The NBA said that it is "planning to put a sponsored 3.25 inch by 1.6 inch patch with a Kia logo on the upper left chest of player jerseys" for both the '16 and '17 All-Star games. The patch is "part of an advertising buy between media rights holder Turner Sports and sponsor Kia Motors America." This will mark the "first time that one of the four major American professional sports will display a non-apparel logo on jerseys during a game." The deal was "brokered between the league and Turner Sports" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/29).
ESPN’s top marketing exec is leaving the company. Aaron Taylor, the company’s Senior VP/Marketing, told his staff yesterday that he is stepping down after nearly 17 years, citing a desire to try something new. Taylor’s departure comes days after ESPN laid off around 300 people in a cost-cutting move, but ESPN says the two are not related and more related to a realignment of ESPN’s marketing and sales divisions. The network will hire a new marketing head.
Tasked with overseeing all aspects of ESPN’s marketing, the well-liked Taylor is perhaps best known for ESPN’s “This Is SportsCenter” – a campaign created by Wieden+Kennedy in '94 and overseen by Taylor for 14 of his 17-year ESPN run. Taylor also ran well-known ESPN campaigns like “Without Sports…,” “It’s Not Crazy, It’s Sports” and “Is It Monday Yet?"
The Massachusetts Gaming Commission meets today to "begin considering policy questions" regarding daily fantasy sports that they "say the governor and legislature will have to decide." Among them are "whether fantasy sports are legal, should they be regulated, who should regulate them and what aspects of the games should be regulated" (AP, 10/29).
Meanwhile, DraftKings co-Founder & CEO Jason Robins at last night's MassChallenge startup awards said that he was "committed to building a big consumer brand in Boston – despite calls for the company to move to the West Coast." Robins: "Maybe my most important driver is to build something great in Boston" (BETABOSTON.com, 10/28).
Sources said that Blue Jays Senior VP/Baseball Operations & GM Alex Anthopoulos is leaving the team in "less than a week" after "rejecting an extension." The "issues leading to the split aren't thought to be financial." This comes with the "looming arrival" of Mark Shapiro, who is scheduled to succeed Paul Beeston as President & CEO on Monday. Anthopoulos' departure also "raises questions about the fate of his top front office lieutenants," including Assistant GM Tony LaCava and manager John Gibbons (SPORTSNET.ca, 10/29).
The Nationals are expected to hire former Padres manager Bud Black as the franchise's sixth manager, with an announcement "likely to come after the unwritten gag order that hangs" over MLB during the World Series (WASHINGTON POST, 10/29).
Meanwhile, a source said that the Marlins have hired Don Mattingly as their next manager in a four-year deal. He will be the club's eighth manager since '10. The Marlins also are "thought to be waiting until after the World Series to make a formal announcement" (VICE.com, 10/28).
Churchill Downs Inc. reported record net revenues of $279.8M for Q3 '15 "thanks to the continued growth of online game division Big Fish Games, acquired in December." CDI reported profits of $4.2M, up about 20% over the same period in '14. Year-to-date, CDI reported earnings of nearly $57.7M, down 4% from last year. Q3 revenue for the quarter was up 61% from the year-ago period. CDI officials will discuss the results with stock analysts this morning (LEXINGTON HERALD-LEADER, 10/29).
The Rockets during last night's home opener against the Nuggets debuted a tribute to Moses Malone, who died last month. The late Basketball HOFer's name, number 24 and nickname, "Chairman of the Boards," were displayed "on the bottom of the basket stanchion" (CHRON.com, 10/28). The T'Wolves during last night's opener at Staples Center honored the late Flip Saunders with "shooting shirts with 'WE' on them." The Lakers "wore a shooting shirt emblazoned with 'Flip'" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 10/28).
Meanwhile, the Celtics for last night's season opener against the 76ers unveiled a new parquet floor, "just the third in franchise history." It is the "first new floor since the team moved to TD Garden" in '95 (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/29). The Nuggets will wear a new "WhiteGold" alternate uniform this season. A new logo with elements form the team's secondary "pick axe" mark is featured across the chest. The uniforms introduce a metallic light blue color. There is a Nuggets logo just below the waistband on the back of the shorts (Nuggets).
Day 2 of the '15 NeuLion Sports Media & Technology Conference kicks off today at the Crowne Plaza Times Square. Attendees can expect a full house for an appearance by CBS President & CEO Les Moonves, who sits for a 40-minute one-on-one with guest interviewer Ben Grossman. Moonves is sure to touch on cord cutting, the skinny bundle, the state of CBS' sports portfolio and the strength of the network's impressive NFL ratings. And Grossman will also push on the future of the NFL's "Thursday Night Football" package.
Other highlights will include DraftKings' Jason Robins participating in a one-on-one interview, discussing what has been one the most notable stories this year in the entire sports industry. The conference will conclude with SBJ/SBD's first-ever panel devoted to eSports.
The 11th annual SportsBusiness Journal/Daily Reader Survey is now live. This year's shortened and refreshed survey gives you a chance to quickly weigh-in on questions such as:
What is the best facility in pro sports?
Which college football stadiums would be on your bucket list to see a game?
Which corporate sponsors would you want to align with?
What is your favorite over-the-top service?
Cast your votes and then look for results in SBJ and SBD the week of Nov. 23.
Efforts to bring a Major Arena Soccer League team to Hartford "were dashed" last night when league officials "dropped Hartford City FC, telling the team's coach they were troubled by a grand jury investigation" into the club's owners, James Duckett Jr. and Mitch Anderson (HARTFORD COURANT, 10/29).
Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza yesterday said that he and his administration are "talking" with the Triple-A Int'l League Pawtucket Red Sox and "'coordinating' with state leaders regarding what type of package the city and state might offer" the team as it seeks a new home (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 10/29).
