The Oklahoma City Thunder are looking to continue their momentum not just on the court but also off it as sales of merchandise have been constantly rising.

For the first two rounds of the NBA postseason this year, seek sales of Thunder merchandise on NBAStore.com were up 80 percent compared with the team’s total for the first two rounds of the playoffs last year.

The team’s gains increased further in the conference finals. Through the first five games of the Thunder’s six-game series with San Antonio this year, the team’s sales total on NBAStore.com was up 173 percent from the total for last year’s conference finals appearance against Dallas, a series won by the Mavericks in five games. 

Merchandise sales at the team’s shop at Chesapeake Energy Arena have increased by about 13 percent during the postseason.

The NBA does not disclose specific sales figures. The league also did not disclose how the Thunder’s postseason merchandise sales compare to the Spurs, the Miami Heat and the Boston Celtics during their appearances in the conference finals.

“Any time a team advances to the Finals, it is common to see an increase in merchandise sales,” said Sal LaRocca, executive vice president of the NBA’s global merchandise group. “The Thunder have a very passionate fan base, and players like Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook that have a global following, so it’s no surprise to see such a surge in merchandise sales for this team.”

The spike in the Thunder’s postseason merchandise sales comes after the lockout-shortened regular season that saw Durant land at No. 8 on the list of the league’s top-selling player jerseys. The Thunder ranked seventh among all NBA team merchandise sales during the regular season.

Cricket Holdings America, herbal a joint venture between New Zealand Cricket and the United States of America Cricket Association, anabolics has today announced the appointment of TSE Consulting to assist with its plans to initiate a Twenty20 cricket league in North America. 

TSE Consulting has been appointed to deliver the host city selection process and the development of facility specifications, medicine together with PROS Consulting, the US-based management and planning consultancy. 

The formation of this league is the culmination of two years of collaboration with the International Cricket Council (ICC), whose support has ensured that the right foundations are in place for the development of a successful league. The focus is to combine cricket with entertainment to create a truly fan-centric experience and bolster the 50,000-strong and growing active competitor base in the US. 

Currently, the only ICC-sanctioned cricket facility in the US is located in Broward County, FL, where TSE has assisted in development of a business plan for the facility. The development of new facilities and use of temporary venues are a part of the plans for growing the game and staging a League. An aggressive programme to identify franchise locations in major North American markets will be underway shortly. 

Neil Maxwell, Director Cricket Holdings America states: “We have taken time to put all the pieces in place for a successful league that will be a lasting addition to the sports industry in North America. We look forward to announcing the cities that will host teams in the near future and the development of new cricket facilities throughout America. We are delighted to be working with TSE and PROS whose combined knowledge of host cities and facility development is the perfect fit for us.” 

Dale Neuburger, Director TSE Consulting – North America added: “The new league will be a great addition to the American sports landscape. Keith Wyness and the CHA team have provided the vision and expertise to support rapid growth in the popularity of cricket in North America, and TSE is honoured to have the opportunity to participate in the city identification and facility development process.”

Read TSE Consulting Managing Director, Lars Pedersen interview here>>

The ‘Sunday Night Football’ clash between the Dallas Cowboys and New York Giants aired on NBC received the highest overnight ratings in the show’s six-year history and the highest overnight ratings of any Sunday or Monday primetime game in 13 years.

The game, in which the Giants beat the Cowboys 31-14 to win the NFC East, scored a 17.1 overnight rating and a 27 share in metered market household ratings. It was the best such rating for any primetime Sunday or Monday game since a Denver Broncos and Miami Dolphins game had a  17.4/27 on Dec. 21, 1998 for ABC.

It was also the best overnight rating for any NFL primetime regular-season final game in 17 years. The best was the San Francisco 49ers and Minnesota Vikings game that earned a 19.6/33 on Dec. 26, 1994, also for ABC.

NBC won the night on the strength of the Cowboys-Giants game, the highest-rated program of the night. From 7-11, it averaged a 12.9/21 in metered markets, topping the 7.5/12 for CBS, which was boosted by NFL overrun. Fox had a 3.0/5 and ABC a 2.5/4.

After FIFA vice-president Jack Warner announced his decision to resign from his post from world soccer’s governing body, along with his CONCACAF presidency, he did so due to fear of being banned for life and having his political career wrecked in the process, according to sources close to the scandal.

Twenty-four hours after Warner threw in the towel with the net closing in around him, it emerged that he would not have been able to maintain his powerful position in Caribbean politics with the case against him strengthening.

“The Ethics Committee made it clear Warner was going to lose by detailing violations of the Code of Ethics,” said one informed source who has been involved in the case from the start. 

“They went into every detail. Our understanding is that Warner actually submitted his resignation on Friday just after receiving the reasoned decision.

“Warner knew there would have been a very clear and concise guilty verdict at the end of the process. That would have caused him to be thrown out of Government.”

Warner has since stated that he would be prepared to die rather than meet with former FBI Director Louis Freeh, the man charged by the Ethics Committee with leading the full investigation.

Warner said he would be willing to help FIFA but would not speak to Freeh because of his ties to the United States from where Chuck Blazer, the CONCACAF general secretary who blew the whistle on Warner, also hails. 

“I will die first,” Warner told Bloomberg. “If FIFA wants me to cooperate I will do that but not with Freeh.”

Soccerex have extended their line-up for the European Forum, pharm held in Manchester, March 30-31, announcing that manager of English Premier League soccer club Aston Villa Gérard Houllier, Burnley central defender and Chairman of the Professional Footballers Association (PFA) Clarke Carlisle and Chief Operating Officer of Wasserman Media Group, Sam Rush will speak at the Soccerex European Forum, 30-31 March, Manchester.

