BALTIMORE
Under Armour naming Ravens facility
Under Armour signed a 10-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens, under which the apparel and footwear brand will name the Ravens’ 8-year-old practice and training facility in Owings Mills, Md. The building, which has been known as The Castle, will now be known as the Under Armour Performance Center.
BETHPAGE, N.Y.
Seating options added at Bethpage
For The Barclays PGA Tour event in August at Bethpage State Park, hospitality tents and skyboxes will be built near the green on the 17th hole, according to a Newsday report. In addition, more bleachers will be added behind the 17th tee, giving the hole an enclosed look.
CALGARY
Flames, Coke extend pouring rights
The Calgary Flames and Coca-Cola Refreshments Canada struck a multiyear extension of their partnership. Coca-Cola will continue to have pouring rights at Scotiabank Saddledome during Flames, NLL Roughnecks and WHL Hitmen games, and will continue its sponsorship of the Coca-Cola Zero Zone seating area on the mezzanine level of the arena.
CARY, N.C.
Soccer finals headed to WakeMed
The Southern Conference, the town of Cary, N.C., the Capital Area Soccer League and the Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau reached an agreement to host the 2012 and 2014 SoCon men’s soccer championships at WakeMed Soccer Park. Furman, in Greenville, S.C., which was originally slated to host the 2012 championship, will now be the site of the 2013 tournament.
CHARLOTTE
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The Knights, who currently play in Fort Mill, S.C., are aiming for a big-city ballpark.
Photo by: ODELL BALLPARK DESIGN ASSOCIATES
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Council OKs $8M for new stadium
The Charlotte City Council approved giving the Charlotte Knights $8 million toward construction of a new stadium in the city. The subsidy will allow construction to begin in October. The Class AAA Chicago White Sox affiliate plans to open the ballpark by April 2014.
CHICAGO
Bulls have eyes on downtown practices
The Chicago Bulls are moving their practice facility to downtown Chicago from its current location in Deerfield, Ill. The franchise is exploring several site locations, and a specific timetable has not been established for the privately funded project.
‘Rivalry Cup’ played at Medinah
In celebration of the coming 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club, the PGA of America brought the storied rivalry between the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers to Medinah’s famed Course No. 3. Today’s event — billed as the first “Rivalry Cup” — includes past and present players from both teams, and event proceeds will benefit Bears and Packers charities.
CONWAY, S.C.
Tourism site sponsoring hoops tourneys
VisitMyrtleBeach.com will be the new title sponsor of the Big South Conference’s men’s and women’s basketball tournament championships for the next three years. The games are scheduled to be held at Coastal Carolina University’s new Student Recreation and Convocation Center.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA.
ISC aims to expand multiuse project
International Speedway Corp. is taking steps to revive and expand its former Daytona Live! project, seeking city approval to nearly double the space for a planned entertainment complex across from Daytona International Speedway, according to a Daytona Beach News-Journal report. ISC paperwork filed with the city lists a 660-room hotel, a 2,500-seat theater and 1,350 multifamily residential units as possible uses for the land.
DENVER
Hospital settles with AFL kicker
A Denver hospital chain reached a seven-figure settlement with former AFL kicker Clay Rush, who alleged a doctor improperly sent him back into a 2008 game after two concussions. The kicker could not sue the now defunct Colorado Crush because the team doctor was an independent contractor, employed by HealthOne Hospitals.
New CHL team signs operations partner
The Denver Cutthroats entered into a three-year partnership with Edge Sports & Entertainment in support of the Central Hockey League team’s ticket, promotional, and game operations efforts. Ticketmaster will be the official ticketing software of the Cutthroats through the agreement. The 2012-13 season will be the inaugural season for the team.
Echo Mountain ski area for sale
Jerry Petitt, CEO of the summer collegiate baseball Coastal Plain League, is putting his Echo Mountain ski area up for sale. The small ski area, which is about 35 miles from downtown Denver, is scheduled to be auctioned off in August. Petitt bought the ski area in 2002 for $700,000 and has spent millions making improvements.
DETROIT
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An impressive array of characters mingled with fans at Comerica Park.
Photo by: DETROIT TIGERS
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Darth Vader takes the mound
More than 40 Star Wars characters posed with Detroit Tigers fans at entrances of Comerica Park on June 2. The pregame featured an on-field parade, and the ceremonial first pitch was thrown by Darth Vader (who was booed) as he was guarded by Stormtroopers. The first 10,000 fans received a special Darth Vader/Justin Verlander Fathead presented by Michigan-based Belle Tire.
