Tide to Showcase New ‘Show Us Your Colors’ NFL Marketing Campaign

Tide will showcase their first-ever partnership with the NFL with a new marketing campaign.

The first will be the “Show Us Your Colors” campaign which officially launches on September 9th when Tide takes over Lambeau Field, the home of the Green Bay Packers, to “color out” the season opening game against the San Francisco 49ers.

All fans who attend the game on September 9th will find a free, Tide-branded Packers t-shirt on their seat. Donning the tees between the National Anthem and kickoff, the sea of fans at Lambeau Field will be united in the beloved Packers Green and Gold in a stunning display of the team’s pride for their colors. F

“A full-stadium color out is the ultimate visual of a team’s fans uniting as one to rally their team to victory,” said Kandi Goltz, Game & Fan Development Manager for the Green Bay Packers. “We’re thrilled that Tide, a trusted product of the NFL, is giving this exciting opportunity to Green Bay Packers fans when pride is at an all-time high, as they usher in the start of their season at Lambeau Field.

Throughout the regular season, the “Show Us Your Colors” campaign will feature a number of activities that allow fans to join Tide in expressing the passion they have for their team and their beloved colors.

“NFL fans are life long fans, sporting their team’s colors and cheering them on from as early as they can remember,” said Alex Keith, Vice President P&G Fabric Care, North America. “We’re excited to give them the opportunity to celebrate this dedication in a variety of ways all season long while also showing them that Tide can help keep their team’s colors as vibrant as their passion.”

Starting in September, Tide will release a series of documentary-style videos called “Evolution of Colors.” The videos, which were created in conjunction with NFL Films, tell the story behind the colors of each NFL team and how the colors became what they are today. A video will be created for each of the 32 teams, and they will be gradually released throughout the season on Tide.com and NFL.com. This video series will kick-off at the beginning of the regular season.

A month after the Green and Gold Out in Green Bay, Tide will give NFL fans across the country the chance to capture and share their fervent dedication to their team online. Starting in October, Tide will encourage fans to visit the brand’s Facebook page to share a photo documenting a time they were most proud to wear their team’s colors, such as the first time a newborn wore a jersey of his dad’s favorite team or of a family watching their team win the Super Bowl together. Fans can upload their pictures for the chance to win exciting Tide and NFL related prizes.

The partnership between Tide and the NFL will also be brought to life via other marketing channels, including advertising and packaging. New Tide commercials, focusing on the intense devotion that fans feel for their teams and the theme of “They’re Not Just Colors,” will begin airing nationally on September 5th.

Tide will be offering special NFL-themed packaging, featuring a wide range of teams, fans, and players,at retailers across the country starting at the beginning of the regular season. Towards the end of September, New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees will be highlighted on the Tide with Febreze Freshness Sport Victory Fresh bottles. Additionally, specially designed bottles of Tide Original featuring team logos will be released in select markets and retailers.

Sahara India Become New Part Owners of Force India F1 Team

Multi-business conglomerate Sahara India have acquired a 42.5 percent stake in Force India, worth $100 million, with the Formula One Team now being named Sahara Force India.

A media report last Friday had stated that Sahara was in talks to take over from Vijay Mallya and that a “deal is on the verge of being finalised and that an announcement to the effect is expected in a couple of days”. But Mallya denied reports this would occur (read here).

With Sahara Group chairman Subrato Roy present alongside, Mallya announced at a press conference that subsequent to the stake sale, the F1 team was being renamed Sahara Force India. Roy will be the chairman of Sahara Force India.

The Sahara Group and Mallya’s UB Group will each have an equal 42.5 per cent stake in the team, while the remaining 15 per cent will be with the Mol family.

Force India was formed in October 2007 when a consortium (Orange India Holdings) led by Mallya and Dutch businessman Michiel Mol picked up the struggling Spyker F1 team for Euro 88 million.

Speaking about how the deal materialised, Mallya said, “I first approached Sahara only for the purpose of sponsorship. But Roy said he was interested in co-owning the team and that’s how we came to this agreement.”

