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SPORTS MARKETING
AGENCIES/MEDIA/STATS
KEEPING SCORE

What Excited Marketers Most About April?
NBA Playoffs Begin 23.2%
NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs Begin 23.2%
NCAA Final Four March 31-April 2 14.3%
NFL Draft April 26-28 12.5%
MLB Openers April 2-8 10.7%
The Masters April 5-8 7.3%
Boston Marathon April 16 3.6%
Other: 5.4%

WADE BLOGS

The best of today's sports and sports marketing blogs are HERE

Lochte 'Mind Games'

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    SAY WHAT!

    "We tell our players, 'Don't stay down on the ice. Get up.' I'll leave it at that. If we want to start discussing officials with the media, I have a long list here." — New York Rangers head coach John Tortorella after Game 3 of the NHL Eastern Conference Finals regarding the New Jersey Devils and the NHL refs.

    MARKETWATCH

    BUY The San Antonio Spurs have an 18-game winning streak, including two 4-0 sweeps in the NBA playoffs after defeating the Los Angeles Clippers in the Western Conference semi-finals.

    SELL The Oklahoma City Thunder finished on a 22-8 run in Game 4 of their Western Conference semi-finals against the Los Angeles Lakers to win 103-100; in Game 2, OKC went on a 9-0 run to end the game en route to a 77-75 victory.

    HOLD After winning the Kentucky Derby and Preakness, I'll Have Another must wait until the Belmont Stakes on June 9 to try to become the first Triple Crown winner since Affirmed in 1978 (and 12th overall since 1919).

    COLLECTIBLE CORNER

    $90.00: Asking price for baseball autographed by Shawn Green, who hit four homers in one game for the Los Angeles Dodgers, with the inscription: 4 HRs 5/23/02, on eBay.
    $100.00: Asking price for baseball autographed by Josh Hamilton, who hit four homers in one game for the Texas Rangers (May 8, 2012), on eBay.
    $220.00: Asking price for baseball autographed by Mike Schmidt, who hit four homers in one game for the Philadelphia Phillies (April 17, 1976), on eBay.
    $600.00: Asking price for 1958 baseball with autographs including Willie Mays, who hit four homers in one game for the San Francisco Giants (April 30, 1961), on eBay.
    $21,500.00: Asking price for 1932 baseball with autographs including Lou Gehrig, who hit four homers in one game for the New York Yankees (July 13, 1932), on eBay.

     

    Taco Bell Burrito Pitch Includes MLB, Sony's PlayStation

    The fast-feeder is unveiling a Beefy Nacho Burrito and companion $5 Big Hitter Box with TV, Internet, mobile apps and a joint effort with MLB The Show 2012 starring Adrian Gonzalez of the Boston Red Sox. MORE

    Turner Wild About New Playoff Games

    Major League Baseball said that Turner Broadcasting's TBS would be the exclusive TV home of the two wild card games that this season will be part of the playoffs for the first time. MORE

    Adidas MLS-Themed Ad Heralds Next-Gen Micoach

    Top players from Major League Soccer, including Brek Shea (FC Dallas), Javier Morales (Real Salt Lake), Teal Bunbury (Sporting KC) and Darlington Nagbe (Portland TImbers) get ready for a match but aren't fully prepared without the micoach Speed_Cell, which translates on-field data into higher performance results. MORE

    FTC Busts Skechers For $50M Over Kim, Montana Ads

    In marketing for Shape-ups, Skechers said the shoes would help people lose weight and strengthen and tone muscles, backed by clinical studies, Super Bowl spots and marketing campaigns with Kim Kardashian, Joe Montana and Brooke Burke. The Federal Government said the company misrepresented those attributes and wants Skechers to pay up. MORE

    Gretzky A Stand-Up 'Comic' In TV Commercial

    To spotlight the advantages of its storage and moving units, Mobile Mini has placed hockey legend Wayne Gretzky, or, rather, a full-size cutout version of 'The Great One' from his Edmonton Oilers days, in the middle of a humorous "should he stay or should he go" domestic dispute. MORE

    Citi Banks On Team USA In Olympic Campaign

    Bob and Mike Bryan, Cullen Jones, Meb Keflezighi and a group of other U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes and hopefuls take center stage as Citibank unveils a multi-media marketing push touting the financial firm's various services and supporting Team USA in London. MORE

    Nintendo's Got Game On Kid-Centric Tennis Tour Of U.S.