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Hudsonville’s “Tiger Traxx” has chocolate-covered preztel baseballs and fudge swirl.
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Tigers’ official ice cream holding event
Hudsonville Ice Cream is hosting HudsonvilleSummer Extravaganza to celebrate becoming the official ice cream of the Detroit Tigers. The free event will be held at Campus Martius Park on Wednesday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Donations will be accepted and proceeds from the event will benefit the Detroit Tigers Foundation.
FORT WORTH, TEXAS
Big East suing TCU
The Big East Conference is suing Texas Christian University for $5 million, claiming the school reneged on an agreement to join the conference and instead joined the Big 12, according to a Bloomberg News report. In its complaint filed in Washington, D.C., the Big East said that TCU committed to paying $5 million if it failed to follow through with its membership into the Big East.
HOUSTON
Design team chosen for Cougars’ stadium
The University of Houston selected the team of DLR Group and PageSoutherlandPage to design a new $105 million football stadium on campus. The facility will have 40,000 seats, 22 suites, 650 club seats and 200 loge box seats.
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The Dodgers home run king is featured in the Stadium Greats series this season.
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LOS ANGELES
Rose Bowl renovations delayed
Rose Bowl officials said that with renovations facing a funding gap of nearly $35 million, it may now take them until late 2014, about a year longer than planned, to finish remodeling the stadium, according to a Los Angeles Times report. The renovation began in 2011 and was supposed to conclude next year.
Dodgers feature Karros bobblehead
All-time Los Angeles Dodgers home run king Eric Karros will be featured on the club’s fifth bobblehead night, as part of the Dodger Stadium Greats Bobblehead Series, on June 28 against the New York Mets. Karros blasted 270 home runs over his 12 seasons in Los Angeles and won the Rookie of the Year Award in 1992. The first 50,000 fans will receive the giveaway, presented by Pizza Hut.
LOUISVILLE
New arena manager sought
The Louisville Arena Authority unanimously approved removing the Kentucky State Fair Board as manager of KFC Yum! Center, according to a Louisville Courier-Journal report. The authority hopes to have a new management firm chosen by July, according to the report. The three companies under consideration are SMG, AEG and Global Spectrum.
MILWAUKEE
Brewers plan Italian Heritage Day
The Milwaukee Brewers will host Italian Heritage Day at Miller Park on July 1 at the game against the Arizona Diamondbacks. The Brewers and the Diamondbacks will each wear uniforms with the red, white and green colors from the Italian flag. All fans in attendance will receive a collectible Brewers bobblehead, featuring the Klement’s Famous Racing Sausage Italian, compliments of Klement’s Sausage.
MINNEAPOLIS-ST. PAUL
Stadium land acquisition talks begin
Private talks have begun to acquire several key pieces of land for the new $975 million Minnesota Vikings stadium, according to a (Minneapolis) Star Tribune report. Owners of the properties are already talking to city officials about selling their land for the project, according to the report.
NEW ORLEANS
Saints hire firm for internal investigation
The New Orleans Saints hired the Freeh Group, whose chairman and founder is former FBI Director Louis Freeh, to conduct an internal investigation of the team, according to an Associated Press report. The investigation would look into allegations ranging from wire-tapping during games in the Superdome to the bounty scandal.
NEW YORK
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The exhibit, as well as a Babe Ruth/Lou Gehrig exhibit, will remain on display through the end of the 2013 season.
Photo by: NEW YORK YANKEES
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New Mantle exhibit opens at stadium
The New York Yankees Museum presented by Bank of America opened a new exhibit called “Mickey Mantle: The Life and Legacy of a Baseball Hero.” The exhibit at Yankee Stadium includes a selection of artifacts, some of which are being put on display for the first time, that have been borrowed from the Mantle family and private collectors.
Mets raise money with no-hitter merch
Mets Amazin’ Memorabilia and Johan Santana formed an exclusive partnership for the sale of autographed and inscribed merchandise commemorating the first no-hitter in New York Mets history. A portion of net proceeds from sales of game-used memorabilia autographed by Santana will be donated by the Mets and Santana to the Johan Santana Foundation.
Yankees consider ticket exchange options
The Yankees will likely be ending their relationship with ticket exchange StubHub next season, according to a New York Post report. Sources said that the Yankees, under a new system, also may charge fans less than the 10 percent commission StubHub charges.
