NBA’s Orlando Magic have unveiled a new, bold marketing campaign, “WE WILL.” 

This rebranded campaign ‘turns the page’ on the next chapter in Orlando Magic history.  As the team and the Magic brand continue to grow, this evolution speaks to the Magic’s continued desire to put a championship product on and off the court. 

“WE WILL” promises the Magic will do whatever it takes to put a winner on the floor and create a product Magic fans and partners can be proud of on all fronts.  The shift from “Be Magic” to “WE WILL” was made to update the Magic’s message and reaffirm the franchise’s desire to be great.  Hallmarks of the campaign are in the Magic’s mantra of hard work, competing every night, leading and inspiring as the Magic strive for excellence via integrity, strength, resilience and togetherness.

“The Orlando Magic is an organization whose mission is for excellence both on and off the court.  “WE WILL” really reflects our team, coaches, staff and our mission,” said Magic CEO Alex Martins.  “This new campaign signifies the beginning of a new era of excellence for the Orlando Magic and our fans.  We are excited about the direction we are headed as we build on the legend and success already created and look forward to what the future holds.” 

“For us, this campaign was relevant with or without the roster changes.  We feel strongly that it’s a great statement and a strong message that we wanted to provide to our employees, our fans and all of our partners,” said Magic Vice President of Brand Management Roman Vega. “It’s designed to shatter any questions about us not wavering in our mission to compete for a championship and that everything we do is designed to put us in the best possible position to accomplish this.”

A team of 25 Magic staff members, including Martins, worked with local advertising firm, Great Big Circle, to create the new slogan which was designed to promise fans and partners that the Magic will rebuild.  The Magic officially unveiled the new marketing campaign to Orlando and the Central Florida market on September 24.  The team will utilize television, print, radio and billboard advertising as well as non-traditional avenues such as online, social media and in-areas.  “WE WILL” will also be seen on game tickets, pocket schedules and in digital formats.

“We want the fans, season ticket holders and clients to establish that interpersonal connection with us as an organization,” added Vega, “and the values that we carry as an organization.”

Orlando’s NBA franchise since 1989, the Magic’s mission is to be world champions on and off the court, delivering legendary moments every step of the way. On the court, Orlando has won five division championships (1995, 1996, 2008, 2009, 2010), had seven 50-plus win seasons, and won the Eastern Conference title in 1995 and 2009.

Since the DeVos Family purchased the team in 1991-92, the Orlando Magic are tied for first in the NBA’s Eastern Conference with a winning percentage of .544. The Orlando Magic have finished with a .500 record or better in 16 of the last 20 seasons (since 1992-93), tied for fifth-best in the NBA.  Orlando has also reached the playoffs 14 times in the last 19 seasons (since 1993-94), also tied for fifth-best in the NBA.

Off the court, on an annual basis, the Orlando Magic gives more than $2 million to the local community by way of sponsorships of events, donated tickets, autographed merchandise, scholarships and grants. Orlando Magic community relations programs impact an estimated 75,000 kids each year, while a Magic staff-wide initiative provides more than 6,000 volunteer hours annually. In addition, over the last 22 years more than $17 million has been distributed to local non-profit community organizations via the Orlando Magic Youth Fund (OMYF-MFF), a McCormick Foundation Fund since 1994, which serves at-risk youth.

Mercedes-Benz have opted to change their name to ‘Mercedes AMG Petronas Formula 1 Team’ for the 2012 season, the car maker announced on Monday.

AMG has been the performance brand of Mercedes-Benz for more than 40 years.

The Brackley-based team also said its new car, the F1 W03, will not make its official track debut untill the second winter test of 2012, which takes place from 21 February at Barcelona.

Team principal Ross Brawn said: “We are very proud to reveal our new team name today. It adds another strong performance element to our team’s identity and, by virtue of being shared between Brackley and Brixworth, will forge even stronger links within our team.

“At the factory, we have been focused for some time on the challenge of 2012, and our very clear ambition to move forward up the grid next year. As always, the winter development and manufacturing processes are a trade-off between time for finding performance in the factory, and time for delivering that performance during pre-season testing.

Mercedes-Benz motorsport boss Norbert Haug added: “Our new team name fuses the proud traditions of AMG and the Mercedes-Benz Silver Arrows at the pinnacle of motorsport.

“These three letters are synonymous with high technology, sporting performance and excitement and this step is a further strong sign of the strategic commitment Mercedes-Benz has made to Formula 1. Sixteen of the 24 drivers on the grid at the season’s final Grand Prix in Brazil have, or have had, a connection to Mercedes-Benz.

“In addition to the role of a works team, our commitment to Formula 1 comprises the customer engine programme and supply of the official Safety and Medical Cars.”

New IPL franchise Kochi Tuskers Kerala have been thrown out of the IPL by the Board of Cricket for Control in India (BCCI) for breaching its terms of conditions the new board president N Srinivasan has said after the annual general meeting in Mumbai.

“Because of the irremediable breach committed by the Kochi franchise, the BCCI has decided to encash the bank guarantee in their possession and also terminate the franchise,” Srinivasan said. When asked if the franchise had any chance of return, Srinivasan responded: “No, we have terminated the franchise because the breach is not capable of being remedied.”

The BCCI also appointed Rajiv Shukla as the new IPL chairman, succeeding Chirayu Amin, and said that the league’s governing council would take a decision on whether to have a another auction for a new franchise.

