$3 million dollars in Vancouver Winter Olympics fraud continues to be investigated as more allegations, broken rules, and dicey characters are added to Gene Hammett’s story. Hammett, the broker and owner of Action Tickets, failed to deliver on over $3 million in tickets for the games and is now alleging that there were National Olympic Committees invloved in selling him the tickets. The Olympics have long been the most corrupt and unreliable event for corporate buyers and, as evidenced by Vancouver, that isn’t about to change.

• In the worldwide scramble for Olympic tickets, the International Olympic Committee strictly prohibits countries and their agents from reselling tickets on the black market. But a U.S. ticket broker says he bought thousands of tickets from two dealers who claimed to have a pipeline to European Olympic officials. In an interview with The Seattle Times, Gene Hammett, who owns Action Seating in Suwanee, Ga., said he purchased and resold thousands of tickets for the 2008 Beijing Games from a father and son with Hungarian connections — and recently paid one of them nearly $3 million for tickets to the Vancouver Winter Games, which come to a close Sunday. Read More…

The upcoming NFL labor impasse is threatening the plans for a new stadium in Los Angeles. Spotlight Advisory Board leader David Carter points out that the NFL historically has focused on their biggest issuses first, which leads to planning such as a new team in LA being pushed to the sidelines. Corporate Los Angeles has strongly supported the Lakers and Angels, proving that the market for luxury suites and club seats in the NFL is in place.

• There’s a battle waging in the National Football League - and it’s not between rival teams over yards, touchdowns and victories. It’s between team owners and the players’ union over money. And if it continues, it could lead to no pro football in 2011. So when it comes to priorities, experts say the NFL is more worried about a possible labor stoppage than moving a team to billionaire Ed Roski Jr.’s proposed $800 million Los Angeles Stadium in Industry. “The potential for a labor impasse complicates all of the NFL’s business,” said David Carter, executive director of the USC Sports Business Institute. “Generally speaking, the league focuses like a laser beam and everything else goes to the backburner.” Read More…

Madison Square Garden released information about the soon to be built Bunker Suites during the $800 million renovation. MSG will be the first to offer suites at north of $1 million dollars annually. The renovation will not be completed for over a year, giving the economy plenty of time to recover befor the unveiling.

• In a market already flooded with high-priced premium seating options, Madison Square Garden has set a new bar for major sports arenas with a luxury seating price tag that has reached $1 million. As part of its $800 million renovation, the Garden is selling 20 planned “bunker” Read More…

Infiniti signs on to become a Corporate Partner of CBS and the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship Tournament- better known as “March Madness.” Infinit already carries a rather extensive portfolio of sports sponsorships to move their brand. College Sports does a terrific job of connecting with the core customer, however the metrics behind these deals are still not conclusive enough.

• Infiniti continues to expand its substantial presence in men’s college basketball with the announcement that Infiniti is an “Official Corporate Partner of the 2010 NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship and CBS Sports.”  The agreement with CBS Sports follows Infiniti’s recent multi-level, multi-platform sponsorships with ESPN, the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC), the SEC (Southeastern Conference) and the Big Ten Conference. Infiniti also is creating, in conjunction with CBS Sports, original-content custom on-air features that bring inspired college basketball and coaching stories to viewers during CBS Sports’ broadcasts. “This is our second year of involvement as a major sponsor of college sports through individual conference partnerships and now, what we believe is one of the most exciting sporting events of the year, the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Championship on CBS Sports,” said Ben Poore, vice president, Infiniti Business Unit.  ”The tournament on CBS Sports is also the ideal showcase for the broadcast debut of our all-new 2011 Infiniti M performance luxury sedan and our message, ‘Inspiration changes the game.’” Read More…

The Federal authorities tracked down and charged four men connected to “Wiseguy Tickets” for allegedly cheating the on-sale systems of muliple ticket providers to acquire and resell Hannah Montana, Bruce Springsteen, & other tickets. The practice of hacking into ticketing on-sales, known as “spinning”, is far more regular than the general public would believe. There is plenty of conjecture as to which major ticket brokers are connected to Wise Guys, I guess we’ll all find out soon enough. Transparency is coming to the market- whether promoters, brokers, or resellers like it or not and Spotlight is a significant step forward in that direction.

• Federal authorities in New Jersey today charged four men with hacking into websites of online ticket sellers and illegally buying tickets to Hannah Montana, Bruce Springsteen and other shows around the nation. The massive conspiracy virtually hijacked the online ticketing systems and prevented average consumers from buying prime seats. The men, who ran a Nevada-based company called Wiseguy Tickets Inc., employed a computer programmer in Bulgaria who crafted software to swarm the websites of Ticketmaster, Live Nation, Major League Baseball and other companies, according to a 60-page indictment unsealed in Newark. Read More…

 Relevant Sports Ticket & Sports Business Management Tweets Of The Week:

• darrenrovell1 Rockets GM Daryl Morey says team signs contracts w/interns to protect intellectual property. : Rockets on the cutting edge
• SBJSBD PNC Financial Inks Naming-Rights Deal For Club At Wrigley Field. http://su.pr/2aLtgU
• SBJSBD Nets officially announce move from Izod Center to Prudential Center. http://su.pr/7N47Gw
• SBJSBD Judge rebukes NFL after its bid to move the StarCaps case to federal court. http://su.pr/2IkCcW
• dougrobson SAP extends title sponsorship in San Jose three years to 2013. - Very curious the ROI on that event. Well attended event
• SBJSBD Sale of Tampa Bay Lightning is finalized. http://su.pr/69ChBN play in one of Spotlight’s favorite arenas. Very nice locale
• SBJSBD Sale of Tampa Bay Lightning is finalized. http://su.pr/2kHqkA
• SBJSBD Seahawks raise prices slightly for season-ticket renewals. http://su.pr/32ZRSr
• darrenrovell1 Adidas CEO says Adidas will grow faster than Nike in US in ‘10 http://su.pr/94kU6r Easier when your business is smaller.
• SBJLizMullen #NFL on #NFLPA proposal: “The union’s latest statement is simply another call to preserve unacceptable economic system…”
• LATimesfarmer NFL says 2011 Pro Bowl will be played week before Super Bowl, like this year, but back in Hawaii
• SBJSBD N.Y. Presbyterian Hospital Signs On As Newest Sponsor Of NFL Giants. http://su.pr/4ehN2x
• darrenrovell1 Floyd Mayweather just last second canceled my intv w/him. Not cool & not what boxing needs.
• SBJSBD Hershey’s near deal for NHL sponsorship in Canada. http://su.pr/4tIcky
• SBJSBD Phoenix Open sees smallest crowd in a decade. http://su.pr/8XozZY .. WM can’t be happy about that in year 1 of sponsorship
• darrenrovell1 Will yesterday’s hockey game help the NHL? That’s a lot to ask for http://su.pr/2MoBqx numbers agree
•  @darrenrovell1 Tag Heuer CEO: Tiger ads up in China because “your success is measured by your # of mistresses.” http://su.pr/5HOB1a

The ATP breathes a sigh of relief after replacing Mercedes as a title sponsor with Corona Extra- a brand of Groupo Modelo. The article offers some hope for sponsors as the President of the ATP speaks of trying to find a sponsor during the great recession. According to the ATP, just getting meetings with sponsors was extremely difficult let alone finding a new sponsor for a tour that drew 4.4 million fans in 2009. the 4.4 million number is impressive however sponsorship is about activation and branding, will be interesting to see what Corona thinks of this 5 1/2 year deal.

