ANAHEIM
Saturday Night Fever for Ducks
The Mighty Ducks are hosting Saturday Night Fever for season seat holders. The event will take place at 
Disney Ice on July 24 and Aug. 28 from 7 to 9 p.m. At Saturday Night Fever, season seat holders can attend an ice skating party on the Olympic rink at Disney Ice where they can ice skate to tunes from the ’70s and come dressed in their favorite retro disco outfits. If season seat holders don’t feel like skating, they may attend a Chalk Talk in Club 32° hosted by various Mighty Ducks personalities.
BALTIMORE
Ravens pick BTE for rehab system
BTE Technologies Inc., a leading provider of software, equipment and services to health-care providers and the workers’ compensation industry, has entered into a rental agreement with the Baltimore Ravens for the use of its PrimusRS, a new rehabilitation system. The unit, at the Ravens’ training facility in Owings Mills, Md., will be used to aid in the training and rehabilitation of Ravens athletes. PrimusRS is a computer-controlled rehabilitation system that displays and stores an individual’s input and output during an evaluation or exercise and then uses this information to chart progress over time.
CHAPEL HILL, N.C.
Tar Heels go with Paciolan
The University of North Carolina has teamed with Paciolan to manage the athletic department’s ticketing operations and launch UNC’s first online sales channel. The partnership will enable UNC fans to buy best-available singles, season tickets, renewals and group packages online through the Tar Heel-branded Web site: www.tarheelblue.com.
CHARLESTON, S.C.
Family Circle Cup dates set
The Family Circle Cup’s 2005 tournament dates have been set; next year’s event will be held April 9-17 at the Family Circle Tennis Center in Charleston. The 2004 Family Circle Cup set a new attendance record in Charleston of 91,410.
DALLAS
Burn to announce new team name
The Dallas Burn will announce a new name for the franchise the week of Aug. 9. The club will retain the Burn moniker for the rest of the 2004 season and will 
adopt the new one as the team moves from Dallas’ Cotton Bowl into a new stadium in the suburb of Frisco next year. Team officials told The Dallas Morning News that the Burn name, which the franchise has had since Major League Soccer’s 1996 inception, has never caught on. The new name is more clearly identifiable with soccer, although no colors or logo have been chosen, the News reported.
DENVER
Altitude to air Air Force Academy events
Altitude Sports & Entertainment, Kroenke Sports Enterprises LLC’s new sports network, has signed a multiyear agreement to air live Air Force Academy athletic events. Under the agreement, Altitude will televise annually a total of up to six men’s basketball and football games, as well as other intercollegiate events. The network will also televise the academy’s Wing Open Boxing Championships, one of the premier amateur boxing competitions in the nation.
FSN Rocky Mountain to air Bronco replays
Fox Sports Net Rocky Mountain will air replays of Denver Broncos preseason games after local CBS affiliate KCNC first broadcasts the games live. Under an agreement that begins in August, Fox Sports Net will carry the games through its eight-state region, reaching nearly 3 million cable and satellite subscribers. This is the first time Fox Sports Net has landed local broadcast rights to Broncos games. Fox Sports Net also will air a half-hour pregame show before each regular-season game.
DETROIT
Pistons’ DVD to debut after WNBA game
The WNBA game today between the Detroit Shock and Sacramento Monarchs will be followed by the 
public debut of the Pistons’ championship DVD. Tickets and parking will be free to all fans. Piston players Richard Hamilton, Tayshaun Prince and Lindsey Hunter, along with team President Joe Dumars, are scheduled to appear. The DVD will be released for public sale the next day at $24.95.
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla.
SportsLine shares up after Viacom offer
Fort Lauderdale-based Internet site SportsLine.com saw its shares surge after it announced that Viacom offered $42.2 million to buy the shares it doesn’t already own. Media and entertainment giant Viacom offered $1.50 a share — a 39 percent premium to a recent closing price of $1.08 — to acquire the remaining 62 percent of SportsLine stock it doesn’t hold, The Miami Herald said. The offer was made the same day SportsLine was due to pay $16.3 million in stock and cash to Viacom in return for promotion of SportsLine’s Web site on CBS Sports broadcasts.