They will be part of a panel titled “Will financial regulation improve football?” which will look to assess the potential positive and negative impacts of European soccer’s planned financial regulation. The session will begin with an exclusive presentation on the financial fair play concept by Andrea Traverso, Head of Club Licensing, UEFA, the man responsible for the implementation of UEFA’s financial fair play rules.

Traverso will then join his fellow panellists to discuss the rules, how they will be implemented and the effects they will have on the many and varied stakeholders in the industry. The session will be moderated by Dan Jones, Partner, Head of Sport Business Group, Deloitte.

The panel combines a selection of football stakeholders ensuring the different viewpoints of manager, player and agent are covered. Clarke Carlisle, who was appointed as PFA chairman in November of last year, commented: “I am really excited to be representing the PFA and giving a player’s perspective on this important issue to Soccerex’s audience of football industry leaders.”

This not-to-be-missed panel is part of an exciting conference agenda covering topics such as the German football model, the different commercial challenges facing clubs, digital media and fan interaction, sponsor and rights holder relationships, and Eastern Europe’s upcoming tournaments and market development.

Holiday Inn is set to offer rooms at a £20.12 rate in an attempt to bolster its sponsorship of the London 2012 Olympic Games.

LOCOG has confirmed that this coming Monday 20th December, cheap as the 20th day of the 12th month, viagra will be 2012 day, pills with sponsors of the Games will be rolling out more activities. To mark the occasion and celebrate its partnership with the Games, Holiday Inn, official hotel provider to the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games, is releasing rooms for just £20.12.

Rooms will be available to book for the £20.12 deal on 20th December from 00.01 hours to 23.59 hours for stays at 171 participating Holiday Inn and Holiday Inn Express hotels. The deal involves a stay on any date between 26th December 2010 and 9th January 2011 (excluding 31 December).

Holiday Inn is currently undergoing a huge relaunch with a over US$1bn of investment across more than 3,400 hotels and 430,000 rooms worldwide.

Other elements of Holiday Inn’s London 2012 partnership include providing over 1,500 free nights to support 50 emerging and established British athletes.

Liam Ferguson has been appointed the new Director General of the International Surfing Association with immediate effect.

Ferguson will replace Bob Mignogna who resigned his position, denture and will remain on as a Senior Advisor to the ISA President and the organization as it pursues its Olympic ambitions.

Mignogna was named ISA Director General in March 2010 and was responsible for running the day-to-day operations of the organization. During his time as Director General, the ISA experienced tremendous growth in ISA events, expanded its educational programs, and ISA membership grew from 57 to 86 nations.

Ferguson is a veteran of the surfing industry with 25 years of professional experience in the action sports community including most recently as ASP Vice President of Sponsorship Integration. Having held high-level leadership positions in management, marketing and media, Ferguson is one of the most respected executives in the industry and will bring an exceptional breadth of business experience to the ISA.

“I am excited about this transition in the leadership of our organization,” said Fernando Aguerre, ISA President. “This new structure not only expands and strengthens the ISA with the addition of Liam’s outstanding leadership, experience and skills, but also enables us to continue to benefit from Bob’s wisdom and exceptional career in the surfing industry”.

“I truly appreciate what Bob has helped me accomplish at the ISA during his time with the organization,” Aguerre continued. “Most importantly by taking care of the day to day, he allowed me to spend my energy and time in key strategic matters for the ISA and its member federations, and of course working with the Olympic Movement towards the inclusion of surfing in the Olympic Games. I will continue to seek his counsel and advice on various matters, and am happy that he will remain involved with the ISA in an honorary capacity. Muchas gracias Bob.”

“I am honored and excited to join Fernando and the growing family of member countries in the International Surfing Association”, said Ferguson. “This is a unique opportunity to blend my 25 years of surf industry expertise with the ISA’s goal of developing surfing globally. I am very proud to join this organization that brings together top athletes from around the world regardless of race, religion and cultural differences to share the fun surfing lifestyle. I am especially looking forward to offering my contribution and support to the ISA’s important mission of having surfing included in the Olympic Games.”

The 2016 Commonwealth Judo Championships has been awarded to South Africa.

The decision was made at the 2014 Commonwealth Judo Association Congress held on 22 July 2014 at the University of Glasgow.

The event will be held in the city of Port Elizabeth. South Africa saw off stiff opposition from India and Scotland, ed with Malta retracting their bid during the presentations.

This is the first time that the Commonwealth Judo Championships will be held on the African continent. 

Also at the Congress, generic Rick Kenney (SCO) was re-elected unopposed as Executive President of the British Judo Association, medicine on a mandate to further modernise the Association, to continue to build strong relations with the International Judo Federation, and to establish judo as a core sport in the Commonwealth Games programme.

Other Executive Officer positions were as follows:
Dr Richard Briggs (NIR), Vice-President
Envic Galea (MLT), Vice President
Dr Mike Callan (ENG), Secretary General and Treasurer
Mr Malcolm Limrick (WAL), Sports Director

There were four Executive Members elected; Professor Alexandar De Souza (NGR), Mr Barry James (ENG), Mr Sotos Tricomitis (CYP), and Mr Man Mohan Jaiswal (IND). They join the incumbent Executive Committee members Mr Temba Hlasho (RSA), Ms Estony Hattingh (BOT) and Fr Jude McKenna (ZAM).