Coast to Coast

ALBANY, N.Y.
Arena’s decade of Pepsi may end
Citizens Bank, Bank of America, KeyBank and Coca-Cola are interested in bidding for naming rights to the Pepsi Arena. The Pepsi Bottling Group also is weighing a bid to continue a relationship with the county-owned arena that began in December 1996. The minimum bid is $3.5 million, or $350,000 a year. The county was to accept sealed bids until the close of business last Friday.

ATLANTA
UPS delivering in drag racing, NHRA
United Parcel Service Inc. is revving up its auto racing sponsorships with a new deal in drag racing. Already a sponsor with NASCAR, Atlanta-based UPS will be the official express delivery company of the National Hot Rod Association and the primary sponsor of Atlanta-based Vandergriff Motorsports in the Top Fuel Powerade Drag Racing Series.

AUSTIN, TEXAS
$150 million in stadium upgrades OK’d
Regents at the University of Texas System approved nearly $150 million for expansion at the Darrell K. Royal-Texas Memorial Stadium, as well as almost $121 million for a university hotel and conference center in Austin. The stadium expansion will allow more than 90,000 spectators to watch home football games at UT’s flagship campus.

BOSTON
TD Banknorth builds on ad campaign
TD Banknorth Inc. launched six new TV spots that will appear on NESN and Fox Sports Net New England. The ads, created by The VIA Group of Portland, Maine, are a continuation of the “We’re fans too” campaign to support TD Banknorth’s acquisition of naming rights for the TD Banknorth Garden.

Red Sox eyeing sidewalk cafés
The Red Sox are looking at opening three café-style, sidewalk restaurants on Lansdowne Street near Fenway Park, according to a report in the Boston Herald. Red Sox execs are also reportedly negotiating to trade ownership of a McDonald’s they recently bought for a parking lot next to Fenway Park. If that is successful, the site could be used for new Sox offices and parking.

CHARLOTTE
BofA sponsoring athletic conference
Bank of America Corp. signed on for a three-year sponsorship of the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association, the nation’s oldest historically black athletic conference. Held for the first time in Charlotte, the CIAA basketball tournament will take place Feb. 26 through March 4.

Bobcats entity gets rebranding
The ownership group of the Charlotte Bobcats announced a rebranding of the corporate entity that owns the Charlotte Bobcats and Charlotte Sting and operates the Charlotte Bobcats Arena, taking on the new name Bobcats Sports & Entertainment. The rebranding effort features a new graphic identity designed by GamePlan Creative.

You might not get this close for $2, but a cheap seat is a hot seat for the Mavericks.

DALLAS
An NBA ticket for less than nachos
Mavericks tickets for $2? That’s not a typo. The organization will drop the prices on some of its tickets next season, offering $2 tickets for seats at the American Airlines Center’s terrace level at 10 games. Tickets now priced at $50 will be lowered to $48, $35 tickets will cost $33, $19 tickets will go down to $18 and $10 tickets will drop to $9. Mavs owner Mark Cuban said an anticipated reduction in player payroll is triggering the cuts.

DENVER
Hotel suite gets AFL treatment
Fans of the Colorado Crush arena football team will have a special place at the Loews Denver Hotel. Available through May, the Colorado Crush suite will feature autographed memorabilia, game photos, a giant LCD screen and a DVD player. The room will come with a copy of the Crush’s ArenaBowl championship game from last year.

Luxury time-shares open to NFLPA
The National Football League Players Association will be working with Exclusive Resorts to offer luxury vacation opportunities to its members. Exclusive Resorts, based in Denver and Washington, D.C., offers access to nearly 300 multimillion-dollar vacation homes in 36 destinations worldwide. As part of the agreement, Exclusive Resorts will make a $25,000 charitable donation to an organization chosen by the NFLPA.

DETROIT
Lions opt for fee instead of increase
With “Fire Millen” chants ringing in their ears, the Detroit Lions will not raise ticket prices next season for the first time since moving to Ford Field in 2002. However, a $4 handling fee has been added for each of the 15,000 season ticket accounts.

IT firm gains rights to Palace club
Palace Sports & Entertainment and the Detroit Pistons signed an agreement with ERSA Group, a Plymouth, Mich.-based IT design and implementation company, that gives ERSA the corporate naming rights for the 17,000-square-foot club that will be in The Palace of Auburn Hills’ new North Atrium addition. The North Atrium addition is scheduled for completion in April.

