BUFFALO
Sabres set franchise sales mark
The Buffalo Sabres set a franchise record for ticket sales after the NHL lockout. In a 24-hour presale, held Jan. 13 and available to season-ticket holders and mini-pack customers, the team sold 31,213 tickets for the 2013 season. The Sabres previously sold 15,400 season tickets for games at First Niagara Center, which has a capacity of 19,070.
CHARLOTTE
Knights stadium lawsuits dropped
A Charlotte real estate lawyer dropped his efforts to stop the construction of the Charlotte Knights’ downtown baseball stadium, according to a report in the Charlotte Business Journal, after a Superior Court judge advised that he would be willing to award sanctions against the lawyer after dismissing the sixth and seventh lawsuits against the project. Jerry Reese agreed to drop his appeals in those two cases and to dismiss an eighth lawsuit.
CHICAGO
Cubs nix mini-plan service fees
The Chicago Cubs are eliminating service charges for new mini-plan ticket packages that go on sale Wednesday, according to an ESPN Chicago report. Service fees would have been as high as $40 for the six- and nine-game plans, said Colin Faulkner, Cubs vice president of ticket sales and service.
CINCINNATI
Bengals lower ticket prices
The Cincinnati Bengals for the second straight year are lowering season-ticket prices in a significant number of sections of Paul Brown Stadium, according to a Cincinnati Enquirer report. Price reductions will be in effect in 20 sections for the 2013 season. Some ticket prices will increase for the first time in four years, and prices for at least 45 percent of seats at the stadium will remain unchanged.
COLUMBIA, S.C.
Premiere to manage USC travel
Premiere Global Sports’ College Division was selected by the University of South Carolina’s department of athletics as its day-to-day travel provider. PGS-College will manage team travel to away games, individual travel for coaches on business and recruiting trips and individual travel for athletics administration.
COLUMBUS
JD renews Crew partnership
The Columbus Crew and JD Equipment renewed their partnership for the 2013 MLS season. The central Ohio-operated business will once again be the Crew’s lawn care equipment supplier for Crew Stadium and its surrounding facilities.
DUBUQUE, IOWA
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A young ticket scanner greets fans for a USHL game at Mystique Community Ice Center.
Photo by: MADDIE MACFARLANE
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Fighting Saints put kids in charge
The Dubuque Fighting Saints hosted Kids Run the Rink, presented by Y105, on Jan. 11 with more than a dozen children taking over the arena and lending a hand with the numerous jobs during a game against the Omaha Lancers at the Mystique Community Ice Center. Children who volunteered to help with the event, as well as winners of social media and on-air contests, served as ticket takers, program salesmen and ushers and played a key role in the entertainment of the evening.
EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.
Complex could create 19,000 jobs
Developer Triple Five estimated that a completion of the American Dream project for a shopping and entertainment complex near MetLife Stadium would yield more than 9,000 on-site construction jobs and an additional 10,000 jobs through suppliers and other off-site partners, according to a report in The (Bergen County) Record.
FONTANA, CALIF.
Track to add slide from lounge to bar
Auto Club Speedway announced plans to install a slide from its new Pit Box Lounge straight to a bar area, where unlimited beer and wine will be served during its March 23-24 NASCAR race weekend, according to USA Today report.
HOUSTON
Astros CAREavan hits the road
The 2013 Houston Astros CAREavan hits the road today and includes more than 30 stops throughout central and south Texas, Oklahoma City and parts of Houston. The 14-city tour consists of five days in the Houston area and two-day trips to Brownsville, Harlingen and McAllen, and to Austin and San Antonio. The team will also travel to two of the club’s minor league cities, making stops in Corpus Christi and Oklahoma City.
FanFest planned at Minute Maid Park
The Houston Astros will host the club’s annual FanFest event on Saturday at Minute Maid Park. The event is free with a voucher. Player autograph sessions will take place and autograph vouchers will be sold for $10 a session. A portion of the proceeds from the event will benefit the Astros In Action Foundation.
LOS ANGELES
Voting begins for LA Sports Awards
Southern California sports fans can cast their ballots for the LA Sports Awards, the annual televised awards show celebrating the greatest sports moments of the year in the Los Angeles/Orange County area. Through balloting at www.lasports.org, fans can select and rank their top 10 sports moments for 2012. Winners will be revealed during the eighth annual LA Sports Awards on March 3 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
MIAMI
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Andrew Andras propelled himself to a world record at the Ultra Skate event at the speedway.
Photo by: JIM HARRIS
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Ultra Skate breaks world records
Two skateboarding world records were broken Jan. 7 at the Homestead-Miami Speedway 24 Hour Ultra Skate. Board Up Productions produced the event. Miami-Dade firefighter Andrew Andras set a world record at 261.8 miles, and New Jersey native Colleen Pelech broke the female record at 167 miles on the track’s 2.2-mile infield road course.
NASHVILLE
Sounds renew radio partnership
The Nashville Sounds will continue their partnership with WPRT-FM 102.5 as the team’s flagship station for game broadcasts during the 2013 season. A few of the Sounds’ 144 games that conflict with Nashville Predators games will instead air as a simulcast on 102.1 FM, 101.9 FM, and 830 AM.
