ATHENS, GA.
UGa facilities getting new displays
The University of Georgia picked Daktronics to design, manufacture and install display systems for the Turner Soccer Complex, Jack Turner Stadium and Foley Field. The installations will upgrade existing 8-year-old displays with new high-definition LED video displays connected to the university’s recently constructed multimillion-dollar control room at Sanford Stadium.
BRISTOL, TENN.
Irwin Tools honoring tradesmen
Irwin Tools is planning a series of initiatives this fall to celebrate tradesmen’s skills and contributions across the country. The effort, dubbed The Hands that Build America and Keep it Running Strong, begins on Saturday with the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Irwin Tools Night Race at Bristol Motor Speedway and culminates with the second National Tradesmen Day on Sept. 21.
CHARLOTTE
Bobcats elements moved out
The Charlotte Bobcats have moved most everything a fan would associate with the club into storage units as Time Warner Cable Arena continues to prepare to host the Democratic National Convention, according to a Charlotte Observer report. The team will not be allowed back into the arena until late September, less than two weeks before the Bobcats play their first home preseason game.
COLUMBUS
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Coldwell Banker also sponsors mascot Stinger’s playhouse at Nationwide Arena.
Photo by: COLUMBUS BLUE JACKETS
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Blue Jackets renew partnerships
The Columbus Blue Jackets reached renewals with Blue Technologies, Skyline Chili and Coldwell Banker King Thompson. Blue Technologies is club’s official business management and document hardware provider. Skyline Chili has been an official partner of the Blue Jackets since the 2006-07 NHL season. Coldwell Banker will continue as presenting sponsor of the Blue Jackets Foundation’s 50/50 Raffle, a program that gives charities an opportunity to raise funds.
FORT COLLINS, COLO.
Cities seek race inclusion
A group of northern Colorado cities including Fort Collins is banding together in an attempt to bring the USA Pro Challenge to the area next year. The group envisions next year’s race starting in Loveland and ending in Fort Collins. This year’s race, which is being run this week, winds from Durango in southern Colorado north to Denver.
CSU stadium considered feasible
An advisory committee looking into building an on-campus football stadium at Colorado State University in Fort Collins considers the project feasible. CSU President Tony Frank received the committee’s findings earlier this month. Frank said he expects to make a decision about whether to move forward with plans for the $246 million stadium by the October meeting of the university’s board of governors. The football team’s current home opened in 1968 and is several miles from campus.
GRAND RAPIDS, MICH.
Griffins raise more than $300K
The Grand Rapids Griffins community programs and charitable efforts during the 2011-12 AHL season generated more than $300,000 for various schools, organizations and nonprofits throughout Western Michigan. The Griffins Youth Foundation was the top beneficiary of the team’s endeavors, receiving more than $100,000.
MIAMI
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The team will need to sell 51,128 nonpremium seats each game at Sun Life Stadium.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Dolphins opt for new blackout rule
The Dolphins will use the NFL’s new relaxed blackout rule to increase the chances of home games being shown on local television this year. The league has given teams the option of having games televised in their market if 85 percent of nonpremium tickets are sold.
Hospital to name Dolphins’ facility
The Miami Dolphins reached a marketing and community partnership agreement with Doctors Hospital Center for Orthopedics & Sports Medicine, a division of Baptist Health South Florida. The partnership includes the naming rights to the team’s training facility in Davie, Fla. Doctors Hospital also will be prominently placed on the team’s practice jerseys this season.
NASHVILLE
Preds monitoring Swift Air problems
The financial and legal problems facing charter air service company Swift Air could affect the NHL Predators’ travel plans this season, according to a report in The (Nashville) Tennessean. A spokesperson said the team is exploring alternate travel options. Court records show that Swift Air in June filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection but has continued to operate.
NEW YORK
Honda heads east to Barclays Center
Honda signed on to become the 10th founding partner for Barclays Center, marking the first major sponsorship of a sports venue on the East Coast for the auto manufacturer. Honda gets title rights to one of the premium clubs in the arena and will be the presenting sponsor of a college basketball tripleheader headlined by Michigan-West Virginia on Dec. 15.
PHILADELPHIA
Eagles line up Spanish broadcasts
The Philadelphia Eagles have established a Spanish radio network for the coming season. Fans can tune in to WTTM 1680-AM in Philadelphia to hear every game broadcast in Spanish. Many of the games will also be broadcast in Spanish on WGPA 1100-AM in Allentown, Pa.
PHOENIX
D-Backs prep for first doubleheader
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The Arizona Diamondbacks are offering a variety of deals and activities to mark the team’s first hosting of a doubleheader on Wednesday. The team will issue commemorative pins to fans who attend both games against Miami, and concession stands at Chase Field will offer doubleheader deals. Discounts at the team shop also will be offered. The twin bill was created by moving a game originally scheduled for Thursday to Wednesday in order to prevent the D-Backs from playing on 23 consecutive days, which would have been in violation of the basic agreement between MLB owners and players.
D-Backs, Helios start scholars program
The Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation established a partnership with Helios Education Foundation and the Arizona College Scholarship Foundation to create the D-Backs Helios Scholars program. The program will send 40 Arizona high school seniors to college over the next five years. The team will contribute $500,000 to the program.
D-Backs add to school challenge
On the heels of this spring’s D-Backs $100,000 School Challenge, the MLB Diamondbacks are again partnering with the University of Phoenix to now donate an additional $150,000 to benefit schools across Arizona. Thirty schools will receive $5,000 each from the Arizona Diamondbacks Foundation and University of Phoenix. Twenty schools benefited from the spring partnership.
PROVO, UTAH
BYU picks ANC for display upgrades
Brigham Young University selected ANC Sports Enterprises to add a video display system at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The system will include two high-definition video screens, each 35 by 50 feet, along with more than 950 feet of LED ribbon displays.
RALEIGH
Ironman series plans Raleigh stop
World Triathlon Corp. selected Raleigh as its newest destination in the global Ironman 70.3 Series. The event is scheduled for June 2 and will be the first Ironman race in North Carolina. The Greater Raleigh Convention and Visitors Bureau will serve as host and official sponsor of the inaugural race.
SACRAMENTO
UFL Mountain Lions head to Raley
The Sacramento Mountain Lions will play their four home games this season at Raley Field, home of the Class AAA Sacramento River Cats. The United Football League team previously has played at California State University Sacramento. Football has never before been played at Raley Field.
Mattress retailer mulls Kings deal
Mattress retailer Sleep Train of nearby Rocklin, Calif., has emerged as one of several companies contemplating buying the naming rights to the home of the Sacramento Kings. Sleep Train has its name on two amphitheaters outside the region. The Kings are seeking a naming-rights sponsor to replace Power Balance, which last November filed for bankruptcy protection.
ST. LOUIS
Rams to wear Unequal safety gear
The St. Louis Rams have partnered with athletic protection gear provider Unequal Technologies for players to wear the company’s EXO Skeleton products, including supplemental helmet protective pads. Unequal Technologies is based in Kennett Square, Pa.
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