Yao towered over his new friends at the Special Olympics Texas Winter Games.

HOUSTON
Yao Ming opens Texas Winter Games
Yao Ming joined more than 2,500 athletes, coaches and volunteers earlier this month at the Cypress-Fairbanks ISD Ken Pridgeon Stadium to kick off the 2006 Special Olympics Texas Winter Games. Yao walked into the stadium with the athlete delegations and then welcomed the crowd in a speech. The games were presented by CVS Pharmacy and Southern Union Co.

INDIANAPOLIS
Xbox Live presenting Big Ten tourney
The Big Ten has agreed to a three-year marketing deal making Xbox Live the presenting sponsor of the conference’s women’s basketball tournament at Conseco Fieldhouse, beginning this season. As part of the deal, Xbox will get ads in the tournament program, on the scoreboard during the games, and spots during radio and TV broadcasts.

Coke, Meijer support Danica Patrick
Rahal Letterman Racing announced a seasonlong partnership with Meijer grocery stores and Coca-Cola Enterprises as associate sponsors of Indy Racing League Rookie of the Year Danica Patrick for the 2006 season. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but motorsports experts estimated the deals’ combined worth near $1 million. Meijer and Coca-Cola have teamed in the last few years to sponsor an entry in the Indianapolis 500.

Street legal series gets new sponsor
O’Reilly Auto Parts signed a deal to sponsor the long-standing Tuesday Night Street Legal Series for the 2006 season. The legal drag racing series is held at Indianapolis Raceway Park. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. On Tuesday nights, competitors can bring their street legal vehicles and test out their equipment on the same quarter mile used by National Hot Rod Association racers.

JOHNSON CITY, TENN.
Motorsports added to curriculum
East Tennessee State University, in partnership with Bristol Motor Speedway, has designed a motorsport operations academic curriculum. Courses have been developed into the graduate curriculum of the physical education, exercise and sport sciences department. Guest speakers from Bristol Motor Speedway make presentations and speedway experiences are incorporated into classes.

Kemper Arena was packed for the Brigade’s home opener against the Austin Wranglers.

KANSAS CITY
AFL Brigade fills stands in opener
The Kansas City Brigade sold out its inaugural home opener Feb. 12 at Kemper Arena. The Arena Football League team’s season-ticket holders bought more than half the 16,200 tickets sold.

Sprint Center fees generating revenue
The fees approved in August ’04 by Jackson County voters for the new Sprint Center are generating enough revenue to pay for the project without dipping into the general fund, according to a report in the Kansas City Star. The report noted that the city is projecting the fees will generate $11.2 million in the current fiscal year.

Fans get Krispy when Royals hit 12
The Kansas City Royals again will partner with Krispy Kreme Doughnuts Inc. to give fans coupons for a dozen free doughnuts after games when the Royals collect at least 12 hits. The promotion was introduced in 2003.

MIAMI
FSN hooks Marlins for all telecasts
FSN Florida will televise 150 Florida Marlins games this season — the first time all the team’s local telecasts will be on cable rather than a mix of cable and over-the-air stations. FSN will carry 105 Marlins games throughout Florida, and carry the remainder to local cable outlets in several markets or on its sister channel, Sun Sports.

MILWAUKEE
Miller extends beer deal with White Sox
Miller Brewing Co. has agreed to a 10-year extension of a sponsorship deal with the World Series champion Chicago White Sox. Milwaukee-based Miller has been a sponsor of the White Sox for 20 years. The new deal extends the beer brewer’s relationship with the team through the 2016 season.

Brewers see higher group sales
Group ticket sales for the Milwaukee Brewers are up 40 percent over last year after the first weekend of sales. About 108,000 group tickets were sold compared with 77,000 that were sold on the first sales weekend of 2005. This year’s showing marked the second-best opening weekend for group sales in team history, eclipsed only 2001, the first season the team played at Miller Park.

Harley subsidiary offers cash to racers
Buell Motorcycle Co. has expanded its racing support program for 2006, with more than $700,000 in cash contingencies allocated for riders of Buell brand bikes in certain national and regional race series. Money will be paid out to “privateer” racers, or those without factory sponsorships. East Troy, Wis.-based Buell is a subsidiary of Harley-Davidson Inc.

MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
NHL Wild begin PONDcasting
Minnesota Sports & Entertainment launched Wild PONDcasting on the club’s official Web site, www.wild.com, presented by Comcast. Wild PONDcasting provides fans the ability to download audio and video files to their MP3 players, allowing the access to the NHL team’s news and entertainment.