HOUSTON
Astros fans have wireless connectivity
Minute Maid Park this month began offering wireless Internet access to all fans, which will include this week’s Major League Baseball All-Star Game. The Houston Astros began providing wireless Internet access at the ballpark in a game against the Texas Rangers on July 2. Through a deal with Time Warner Cable, Minute Maid Park is a Road Runner Speed Zone that offers a high-speed online hookup to wireless laptop computer and PDA users throughout the ballpark. Supported by equipment from Cisco Systems Inc., nearly 100 wireless access points across Minute Maid Park allow laptops, PDAs and other wi-fi compatible devices to hook up online anywhere in the retractable-roof stadium. After a 15-minute free trial, fans toting their own devices can pay $3.95 for a four-hour block of wireless online access at the ballpark.
INDIANAPOLIS
Sponsor urges IRL-Champ Car merger
Firestone/Bridgestone is reportedly pressuring officials for the Indy Racing League and rival open-wheel racing series Champ Car to merge. The Toronto Sun quoted an anonymous source with Firestone/Bridgestone saying it would pull its sponsorship and stop supplying tires to the two series next season if the two circuits don’t merge. Pressure also may be coming from within the ranks of the IRL. The series’ most powerful owner, Roger Penske, recently said he favored the two sides coming together to form one international series that raced oval track and road courses.
IRL TV ratings continue to slide
Despite what observers called the best race in several years, the Indy Racing League race in Richmond, Va., still saw its television ratings halved compared to the 2003 event. The race, broadcast on ESPN, registered a Nielsen rating of 0.2, compared with 0.4 last year.
MANCHESTER, N.H.
Dodge will title AHL All-Star Classic
Dodge has been named the title sponsor for the upcoming season’s AHL All-Star Classic. The 2005 Dodge AHL All-Star Classic will be played at 
the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H., on Feb. 13 and 14, hosted by the Manchester Monarchs. Dodge has been a major corporate partner of the American Hockey League for several years, playing a significant role in the All-Star Classic over the past decade and serving as the event’s title sponsor in 1995 and 2003. The New England Dodge Dealers represent all Dodge dealerships in the six New England states.
MEMPHIS
Redbirds, First Tennessee offer payoff
The Memphis Redbirds and First Tennessee Bank have been paying fans to go to Redbirds home games. Since June 16 at every Wednesday home game until the end of the season, First Tennessee has been giving the first 1,500 fans in the gates envelopes containing either $1, $5, $10, $20 or $100 bills. The remaining two games in the promotion are night games on July 28 and Aug. 18. Suzanne Copeland, senior vice president marketing at First Tennessee, says that by the time the promotion is over, First Tennessee will have given fans $15,000 as part of “The Working Money Wednesday” campaign. The Redbirds are a Class AAA affiliate of the St. Louis Cardinals.
Elliott to drive Elvis car in Busch race
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| Bill Elliott (third from left) unveils the No. 09 Elvis Presley Dodge with Kevin Kane, president, Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau; Jason Rittenberry, vice president of Memphis Motorsports Park; and Jack Soden, CEO, Elvis Presley Enterprises. |
In celebration of “50 Years of Rock ‘n’ Roll,” NASCAR driver Bill Elliott will compete in the Sam’s Town “He Dared To Rock” 250 on Oct. 23 in a special Elvis No. 09 car. Officials from Memphis Motorsports Park, Elvis Presley Enterprises, the Memphis Convention & Visitors Bureau and Action Performance Cos. made the announcement last week. Elliott will compete at Memphis Motorsports Park in a specially designed race car sponsored by Lucas Oil and Boyd Gaming Corp.’s Sam’s Town Tunica Hotel & Gambling Hall. Adorned with a logo of Elvis on the hood, the car will carry Elliott in his first race ever in Memphis and his first NASCAR Busch Series race in more than a decade.
