Representatives of the National Football League (NFL) and its players union are set for a 14th day of debate with a federal mediator regarding how to divide almost US$9 billion in revenue.

The NFL Players Association rejected an offer from the league to reveal audited profitability data for all 32 teams for the past several years, the New York Times reported last night. Union leaders want each club’s audited full financial statements, the newspaper said.

Such disagreements don’t make it impossible to reach an accord and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft told ComCast SportsNet New England on Tuesday, March 8: “We’re doing everything we can to get a deal consummated. I personally believe it’s possible.”

The sides are in a week-long extension of the league’s collective bargaining agreement with players, which was set to expire after March 3. Had the agreement lapsed, owners could have locked out players, shutting down the most popular U.S. sport for the first time since 1987.

George H. Cohen, head of the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, brokered a deal between Major League Soccer (MLS) and its players last year, and said the extension ends the evening of March 11.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and executive director of the players’ union DeMaurice Smith have both declined to discuss the specifics of talks, at the request of Cohen.

A football skills challenge event featuring six of the world’s best players has been cancelled after England’s Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard pulled out following their country’s exit from the World Cup.

The A:3K event, which was due to be held at London’s O2 Arena on 17 July, has now been postponed until the summer of 2011. It was created with the aim of trying to bring the world’s best players together, competing in front of a live audience.

Director of A:3K Terrry Byrne said in a statement: “Both Steven Gerrard and Wayne Rooney have made it clear they believe it would be inappropriate for them to participate in A:3K at this time. We fully understand and respect both players’ decisions. We could have replaced them with two other players but feel the players involved are six of the best in the world – and that is what we promised we would deliver.

“Having consulted all parties involved, everyone agreed the only decision possible was to postpone the event until next summer when we intend to deliver the same six player line up. Our priority right now is to our customers who have purchased tickets.”

Rooney and Gerrard, who were earning a reported US$745,000 for taking apart, were due to appear alongside Cristiano Ronaldo, Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba and David Villa.

NASCAR team, Kevin Harvick, Inc. (KHI) has reached outside auto racing and into the world of professional athlete management, inking a deal to represent UFC fighter Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone.

KHI, co-owned by NASCAR Sprint Cup Series driver Kevin Harvick and his wife, DeLana, is renowned in the motor sports world not only for its on-track success, but also for its efficacious and innovative sponsorship relationships. In its NASCAR operations, the company has demonstrated expertise in marketing through sponsor activation, sales and promotion, event management, advertising and public relations. More recently, KHI transferred its primary concentration to athletes and sponsors in and out of the auto racing industry, including Harvick, Cerrone, Jeff Burton (NASCAR) and Jason Gore (PGA). 

“It’s an honor and privilege to have this new relationship with Kevin (Harvick) and KHI,” stated Cerrone, a (MMA) fighter currently ranked sixth in the UFC Lightweight division. “I have learned a lot from Kevin and his management team over the last year and look forward to a long-lasting relationship both in and out of the octagon.” 

Under Harvick and the KHI management team’s direction, KHI earned two NASCAR Camping World Truck Series championships and 53 wins in the NASCAR Nationwide and Truck Series in its decade of competition. Along for the lengthy and prosperous ride were numerous and critical KHI sponsor partners, despite the fact that a weakening U.S. economy forced several corporations out of NASCAR altogether. 

“One of KHI’s strongest qualities always has been our ability to sell and maintain sponsorship in NASCAR despite the economic challenges,” Kevin Harvick said. “With that solid foundation and the template we’ve created over the last 10 years, I think we are ready to take the next step to represent other athletes in other arenas. Donald is our first client in the UFC, and I’m excited about all the possibilities that lie ahead.” 

Cerrone, 30, is based and trains in Albuquerque, N.M. He won three of his four last fights to extend his record to 20-5. The Denver native is next scheduled to fight Rafael Dos Anjos (19-6) on Aug. 28 on UFC on FOX Sports 1.

Go Daddy is producing its new Super Bowl commercials with the help of an ad agency, here Deutsch Inc.

Go Daddy officially signed the New York Office of Deutsch Inc. as its agency-of-record this week. Now, Deutsch NY is working to produce two thirty-second spots for the world’s largest Web hosting provider’s 2013 Super Bowl campaign.

“When you think about our new definition of ‘sexy’ as: success, ambition and a drive to succeed with an online presence … Danica certainly fits that bill.”

Go Daddy’s Super Bowl strategies have helped drive market share, over the last eight years, from 16 percent to more than 50 percent. Over the years, Go Daddy Super Bowl ads have set records for Internet traffic, as well as internal records for sales revenue and new customers.

