Coast to Coast

Atlanta Motor Speedway is drawing up grand plans for the grandstands.

Atlanta
Speedway beefing up seating options
Atlanta Motor Speedway is planning to add 13,000 seats in the newly created Winners Grandstand on Turn 1 in time for the Bass Pro Shops 500 race weekend Oct. 27-29. The grandstand will feature more than 7,700 individual chair seats and 5,300 bench seats. Also being added is an upscale Trackside Terrace camping section on the backstretch with parking spots for more than 90 RVs and “Club One,” a luxury-seating option that will offer a rooftop observation deck for members.

Boston
Would-be Bruins take shot at contract
NESN and One-on-One Productions will co-produce a reality/competition series called “Be a Bruin.” Developed by Bruins legend Brad Park and Chris Miller, the series will follow a field of hockey players seeking to fulfill a lifelong dream of playing for the Bruins. Hockey players who think they have what it takes can register for the first phase of the competition at www.beabruin.com.

Amateurs can sign up to hit the ice.

Cincinnati
Reds minority shareholders identified
The Cincinnati Reds have identified several new minority shareholders in the team. The investors bought small stakes in the club as part of Cincinnati businessman Robert Castellini’s new ownership group. The nine new minority investors are Ralph and David Drees, Harry Fath, Jeff Gendell, Howard Ragland, Larry Sheakley, George Vincent, Jack Wyant and Jeff Wyler.

Columbus
Marathon pulls rabbit out of hat
Fat Rabbit Racing has landed a two-year contract to manage the Columbus Marathon, replacing the nonprofit event’s longtime management firm, Promotions One. Based in a Columbus suburb, Fat Rabbit manages triathlon and other multisport events in Columbus and elsewhere in Ohio. The marathon will be run Oct. 15.

Crew broadcasts find new home
MLS’s Columbus Crew will move its English-language radio game broadcasts to WBWR-FM this season. The former classic rock station, now nicknamed the “Brew,” will broadcast all 32 regular-season games and any playoff matches. The Clear Channel Communications Inc. station will replace 103.9/TED-FM, a North American Broadcasting Co. station and the Crew’s radio home since 2001.

East Rutherford, N.J.
Nets shave $20 off select tickets
The NBA Nets will decrease season-ticket prices for select lower-bowl sections from $80 to $60, while most nonpremium seat prices are staying at 2005-06 levels. Lower-bowl sideline-section season tickets will range from $100 to $170, while other lower-bowl season seats will start at $40. In addition, “Screecher Seats,” in the upper bowl, will remain $10 a ticket for season-ticket holders and $15 for individual games.

Jackson Hewitt stays in Nets lineup
Jackson Hewitt Tax Service has returned as the Nets’ presenting sponsor for the remainder of the regular season. Jackson Hewitt receives branding in all aspects of Nets marketing and communications. The tax preparation service firm has its name and logo appear on all team press releases, team publications and advertising.

Aging Aloha Stadium would need 10,000 more seats for a shot at the game.

French Lick, Ind.
Golf course getting retro makeover
With a $350 million historic resort restoration and casino development as its backdrop, the Hill Course at the French Lick Springs Resort & Casino is undergoing a transformation, as it begins to reassume the look of the course where Walter Hagen won the 1924 PGA Championship. A $3.5 million project, the completely refurbished course, which was originally designed by renowned golf course architect Donald Ross, is slated to open in May.

Honolulu
Super Bowl at Aloha in 2016?
Aloha Stadium’s top management wants to upgrade the sports complex so the state can make a credible bid to host the Super Bowl in 2016. Stadium officials are convinced that the planned $129 million stadium makeover could help lure the NFL’s 50th Super Bowl to Hawaii. The state would have 10 years to plan and build 32 luxury suites and add 10,000 more seats to satisfy NFL requirements.

Pro Bowl impact down 16 percent
The 2006 NFL Pro Bowl had a $33.6 million economic impact on Hawaii, according to a study released March 2. That figure represents a 16 percent decrease from a year ago, when the game played at Aloha Stadium generated $39.4 million for the local economy, according to the Hawaii Tourism Authority. State taxes generated from the Feb. 12 game also dropped 16 percent, to $3.2 million.

Houston
Team changes name, keeps colors
Houston’s Major League Soccer team announced that “Dynamo” has replaced the controversial “1836” as its team name. There was a former Houston pro soccer team called the Houston Dynamos that the Houston Dynamo is not associated with. The Dynamos played professionally for one year, in 1984.

