The Whistle, doctor the first sports-focused multichannel network, sale added Major League Ultimate (MLU), pills North America’s premier professional ultimate Frisbee league, to its catalog of pro league partners this week.

Per the partnership, The Whistle will work with MLU to develop and promote content on its YouTube channels such as behind the scenes and cross-channel programming on its digital platforms, including its website, mobile apps and YouTube through its multi-channel sports network (The Whistle Network).

Additionally, The Whistle will provide MLU experienced advice, audience insights, studio space and production facilities in New York and Dallas, access to The Whistle’s other pro league partners and sports-specific community tools to help expand their digital presence.

“Combining one of the fastest growing sports in the world with one of the fastest growing platforms for sports entertainment makes perfect sense,” said Dev Sethi, the Whistle’s Head of Content Partnerships. “Digital audiences move quickly and so does the sport of ultimate. Our subscribers are eager to see more and the league’s teams and athletes are eager to share more tips, tricks and compelling content.”

“Connecting with new fans and athletes is a core value of Major League Ultimate, and The Whistle’s focus on programming tailored to a digital generation fits perfectly with the goals of our organization,” said Jeff Snader, MLU Commissioner. “We can’t wait to see what we can do together to produce quality content on all of the platforms where those fans are looking for sports.”

In addition to MLU, The Whistle’s professional league content and equity partners include Major League Baseball’s Advanced Media, the NFL, PGA Tour, NASCAR, Major League Lacrosse, and the U.S. Ski and Snowboard Association.

“Having a partner with the kind of digital expertise The Whistle offers is beyond exciting,” said Nic Darling, MLU Executive Vice President. “Major League Ultimate had over 2.5 million views on our YouTube channel in our inaugural year. We hope to grow that number exponentially in our second year and believe the innovative thinking The Whistle Network provides can help us reach that goal.”

Harvard Stadium in Boston will host the 2014 Major League Lacrosse (MLL) All-Star Game on Thursday, cough June 26, remedy MLL has announced today.

This marks the fifth time the All-Star Game is held in Boston and fourth at Harvard Stadium.

Next year, the MLL All Stars will host US Lacrosse and Team USA as they prepare for the 2014 Federation of International Lacrosse (FIL) World Championships, hosted by US Lacrosse in Denver, Colo., starting July 10.

“We are delighted to host Team USA for the 2014 MLL All-Star Game,” said MLL Commissioner David Gross. “The last two times we used this format we had some amazing games featuring some of the top players in the World.”

US Lacrosse recently announced the 52-man training roster that will be trimmed down to the 23 players participating in the World Championships. Of the 52 athletes, 50 are MLL players including the 2010 All-Star Game MVP Brendan Mundorf, three time World Championship participant Matt Striebel and 2013 MLL Rookie of the Year Rob Pannell. With the talent pool available, the 2014 All-Star Game will truly be the battle of the best lacrosse players in the world today.

“It’s the last thing we’re going to do before the World Championships, so we are really looking forward to playing the best players in the MLL,” said Team USA Head Coach Richie Meade. “The All-Star Game is going to be a very exciting event, and will really help us prepare for Denver.”

Harvard Stadium is the centerpiece of Harvard’s athletic facilities and has stood as a Boston landmark for more than a century. The stadium was constructed in 1903 and hosted its first game on November 14 of that year.

IMG Worldwide has announced that Carl Harris, no rx former President of Ookii Co Athlete Management & Marketing has joined the Action Sports division of the company. 

Harris will be based in Los Angeles and brings his current stable of clients including, Japanese snowboarding phenom  Ayumu Hirano and Two-time U.S. Open of Snowboarding Champion, Kazu Kokubo.

Ayumu Hirano splits his time between the U.S. and Japan. Hirano started the 2013 season winning the Burton High Five in New Zealand and has been increasingly dominating events.   In March 2013, the 14-year-old earned second place at the Burton U.S. Open of Snowboarding Championships and became the youngest snowboarder ever to claim the prestigious “TTR Halfpipe World Champion” title at the event.  This victory follows Hirano’s silver medal win at the Aspen X Games in February, and first place finish at the 2013 Burton European Open Halfpipe Finals in Laax, Switzerland.

A fixture at the WX Final and competitions around the world, Kazu Kokubo was the 2010 WX SuperPipe bronze medalist and competed at both the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics and Torino 2006 Winter Olympics. In competition he focuses on style and always incorporates the latest tricks. Kokubo also appeared in the opening sequence of the Burton movie, “Standing Sideways” in 2011.  Additionally, Eiju Hirano (Ayumu’s Brother), Teddy Koo, Kohei Kudo and Kotaro Kamimura join the IMG family with Harris.

Harris joins IMG from Ookii Co Athlete Management and Marketing where he served as President for the past three years.  Previously, Harris spent three years as Vice President of Business Development at VAS Entertainment.  Prior to that, Harris spent five years at Viacom’s MTV Network. Harris has also held positions at Swatch Group, Burton Snowboards, and as Supervising Producer and Director for Tony Hawk’s Boom Boom HuckJam.

“We are excited to welcome Carl to IMG, he’s done an amazing job assembling a tremendously talented group of snowboarders,” said Mark Ervin, Vice President, IMG Action Sports.  “Kazu has driven the progression of snowboarding for over a decade, and at 14-years-old Ayumu is poised to be the future of the sport.”

