20s – especially if they’re in their 40s and they’re having sex with someone in their 20s” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 8/4).

LATE NIGHT LAUGHS:

Last night’s edition of Comedy Central’s “The Colbert Report” featured Stephen Colbert hosting a segment called “Stephen Colbert’s Sports Report.” Colbert said, “This season two records of the grid diamond might have to fall that have stood for 100 years, both held by Brooklyn catcher Bill Bergen, who played from 1901 to 1911.” Colbert: “Bergen is considered the worst hitter in baseball history. He holds the records for the lowest season batting average and the most consecutive at-bats without a hit. He's so bad he's been named an honorary Chicago Cub.” Colbert continued to say Bergen’s “streak of 46 consecutive hitless at-bats” could be broken by Brewers 2B Craig Counsell, “who is 0 for his last 45.” Colbert then flashed a picture of Counsell’s batting stance, saying it “made him ineffective against curveballs, but deadly against piñatas.” Colbert also said Bergen’s “all-time low season batting average of .139 is becoming challenged by Adam Dunn, who is currently batting .166.” Colbert: “I haven't seen someone with that much trouble getting to first base since me.” Colbert added that Dunn is the “White Sox designated hitter, which is like making Billy Joel your designated driver.” Colbert also previewed what his takeover of the MLB Twitter feed would look like (“The Colbert Report,” Comedy Central, 8/4).

Last night’s Top Ten list was “Top Ten Ways Barack Obama Celebrated His Birthday” (“Late Show,” CBS, 8/4).

10) “Updated his resume.”
9) “Treated himself to piece of First Lady's carob-flavored kelp loaf birthday cake.”
8) “Asked for an iPad, let Republicans negotiate him down to a wad of gum.”
7) “Pizza and video games at Washington kids' restaurant ‘Chuck E. Schumer's.’”
6) “Asked for any cash gifts to be in Canadian dollars.”
5) “Sent 82nd Airborne on In-N-Out Burger run.”
4) “Invited fun costumed characters.” (A picture of former U.S. Rep. David Wu dressed in a tiger costume flashed on screen.)
3) “‘Shark Week’ and two pints of Chubby Hubby.”
2) “Got a fabulous makeover from Michele O'Bachmann's husband.”
1) “Forged a Kenyan birth certificate to get him out of this miserable job.”

Final Jeopardy....

“What is the Dust Bowl?”

The episode was a re-air from February’s “College Championship” tournament.