MIAMI
Heat picks Southern Brand as ad agency
The Miami Heat selected Southern Brand Collective 
as its advertising agency of record. Southern Brand was the incumbent agency in a search that narrowed 12 local agencies to three finalists, said a South Florida Business Journal report.
Buyer given more time for arena payment
The Miami Sports & Exhibition Authority agreed to give Jacob “Hank” Sopher more time to pay $3 million in earnest money to purchase the Miami Arena. Sopher missed a deadline to make a $2 million deposit or terminate his agreement. The extension makes Sopher’s $1 million initial deposit nonrefundable and doesn’t delay the authority’s plans to auction the arena Aug. 10. The sale, with bidding starting at $25 million, is a key element in the Florida Marlins’ plan to build a new stadium on a city-owned site at the Orange Bowl.
MILWAUKEE
Is Warriors nickname coming back?
Marquette University’s 36-member board of trustees is expected to discuss changing the MU teams’ nickname from Golden Eagles back to Warriors at 
the board’s September meeting. Marquette dropped the Warriors nickname and its accompanying American Indian mascot in 1994. If the change were approved, it would be effective by the time Marquette exits Conference USA to begin play in the Big East Conference in the fall of 2005. The debate was rekindled at Marquette’s May commencement when Wayne Sanders, vice chairman of the board of trustees, offered the school $2 million to restore the Warriors nickname. Alums have recommend that a “non-American Indian” mascot and logo be adopted.
NEW YORK
BMC to sponsor cycling race
Threshold Sports, producer of the Pro Cycling Tour, has announced that BMC Software will be the title sponsor of the New York City Cycling Championship. BMC has been the presenting sponsor since the race’s inception in 2002. The official name of the race will now be the BMC Software New York City Cycling Championship. This year’s event will be held Aug. 1 on a 1.2-mile circuit in the midst of Lower Manhattan’s financial district.
Armory to manage Icahn Stadium
The Randall’s Island Sports Foundation will retain the Armory Foundation to assist in managing Icahn Stadium on Randall’s Island Park during the initial three years of its operation. Icahn Stadium is a $38 million project replacing the demolished Downing Stadium. It will be the premier International Association of Athletics Federations-certified, championship quality track and field facility in New York City for local, national and international outdoor competition.
OAKLAND
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| The A’s game against the Giants drew the largest crowd in A’s history. |
A’s crowd sets attendance record
The game between the Oakland A’s and San Francisco Giants on June 26 drew a crowd of 55,989 to Network Associates Coliseum, which was the largest crowd to watch a baseball game in A’s history. The three-game series between the A’s and Giants drew 158,152 fans, setting an Oakland attendance record for a three-game series. The A’s hold baseball’s best home record over the last five years and are one of two teams in Major League Baseball, the other being the Boston Red Sox, to have increased attendance each of the last five seasons.
PHILADELPHIA
Governor OKs slot machines at tracks
Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell signed into law legislation authorizing up to 61,000 slot machines at Pennsylvania horse racing tracks and other sites. The measure — which will allow slot machines at 14 locations across the state — is expected to generate annual tax revenue of $1 billion, which will be used for a variety of purposes, including property tax relief and economic development programs. Slot revenue will also allow track owners to increase the size of purses for horse races. The measure will allow seven racetracks and five slot parlors to operate 3,000 slot machines each, with the possibility of increasing that number to 5,000 machines at a later date.
Phillies add Turkey Hill as sponsor
The Philadelphia Phillies have added Turkey Hill of Conestoga, Pa., as a new corporate partner. 
Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. Under the deal, Turkey Hill becomes the “official ice cream” and “official iced tea” of the Phillies. In addition, the company recently introduced a new flavor, Phillies Graham Slam, which consists of graham flavored ice cream, scoops of choco-marshmallow cups and a graham swirl.