Bridgestone continues to dive into sports sponsorships by adding the naming rights to the Nashville arena to their current holdings. Phil Pacsi, Vice President of Marketing for Bridgestone, has already been raked over the coals of public opinion during the Bridgestone/Firestone PGA event by a number of publications though that hasn’t stopped Bridgestone from seeing the benefit of these deals. Perhaps we will one day see ROI numbers from the firm.

• The Sommet Center could become Bridgestone Arena as early as next week, officials said at today’s announcement that Bridgestone Americas Inc. and the Nashville Predators hockey team have reached a naming rights agreement for the downtown arena. Local sports business experts said the deal makes sense for both the team, whose financial strength has been called into question as of late, and Nashville-based Bridgestone Americas, which has been aggressively building brand recognition through sports sponsorships. Read More…

In somewhat frightening news for a major event, the FIFA World Cup admits that, if the tournament were to start tomorrow, they would not be ready. South Africa has been saddled with criticism of being being in preparation for over 3 years now and has not found a way to shake that sentiment.

• FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke admits South Africa would not be ready to host the World Cup if the tournament started tomorrow.Valcke is happy with progress in the construction of stadiums and training camps but there have been concerns this week over England’s camp at Royal Bafokeng Sports Campus near Rustenburg, while the Soccer City venue in Johannesburg is not completed. Read More…

The Bank of Ireland has dropped Padraig Harrington from their sponsorship portfolio citing cost cutting as the reason. The true reason: the money they were paying to be associated with Padraig was not coming back in new business.

• BANK OF Ireland has deemed its sponsorship of Irish golfer Pádraig Harrington to be out of bounds due to the credit crunch. The Irish Times has learned that the bank, which is now 15.7 per cent directly owned by Irish taxpayers, has decided not to renew its sponsorship of Harrington when its three-year deal expires at the end of May. The decision to pass on its option to renew the sponsorship is one of a series of cost-cutting measures being implemented by the loss-making bank, as it seeks to stabilise its financial position. Reports at the time the deal was announced in May 2007 suggested that it was worth €750,000 over the three years plus performance bonuses. But informed industry sources yesterday estimated that the figure was as high as €400,000 a year, including bonuses. Read More…

The Toronto Star writes about the success of Olympic sponsorships during the Vancouver games. Though most of the piece discusses the wins experienced by CTV and other carriers, there are no true numbers on ROI for the products cited.

• After all the hand-wringing in advance of the Olympics about corporate sponsorships, the Winter Games in Vancouver are turning out to be golden – and not just for Canada’s athletes. Whether it’s record TV audiences, shortages of Olympic mittens, or an online torch relay contest that attracted hundreds of thousands of entrants, the Games have clearly been a winner for the companies that paid hundreds of millions to be involved. Read More…

The USA vs. Canada Olympic Gold Medal Hockey Final quickly became the hottest ticket in Canadian sports history fetching prices usually reserved for Super Bowls. The game was over 25% more expensive than last year’s Stanley Cup Final clinching game.

• If you’re looking for the hottest ticket in Canadian sports history, look no further than Sunday’s gold-medal men’s hockey matchup. Canadians, anticipating that their team will play for the gold, are paying top dollar to get into the arena for the game. “This is our 25th year of business and I’ve never seen anything like this in Canada,” said Mario Livich, CEO of Showtime Tickets, which is located right across from the GM Place arena. Livich said that the cheapest seats are going for $3,000. Read More…

Relevant Sports Business & Sports Ticket Management Tweets Of The Week:

• dkaplanSBJ ATP close to major sponsorship with Corona beer; replaces Mercedes as men’s tennis’ top backer; http://su.pr/2lKARJ
• SBJSBD Omega president says Olympics Helped the company navigate the recession. http://su.pr/3wZRaz #olybiz
• SBJSBD Stands roughly half full yesterday for NASCAR Sprint Cup race in California. http://su.pr/4o9HJE - Uh Oh
• darrenrovell1 Predators arena being sponsored by Bridgestone. If company is smart, they’d put rubber tire around entire building
• dkaplanSBJ Checketts: bid for Rams still active; key investor is Jerry Ford of Dallas- would be controlling parter:http://su.pr/32yfNi
• SBJSBD Coke has been Active In Vancouver, But already is Thinking About the London Games. http://su.pr/2n7vcE
• SBJSBD Turner network to meet with NBA officials to discuss potential changes in the league’s annual dunk contest. http://su.pr/1kSk5v
• darrenrovell1 My list of the 25 Most Marketable Winter Olympians http://su.pr/Au38GN
• SI_PeterKing hearing Arizona’s dropping out of the bidding for 2014 #Super #Bowl. That means the leader in clubhouse is the Meadowlands.
• SI_PeterKing I’m hearing Arizona’s dropping out of the bidding for the 2014 Super Bowl. The leader in clubhouse is the Meadowlands
• darrenrovell1 Gatorade: we no longer see a role for Tiger in our marketing efforts and have ended our relationship
• FanSnap: Avg. listing price for gold medal usa-canada game is now $4,313.
• darrenrovell1 Tag Heuer CEO: Tiger ads up in China because “your success is measured by your # of mistresses.” http://su.pr/5HOB1a

The NBA All-Star game, held for the first time at a football stadium, drew more than 100,000 fans and continued to solidify itself as one of the premier events on the sports calendar. The All-Star Game, normally held at more traditional sized arenas, had historically been for the corporate sponsors of the league and a difficult ticket for the fans. With the annual Finals staged in the home cities of the conference champions, the NBA cannot build weekend getaways around the event. However it seems that they’ve found a way to use the All-Star Game to fill that desire.

• The last time the All-Star Game was here in little ‘ol Dallas, Spud Webb won the slam-dunk contest, Isiah Thomas was named MVP, and pro basketball in the United States packed up and went home, returning to its second-rate existence. It was on to the next game, the next cookie-cutter arena, while millions snoozed. The sport changed forever once Michael Jordan was finished putting his imprint on it, and the 1992 Dream Team helped Jordan bring the NBA global. Then Jordan retired, and retired again, and the question was, “What now?” Well, this. This is what.  When Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said All-Star weekend in Dallas would make the Super Bowl look like a bar mitzvah, people scoffed. That was just Cuban talking his big talk again, we thought. But he was right. Boy, was he right. Read More…

Procter & Gamble spoke with AdAge to discuss why it’s brought 18 brands together for an Olympic push. P&G sees a terrific sponsorship opportunity as the Olympics are one of the highest sports of interest among women- 76% of American households watch it. P&G also points out that sports sponsorship is a terrific venue for the brand as it “is a great way to get families together.” There is no mention, however, of any analytics that will be used to gauge the effectiveness of the sponsorhip. The sports business world will watch closely as “nice feelings” only go so far to driving tangible revenues.