Mallya said the funds injection would greatly enhance the team’s prospects. “The entire investment will be for the team and none of the existing shareholders are taking any money out. I started this team on a very limited budget and in the super-competitive F1 environment this investment will surely help in the progress of the team.”

The funds will be use for a new air tunnel, better R&D and upgradations of the facilities at the company’s factory based in Silverstone in UK.

Roy added that, “We are very happy to be joining this outfit and now we have to sit together, talk together, and discuss how to make this team the best team.”


NBA players have option to look abroad

National Basketball Association (NBA) players have been cleared to play overseas during the ongoing lockout, viagra after the International Basketball Federation (FIBA) approved the move on Friday.

NBA players under contract can now play in FIBA-endorsed leagues as long as their deals include opt-out clauses allowing them to return to North America when the lockout is lifted. The ruling also includes the stipulation that players agree deals at their own risk of injury.

FIBA secretary general Patrick Baumann said that”As the world governing body for basketball, malady we strongly hope that the labour dispute will be resolved as soon as possible, and that the NBA season is able to begin as scheduled,”

He also added  “In view of our role to promote basketball worldwide, we support any player wishing to play the game, wherever and whenever. We do so while obviously taking the interests, rights and obligations of all parties into account.”

New Jersey Nets All-Star Deron Williams has already agreed a deal with  Istanbul club Besiktas in Turkey, who have also been courting Los Angeles Lakers ace Kobe Bryant.  The news was given its approval by National Basketball Player’s Association (NBPA) executive director Billy Hunter with many commentators speculating that the prospect of players moving abroad may provide a catalyst to the ongoing labour talks.

Hunter said: “We have consistently advised our members that in the event of a lockout they would have the right to be compensated for playing basketball irrespective of whether they were under contract to an NBA team or not. We have encouraged all of our players to pursue such opportunities and will continue to do so.”

Indian & Sri Lankan Cricket in New Row

A row regarding a Sri Lanka Premier League Twenty-20 tournament starting next month has broken out between cricket authorities in India and Sri Lanka.

The Indian cricket board has refused to let 12 players take part because it says the tournament is run by a private company, an allegation which Sri Lankan cricket officials deny.

The recent decision from the Indian authorities comes after they refused to let Sri Lankan players leave a similar tournament in India early to prepare for the current tour of England.

Reports say that initially India’s cricket board had said it had no problems with its players participating in the inaugural Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL) to be played between 19 July and 4 August in Colombo as long as it did not clash with the players’ domestic or international schedule.

However, an announcement by the board on Saturday, June 18, revealed that it would not allow its players to participate in the tournament because it was “being organised by a private party”.

Sri Lanka cricket official Nishanta Ranatunga told Espncricinfo that the Twenty-20 tournament had been approved by the Sri Lankan cricket board and that a Singapore-based company owns the commercial rights of the tournament, having “won it through a tender process”.

Ranatunga added that the Sri Lanka board was “surprised and hurt” by India’s decision, and would meet today, June 20, to look at ways to tackle the situation, saying: “We need to explain the matter to the Indian board and whatever concerns that they have, we need to give them an explanation. It is very important to have them [Indian players] as they add a lot of value and glamour to the tournament.”

In April, Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage ordered the players to return from the Indian Premier League to prepare for the tour of England.

However, he later backtracked, saying his predecessor Gamini Lokuge had made a 10-year-deal allowing the country’s cricketers to play in the Indian Premier League. Mr Lokuge denied the claims.

Goodell and Smith Agree to New CBA Discussions

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFLPA Exec Dir DeMaurice Smith met in New York yesterday, 1 February, to discuss the league’s current labour situation. It has been confirmed that both parties agreed to hold a formal bargaining session with both negotiating teams on Saturday in Dallas.

They also agreed to a series of meetings over the next few weeks, both formal bargaining sessions and smaller group meetings, in an effort to reach a new agreement by early March with fears of a potential NFL lockout looming.