“We are doing something we’ve never done in a Super Bowl – we are repositioning sexy,” said Chief Marketing Officer Barb Rechterman. “The new sexy means success, ambition and drive and it can be achieved by using Go Daddy to grow your business. We think it’s sexy to grow a business, to be your own boss and to make dreams come true online.”

Go Daddy drives one of the largest technical infrastructure operations on the Internet and powers 10.6 million customers worldwide, mostly small-to-midsize businesses who need simple solutions to grow their businesses and want technical help to build and manage their websites. Unlike most Internet companies, Go Daddy provides customers with a ‘bend-over-backwards,’ business consultant approach to customer support that includes personalized service, every hour of every day.

“What makes Go Daddy special is our ‘over-the-top’ brand of concierge service … no one else does what we do, the way we do it,” said Go Daddy Executive Chairman and Founder Bob Parsons. “I think the creative challenge for Deutsch is going to be to draw from our past success and create something new, that’s memorable and has a little fun with what makes Go Daddy so extraordinary … in a way that is impactful.”

Deutsch NY has multiple teams working on creative concepts right now. The scripts are being kept top-secret.

Go Daddy Girl and NASCAR superstar Danica Patrick has been featured in 10 Super Bowl ads, which is more than any other celebrity in Super Bowl history. All have been Go Daddy ads and each has driven viewers to the GoDaddy.com website to “see what happens next” after the broadcast ad ends.

“Do I hope I’ll be in the new Go Daddy Super Bowl commercials? Absolutely,” Danica said. “I don’t think it would feel quite like a Super Bowl if we don’t do the commercials again this year,” she suggested.

“We have had measurable success with Danica, no doubt about it,” Parsons said. “When you think about our new definition of ‘sexy’ as: success, ambition and a drive to succeed with an online presence … Danica certainly fits that bill.”

That leaves Deutsch with a challenge to innovate what has become a Super Bowl phenomenon: the Go Daddy commercial.

“Go Daddy is an iconic Super Bowl advertiser, with tremendous name recognition,” said Deutsch New York CEO Val DiFebo. “Our mission is to go deeper into what Go Daddy does. Their relationship with customers is truly inspiring. We’ve listened to hundreds of them, who use words and phrases like ‘profound appreciation’ and ‘I owe my success to Go Daddy,’ to describe their connection. It is the new sexy. This is an amazing opportunity to create commercials that are as memorable, innovative and impactful as Go Daddy’s ever done, and to do it in a way that does as right by their brand, as they do by their customers.”

KemperSports, a leading golf course management company, announced that it has been selected by The Atkins Group to manage Stone Creek Golf Club in Urbana, Ill.

Designed by the father-son duo of Dick and Tim Nugent, Stone Creek Golf Club is located in Southeast Urbana and serves as the home course of the University of Illinois Men’s and Women’s golf teams, led by renowned Head Men’s Golf Coach Mike Small. KemperSports will provide comprehensive management of this premium public facility, which includes an 18-hole golf course, a 30,000 square-foot clubhouse with an extensive golf shop and snack bar, a four-acre practice range and teaching center and a free-standing banquet facility.

Since its opening, Stone Creek Golf Club has hosted a number of prestigious amateur events including the Big Ten Men’s Golf Championships in 2001, Big Ten Women’s Golf Championships and USGA Men’s Amateur Qualifier in 2002, Women’s Western Amateur Championship in 2003, Illinois State Men’s Amateur Championship in 2004 and USGA Men’s Amateur Qualifier in 2005.

“We are very impressed with the KemperSports team and its dedication to providing exceptional customer service at each one of its properties,” said Mike Martin, director of residential development for The Atkins Group. “Customer service is key to building loyal and happy customers in the hospitality industry, and we’re excited to work with KemperSports to refine the guest experience at Stone Creek.”

Stone Creek Golf Club opened in 1999 and features a par-72 course with bent grass fairways and subtle elevation changes. Measuring 7,118 yards from the championship tees, the course was named for the stone-laden creeks that meander through the 18-hole layout. The Stone Creek subdivision, an upscale residential development covering 500 acres, surrounds the course and consists of several neighborhoods and miles of walking, jogging and biking paths along Stone Creek Golf Club.

“As the home course of the University of Illinois golf teams, Stone Creek is well-respected among golfers as one of the top courses in the area,” said Steve Skinner, CEO of KemperSports. “We look forward to working with The Atkins Group to further enhance the golf and dining experience at Stone Creek.”