• Sports marketing has been growing at Procter & Gamble Co. for years, and particularly since it acquired Gillette five years ago. P&G’s biggest sports effort to date comes with the Winter Olympics in Vancouver, where 18 brands are combining with the corporate brand in an effort that also includes P&G’s first corporate TV ad in the U.S. It’s the biggest corporate-marketing event ever, though it builds on more than a decade of increasing multibrand marketing efforts that include companywide coupon circulars and websites and retail promotions. An extensive digital, print, consumer-promotion and in-store program rounds out the campaign. Read More…

Spotlight Advisory Board Leader David Carter is prominently featured in a piece discussing the effect Tiger Wood’s abscence has had on the PGA tour this season. TV advertising has slid off over 40% with major sponsors dropping off as well. The bigger concern, as pointed out by Carter, is the loss of customers and fans to other sporting events. The PGA speaks to an affluent fanbase that has long been attractive to the corporate dollar however losing their centerpiece has proven to be far more detrimental than thought. Spotlight clients that are major sponsors of the tour have interestingly enough seen no drop off in attendance.

• Tiger Woods tomorrow will apologize for his behavior, discuss his past and possibly announce when he will end his self-imposed exile from professional golf at a meeting in Florida. Woods, 34, the world’s top-ranked golfer, has been on an indefinite break from the sport since saying he had been unfaithful to his wife. He hasn’t spoken publicly since a single-vehicle traffic accident outside his home on Nov. 27, which was followed by media reports detailing extramarital affairs. Woods’s absence has deprived professional golf of its biggest draw. Tournament crowds have been smaller and television ratings have declined. Sponsors Accenture Plc, the consulting company that once hailed Woods as the centerpiece of its marketing campaign, and AT&T Inc. dropped Woods, who has earned $1 billion in tournament winnings and sponsorships in his career, according to Forbes magazine. Read More…

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a new luxury club along the third base line, joining teams like the Yankees & Dodgers who also employ luxury baseline box clubs. Will the big renovation create return on investment for customers?

• Amid the noise and bustle of an active construction crew, Pittsburgh Pirates President Frank Coonelly shows off what will be the end result of their labor. The knocked-out walls of four, 15-seat corporate suites will soon open as the Club Cambria, a 1,710-square-foot luxury facility complete with full bar, casual seating, flat-screen TVs, sleek quartz countertops and a full buffet. It will be located along the third base line at PNC Park. “There’s a real need for a club like this,” Coonelly said. With an anticipated debut date of opening day in April, the Pittsburgh Pirates are shooting to sell all 55 season ticket packages for Club Cambria, priced between $125 and $150 per seat. Food and drink will be included in the ticket price — alcoholic beverages will be available at a cash bar. Read More…

Mark Cuban makes some compelling points in his blog regarding the future of professional sports in America. The general public doesn’t really understand the effects TV contracts have on the professional games and how the players unions play into the equation. If he’s right, and not many bet against him, there are some major changes on the horizon in the sports business.

• Is it possible that the future economics of the NFL could be influenced by the FCC ? Absolutely.  Does the NFL and all professional sports leagues have something in common with the Sub Prime mortgage mess and the collapse of home prices. Absolutely. Could both of these, along with the recession impact whether or not you will be able to watch your favorite professional sport in 2011 ? Absolutely. Sports fans probably are not paying attention to what is happening with broadcast television.  The over the air broadcast networks, all of which are the biggest customers of the NFL (CBS, NBC, Fox and ABC/ESPN) are now pushing TV Providers (cable, telco and satellite), to pay retransmission fees. In other words, the broadcast networks want to be paid for every TV Provider subscriber, just like cable networks get paid.  It’s a reasonable request in many ways. But there is a flip-side. Read More…

Relevant Sports Business & Sports Ticket Management Tweets:

• darrenrovell1 Not surprised Visa had a commercial ready for 1st Canadian gold. Surprised it had one for 1st US nordic combined medal
• js_bizofsports New Cubs ticket plan allows fans to buy single games early, but at a premium. Would it work elsewhere?
• darrenrovell1 Sponsors that bought into or stuck by Bode Miller could cash in http://su.pr/2W87HY
• SBJSBD How BP’s sponsorship deal with the USOC came together. http://su.pr/2wYzPy #olybiz
• darrenrovell1 Ice resurfacer company has ultimate marketing disaster at Olympics http://su.pr/6It194
• darrenrovell1 BREAKING NEWS: Tiger will make a public statement Friday at 11 a.m. There will be no question and answer session.
• SBJSBD Burton says outfitting Olympic teams may not directly drive sales, but does affect branding, participation. http://su.pr/17zl3f
• dkaplanSBJ ATP close to major sponsorship with Corona beer; replaces Mercedes as men’s tennis’ top backer; http://su.pr/2lKARJ

The Chicago Cubs are adding a new all-inclusive suite at Wrigley Field. Despite the major downturn across the board in Major League Baseball, the Cubs have remained strong economically through a sale. The Cubs have built a brand that is amongst the strongest in sports, able to withstand even losing seasons.

• The Chicago Cubs are introducing a new all-inclusive suite at Wrigley Field, where a season ticket will cost $300 per game. Only 71 tickets will be available in the new club down the left-field line. Though the seats will be the most expensive in the old ballpark, they could be a more affordable option than the luxury suites because buyers could purchase fewer seats. The price includes food, drinks and parking. Buyers could also purchase tickets for special events, such as concerts, and rent the facility for business meetings when there’s no game. Read More…

The San Francisco Giants are trailblazing once again by introducing dynamic pricing for virtually all seats in their ballpark. The ticket market continues to move more towards a true commodities market- pricing seats according to the value of the games. Season tickets are not yet affected and won’t be anytime soon meaning the teams will need to continue to offer tremendous value to season ticket holders not available to single ticket buyers. The travel industry has long priced it’s inventory this way allowing them to get the most from the best inventory and move the not so sought after games.

• A new approach to ticket pricing could have Giants crowds swelling this season, but it will become more expensive to attend blockbuster games. The Giants on Saturday became the nation’s first major professional sports team to rely on dynamic pricing to calculate ticket costs for virtually all seats in its ballpark. Season tickets are not affected. Under the system, prices will rise and fall as a game nears based on factors influencing ticket demand, such as the weather forecast, the starting pitcher, the opponent and the likelihood that the Giants will make the playoffs. Read More…

The LPGA, perhaps one of the most hammered sports leagues or associations during the economic crisis, announced a new sponsor in Kia. After losing two major sponsors and having to shut down tour stops in 2009, the LPGA starts 2010 with some great news. It will be interesting to see the activation that goes along with the sponsorship as sponsors are no doubt in the drivers seat when negotiating a new deal in 2010.

• The L.P.G.A. said Wednesday that Kia Motors America would sponsor its newest tournament next month, welcome news after a rough 2009, when the tour lost events, sponsors and top management. Kia, a South Korean automaker that has a growing presence in the United States market, also formed a partnership with Michelle Wie, the most recognizable player on the tour. Wie will become the official spokeswoman for the company and have the Kia name on her golf bag. Read More…

 The Vancouver Olympic games are in full force and, for the first time in Olympic’s history, they are a sell out. VANOC, using multiple vendors including the JetSet Sports & Tickets.com, found a way to sell out the games on the heels of an embarrassing ticketing situationin Beijing including empty venues and ticketing mix-ups. As technology continues to grow distribution channels, getting tickets into the hands of the fans will grow easier and easier.