NEW YORK
MSG signs record label for college hoops
Wind-up Records and Madison Square Garden reached a new marketing partnership for the venue’s 2012-13 college basketball season. The deal makes Wind-up Records the official record label of MSG college hoops, offering game-day ticket holders free music via download cards available at concession stands.
PHILADELPHIA
Lacrosse convention draws 5,000 visitors
US Lacrosse, the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse, held its annual convention at the Pennsylvania Convention Center this month. The three-day convention for coaches, officials and administrators attracted about 5,000 people and generated an estimated $9 million for the region’s economy.
PHOENIX
D-Backs plan ninth annual FanFest
The Arizona Diamondbacks will hold their ninth annual Subway D-backs FanFest on Feb. 9 at Chase Field. The free event will offer fans access to current players, coaches, alumni and broadcasters, including autograph and photo sessions on the field. Last year’s event drew an estimated 25,000 fans to Chase Field.
PORTLAND
Premier to aid Blazers with naming rights
The Portland Trail Blazers hired Premier Partnerships to find a naming-rights sponsor for the Rose Garden, according to a report in The (Portland) Oregonian. The Rose Garden is one of five arenas in the NBA that do not have corporate sponsors.
ST. LOUIS
LockerDome surpasses 6 million mark
St. Louis-based social media platform LockerDome surpassed 6 million monthly unique visitors this month. LockerDome currently oversees 1,400 social media profiles of athletes and brands, which includes NFL players Troy Polamalu and Larry Fitzgerald, the NBA’s Blake Griffin and boxer Floyd Mayweather.
COAST TO COAST — BEYOND THE COASTS
HAMBURG, GERMANY
Puma hires Yamaoka PR
Puma assigned Hamburg-based public relations agency Yamaoka PR to take charge of the company’s strategic brand and product public relations for Germany, Austria and Switzerland, according to a New Business report. Yamaoka will develop campaigns for Puma’s sport performance and lifestyle departments.
LONDON
Mayor voices Gay Games support
Mayor Boris Johnson is set to offer the Olympic Stadium and other of London’s high-profile sporting venues to organizers of the 2018 Gay Games, according to a Pink News report. Other cities in the running for the Games are Paris; Orlando; Amsterdam; Limerick, Ireland; and Rio de Janeiro. More than 12,000 participants from 70 nations are expected to compete in the games.
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND
Man U signs China sponsorships
Manchester United announced three-year sponsorship deals with two companies based in China — Wahaha, a soft drink manufacturer as the club’s official soft drinks partner in China, and China Construction Bank, with exclusive rights to produce the club’s branded credit card in Mainland China.
MILAN
Inter Milan reaches hotel deal
Serie A club Internazionale has agreed to a deal with Iberostar Hotels & Resorts. The Spanish company becomes the 13th firm in the Milan club’s official partner category, according to a SoccerEx report. Iberostar has signed the deal due to Inter’s global appeal, especially in key markets such as Spain, the U.K. and Russia.
MOSCOW
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Russian ice dancer and Olympic silver medalist Ilia Averbukh displays the torch.
Photo by: GETTY IMAGES
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Sochi 2014 reveals torch design
Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics organizers unveiled a futuristic torch to be used on the the longest torch relay in Winter Olympic history, measuring more than 40,000 miles, according to a Reuters report. The relay starts in Olympia, Greece, on Oct. 7 and will visit Mount Elbrus, Europe’s highest mountain, Lake Baikal and the North Pole. Sochi 2014 Organizing Committee President Dmitry Chernyshenko said, “We hope it might even go out into space.”
STUTTGART, GERMANY
Organizers apply for ATP grass tourney
Organizers of the Stuttgart ATP tennis tournament, which is played at TC Weissenhof, submitted their application to host a grass tournament to the ATP, according to the SID. The ATP has created an additional slot for a grass tournament in the 2015 tour calendar following the French Open in June as Wimbledon will be pushed back for a week. If Stuttgart is awarded the tournament, organizers said that the TC Weissenhof facility will turn five clay courts into permanent grass courts.
SUWON, SOUTH KOREA
KT selected as baseball owner
KT, South Korea’s No. 2 mobile carrier, was selected as the owner for the country’s 10th professional baseball team, and Suwon was chosen as the team’s home ground, according to a Joongang Daily report. The Korea Baseball Organization will request approval of the new ownership at an owners meeting Tuesday. KT has promised to donate $18.9 million to the league.
WOKING, ENGLAND
McLaren to begin driver academy
McLaren will launch a new development program in February for 20 race car drivers ages 13-17, according to a report in Motorsport Total. The program will include workshops, practice meetings and monthly feedback. Participants in the Performance Academy of McLaren Applied Technologies at McLaren’s headquarters in Woking, England, will be chosen based on their experience as well as their chances of future success.
ZURICH
Certina renews with Sauber F1 team
The Sauber F1 Team extended its premium partnership with Swiss watchmaker Certina for the 2013 season. The Certina logo will be visible on the wind deflectors of the cars as well as on the helmet visors of the team’s two drivers, Nico Hülkenberg and Esteban Gutierrez.
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