Las Vegas
Monorail wants NBA on board
Las Vegas Monorail officials plan to court the NBA as a sponsor leading up to the league’s 2007 All-Star Game in hopes of trading event exposure for a needed cash boost, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal. The proposal may include an NBA-themed station featuring interactive basketball exhibits and displays, and a train wrapped with NBA ads.

Condo towers planned for speedway
Speedway Motorsports Inc. was expected to announce last Friday that it plans to build two 10-story condominium towers that will overlook the second turn of the 1.5-mile tri-oval track at Las Vegas Motor Speedway, according to a report in the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Kansas City
NFL pencils in 2015 Super Bowl
Kansas City will host the Super Bowl in 2015, the NFL said, contingent on voters’ April 4 approval of taxes to fund improvements to the Truman Sports Complex and construction of a roof that would roll between Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums. The funding request will be considered in Jackson County, which includes Kansas City.

Chiefs OK fraction of revenue for roof
The Kansas City Chiefs agreed to give two-thirds of revenue from naming rights for a proposed rolling roof over Arrowhead and Kauffman stadiums to the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation. But leaders of the Jackson County Legislature, which must approve the plan, are wary. County and Chiefs officials previously had said all naming-rights proceeds would help fund the roof.

Daktronics is installing its high-definition scoreboards at Dolphins Stadium.

Los Angeles
Points program pairs fans with team
Dodgers fans will have access to the team through Think Blue Rewards, a coalition loyalty program. Fans will have the opportunity to earn points by shopping both in and out of the park, and redeem the points for rewards that include memorabilia, VIP tickets and fantasy baseball experiences with players and management.

Miami
Ad ribbon, giant scoreboards going up
Dolphins Stadium is installing what it calls the world’s largest ribbon advertising board and the world’s two largest high-definition video display scoreboards in a sports venue. The ribbon display will measure 2,105 feet and cover the full stadium on the façade between the luxury suites and second deck. Daktronics manufactured and is installing the display and the scoreboards located in the stadium’s end zone sections. Completion of the scoreboard is scheduled for late March or early April.

Minneapolis - St. Paul
NHL Wild plans commemorative pucks
The Minnesota Wild announced the selected dates of distribution for its Year V Puck Series, presented by FSN North. The first puck in the series will be handed out to fans attending the March 14 game against the Edmonton Oilers. Each of the five commemorative pucks depicts the greatest moment of each season in Wild history. The moments depicted were selected by Wild fans during an online poll in January.

A riverfront stadium is closer to reality with a construction team in the lineup.

Nashville
Sounds choose construction team
The Class AAA Nashville Sounds selected the team of Turner Universal Construction Co. and the Don Hardin Group to provide construction management services for the new Nashville Sounds baseball stadium. Turner Universal is the local operating subsidiary of Turner Construction and has been building in Nashville for more than 30 years. The new Sounds ballpark has been scheduled for completion in early 2008.

NHL Predators raising playoff prices
The Nashville Predators plan to raise first-round playoff ticket prices by a minimum of 10 percent over the regular season for season-ticket holders, and more for single-game buyers, according to a report in the Nashville Tennessean. The team reportedly will charge season-ticket holders 20 percent extra if the team makes the second round.

New Orleans
Superdome, arena plans approved
The Louisiana State Bond Commission approved a $168.5 million plan to rebuild and improve the Superdome and New Orleans Arena and to pay the state’s obligations to the Saints and Hornets in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The plan includes $139 million in repairs that have already begun.

Saints sideline prices up 90 percent
The Saints have restructured their ticket prices for the ’06 season, according to a report in the New Orleans Times-Picayune. The largest price increases are in the premium plaza sideline tickets, which increase from $79 to $150, and club sideline tickets, which jumped from $130 to $175. Tickets in the upper plaza end zone dropped from $64 to $25.

New York
Majority of Jets tickets to cost more
The Jets, despite a 4-12 record in 2005, will raise prices on almost 60 percent of tickets for next season, according to a report in Newsday. About 11,000 tickets will increase from $80 to $90, while other seat prices will rise by lesser amounts.