• Vancouver Winter Games organizers expect to sell all 1.6 million tickets for the 86 events that start today, the first time an Olympics has sold out. “Demand has been huge,” Dave Cobb, deputy chief executive officer of the Vancouver organizing committee, said in an interview yesterday. At the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, organizers sold 95 percent of the 1.6 million tickets available, according to figures from the International Olympic Committee. The 2008 Summer Games in Beijing sold almost 96 percent of 6.8 million tickets. Read More…

Relevant Sports Ticket & Sports Business Tweets Of The Week:

• js_bizofsports New Cubs ticket plan allows fans to buy single games early, but at a premium. Would it work elsewhere?
• SBJSBD Marketing experts surprised at lack of activation ahead of Vancouver Games. http://su.pr/3332vo #olybiz- Didnt work that’s why
• SBJSBD Shahid Khan’s purchase of the St. Louis Rams reportedly values the team at $750M. http://su.pr/8bdmcK
• SBJSBD P&G steps up to take over family hospitality center at Vancouver Games. http://su.pr/A2lYCt #olybiz
• darrenrovell1 USOC is misguided on call out of ambush marketing http://su.pr/9GwrPA
• SBJSBD Visa CMO wonders how Games will do in U.S. given ‘the mood of the country.’ http://su.pr/1z4ZcH - Visa uses a TMS to track tickets
• SBJSBD USOC today lashed out at Subway, claiming ambush marketing that ‘crossed the line.’ http://su.pr/2hmHSb - add more value usoc
• @SBJSBD Vanoc marks first Olympics for which Visa has a marketing program since it went public in 2008. http://su.pr/21m8VY
• @Adam_Schefter Season-ticket prices for Denver Broncos home games in 2010 will not be raised for the second consecutive year.
• SBJSBD IOC is flexible about when to negotiate its next U.S. rights deal. ‘When market beckons, we’ll be there.’ http://su.pr/8mTPip
• SBJSBD Like a good neighbor: State Farm signs 3-year deal to become an NBA corporate sponsor. http://su.pr/2NVn9r
• SBJSBD NBC has a tall Olympic task ahead of it, facing “American Idol” four times. http://su.pr/1ruX4y
• darrenrovell1 EA is discontinuing its basketball biz - Don’t disagree. Making $$ on player’s likeness. Player gets nothing?
• SBJSBD NBA signs new multi-year deals w/ Nike and Haier America. Haier official HDTV sponsor; Nike to promo Nike, Jordan, Converse
• SBJSBD StubHub says average ticket for NBA All-Star Game in Dallas is $186, 76% below last year in Phoenix. http://su.pr/8lVBkc
• SBJSBD Kia Motors announces bag deal with Wie, title deal for LPGA event in San Diego. http://su.pr/2qYUgT
• darrenrovell1 Kia announces a deal with Michelle Wie. R we sure she’s good?
• SBJSBD Cablevision today finalizes the spinoff of MSG business, which includes the Garden, Rangers, Knicks and RSNs. http://su.pr/2jOnK5
• SBJSBD Hana Financial Group has signed a 3-year deal to stay on as title sponsor of the LPGA tourney in South Korea http://su.pr/2OjHUY
• SBJSBD The new arena football league, AF1, gets some instant credibility in a TV deal with the NFL Network. http://su.pr/7RcyjY
• SBJSBD Adidas signs tennis player Ana Ivanovic to a lifetime endorsement deal. The 22-year-old is youngest ever to get such a deal.
• darrenrovell1 Why Google’s ad was the Super Bowl’s best http://su.pr/22sDvM
• SBJSBD The story behind the surprising Leno, Letterman and Oprah promo for ‘Late Show.’ http://su.pr/8aGPmp

Forbes details the effect the recession has had on Major League Baseball’s free agent class citing that a drop off in revenue from ticket sales and sponsorships has closed the pocketbooks of Baseball’s owners. For too long sponsors threw names on anything they could with little or no accountability to who was going and why. With reasons like “well I was there so I know who went”, there is no question why these sponsorships fell by the wayside. Teams are beggining to provide the tools necessary to monetize their sponsorships. CEG Advisory Board leader David Carter is featured in the piece.

• As baseball’s off-season hits the home stretch, World Series hero Johnny Damon sits at home and waits to see where he’ll be playing next season. So does Orlando Hudson. And so do John Garland and Jermaine Dye.Unwanted? No, they’re just four of this year’s talented crop of free agents that seem to have misread the baseball market’s new reality. In the wake of recession, Major League owners aren’t showing players the money like they have in seasons past. Spending was cautious last year, with dozens of players unsigned well into January. But with a full year to digest the uncertain economy, the cash spigot is frozen. Owners face another season of falling ticket prices and group specials to keep turnstiles spinning and glad-handing to reassure uncertain sponsors. “Looking out at the horizon, teams are looking at their local sponsorship deals expiring over the next two or three years,” says industry consultant David Carter of the Sports Business Group. Until owners get a sense of what renewals will look like, payrolls will suffer. Read More…

Chicago Sun-Time chimes in on the Ticketmaster-Live Nation merger and the effect the new Live Nation Entertainment will have on the concert industry. Ticketmaster-Livenation will control information with the merger which creates plenty of positives and negatives for the corporate buyer. Perhaps most interesting will be the actions of AEG, Ticketmaster’s now former biggest client that will either create their own ticketing arm or sign with a competing primary offering such as the up and coming Veritix or the now stand-alone-once-again Paciolan.

• After a year of quiet deliberations behind closed doors while everyone from angry congressmen to consumer advocates to Bruce Springsteen shouted in opposition outside, the U.S. Department of Justice on Monday gave its blessing to the merger of two of the most controversial companies in the music industry: giant national concert promoters Live Nation and monopolistic ticket brokers Ticketmaster.The ruling cleared the way for the creation of a new company called Live Nation Entertainment that will own more than 140 concert venues worldwide and sell 140 million tickets to 22,000 concerts annually. It will dominate every aspect of the live music industry, setting prices while promoting shows from small clubs to giant arenas, selling the tickets, concessions and merchandise and managing the performers. Read More…

The Saints- Colts Super Bowl may be the last feel good game for a number of years as a labor strife continues to grow between the NFL and it’s players. Sports sponsors are already beggining to grow leery of extended deals as the chances of the 2011 season happening continue to dissipate. Sponsors need feel good stories to associate their brands to and games to showcase these partnerships. It’s simple, without games they will be no effectiveness to the deals. However, a long and nasty labor strife may hurt the value of sponsorships with the NFL for quite some time as seen with the 1994 MLB strike, 1998 NBA Lockout, and the continuing labor problems of the NHL.

• Next weekend’s Super Bowl in Miami will be the culmination of another prosperous season for the NFL, which proved once more that it is unchallenged as the country’s preeminent sport. The NFL thrived in an uncertain economy and produced its highest TV ratings in two decades.