SACRAMENTO
Players promote credit union
Sacramento King Bobby Jackson and Sacramento Monarch Ruthie Bolton have signed with Schools Financial Credit Union to endorse its low-rate loan and membership marketing campaign. Images of Jackson and Bolton sporting Schools’ team jerseys will appear on outdoor signs at Schools’ 10 branches, on billboards around the Sacramento area, on bus boards around Placerville and Yuba City, and on all local community college campuses.
SAN DIEGO
City, Chargers reach middle ground
The city and Chargers reached an agreement to restructure the team’s Qualcomm Stadium 
lease and end a lawsuit the team filed against the city. The deal assures that the team will remain in San Diego through the 2008 season and eliminates the ticket-guarantee clause in the team’s 1995 stadium lease that has cost the city more than $36 million since going into effect in 1997. The Chargers would be assessed a $56.2 million termination fee if the team leaves at the end of the 2008 season, with a sliding-scale amount in later years, through 2020. The money would pay off city bonds for the 1997 expansion of the stadium. The Chargers sued the city in November, claiming the team had met a financial threshold that allows it to renegotiate the lease at Qualcomm and look to relocate. The team will drop the lawsuit. A current lease requirement that the city maintain a “state-of-the-art” stadium will be eliminated in favor of basic maintenance. If the City Council approves the plan at a public hearing today, the team will be charged $2.5 million annually in rent for the next 10 years, $3 million annually between 2014 and 2016 and $4 million annually from 2017 through 2020.
SPRINGFIELD, N.J.
N.J. Transit to sponsor PGA tournament
The PGA of America signed a sponsorship deal with New Jersey Transit, which will serve as the preferred transportation partner for next year’s 87th PGA Championship. The tournament will take place Aug. 8-14 at the Baltsurol Golf Club in Springfield, N.J. Under the partnership, N.J. Transit plans to create a PGA commemorative rail ticket, which will be sold for $20 for the Aug. 11-14 championship rounds as part of an effort to reduce automobile traffic congestion around the tournament.
ST. LOUIS
Coke is new ballpark’s first big sponsor
Coca-Cola has signed as the first major sponsor of the St. Louis Cardinals’ new ballpark set to open in April 2006. Financial terms were not disclosed, but the Cardinals said the agreement is a “key component” of the team’s private 
financing commitment for the project. Coca-Cola, which said its soft drink is the only one ever sold in Busch Stadium, will continue the 40-year trend at the new ballpark through 2015. In addition to being the exclusive soft drink sold at the stadium, Coca-Cola will sponsor several themed party areas in the new ballpark, including the patio deck on top of the “batter’s eye” hitting background in center field and a party area under the main scoreboard.
TAMPA-ST. PETERSBURG
Rays sign Papa John’s Pizza
The Tampa Bay Devil Rays have signed a multiyear sponsorship with Papa John’s Pizza 
that includes partnering on marketing and advertising as well as three pizza concession stands inside Tropicana Field. Papa John’s will be included as part of a Rays “Great 8 Pack” ticket promotion offering two large pizzas. The Rays have not had a pizza sponsor for the last three years.
Sunshine re-airing Lightning games
Sunshine Network is rebroadcasting pivotal Tampa Bay Lightning games throughout the remainder of the summer to carry the momentum of the team’s Stanley Cup victory into next season. The games are airing each week at 7 p.m. Tuesdays and 4 p.m. Thursdays, along with selected reruns of the cable network’s “Inside the Lightning” weekly feature program. Sunshine also plans a Stanley Cup special that will air through the Lightning’s summer schedule concluding Aug. 31.
TORONTO
Fear of NHL stoppage kills golf plan
A planned golf course development north of Toronto has fallen apart because NHL players involved in financing the deal have been advised to hang onto their money due to concerns of an NHL work stoppage. The Toronto Star reported that agents for roughly a dozen players recommended against their joining a limited partnership in the golf venture because of the likelihood of a fall lockout. Plans had called for 36 holes — 18 private and 18 public — to take on a hockey-themed flavor, with mini Stanley Cups as tee blocks and team logos on pin flags.