In DC, Mark Maske noted the two sides have said that the “last full bargaining session came before Thanksgiving, although they have remained in contact through less formal channels”

N.Y. Daily News reporter Frank Isola said stated that the latest announcement regarding potential discussions was a, “smart PR move by Roger Goodell and the players’ association” in order to “make it look like they’re making progress at the Super Bowl. This way people don’t talk about a strike or a lockout”

Kim Jin-Sun Steps Down as Pyeongchang 2018 President

The organising committee of the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Olympics has lost another senior member after Kim Jin-sun quit as President of the organisation on Monday.

Kim, 67, who had been President of the committee (POCOG) since 2011, had his resignation accepted by the government despite his term running until October 2015.

“Pyeongchang 2018 is at a turning point for the latter half of its Games preparation, which requires more detailed planning and execution,” Kim said in a statement.

“At this critical juncture, I believe that Pyeongchang 2018 needs new leadership and a stronger system that will effectively carry out various Games-related projects. And this is why I decided to resign as President of POCOG.”

Kim’s departure follows that of Moon Dong-hoo, the Vice President and Secretary General of the committee, who tendered his resignation in May citing health problems but only quit earlier this month.

The organisation is in the process of a review by the Board of Audit and Inspection (BAI), who refused to say what prompted the investigation in the first place.

“Yes, there is an audit going on but it’s not a regular audit. It is a specific-subject audit. POCOG is not big enough for us to audit regularly, like we do the ministry of culture, sports and tourism annually,” a BAI official told Reuters.

“The process is still ongoing. We just completed only the on-site part of the months-long audit. Thus we have no result yet.”

Cho Yang-ho, head of the Korea Table Tennis Association, has been favored to succeed Kim. Cho, though, denied he would take up the role.

“Taking the position is a great honor for the country but I have a lot of work at hand that requires my full-time commitment,” he said in a statement.

“Therefore I cannot take up the position as the head of POCOG. But I will do my best in order to make the 2018 Pyeongchang Winter Games successful.”

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United States Olympic Committee to Narrow Down Candidate Cities for Potential 2024 Bid

Despite not deciding on whether it will bid for the 2024 Olympics, the United States Olympic Committee hopes to narrow down a list of cities capable of winning a bid within the next couple months.

A number of cities have professed their interest already increasing the pressure for the committee to make a bid.

“It is a very informal process and our goal is to make a decision (on whether to proceed) by the end of the year and there haven’t been any formal deadlines or submissions,” USOC chief executive Scott Blackmun said on a conference call.

“The dialogue is really around which cities do we think can put together a bid that is going to be a fantastic bid and which cities do we think have the opportunity to win.

“Before we make a final decision we need to get into fairly detailed discussions with hopefully a smaller number of cities so our objective is to be in that position within the next couple of months.”

The USOC sent letters to the mayors of America’s 35 biggest cities last year to gauge interest in bidding for the 2024 Games and has been tight-lipped ever since about the response calling the process “informal.”

Several cities are believed to have thrown their hats into the ring, including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Boston, Dallas, Philadelphia, Washington D.C. and San Diego but as yet no preferred candidate has been identified.

The last Olympics staged in the United States were the 2002 Salt Lake City Winter Games.

The United States has not hosted a Summer Games since the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and can expect stiff competition if it does enter the 2024 race with potential bids coming from Rome, Paris, Doha and Durban, South Africa.

The IOC has encouraged the United States to submit a candidate but the USOC will want firmer support before proceeding.

“We have heard plenty of encouragement from multiple IOC members about a U.S. bid so I think IOC membership is favorably inclined towards us at least considering going forward,” said USOC chairman Larry Probst.

The decision on the 2024 host will be made in 2017.

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Euroleague Basketball to Adopt Google Glass for First Time

Euroleague Basketball are set to become the first European basketball competition to adopt Google Glass during their games.