  But while the league stages its reinvented Pro Bowl on Sunday night and the New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts prepare to travel to South Florida on Monday, there are storm clouds gathering. The NFL’s 32 team owners and players union have made so little progress in their negotiations on a new collective bargaining agreement that both are seemingly resigned that next season will be played without a salary cap, and the players expect to be locked out in 2011. Read More…

Forbes released it’s latest list ranking the top sports brands by athlete and, surprisingly, Tiger Woods remains at the top of the list. Due to his existing deals with EA, Nike, Procter & Gamble, and others, Woods continues to be the top gainer. The most valuable teams remain Manchester United & the New York Yankees. Spotlight partner Nike is listed as the #1 brand in the business category. Industry leaders choose Spotlight to manage tickets.

• The business magazine estimated in its second annual “Fab 40″ list that Woods still represents the top sports brand by athlete, with an estimated value of $82 million.It said Woods’ remaining sponsor deals with Nike Inc, Electronic Arts Inc and Procter & Gamble Co’s Gillette brand will allow him to remain the world’s highest paid athlete this year.Woods, who is taking an indefinite break from professional golf, has been in hiding since admitting in December that he had cheated on his wife.His total was larger than that of the next five athletes combined, according to Forbes. Soccer star David Beckham ($20 million), tennis player Roger Federer ($16 million), NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. ($14 million) and National Basketball Association stars LeBron James and Kobe Bryant ($13 million and $12 million, respectively) rounded out the top six. Read More or Read the Forbes piece…

Super Bowl parties have not yet rebounded from the global economic collapse and the proof is evident in South Florida this weekend. There are a number of reasons given as to why these parties are starting to fall by the wayside however the true reason is transparency. Firms that cannot justify the expense and the return that comes from taking out clients will not be able to spend any successfull company’s money. Successful firms will demand true and uniform tracking of all tickets and assets

• The Super Bowl is the nation’s biggest sporting event, but for many here this week, it’s also the glitziest and priciest party of the year.  The celebration in South Florida – massive though it is – still is not projected to be what it once was. Anecdotally, it appears the scale of the Super Bowl party scene hasn’t fully recovered from the recession. There is no master list of events, so it’s difficult to make quantitative comparisons. North Texas Super Bowl XLV Host Committee officials are observing the party scene this week and hoping for an upturn next year. Kit Sawers, vice president of special events for the North Texas committee, said she’s hopeful the economy will strengthen in the year leading up to the Feb. 6, 2011, game in Arlington. Read More…

Relevant sports business & sports ticket management Tweets of the week:

• SBJSBD http://su.pr/2Qi580 … A list of the Super Bowl weekend parties. Leaves off the best: www.Tasteofthenfl.com…as well as maxim
• SBJSBD Secondary ticket market for Super Bowl up compared to last year. StubHub says average price is $2,575. http://su.pr/2UYYK5
• SBJSBD The NFLPA, in a war of rhetoric with NFL, reiterated claim that the league wants players to take 18% cut. http://su.pr/1kn49i
• darrenrovell1 Smart move by Sun Life: Buying ads w/ESPN & CBS. Ensures nets will respect new stadium name for Super Bowl.
• darrenrovell1 Olympic mktg rule doesnt apply for summer olympians, so phelps can still swim to vancouver 4 subway!
• SBJSBD BMW Oracle Racing signs JP Morgan to deal as official private bank on eve of America’s Cup. http://su.pr/9FDNDK
• SBJSBD New Jersey Nets are nearing a deal with the Devils to play in the Prudential Center for the next two seasons http://su.pr/32eUeF
• SBJSBD Las Vegas Motor Speedway adds Bud, Miller, Dodge and O’Reilly Auto Parts as sponsors for 3 years. http://su.pr/2dLvyy
• darrenrovell1 Callaway Golf is a presenting sponsor for a half hour (5-5:30 EST) of the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday
• js_bizofsports GMR Marketing, a player in the brand marketing biz, has acquired Experience, a German firm. http://su.pr/1E6LG3

The Detroit Free Press discsusses the possibilty of the Pistons moving to Pittsburgh. One of the integral questions in the equation: Can Detroit’s corporations support 4 sports teams. The answer is yes. The problem is that corporate sports ticket buyers have been beat up for so long that, even though it’s been proven to drive business and better the bottom line, they are reluctant to spend any money on sports sponsorship or entertainment. The fact that many Detroit firms received government help hurts even more. Had these firms tracked their inventory originally they would be able to keep that inventory……and the precious Pistons.

• There is no birthright ensuring Detroit four professional sports teams. Remember that should Karen Davidson sell the Pistons. The immediate response to the news that she has placed her late husband’s sports legacy on the trading block didn’t surprise anyone.The wishful thinking is that if she’s not passionate enough to give the franchise the committed ownership required, then it’s only a matter of time before a local investment group emerges — ensuring that the Pistons remain in town. We’ve grown accustomed over the past 50 years to Detroit being a major player, if not a major performer, on the professional sports landscape, so it’s unimaginable envisioning Detroit in a reduced role.

The much maligned BNP Paribas Open has landed a new sponsor to the well attended yet poorly run tournament in Indian Wells, CA (better know as the Palm Springs area). The Open, formerly the Pacific Life Open, has changed owners yet again with Oracle magnate Sir Larry Ellison purchasing the tournament.

• Emirates, the global airline of the United Arab Emirates, has become a premier sponsor and the official airline of the BNP Paribas Open, tournament director Steve Simon announced today. The BNP Paribas Open, the most attended tennis tournament in the world outside of the four major events, will be held March 8-21 at Indian Wells Tennis Garden. The sponsorship agreement, which will run from 2010-2012 and includes a renewal option, is the airline’s third major sports sponsorship in the United States. Read More…..

The USOC recently announced that it would combat ambush marketers clearly pointing fingers at Subway and Verizon even though neither once mentions any affiliation with the games in the spots in question. Quite simply, the Olympic marks and an official sponsorship cannot hold that much sway if generic ads mentioning a sport that is competed in during the games is any threat whatsoever. Perhaps the sponsors should be demanding more in the way of on-site unique activation and athlete access….or simply drop the sponsorship because it’s clearly not worth it. Sports sponsorship vendors need to stand behind their products and provide true ROI. Witchhunts won’t accomplish that. Value to the customer will.

• The rough times continue for the United States Olympic Committee. Over the past year, the governing body of the U.S. Olympic team has struggled through leadership turmoil (three different CEOs in 10 months; pictured is current CEO Scott Blackmun), the failed Chicago bid for the 2016 Olympics, and a nasty spat with NBC about an Olympics cable-TV network that the USOC wanted to launch with Comcast.
  And now, just two weeks ahead of the Vancouver Winter Olympics, the organization is on the defensive again, issuing a statement Wednesday criticizing “ambush marketing” tactics by Subway and Verizon. Neither company is an official USOC sponsor, but both recently unveiled Olympics-themed commercials. Verizon’s ad features two racing speed skaters and narration that asks, “What does it take to succeed … in a place with the highest level of competition?”, while Subway’s spot has Michael Phelps swimming across an animated map toward Canada, “Where the action is this winter.” Read More….