With Kochi’s termination, the ten-team competition will be reduced to nine. The consortium that owns Kochi is reported to have defaulted on an annual payment of Rs 156 crores ($32.6mn) as a bank guarantee.

In April 2010, the BCCI’s working committee had rejected demands from Kochi and the Pune Warriors for a reduction in their franchisee fees. The two new franchises, which made their debuts in 2011, had sought a 25% waiver on the grounds that the BCCI had stated in the bidding document that each team would play 18 league matches in a season. The schedule was later reduced to 14 matches per team.

The two teams already paid 75% of this year’s installment and wanted the balance waived. They argued the reduction in matches was a breach of the terms of the Invitation to Tender the board had issued before the two new teams were bought. Since they had based their bid on the number of matches to be played, a reduction in matches should therefore be accompanied by a reduction in the franchise fee. However, the BCCI voted to turn down the request at its meeting in Mumbai in April.

In March 2010, the Sahara group bid $370 million to became owners of the Pune franchise while a consortium of five companies called Rendezvous Sports World offered US$333.33 million for Kochi.

Former member of Facebook Inc’s management team, Chamath Palihapitiya, has joined the ownership group of the National Basketball Association’s Golden State Warriors

Oakland, California-based team announced Palihapitiya’s investment yesterday in a news release.

In four years at Facebook, the 34-year-old Palihapitiya worked in many roles, including vice president of user growth, mobile and international.

The Warriors were sold in July 2010 for a league-record $450 million by Christopher Cohan to a group led by Joe Lacob, managing partner at the San Francisco Bay Area-based venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers, and Peter Guber, chairman of Mandalay Entertainment Group.

The Warriors have made the postseason once since 1994. Golden State had a poor season last year only managing 12th among the Western Conference’s 15 teams last season with a 36-46 record.

According to the Associated Press, federally mediated negotiations toward a new National Football League (NFL) labour deal lasted “about eight hours” in Washington, DC on Sunday, 20 February.

The meeting for discussions was the third consecutive day the sides met to try to find common ground before the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expires on March 4.

The NFL and Players’ Union (NFLPA) have met for “a total of more than 20 hours since Friday” in front of Federal Mediation & Conciliation Service Dir George Cohen.

Cohen requested that neither side comment publicly on these negotiations. A ruling that has thus far been adhered to and therefore it is not clear what, if any, progress is being made.

The Rugby Football League (RFL) has announced the appointment of Simon Johnson as a Non-Executive member of the sport’s independent Board of Directors.

Mr Johnson’s appointment was confirmed at the Rugby League Council AGM held at Langtree Park, order St Helens today. He replaces Maurice Watkins CBE, diagnosis who has stepped down from the Board after three four-year terms as an RFL director.

RFL Chairman Brian Barwick said: “It gives me great pleasure to welcome Simon to the Board.

“Simon’s wealth of experience in the sports and media industry, together will his widely acknowledged expertise in sports law and governance, will enable him to make a significant contribution to the ongoing welfare of the sport.”

Mr Johnson has previously held positions as Director of Corporate Affairs and Company Secretary at the Football Association, Director of Legal and Business Affairs at the FA Premier League and Director of Rights and Business Affairs at ITV.

He was Chief Operating Office of the bid to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup in England and is currently a Non-Executive Director of the Amateur Swimming Association.

Simon Johnson said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to join the RFL Board at such an important and exciting time in Rugby League’s history.

“I’m privileged to have enjoyed a wonderful career in broadcasting and sports law and am looking forward to lending my considerable experience to the RFL and adding value to the sport.

“I can’t wait to get my teeth stuck into the role and doing what I can to play my part in a new structure where every minute of every match in every competition will matter.”

Allied Telesis, generic an industry leader in the deployment and provision of IP Triple Play networks, has announced its partnership with Panasonic in the creation of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) infrastructure for the Arena Pantanal stadium, built for the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.

The Arena Pantanal in Cuiabá, in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, will be the venue for many of the 2014 World Cup soccer matches, which begins in June. The stadium’s capacity is approximately 43,000 people, and it has a flexible structure to adapt it to any future requirements. Locally, the new stadium is known as “O Verdão” (The Big Green), after the sustainable approach used for its construction and maintenance.

The international significance of the events that will take place in the venue requires very high availability of all services, as even minimal downtime during any match would not be acceptable. For this reason, Allied Telesis and Panasonic devoted significant resources to the design and engineering of the solution, and the successful integration of all parts of the system.

The completed project includes two data centers, located on either side of the stadium—each capable of independently supporting the entire traffic load of the stadium at its peak. These data centers link more than twenty operation rooms, located throughout the stadium, from which all operations can be integrated and controlled. The Allied Telesis network has been designed to be resilient and ensure full operation at all times, connecting all equipment and controls.

Francesco Stramezzi, general manager – EMEA and CSA, Allied Telesis, said, “The World Cup will be an important event for the region because the eyes of the world will be upon it. This is not only an exciting and important project for Allied Telesis, but it will also be a global opportunity for us to showcase the flexibility, reliability, and environmental sustainability of our solutions. We have been given an opportunity to collaborate with partners who are world leaders in their fields, as a result of the reputation and quality of our staff and products, as well as the efficiency and effectiveness of our network solutions.”

Masahiro Shinada, vice president, Panasonic do Brasil Ltda., commented, “The partnership between Panasonic and Allied Telesis is founded on our common experiences in this field. Allied Telesis solutions have high quality and are capable of successfully handling large volumes of multimedia traffic; and Panasonic contributes with paramount solutions for surveillance and voice solutions.”