Cuomo fielding new casino offers
Now that Gov. Andrew Cuomo has abandoned his dream of building the nation’s largest convention center at the Aqueduct racetrack in Queens, he is handling multiple offers from the gambling industry to develop a combination casino and convention center at other sites around New York, according to a New York Times report. The proposals involve an array of locations in the city.
OLCOTT BEACH, N.Y.
WFN names ‘Ultimate Fishing Town’
After a record number of votes were cast, Olcott Beach, N.Y., topped the leader board in World Fishing Network’s Ultimate Fishing Town contest. The town will receive a $25,000 community donation to be used toward a fishing-related project, plus a fully produced feature story to be aired on WFN.
PHILADELPHIA
ANC Sports to install new display system
Temple University and ANC Sports Enterprises formed a multiyear partnership to enhance the fan experience at the Liacouras Center. ANC Sports will spearhead the design, installation and operation of a new display system highlighted by a center-hung scoreboard consisting of four Diamond Vision video screens.
Frazier gym lands on endangered list
Joe Frazier’s Gym in Philadelphia made this year’s list of “America’s Most Endangered Historic Places,” compiled by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The gym at 2917 N. Broad St. is where the former heavyweight champion, who died last November, trained. It was also later the training site for future generations of fighters. The gym closed in 2008.
PHOENIX
Goldwater out to block Coyotes sale
Lawyers at the Goldwater Institute are working on their next jab at Glendale’s deal with prospective Phoenix Coyotes buyer Greg Jamison. The watchdog group promises to be back in court soon as it fights the city’s approval of a 20-year, $300 million arena management fee plan to pay Jamison to run Jobing.com Arena if he buys the hockey team.
SAN FRANCISCO
NASCAR holding quarterly meeting
NASCAR is holding its quarterly NASCAR Fuel for Business Council Meeting for all of its official partners on Friday at the San Francisco Hilton Hotel in conjunction with the Sonoma raceway weekend. The meeting provides meet-and-greet sessions to allow sponsors to familiarize themselves with each other, as well as to cut business deals.
SAN JOSE
Earthquakes could miss out on $1M
The San Jose Earthquakes’ decision last fall to forgo hosting concerts at its proposed stadium could cost the club more than $1 million annually. Earthquakes President David Kaval said that the move was a calculated business decision, but admitted the team will take a hit.
SANTA CLARA, CALIF.
Niners announce reserved seat prices
The San Francisco 49ers announced prices for reserved seats at the team’s new Santa Clara stadium. Fans will have to buy a stadium builders license for the seats that will cost between $2,000 and $6,000. A limited number will be available for $12,000. Fans with SBLs will then have to buy tickets for each game, and those prices will range from $85 to $200 in the reserved sections.
SPARTA, KY.
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The speedway last year was criticized for massive traffic and parking problems.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Governor, SMI chief tour speedway
Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear and Speedway Motorsports Inc. Chairman and CEO Bruton Smith toured expanded infrastructure that will streamline traffic flows for three NASCAR events that make up Kentucky Speedway’s June 28-30 Quaker State 400 weekend and future events at the 107,000-seat venue. In total, projects yielded parking for an additional 20,000 vehicles compared with 2011.
TALLAHASSEE, FLA.
FSU gets $1.6M check from ACC
The Florida State University athletic department on June 1 received a check for nearly $1.6 million from the ACC, which will be used to help the department balance its 2011-12 and 2012-13 budgets, according to a Tallahassee Democrat report. FSU Athletic Director Randy Spetman said that the 2011-12 finances were strained with three major projects this past year.
WASHINGTON, D.C.
D.C. United signs Korrio for camp efforts
D.C. United selected Korrio as their official youth sports automation platform for all academy and camp programs. This is Korrio’s first signing of a Major League Soccer franchise. Korrio will help streamline and organize the sports lives of about 1,300 young athletes, their families and coaches.
Mystics, Geico honor Girl Scouts
In honor of the Girl Scouts’ 100th year anniversary, Geico teamed up with the Washington Mystics and the Girl Scout Council of the Nation’s Capital to host “Girl Scout Night at the Mystics” on June 8 at Verizon Center. The Girl Scouts received a commemorative patch for attending the game and had a chance to participate in courtside fan experiences.
YORK, PA.
‘Fewest Teeth’ at ballpark wins tickets
The Atlantic League York Revolution partnered with the Hershey Bears for a recent “Fewest Teeth Contest” at Sovereign Bank Stadium. The gummy winner — a baby girl — won four tickets to the Bears 2012-13 home opener. The Bears also donated a team-signed hockey stick that was raffled off to a lucky winner. Raffle money raised was donated to Family First Health.
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