Releveant Sports Business & Sports Spnsorship Tweets Of The Week :

• SBJSBD NASCAR is cutting its race purses by 10% this season for all three series. http://su.pr/8LBcpN
• SBJSBD ESPN’s Winter X Games, which start today, dumps sponsor categories in favor of customized deals. http://su.pr/1dMEe7
• timkawakami Ellison confirms he’s trying to buy the Warriors : News out of the Oracle compl… http://su.pr/5Jy75P
• SBJSBD Phillies season-ticket sales are up 10% over 2009, to nearly 27,000 for the ‘10 season. http://su.pr/2Chook
• sportswatch 2010 Pro Bowl experiment is a flop, but game need not be eliminated. Let it go back to HI and continue
• darrenrovell Breaking down BusinessWeek’s new Power 100 list http://su.pr/20ClW6 #1 Tiger, #2 LeBron #3 Phil
• SBJSBD Sales low for World Cup in South Africa, FIFA will try to revive interest by streamlining ticket process http://su.pr/1TB51y
• darrenrovell1 Super Bowl bound Drew Brees signs deal to sell flowers online http://su.pr/1y6cto
• SBJSBD The split: BCS to distribute $142.5M in revenue, and $115.2M will go to big six conferences. http://su.pr/38ieQy
• SportsBizNews Report in USA Today suggests NBC will now lose $250 million on Vancouver Games. Anything to substantiate this?
• darrenrovell1 Saints-Colts matchup should yield a cheaper Super Bowl ticket http://su.pr/2arOOq
• SI_JonHeyman i’m hearing the texas #rangers sale price is about $570 million for winning greenberg/ryan group, tho that is unconfirmed

Fraud costs organizations millions of dollars, causes employee embarrassment, damages corporate image, and intensifies legal and regulatory liabilities. Because many employees have the ability to charge Travel and Entertainment (”T&E”) expenses, and the opportunity exists, T&E fraud is an unknown epidemic in many organizations. Let’s look through a magnifying glass into T&E fraud triggered by employees and understand who may be the perpetrators, why the fraud occurs, what type of fraudulent actions are common, how much it costs, and how to control it. Employees who feel disenchanted with their job, or may need extra money, are not the only offenders of T&E fraud. In the Occupational Fraud and Abuse Classification System,* conflicts of interests and bribery are categorized as corruption. Read More…

Mid-January and still no word on the return of Tiger Woods to the PGA Tour. Ratings are down, attendance is down, sponsorship is down, and the first major of the year, The Masters, will flail in the deep end without a return by Mr. Woods. Tiger will most likely not miss the US Open at Pebble Beach, the course he won the title by 15 strokes on in 2000. David Carter, of Spotlight’s Advisory Board, is prominently quoted in the piece by The Guardian:

• Figures ranging from $2bn to $8bn have been bandied around but they have quickly been debunked, or revealed as guesswork. “The extent of the financial fallout, which is no doubt severe, is impossible to calculate because golf’s overall wherewithal goes far beyond Woods,” says David Carter, the executive director of the Sports Business Institute at the University of Southern California. “Without his steady play and ability to deliver TV ratings and galleries full of business people, the people associated with the sport will lose potential revenue across the board.” Read More…

The Pistons & Red Wings are in talks to build a new downtown arena that the teams would share. The Pistons have seen some hard times recently with the economy floundering locally and the team not winning on the court while the Red Wings, who own one of the single best home ice advantages at Joe Louis Arena, would bypass more than $10 million in structural upgrade while cashing in on corporate dollars. The question again will beg: what would the return on investment be for sports tickets and suites at a new downtown arena especially during a horrible economy in Detroit?

• It is possible, perhaps even likely, that within this decade the Red Wings and Pistons will partner to build and share a sports arena in downtown Detroit, sources told The Detroit News. Mike and Marian Ilitch, owners of the Red Wings, have not renewed their lease at Joe Louis Arena beyond this season, and face more than $10 million in structural repair at the dilapidated arena this summer if the team is to play there next season. Going back to The Joe, it seems, is a last resort. So the Ilitches have been looking for a temporary home while they sort out, if, when, where and how they might build a new arena in downtown Detroit. Read More…

Not surprisingly, NASCAR tracks have begun cutting seating capacity at a number of tracks. NASCAR is a very difficult event for corporate sponsors as the hospitality generally requires attendance in large blocks for an entire weekend. The fan base is rabid and the ROI on tickets, when used appropriately, is strong however the waste rate for NASCAR rivals only the PGA. Simply put: there are too many tickets and too many days of events for a firm that doesn’t have a process to track and use their seats.

• As demand has shrunk for NASCAR tickets, so have the superspeedways that hold Sprint Cup races. Several tracks have sliced their grandstand capacities by several thousand seats after a 2009 season in which attendance was flat or down at virtually every race. Among the biggest drops are Daytona International Speedway (168,000 to 146,000) and Phoenix International Raceway, which dropped by 20,000 seats. With a seating capacity of 56,000, Phoenix (which also sells tickets to a hill overlooking Turns 3 and 4 that can hold 20,000) now has the coziest oval grandstands on the circuit behind Darlington Raceway and Martinsville Speedway (both 63,000) despite being one of NASCAR’s largest markets. Read More…

Naming rights deal continue to come under fire, and rightfully so, in an era where shareholders and executives demand tangible return on investment for any dollar spend. Darren Rovell correctly points out that, many times, naming rights deals are more ego boosters than anything. Rovell challenges Sun Life to justify the recent deal with Dolphins Stadium with tangible numbers. Who are you taking? Do you have suites? Do you have tickets and, if so, how are you using them?

• Every time a company buys naming rights to a stadium, their executives get challenged. Is this really a good deal? Why does it seem like companies who have put their name on stadiums face greater economic trouble than those who pass on the idea?I think the latter might be more perception than reality –- that the percentage of companies that sign naming rights deals and then file for bankruptcy are somehow much greater than those that don’t sign deals and don’t file for bankruptcy. Read More…

   Forbes UK put together a piece discussing how nationalized firms continued to sponsor sports franchises, players, and events. There is no discussion as to why AIG dropped their shirt sponsorship of Manchester United or how AON plans to capitalize on taking over this sponsorship. Lloyd’s is also mentioned as a major sponsor of the 2012 London Olympcs however with no details on what activation will be. Gary Hoffman, the Chief Executive of Northern Rock, gives a laughable explanation of why they continue to sponsor the Newcasle Club including such proven business techniques as “staying in the public eye.” This kind of foolishness should never be accepted by taxpayers. If you’re spending money on something you need to know why and what you’re getting for your investment

• Northern Rock, the U.K. bank nationalized by the British government in 2008 during the financial crisis, has renewed its shirt sponsorship of Championship side Newcastle United. The deal is worth between 1.5 million pounds and 10 million pounds to the club over four years from next season, depending on how many of those seasons the Magpies spend in the English Premier League. . Newcastle-based Northern Rock has sponsored the team since 2004 under a five-year 25 million pounds deal. The bank also sponsors local rugby and basketball teams but dropped two county cricket sponsorships in 2008. The soccer renewal has run into criticism for using public money to back a private business. Newcastle is owned by Mike Ashley, the multimillionaire owner of Sports Direct International, which runs chains of sports-goods retailers. Northern Rock chief executive Gary Hoffman defends the sponsorship here. Read More…

