MARKETING NEWS
MARKETING AND LICENSING DEALS
Landon Donovan and Shannon MacMillan, of the U.S. men's and women's soccer teams, signed multiyear endorsement deals with Chiquita Fresh North America as the company's spokespersons for its recent sponsorship of U.S. Soccer.
Norwell, Mass.-based Vizion Inc. signed WBO junior welterweight champion DeMarcus "Chop Chop" Corley to an endorsement deal of the Vizion athletic and lifestyle apparel brand.
Callaway Golf Co. signed a licensing agreement with the NHL to manufacture and sell golf products bearing the logos of the NHL and its teams. The multiyear agreement applies to Callaway Golf products and putters bearing the name of the company's putter brand, Odyssey Golf.
The Class AA Eastern League's Altoona (Pa.) Curve agreed to a partnership with Vandergrift, Pa.-based Uncle Charley's Sausage Co. The sausage company has acquired naming and preferred marketing rights to the new grill area at the Curve's Blair County Ballpark.
Fairfield, Conn.-based Penfield Marketing Group was selected by US Sailing as the governing body's sports marketing agency. The agency's initial work with US Sailing will focus on the strategy and development of sponsorship and event marketing, as well as supporting membership programs.
U.S. beach volleyball players Holly McPeak and Kerri Walsh signed individual endorsement deals through 2004 with Speedo, a swimwear manufacturer.
SPONSORSHIPS
The Professional Women's Bowling Association signed a multiyear agreement with BowlersParadise.com, making the Web site the official online pro shop of the PWBA.
Coca-Cola signed an agreement with the Class A Hagerstown (Md.) Suns of the South Atlantic League to become the club's official soft drink. Coca-Cola presented fireworks on opening night, April 10, and will sponsor the "Fan Inning" each game.
Berkeley, Calif.-based Clif Bar Inc. is sponsoring four events on the Professional Disc Golf Association's National Tour to help promote its new flavors — lemon poppyseed, black cherry almond and peanut toffee buzz — of energy and nutritional foods.
P. Miller Signature Collection will sponsor ICY/SL Racing in the Grand American Rolex Sports Car Series and Grand-Am Cup Series for the remainder of the 2003 season. P. Miller is the exclusive clothing line for rapper Master P. ICY/SL Racing is a collaborative effort between Inner City Youth Racing and Steve Lisa Racing.
Dallas-based Guaranty Bank sponsored the final SMU Athletic Forum luncheon of the 2002-03 season, which featured boxer Sugar Ray Leonard as a guest speaker.
Raleigh-based First Citizens Bank has signed an agreement to become a Gold Level Sponsor and official banking partner of WUSA's Carolina Courage for checking and savings account services.
The Phoenix Coyotes and Anheuser-Busch Cos. signed a multiyear agreement naming the brewer as a Founding Partner of Glendale Arena and the Coyotes. As part of the agreement, Glendale Arena Pavilion will be renamed Budweiser Pavilion.
FACILITIES NEWS
The University of Michigan will install FieldTurf in Michigan Stadium. Michigan football players already practice on FieldTurf at Oosterbaan Field House, their on-campus practice complex.
BUSINESS NEWS
BUSINESS NOTES
Irvine, Calif.-based ticket technology company Paciolan and Ohio State University added paperless digital ticketing, Web-based ticket management and fan loyalty programs to their relationship. Fans will use their student ID or a "Go-Bucks" loyalty card that will be scanned in and will act as their ticket.
The Champions Tour Bayer Advantage Invitational has been renamed the Bayer Advantage Celebrity Pro-Am. It will be played May 12-18 at The National Golf Club of Kansas City.
MEDIA NEWS
TELEVISION
Major League Baseball Charities has begun airing public service announcements featuring several players to raise awareness for Boys & Girls Clubs of America, MLB's official charity. Players featured in the 30-second spots include Barry Zito, Garret Anderson, Mike Sweeney, Jim Thome, Andy Pettitte and Dmitri Young.