Kemps blending special Twins flavors
St. Paul-based Kemps will introduce four flavors of Minnesota Twins ice cream at major grocers around Minnesota and Western Wisconsin under a sponsorship deal that makes the company the team’s official frozen ice cream. The flavors include T.C.’s Fudge Sundae, Touch ’Em All Chocolate Malt, Peanut Fever Peanut Butter and Graham Slam.

NASHVILLE
New ballpark cleared for construction
The Nashville Metro Council voted 28-9 to approve a new $43 million downtown ballpark for the Class AAA Nashville Sounds. First Tennessee Field will be built along the Cumberland River during the next 14 months. Baltimore-based Struever Bros. Eccles & Rouse has signed on to develop commercial and residential properties on surrounding acreage.

NEW YORK
Knicks hold Latino, Asian nights
Allianz Life Insurance of New York was the presenting sponsor of the New York Knicks’ “Una Noche de Ritmo” (A Night of Rhythm) on Jan. 6, as well as the team’s first “Asian Heritage Day” on Feb. 5. The agreement included presenting signage at Madison Square Garden, announcements throughout the Latino/Asian-themed performances, themed concession items and Allianz Life-branded giveaways.

OAKLAND
Raiders cut prices on most tickets
The Oakland Raiders lowered ticket prices on nearly two-thirds of McAfee Coliseum seats as the team seeks to boost attendance next season. The Raiders said last week that prices will range from $25 to $100, compared with a range of $46 to $91 last year.

The Arizona Cardinals envision 15,000 fans attached to new stadium.

PHOENIX
Fans can have faces on new stadium
All fans purchasing season tickets will have the opportunity to earn a special place in the new Arizona Cardinals stadium by being included on the “Wall of Fans.” At 90 feet wide by 47 feet high, the mosaic at the north gate of the stadium will contain approximately 15,000 images. Fans will submit a 4-inch by 6-inch photo to be one of the 15,000 pixels that make the overall image.

PHILADELPHIA
Phantoms putting goods on eBay
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League are launching a new venture through the eBay online auction service that will make several unique pieces of autographed memorabilia available for purchase. Items to be placed on the auction block in upcoming weeks will include autographed programs and pucks, specialty jerseys, signed helmets and sticks.

Company sells WTA tourney membership
Advanta Corp., a financial services company based in nearby Spring House, Pa., has sold its Women’s Tennis Association tournament membership to Sony Ericsson WTA Tour of St. Petersburg, Fla., the association’s parent organization, for $3 million. The tournament, which dates back to the late 1980s, historically has served as a warm-up for the WTA Tour Championships.

PITTSBURGH
Bettis to be bank’s ambassador
S&T Bank reached a multiyear agreement with Steelers running back Jerome Bettis to represent the bank as its official ambassador. S&T Bank plans to roll out a new advertising campaign featuring Bettis in spring 2006.

SEATTLE
Seahawks cruising on Holland America
The NFC Champion Seattle Seahawks will team with AAA Washington/Inland and Seattle’s hometown cruise line, Holland America Line, to bring a cruise to Seahawks fans. NFL MVP Shaun Alexander and player Steve Hutchinson are among the Seahawks stars scheduled to depart
May 21 for a seven-day Alaska cruise.

ST. LOUIS
U.S. Cellular, Cards ink $5.2 million deal
U.S. Cellular signed a five-year, $5.2 million deal to become the St. Louis Cardinals’ exclusive wireless sponsor. The deal also allows the Chicago-based firm to add its name to a sports complex for kids being built at Centerfield Plaza in the new Busch Stadium. U.S. Cellular will offer enhanced cellular service to wireless customers in and around the ballpark.

Gateway extends deal with Shop ’n Save
Gateway International Raceway extended its sponsorship agreement with Shop ’n Save through the 2006 race season. The supermarket chain will return as the presenting sponsor of the NASCAR Busch Series 250 and as the title sponsor of the ARCA RE/MAX 150.

TAMPA
Yankees mark 10 years at Legends Field
The New York Yankees will acknowledge the 10th anniversary of their spring training stadium in Tampa this year, but aren’t likely to celebrate much beyond that. Banners recognizing the milestone will be displayed throughout Legends Field, which opened in 1996, but team officials say it will be business as usual for the Yankees, including another expected sold-out preseason at the 10,200-seat ballpark.