Relevant Sports Business & Sports Ticket Management Tweets Of The Week:

• SBJSBD More on Dolphins selling naming-rights to Sun Life Financial. http://tinyurl.com/yhos3ra
• darrenrovell1 Adidas has terminated Gilbert Arenas http://bit.ly/7HhUhJ more reminders- due diligence and ROI need to drive sponsorship
• SBJSBD Florida Panthers and new sponsor The Learning Experience offering in-arena babysitting during games.
• SI_JonHeyman i’m hearing the texas #rangers sale price is about $570 million for winning greenberg/ryan group, tho that is unconfirmed
• js_bizofsports Packers, citing NFL data, say they ranked 30th last season for avg. stadium bowl ticket at $64.48. They’ll move up now.
• Ticketsdotcom The Olympics Take A Stab At Secondary Tickets: After years of opposing the resale of eve… http://su.pr/270i39
• darrenrovell1 Will Super Bowl appearance save Jets from lowering PSL prices in new stadium? http://su.pr/1EBPIW
• darrenrovell1 Are naming rights deals a good buy? http://su.pr/2BsN2H
• SBJSBD NBC’s Ebersol on Olympic losses: ‘Our luck had been good, but … The rabbit’s foot that was mine got lost.’ http://su.pr/260gbL
• darrenrovell1 Love AirTran signing Michael Oher to an endorsement deal. “The Blind Side” has earned 8 times its $29M budget.
• SBJSBD More on Dolphins selling naming-rights to Sun Life Financial. http://tinyurl.com/yhos3ra
• SBJSBD Florida Panthers and new sponsor The Learning Experience offering in-arena babysitting during games. http://tinyurl.com/ychqz8s

The sports ticket management market is not immune to these inherent conflicts which, if ignored, can cause clouded vision into future decisions by a number of firms when considering sports & entertainment marketing & activation. As Debi Scholar of consulting firm PWC cites in this blog piece, T&E fraud is rampant and causes bottom line losses to your firm. If there is risk in employees committing fraud while your vendors are out to make a buck then who is left watching your bottom line?

To effectively get the most from Sports & Entertainment assets firms need an objective third party with no conflict of interest that can  offer the best practices necessary to drive business and create efficiencies. An objective third party can in no way have their well being and bottom line tied to another aspect of the client’s business or to a prevailing partnership with one vendor if they are to truly look out for a clients bottom line. Simply put: when the rubber meets the road is your vendor looking out for their bottom line first and yours second?

There are a few examples of these conflicts in the current marketplace which we will explore objectively over the next few days. These examples include: Sports Marketing Contracts, Ticket Brokers, & Ticket Suppliers. Part one will focus on Sports Marketing Firms such as Octagon, Paragon, Genesco, Van Wagner, SportsMark, and many others.

A recent trend in sports marketing has  sports marketers attempting to keep as much business in house as possible- even when it is to the deterrent of the customer and not representative of the expertise of such firms.  Spotlight refers to this close-minded approach as “to deflect and protect.”

Sports marketing firms sign major contracts with customers of all sizes to execute a bevy of responsibilities. These responsibilities include: on-site event management, media planning, agency representation, etc. When the subject of ticket management comes up, these sports marketers immediately jump to either try and create their own tool or flaunt one they have already haphazardly built. This is comparable to going to an agency and asking for them to integrate Microsoft Word into their services only to have them attempt to create and program Word themselves. It is inefficient, slow, and terribly overpriced. Best practices suggest a firm simply outsource to the low cost industry leader- in this example, buy Microsoft Word instead of trying to re-invent the wheel. By outsourcing, the customer is guaranteeing consistent upgrades to an already industry leading software consistently proven by the current user base.

Once the application is built the conflict of interest is even more destructive. Many of these firms are in the business of providing growth through sports marketing. If these sports marketers get clients involved in a venture that is not cost effective it behooves them not to bring this to the customers attention as they could lose their entire contract.

Conclusion: sports marketing firms with skin in the game cannot possibly manage event tickets effectively & look out for the customers bottom line. They flaunt technology that is old and archaic, they do not understand workflows and process that will lead to tax deductions and time savings, and continue to venture into aspects of business that are not their focus.

Who’s watching your bottom line?

 The Supreme Court gets ready to hear the case of American Needle vs. The NFL. The ripple affect on sports will be dynamic as, if successful, the NFL will gain status as a single entity and be able to use monopolistic power. The league can eliminate competition and begin setting ticket prices across the board. Drew Brees created a stir by responding to the case in an article written for the Washington Post:

• The National Football League’s appearance before the Supreme Court this week is shaping up as a legal Super Bowl that could affect the cost of Pittsburgh Steelers caps, Green Bay Packers jackets and possibly even stadium tickets and player salaries.

  As other major sports leagues watch closely, the court will hear an appeal Wednesday by a suburban Chicago clothing manufacturer that lost a contract to make caps with NFL logos when the 32-team league signed an exclusive contract with Reebok. Read More….

The New York Jets are enjoying a bump in Personal Seat License Sales with their playoff success. Corporate dollars historically have flocked to a winning team, and with good cause as a winning team that’s in demand is a crucial piece driving ROI on sports tickets. The real importance is the due diligence firms do when signing these deals. Is the ROI there? Do they have proper use for these tickets and suites or is it just the whim of an executive that may not even be there in a year or two? Is there a system, like Spotlight, in place to assure ROI?

• The New York Jets have seen an increase in sales of seat licenses to their new stadium after a run to the National Football League playoffs combined with an improving corporate economy.The Jets and Giants are opening a shared $1.6 billion stadium next season in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and paid part of the cost by selling personal seat licenses, or PSLs, which grant holders the right to buy season tickets. Read More….

The Wall St. Journal went shopping for some Super Bowl tickets on the secondary market, an article angle done by a major publication each year, and shares the findings. The Super Bowl market continues to grow more and more into a commodities market as information is becoming readily available for the customer. The article compares two brokers with Ticketmaster and Ebay, however the writers dont realize that the brokers share the same inventory of tickets and are speculating on the pricing of said tickets.