    To help support the launch of Mario Tennis Open, Nintendo of America has signed on as an official sponsor of the USTA's SmashZone Mobile Tour, now making stops nationwide to introduce and promote tennis among kids, en route to the U.S. Open in New York, where the company will also have a presence. MORE

    NEWS FROM MLB 2012

    Josh Hamilton Swings With Vita Coco

    Fresh off his historic four home run game, Hamilton has signed a deal with the coconut water brand, joining singer Rihanna as well as other sports stars, and giving him a fresh start after a troubled past. MORE

    Hot Dog! Baseball Is Back And We Have A Wiener

    Yankees Cano Stars In ESPN MLB '12 Launch Spot

    Marketers Take A Swing At MLB Japan Opener

    Phillies Top 2012 Fan Loyalty Survey

    Q&A: Can $1B Stadiums End Warm Beer, Cold Dogs

     

    NEWS FROM 2012 Summer Olympics London

    Q&A: P&G Good As Gold With Summer Games Marketing

    P&G has aligned with some 150 Olympic athletes and hopefuls worldwide encompassing brands from Tide and Bounty to Pantene and CoverGirl. But the major strategy revolves around 'Thank You Moms,' a campaign the company said will empower families, improve the personal lives of U.S. athletes in London and, bottom line, help P&G reach its goal of $500M in Summer Games-related incremental sales. Q&A with Jodi Allen, P&G's vp-North America operations and marketing.

    Tyson Gay Looks Sharp For Gillette

    Olympic HOF Presented By Allstate Class of '12

    Burger King 7UP Join USA Hoops For London

    Visa Preps Its Largest Global Olympic Campaign

    With 100 Days To Go, Marketers Eye Gold

    NEWS FROM NBA Playoffs

    How Yooze Doin'? NBA's Nets Take Brooklyn In Style

    After 35 years in New Jersey, the Nets officially crossed the Hudson River into the borough of Brooklyn, with a grand unveiling of Jay-Z styled logos and merchandise at a Modell's location across the street from the team's new Barclays Center venue. MORE

    D-Rose, Linsanity Top Sales Of NBA Jerseys

     

    NEWS FROM NHL Stanley Cup Playoffs

    Q&A: NHL, Marketers Stanley Cup Runneth Over

    With the NHL playoffs fast approaching, evp-marketing Brian Jennings explains in a Q&A the challenges and rewards of using the Stanley Cup as the focal point of the league's extensive post-season activations.

    New Sponsor Growth For NHL Playoffs

    NHL, Discover Offering 'Day With The Cup'

    EA Sports Gives NHL 13 Power To The People

     

    NEWS FROM BostonSportsJournalism.com

    Red Sox, Marketers Line Up For Fenway 100th Anniversary

    More than 30 companies have activated or soon will unveil marketing to support the iconic ballpark reaching the century mark, including JetBlue, Coca-Cola, Bank of America, Dunkin' Donuts and L.L.Bean. MORE

     

    NEWS FROM ChicagoSportsJournalism.com

    New Era Lets Chicago MLB Trash Talk Go To Its Head

    In 2011, MLB's official head gear company pitted Alec Baldwin (New York Yankees) against John Krazinski (Boston Red Sox); this season, TV actors Craig Robinson and Nick Offerman take sides in the Chicago White Sox-Cubs rivalry. MORE

     

    MORE NEWS ...

    Danica, Coke Zero Pact Gets Green Flag

    Prince Sports Files For Chapter 11

    Jägermeister Club Includes NFL, Nascar, Boxing

    ESPN Puts T's Into Aëropostle For Summer X Games

    P&G's Tide Gets A Full Load Of NFL Team Deals

     

    The Avengers Big Box Office = Big Number$ For Partners

    Companies such as Acura, Dr Pepper, Farmers Insurance and Southwest Airlines have already reaped nearly $2M in brand value for product placement in The Avengers, which had a record-setting $220M U.S. opening weekend. MORE

    Q&A: After Shaq, Kim and Mr. Quigley, What Will Leonard Armato Leverage Next?

    He has represented such icons as Shaquille O'Neal and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, brought to global prominence volleyball stars Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh, and spearheaded efforts that featured Super Bowl ads with Kim Kardashian and French bulldog Mr. Quigley. Now, the new chairman and managing director for sports and entertainment firm Leverage Agency offers his unique insights on the Olympics, Super Bowl, LeBron James and the changing landscape of sports marketing. Q&A

    Manning Move Could Be Big Move For Marketing Partners

    Peyton Manning currently earns the most in annual endorsements among NFL players at $15 million from Gatorade, Sony, Sprint, MasterCard, General Mills' Wheaties, DirecTV and Reebok. His move from Indianapolis will only boost his market value. MORE

    NBA, ESPN Take Sides In Citrus Cola Wars

    Coca-Cola's Sprite has Kobe Bryant and LeBron James; PepsiCo's Diet Mtn. Dew has Mike & Mike, Dick Vitale and Dale Earnhard Jr.; 7UP has Cee Lo Green, each seeking to boost sales in the carbonated lemon-lime category. But are their attempts fruitless? MORE