“The opportunity to join IMG was an easy decision to make.  IMG’s vast global network and worldwide presence offers tremendous access to incredible resources to develop Ayumu’s and Kazu’s professional careers well into the future,” said Carl Harris.

Koya Kikuchi, Managing Director, IMG Japan, said, “As we continue to solidify our position as a leader in the actions sports business landscape, the ability to work with world-class talent such as Ayumu Hirano and Kazu Kokubo provides the opportunity to truly leverage IMG’s global capabilities in the marketplace.”

IMG represents some of the most influential and well-known athletes and event properties within the Action Sports world. IMG represents Olympic Gold medalist, Lindsey Vonn, surfing sensation, Kolohe Andino and Motocross rider Ryan Dungey among many others.

English Conference club, Mansfield Town have announced their One Call Stadium capacity has increased for the second time in three months.

Safety chiefs have raised capacity from 7,888 to 8,186 after praising Stags’ officials for their professional approach of managing a full stadium when the club hosted Liverpool in the FA Cup last month. 

Joint Operations Director Tina Broughton said:  “SAG (Safety Advisory Group) were very pleased with the way we handled a full house during a massive tie for the club. 

“We are pleased that SAG have recognised this and to have our capacity increased again is a positive step forward for the club.”

Prize money for the Hong Kong Open has been cut by US$750, ailment 000 to US$2m, capsule organisers said yesterday.

It comes despite the tournament retaining sponsor UBS. This year’s Hong Kong Open will take place November 15 to 18.

“It’s one of these things that have happened because of the downturn of the world economy, capsule ” Hong Kong Golf Association Chief Executive, Iain Valentine said.

Valentine said he was hopeful that stars such as Rory McIlroy would play.

“The Hong Kong Open has a very unique place in the European Tour schedule of events and people like to play Hong Kong because of the golf course and because of Hong Kong in general, they just like coming here.”

Organisers are reportedly seeking HK$16m (US$2m) from a Hong Kong government fund to assist the showpiece event, double what it received last year. {jcomments on}

Two by Four, there a leading integrated marketing agency offering advertising, design, interactive, promotions and direct response services, today unveiled a new brand campaign for the Chicago Bears.

This fall’s campaign conveys a strong sense of power and motion—pairing commanding headlines with epic, larger-than-life visuals and a dynamic design treatment.

The campaign continues to build upon the shared values and relationship between Chicago, fans and the Bears organization with images of the city in the backdrop of all elements. Executions highlight the Bears’ strength in defense with headlines such as “It’s Crueler by the Lake,” “Believe in Monsters” and “Right of No Passage,” featuring defensive end Julius Peppers, linebackers Brian Urlacher and Lance Briggs, and cornerback Charles Tillman. Executions such as “Unfair Catch” and “Here, It’s Never Too Cold to Get Burned” showcase the team’s offensive players with quarterback Jay Cutler and wide receivers Earl Bennett, Brandon Marshall and Devin Hester. Other players also take the spotlight in several ads.

To achieve a contemporary, dynamic look and feel, Two by Four commissioned international illustrator Caroline Blanchet. The resulting art direction allows players to take on epic, larger-than-life personas and conveys a sense of power and motion. The team colors of navy and orange also take on a more electric, intense palette. Players were shot by Bears team photographer, Bill Smith, wearing the new Nike Elite NFL uniforms.

“This year’s campaign still celebrates the unique bond between the Bears, their fans and Chicago, but it also portrays their talented, hardworking players in a stoic, almost heroic light—which we feel they deserve,” said Adam VonOhlen, Two by Four Executive Vice President and Creative Director.

“As an organization we’re focused on having a strong roster of talent representative of our values to bring home a Super Bowl victory for our fans and the city of Chicago,” said Bears Vice President of Sales and Marketing Chris Hibbs. “This fall’s campaign communicates that we mean business in a fresh, powerful way.”

Two by Four created over 16 different outdoor concepts that will appear in billboards, Metra stations and CTA bus and train transit. A “Believe in Monsters” television spot was also developed with local production houses Cutters, Inc. and Sol Design FX. The campaign officially launches Tuesday, August 28.

The Indian Grand Prix will go on as scheduled as there were reports that there would be a delay after an inspection was delayed by a month.

F1 Chief Execurive, Bernie Ecclestone, said: “We have people on the ground on a daily basis and they’re telling me we have no problems with construction and everything is on time.” .

F1 officials will now test the Buddh International Circuit developed by Indian construction company Jaiprakash Associated ltd on Aug. 31, Ecclestone said at a sponsorship event. “It will be signed-off on in the first week of September,” ahead of the Oct. 30 race, he said.

Guidelines of the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile, the world’s governing body for motorsport, stipulate tracks should be fully tested at least 90 days before a competition.

The Indian Grand Prix will be hosted in the Delhi satellite town of Greater Noida, where farmland is being swallowed up by gated communities for a surging middle class. While ticket prices are yet to be announced, the average price of entry into this year’s Chinese race was $385, six months’ income for the 80 percent of India’s 1.2 billion people the World Bank estimates live on less than $2 a day.

“We were ready for the inspection in the first week of August but we all agreed that it made sense” for F1’s Race Director Charlie Whiting “to come at the end of the month,” Vicky Chandhok, president of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India, said today in a phone interview. “Logistically, it made sense for Whiting to fly to Delhi around the same time as the other inspections in the region.”