• Not so long ago, football fans looking to buy a Super Bowl ticket turned to scalpers, ahem, ticket brokers, who sometimes skirted the law or traded in counterfeits and fraud. Stories abounded of fans paying thousands of dollars only to find the seller couldn’t deliver on that “guaranteed” seat. Talk about a quarterback sneak.But these days, the broker biz has gone increasingly legit—with most states legalizing second-hand ticket sales and regulating terms and pricing. In fact, it’s become a big-time corporate enterprise. California-based Ticketmaster has a National Football League-sanctioned exchange (or resale) program that partners with licensed brokers and individual ticket-holders to sell seats for games during the season and postseason. Individual ticket brokers are upping their efforts, too. Select A Ticket, a New Jersey-based company, even sent out a Super Bowl-timed mailing to Florida customers. And Web sites like eBay and Craigslist have also become popular sources for buyers and sellers alike. Read More…

Relevant Sports Business & Sports Sponsorship Tweets of the week

• darrenrovell1 Clijsters re-signs with Fila http://bit.ly/8epB4X
• NFLprguy i’m lovin’ it. McDonald’s inked deal to become title sponsor of the Pro Bowl. will have 6 spots on ESPN in game Jan. 31, week b4 Super Bowl
• TechCrunch UFC Vows To Go After Pirates No Matter The Cost http://tcrn.ch/54kLuw by @nicholasadeleon
• js_bizofsports My take on the American Needle case. http://bit.ly/5JiQ57
• SBJSBD USA Bid Committee today announcing 18 cities inc. in bid to host the ‘18 or ‘22 FIFA World Cup. http://tinyurl.com/ykdcg44
• darrenrovell1 UFC sells stake to Abu Dhabi group http://bit.ly/8bzNq1
• SBJSBD Papa John’s signs short-term NFL deal making it ‘official pizza sponsor’ of Super Bowl XLIV. Media plans could inc. spot in the game.
• SBJSBD U.S. committee names 18 cities that could host matches for ‘18 or ‘22 FIFA World Cup bid. http://tinyurl.com/ydosy3w

The NFL begins a historic case in front of the Supreme Court where they will make the argument that, thought teams and franchises compete on the field, they operate as a single entity. Though overlooked by the casual fan, the case has enormous effect on the business operations of the NFL as it exempts the owners from Antitrust law.

• The NFL players, like football fans everywhere, will be focused on the playoffs this month and the fierce competition for a spot in the Super Bowl. Their lawyers, however, will be keeping an eye on the Supreme Court.On Jan. 13, the pro football owners will be asking the high court to rule for the first time that the NFL is shielded from antitrust laws because, while its teams compete on the playing field, they function in business as a “single entity.” Read More

No surprises here as Ann Killion details the risks in celebrity endorsements using Tiger Woods as an example. This is one of many arguments stating the same case over and over, pointing out the worst case scenario. None of these articles, however, discuss any tangible numbers as to how these endorsements perform when it comes to revenue. Firms engage in sports sponsorship to drive revenue.

Under the cloak of New Year’s Eve, AT&T quietly dumped Tiger WoodsWhich makes sense. A man whose life has unraveled in large part because he didn’t know how to use his phone isn’t the ideal image for the world’s largest communications company. Tough to sell the joys of unlimited texting with an athlete whose entire world was undermined by those very messages. With the end of the last decade — a decade in which a man who swings a golf club became, in sequence, the first athlete to earn a billion dollars and the first billionaire athlete to derail his career by hitting a fire hydrant — we’re seeing a fundamental change in the corporate-athlete endorsement relationship. Read More

Naming rights sponsorships, as proven by the new Cowboys Stadium, continue to struggle as the New Meadowlands Stadium, home of the NFL’s Jets & Giants, will open without naming rights. Simply put: firms will invest when it returns business. Those avenues that dont have clear return are the first on the cutting room floor. The guantlet has been thrown down: show your customers a true and tangible return and they will return:

• What shall we call the new stadium that will house the Giants and the Jets? Without a naming-rights deal, it is New Meadowlands Stadium, a blah-yet-refreshing reminder of the era before names like Invesco, Reliant, Ford, Lucas Oil, Gillette, Qwest, FedEx and Heinz adorned #004276;”>N.F.L. homes.For the  Giants and the Jets, finding a naming-rights buyer for the new stadium will take time. If they planned to dedicate revenue from such a deal to help pay their construction debt, they will have to use money from other sources…Read More

The Guardian details what business will be like for the PGA in a world without Tiger Woods. Safe to say, the PGA stands to lose crossover appeal, ratings, and massive mainstream sponsorships. CEG Advisory Board leader David Carter is quoted:

• The 2010 PGA Tour season begins on the Hawaiian island of Maui tomorrow and the only guarantees are the television pictures will be spectacular and the private life of Tiger Woods will scarcely merit a mention. As much as the world outside professional golf continues to obsess about the public disgrace of the world’s No1 player, the world of professional golf itself would have us believe that Woods’s personal travails, and his indefinite leave of absence, is unfortunate but hardly a fatal blow to the sport he has dominated for more than a decade.”There were two other times in the last three years where he [Woods] took a prolonged leave of absence and on both occasions we came through it very well,” says Ty Votaw, a PGA Tour spokesman….Read More

Forbes details the most lucrative Arenas & Stadiums in sports- pointing to the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles as #1. STAPLES Center boasts 160 luxury suites, however the economic downturn is not lost on STAPLES with sagging luxury suite sales.

• The Dallas Cowboys and New York Yankees each spent more than a billion dollars to open swanky new stadiums in the midst of a recession. Call them greedy and ostentatious if you want, but don’t call them stupid.With high ticket prices and luxury boxes galore, the most valuable NFL and MLB teams not only rake in the most revenue in their respective leagues, their new stadiums are the only outdoor venues that rank among North America’s top 10 in revenue per seat. That distinction has typically been the sole preserve of hockey-basketball arenas, where smaller capacities make it easier to squeeze more money from each seat–not to mention an NFL team’s limitations of playing only eight regular season home games a year. Read More

LeBron James who has lost two major sponsors in the past year, has finally signed a deal with McDonald’s. James will appear in a McDonald’s Super Bowl commercial this year and has been rumored to be in talks with McDonald’s for years. McDonald’s is a very active sponsor showing responsibility in ticket management.

• Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that LeBron James and McDonald’s teamed up to film a Super Bowl ad that includes Larry Bird and Dwight Howard. James and McDonald’s have been in talks about a deal for several years and it looks like it finally happened despite the lousy environment for sports sponsorship deals. It is the first new sponsor in the James’ portfolio since he signed with State Farm Insurance at the beginning of 2008. The deal which is likely worth $3-4 million annually replaces the income for two James’ endorsement deals that expired over the past 15 months: Microsoft and Cub Cadet. Read More

• darrenrovell1 Full statement by EA Sports Prez Peter Moore on Tiger Woods PGA Tour Online game continuing http://bit.ly/8QG508
• mcuban today is my 10yr anniversary of buying the Mavs.. seems like it was only.. 10 yrs ago. But I have loved every minute of it. #Incredible #fb
• SBJSBD ESPN to launch 3D network in June with World Cup soccer match. http://bit.ly/54pUo2
• darrenrovell1 Breaking news: EA’s Peter Moore says company will still use Tiger’s name in game
• ESPN_NOW ESPN to launch 3D network in June — http://bit.ly/8eeRJ4
• js_bizofsports I like Mark Cuban. But his rant on the NFL skedding a playoff game opposite a Mavs game is wrong. NFL rules this time of year. Deal with it.
• js_bizofsports Allianz, a life insurance company, is sponsoring golfer Steve Stricker. It doesn’t get much safer than that in a difficult economy.
• SBJSBD The PGA Tour is looking for a second major sponsor for the SBS Championship in Hawaii. http://tinyurl.com/ycuxvzu