The game between FC Barcelona vs. Laboral Kutxa Vitoria game on Thursday April 10th will generate content on eyewar computer Google Glass after a partnership with the University of La Salle.
The next step will be to bring Google Glass to the 2014 Turkish Airlines Euroleague Final Four from May 16 to 18 in Milan, Italy.

“New technologies are providing sports organizations with new opportunities and new ways to communicate with the fans,” Alex Ferrer Kristjansson, Euroleague Basketball’s Brand & Communication Director, said. “This partnership with the University of La Salle will allow Euroleague Basketball to explore the possibilities with the Google Glass, experimenting with new tools for basketball professionals and new ways of getting the fans closer to the action and to its stars.”

Fans will be able to see the action from Thursday’s game through the eyes of the protagonists: players, coaches and referees.
In marking objectives for their partnership, Euroleague Basketball and University of La Salle are pursing ways in which technology can help develop the sport and new means of interaction with fans.

This game is the first of different test projects that will help both entities understand the possibilities for building new technology applications for both professionals and fans in the future.

“We’re grateful to our partner, Euroleague Basketball, for the opportunity to implement this pilot project in such a high-profile competition,” Chris Kennett, director of the Undergraduate Business School at La Salle-Ramon Llull University, said. “Professional sports have always been a testing ground for cutting-edge technologies and the Google Glass is no different. This is a technology that will change the way we live, and sports such as basketball will be at the heart of its development.”

Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Plays Down ‘toothpaste bombs’ Threat at Sochi

With security an ever increasing topic for the Sochi 2014 Olympics, Russia’s Deputy Prime Minister Dmitry Kozak has played down the threat of “toothpaste bombs” to the prestigious event.

Security fears have dominted the headlines leading up to the games which are set to begin on Thursday.

Two explosions in Volgograd in December killed 34 people and there have been further threats from Chechen separatists who are determined to disrupt Sochi 2014.

The latest plot, highlighted by the US Government, involves terrorists trying to place explosives disguised as toothpaste on Russia-bound flights – but Kozak insists the fact authorities are aware of it proves they are in control of the situation.

“If the info is confirmed it proves our special forces are working. We do however guarantee the safety of all at Sochi 2014,” he told Sky Sports News.

“Terror fear is a global character and in any sport or place it has its nature. On Sochi it is a little too much – the level of fear should be lower.

“The threat level is no worse than for New York, Washington or Boston – we have no specific threat.

“We are working with western European countries and the US, based on the info we receive – there is no reason to believe Sochi is under anymore threat than any other city on the planet.

“We can guarantee the safety if people as far as any other government can.”

British Olympic Association Chairman Lord Coe is also confident Team GB athletes will be safe at the Winter Olympics in Russia.

“We haven’t been appraised of any situations,” he said. “We’ve been in contact with all agencies and no overtures has been made to us about this”

Lord Coe’s view was echoed by the BOA’s Chief Executive Officer Bill Sweeney, who added: “the threat level has not changed”.

O’Sullivan Backtracks on Match-Fixing Tweets

Ronnie O’Sullivan has retracted his previous statement claiming Stephen Lee is not the only player guilty of match-fixing, after stating his words were “taken out of context”.

The 37 year-old world champion tweeted the claims after Lee was found guilty of fixing seven games in 2008 and 2009.

World Snooker boss Barry Hearn called O’Sullivan’s comments “unacceptable and damaging” and asked for an explanation.

O’Sullivan stated: “I was referring to rumours from years ago when there were only a few tournaments on the circuit.”

He added: “The comments were an instant reaction to an issue which I feel strongly about, namely the integrity of my sport.

“I have no intention of undermining the integrity of the sport that I love and enjoy participating in so much and firmly believe that my tweets were taken out of context.

“The snooker circuit calendar is now full of tournaments all year round and has undoubtedly been cleaned up since World Snooker was taken over by Barry Hearn.

“I do not want my comments to leave a damaging mark on the game.”

O’Sullivan commended World Snooker for their action on Lee, and said he was aware of his obligation to report any knowledge of match-fixing. Lee will find out his punishment on 24th September.