Del Mar Thoroughbred Club today begins its fall race meeting, with "20 days of racing over five weeks and five more racing days than last year." The Bing Crosby Season, or "Bing II," features 17 stakes races worth nearly $3M in purses (L.A. TIMES, 10/29).
St. Petersburg Mayor Rick Kriseman today will meet with Rays President Brian Auld to “get the team’s reaction to a plan recently approved by City Council” that would allow the Rays to consider ballpark sites outside the city (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 10/28).
The deadline to nominate a candidate for SportsBusiness Daily/Journal’s Forty Under 40 program for '16 is Sunday. Follow this link for more information, including to submit a nomination (THE DAILY).
“Fantasy Football! We have ISIS and al Qaeda attacking us and we’re talking about fantasy football?” – N.J. Gov. Chris Christie, on being asked about the DFS industry during last night’s Republican presidential debate (CNBC, 10/28).
“Everybody had one. All of our relatives had one. I just wish I’d kept a garage full of them. I’d be selling them on eBay” – Former SI Circulation Dir Michael Loeb, on the football phone the magazine offered with subscriptions in the ‘80s and early ‘90s (ROLLINGSTONE.com, 10/28).
“I could see myself being somebody who worked for FIFA and didn’t keep my mouth shut … so I don’t know if they would want me” – Former USWNT F Abby Wambach (Mult., 10/28).
Last night’s 11:00pm ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with T’Wolves-Lakers, followed by 76ers-Celtics, Spurs-Thunder and Mets-Royals World Series Game 2. Last night’s 11:00pm ET edition of FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” led with Spurs-Thunder, followed by Mets-Royals, Nuggets-Rockets and Cavaliers-Grizzlies.
ROLLINGSTONE.com goes with the header and sub-head: "The Sublime Simplicity Of Baseball-Reference.com: How one fan launched a site that's become an indispensable source of info for statheads and Hall of Famers alike."
SABMiller and A-B InBev will “get another week to try to seal a potential takeover deal as British regulators extended a pending deadline for their talks.” The Panel of Takeovers and Mergers in the U.K. extended the deadline until Nov. 4 (N.Y. TIMES, 10/29).
Back Pages....
The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan tabloids:
TNT’s Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith and Shaquille O’Neal appeared together on TBS’ “Conan” last night, with the good-natured sniping beginning immediately. Host Conan O’Brien asked O’Neal who made his suit, to which Barkley said, “Not a good tailor.” O’Neal then went spokesperson and said, “It’s part of my Shaq suit line at Macy’s. Get you some Icy Hot too if you need it.” O’Brien replied, “We’ll talk about your endorsements in a bit. He’s sitting in a Shaq chair right now.” O’Brien said O’Neal’s co-hosts were “bad-mouthing” him because O’Neal doesn’t “go out and buy them presents at Christmastime, you give them products you get for free that you endorse.” Barkley declared, “A hundred percent true!" Smith: “Shaq might be the cheapest billionaire we know” (“Conan,” TBS, 10/29).
ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said World Series Game 1 “was the second-longest game in World Series history, five hours and nine minutes. It was brutal. I'm exhausted. My wife said to me this morning, ‘You realize you're exhausted from watching other men play sports?’ It's true, but very rude, very rude thing to say. That game last night was longer than a voicemail from your mother, it was crazy. There are a million people in New York and Kansas City sleeping on their desks today. A baseball game should never be longer than the Ken Burns documentary about baseball was.” Kimmel then checked in with actor Eric Stonestreet about their World Series bet (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 10/28).
Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night and offered condolences to Kimmel about the Mets losing World Series Game 1. Kimmel: “It's not over, it’s best-of-seven here. It's not a cricket match like you have over there in South Africa.” Noah said, “I didn't know what was going on, watching the game, I'm learning baseball. I’m watching the game and it goes nine, then 10, then there’s 11, then 12. I was like, ‘Do they just play this forever? Someone's going to die!’” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 10/28)
NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said of World Series Game 1, “Last night was a crazy game. And if you missed it, don't worry, because they're re-releasing it in a 12-DVD box set. The Mets’ Bartolo Colon became the oldest pitcher to lose a World Series game. … You can tell he's old because when the manager came out to talk to him, he was just happy to have a visitor. ‘Are you one of my grandkids?’ … He's so old, he keeps yelling at the outfielders to get off his lawn. … He's so old, he yells at his own fastball to slow down” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/28).
Last night’s edition of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” aired their regular segment “Tonight Show Superlatives,” in which Fallon gave out awards to players from the Broncos and Packers prior to their “SNF” game (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/28).
Author Jonathan Franzen appeared on CBS’ “Late Show” last night, and host Stephen Colbert asked, “Do you have trash literature that you read, like the White Castle version of books that you read? Is there some snack, some Doritos version of books that you've got to gobble up sometimes?” Franzen said, “It's called ‘Fox NFL Sunday.’” Colbert said, “You know, you don't have to read that anymore. It's available on TV now” (“Late Show,” CBS, 10/28).
We've always been wanting to have people come here and feel like they visited Miami, and they get the art and the culture and the food and the entertainment. It's more than just a race.
-- F1 Miami President Tyler Epp, on the race's goal of delivering an authentic Miami experience for all who attend. RACER, 5/2.
On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two...
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On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with Learfield's Cory Moss as he talks about his company’s collaboration on EA Sports College Football. Later in the show, we hear from MASN/ESPN baseball analyst Ben McDonald on how he sees the college and professional baseball scene shaking out. SBJ’s Adam Stern shares his thoughts on the upcoming Canelo-Mungia bout on Prime Video and DAZN.
SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini....
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SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry.
SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.