Pebble Beach, Calif.
Court awards ‘replica’ injunction
Pebble Beach Co., owner of the Pebble Beach Golf Links, obtained a permanent injunction against the owners and developers of a “replica” golf course at Northern Bay Golf Resort and Marina in Arkdale, Wis. A federal court noted the validity of the Pebble Beach federal marks, the fact that these marks are very “famous,” and the fact that the unauthorized use of the term “Pebble Beach” by the developers constitutes service mark infringement.

The Flyers’ Finnish goalie sports his AHL jersey for a miniature MVP model.

Philadelphia
Olympics MVP gets own figurine
The Philadelphia Phantoms of the American Hockey League team gave away Antero Niittymaki MVP figurines — featuring the Flyers goalie in the Phantoms jersey he wore last season — to the first 4,000 fans at its March 3 game. Niittymaki had just returned from the 2006 Olympics, where he earned MVP honors playing for Finland. The MVP reference in the promotion, however, relates to the honor Niittymaki earned during the 2005 Calder Cup playoffs.

Salt Lake City
Jazz announce new ticket prices
The Jazz for 2006-07 will cut prices on 10,195 seats, or 54 percent of the Delta Center’s 19,911 seats, including most of the seats in the upper bowl, according to a report in the Desert News. About 4,600 seats in the upper bowl will be sold for $9 next season and will cost only $5 when bought as a season-ticket package, according to the report. Also, a new season-ticket package will be offered for lower-bowl seats behind the basket for $30 per game.

San Diego
Padres, WBC ticket sales brisk
All but a few hundred of the 4,000 remaining tickets to the semifinal games and championship of the World Baseball Classic at Petco Park were sold March 4 when the Padres made them available online, by phone and at area ticket locations. The tickets, ranging from $15 to $60, were released to the team by MLB.

San Francisco
Niners consider AFL franchise
The San Francisco 49ers are in discussions to buy an Arena Football League franchise, probably for the Sacramento market, in time for the 2008 indoor football season. Jed York, special projects manager for the 49ers, said an agreement should be in place this spring for the team to buy an indoor football team. His parents, John and Denise York, own the NFL franchise.

Stillwater, Okla.
OSU regents approve donation plan
Oklahoma State University’s Board of Regents endorsed a plan to use a $165 million donation from Mesa Petroleum founder Boone Pickens to buy land north of campus to build athletic facilities, according to a report in the Bloomberg News. The school has said that it may have to exercise eminent domain powers if it has problems acquiring the property.

Syracuse, N.Y.
Carrier Dome, Watkins Glen team up
Syracuse University and Watkins Glen International joined forces in a cross-marketing venture. During its final home game of the 2005-06 basketball season at the Carrier Dome on March 5, SU hosted “A Day at the Races,” promoting the coming season at the racetrack, including the NASCAR Nextel Cup and Busch Series weekend scheduled for Aug. 10-13. Three styles of show cars that compete at the track were on display at the game.

Tampa
Lightning boosts prices amid downturn
Lightning ticket prices will increase next season by as much as 15 percent, according to a report in the St. Petersburg Times. Lightning President Ron Campbell said that the team projects to lose $8.8 million before the playoffs this season. The biggest increase will be in the lower bowl, in which tickets will go up 13 percent to 15 percent. Existing season-ticket holders will be charged less than new season-ticket buyers.

Toronto
City makes case for 2009 Juniors
Borrowing on the star power of hall of famer Darryl Sittler and former Maple Leafs captain Rick Vaive and backed by the marketing clout of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Toronto made a high-powered pitch to host the 2009 World Junior Hockey Championship. The city has set up a Web site, www.torontoworldjuniors.com, to promote its candidacy, and enlisted Sittler to serve as honorary chairman.

Washington, D.C.
Council OKs ballpark construction
The D.C. Council, by a 9-4 vote, approved a construction contract for the Nationals’ new 41,000-seat ballpark, and voted by the same margin to reaffirm its demand that public spending on the project be capped at $611 million, according to the Washington Post. MLB president and chief operating officer Bob DuPuy would not set a date for the league’s sale of the team.

Redskins tickets, parking prices up
The Redskins will raise the price of lower-bowl, general-admission seats 39 percent for next season, and will increase the cost of parking in the 20,000 parking spaces at FedEx Field from $25 to $35, according to the Washington Post. Redskins COO Mitch Gershman said this is the team’s first general-admission ticket price increase in four years and puts the franchise more in line with the other teams in the area.

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