INTERNET
The Women's United Soccer Association has redesigned and added players' bios to its league Web site, www.wusa.com. Maintained by WUSA Internet partner RMG3, the Web site includes six of the eight WUSA team sites and has other bonus features such as history pages, photo galleries and an area where fans can sign up for an e-mail newsletter.
SPORTS AGENCY NEWS
CLIENT SIGNINGS
Roy Kessel of Chicago-based Sports-Loop signed Indiana University defensive end Darek Barnett to full representation.
CERTIFICATIONS
Chuck Porter was designated as a registered player financial adviser by the NFL Players Association.
AWARDS
Mark Frost's book, "The Greatest Game Ever Played," has been named the recipient of the 2002 United States Golf Association International Book Award, which is the top literary prize awarded by the USGA.
The Professional Football Writers of America named the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the recipient of the 2002 Pete Rozelle Award, given to the NFL's top public relations department.
CHARITY NEWS
The Minnesota Wild will auction several game-worn jerseys to raise proceeds for its 10,000 Rinks Foundation. Fans will be able to access the jersey auction at www.wild.com or www.nhl.com.
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League held a silent auction during a game against the Hartford (Conn.) Wolf Pack to help raise money for Louise Arters, who played one of the Sparkle Twins in the 1977 motion picture "Slap Shot." Arters was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1985 and is in need of a specially equipped van to get around.
Detroit Lions Charities has awarded 80 grants totaling a record $330,583.98 to nonprofit agencies throughout Michigan. Among the major commitments are the sponsorship for the fifth consecutive year of the Detroit Lions PAL Football League and sponsorship of the Detroit Lions Academy.
The Philadelphia Flyers' Wives raised more than $32,000 at their seventh annual stick auction during a Flyers-Carolina Hurricanes game at the First Union Center. Proceeds benefit the Foundation for Melanoma Research, the Wellness Community of Pennsylvania, Pennsylvania Hospital, Magee Rehabilitation and the University of Pennsylvania Emergency Room.
The Nasdaq-100 Open participated in Feed the Children, helping the international hunger relief organization benefit thousands of families through area agencies. Roger Federer and Iva Majoli joined Butch Buchholz and Feed the Children co-founders Larry and Frances Jones helping to unload and distribute 500,000 pounds of food items.
Centennial Golf Course in Oak Ridge, Tenn., raised $10,000 through a silent auction and a benefit tournament to support victims of the Nov. 10 tornadoes through the Appalachia Habitat for Humanity and the Morgan County Relief Fund.
Doublemint and parent Wrigley Co., with spokeswomen Serena and Venus Williams, launched the "Feel the Green" Auction on doublemint.com at the Nasdaq-100 Open. Doublemint's goal is to raise $10,000 for the Tom Joyner Foundation, which supports education through scholarships provided to historically black colleges and universities.
The Chicago Bulls collected 1,536 pounds of nonperishable items for the Greater Chicago Food Depository in the Bulls' Non-Holiday Food Drive on March 8.
NASCAR announced the national expansion of NASCAR on Track For Charity, a fund-raiser for Speedway Children's Charities and the Victory Junction Gang Camp, to four NASCAR-sanctioned tracks. Last year's inaugural event took place at Lowe's Motor Speedway in Concord, N.C., and raised nearly $60,000.
Columbus Blue Jackets center Tyler Wright and Max & Erma's Restaurants treated several of his "heroes" to limo rides and dinner at two Columbus-area Max & Erma's locations last month for the culmination of a two-week fund-raiser by Max & Erma's that raised $20,000 for Hats for Heroes, a team-sponsored program based on the sale of specially designed hats to raise money for pediatric cancer research.
Chicago Bulls assistant coach Bill Berry, forward Donyell Marshall and guard Trenton Hassell visited with children at Chicago's Shriners Hospitals for Children. The Bulls donated $10,000 to the hospital to outfit a room in the hospital's new Outpatient Clinic.
Source: Street & Smith's SportsBusiness Journal research
If you have an item you would like included in For The Record, please send it to the attention of Alisha Puckett. Phone: (704) 973-1419. Fax: (704) 973-1401. E-mail: apuckett@sportsbusinessjournal.com
