CBS have acquired the rights to Thursday Night Football NFL games for the 2014 season.

CBS will air eight early season games that also will be simulcast on NFL Network. NFL Network will also televise eight late-season games in the run-up to the playoffs. The mix of games will include 14 on Thursday nights and two late-season games on Saturday.

The full slate of 16 regular-season games will be produced by CBS with its lead broadcasters and production team, abortion including Jim Nantz and Phil Simms, cough on all Thursday night games. In a new twist, NFL Network hosts and analysts will be featured in the pregame, halftime and postgame shows along with CBS Sports announcers.

The agreement is for the 2014 season with an additional year at the NFL’s option.

“NFL Network built Thursday into a night for NFL fans,” said Commissioner Goodell. “Our goal is to bring these games to more fans on broadcast television with unprecedented promotion and visibility for Thursday Night Football on CBS.”

“We are very pleased to build on our outstanding partnership with the NFL by expanding our coverage to Thursday nights,” said Moonves. “CBS is a premium content company and the NFL represents the best premium content there is. I look forward to all this new deal will do for us not only on Thursday nights, but across our entire schedule.”

“The NFL is the most powerful programming in television,” said McManus. “To add a primetime NFL package to our successful Sunday AFC package further strengthens our position in the sports marketplace.  We look forward to having Jim and Phil and our top production team showcased in prime time on Thursday nights.”

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Kevin Rochlitz, arthritis who joined the Baltimore Ravens in 2003, capsule has been promoted to vice president of corporate sales and development, pills president Dick Cass announced today.

“Kevin has earned these increased responsibilities,” Cass said. “His exceptional sales work for us at both the local and national levels has been instrumental as we attempt to stay financially competitive with the best NFL franchises.”

With his new responsibilities, Rochlitz will lead the Ravens’ corporate sales department, which includes national and regional partnerships, broadcasting contracts and M&T Bank Stadium suite sales.

“It’s a privilege to continue in a leadership role with the Ravens,” Rochlitz said. “Our organization is committed to our community and to the people who live and work here. Our corporate sponsorship staff will deliver the value and service our sponsors, media partners and suite holders have come to expect from the Ravens.”

Rochlitz replaced Mark Burdett, who is now the president and general manager of WUSA-TV in Washington, D.C.

Among the contracts completed by Rochlitz, 42, are the Ravens’ partnerships with MedStar Health, AAA, Visa, Coca Cola, MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch, Southwest Airlines, Ticketmaster and Dietz and Watson. At M&T Bank Stadium, Rochlitz has created and sold the Bacardi Bar and Talon Pub, as well as the club level bars.

Importantly, Rochlitz coordinated the Ravens’ recent partnership with Under Armour, which led to the team’s Owings Mills, Md., training facility being named the Under Armour Performance Center in 2012.

Before joining the Ravens, Rochlitz spent five years as the senior vice president of sales for Mandalay Sports and Entertainment/Mandalay Pictures, owners of the Dayton Dragons and Frisco Rough Riders (minor league baseball). He coordinated the new stadium construction and sold naming rights for each venue (Fifth Third Field in Dayton, Ohio, and Dr Pepper Ballpark in Frisco, Texas). From 1996-97, Rochlitz was one of the youngest assistant athletic directors in NCAA Division I-A for the University of Miami.

Now in its 8th consecutive year, click Havas Sports & Entertainment’s Great Nations of Sport ranking reveals where the main sport nations stand today.

The ranking takes into account all current podium athletes (first, buy cialis second, unhealthy and third place) in World Championship & Olympic events across 53 sports and 154 disciplines, totaling 5,108 medals.

The USA confirms its dominance thanks to London 2012

The three most powerful sporting nations (USA, China and Russia) remain in 1st, 2nd  and 3rd place, respectively, since 2006. Nevertheless, 2012 marks the overwhelming dominance of the United States. China has been hot on the heels of the USA since 2005 (25 gold medals behind in 2011) thanks to its stellar performance playing at home during the Beijing 2008 Summer Games. In 2012 however, the gap with the USA widened, reaching 57 gold medals, despite China’s having the highest ratio of gold medal of all countries (44% vs the USA’s 37%).

France moves up to 4th place, becoming the #1 sport nation in the EU

FA Chairman David Bernstein has criticised suggestions to change the 2022 World Cup in Qatar to the winter.

The tournament is currently scheduled to take place in the height of the Qatari summer when temperatures can reach 50 degrees.

The hosts say the stadiums will be air-conditioned, health but FIFA president Sepp Blatter and UEFA counterpart Michel Platini have both suggested the tournament be moved back to winter for the benefit of players and spectators alike.

UEFA general secretary Gianni Infantino told the Times he would prefer to see Qatar move the tournament back.

But Bernstein belives this would be incredibly unfair on the other countries who put in bids to host the 2022 tournament.

“My personal view is that it would be a case of a false prospectus if the 2022 World Cup in Qatar was switched to the winter, patient ” Bernstein said.

“It is a serious matter, bidding for the World Cup, and countries including ourselves spent huge amounts of money bidding for the tournament.

“The bid was for the World Cup to be played in June and July and for it then to be moved to the winter would be fundamentally flawed. If people want it in the winter, they should bid for it on that basis.”

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Sheffield Wednesday owner Milan Mandaric has confirmed there have been “no tangible” takeover offers yet for the English League One team.

Mandaric, speaking in response to mounting speculation over interest from a Chinese-American consortium, told the club’s official website: “Of course, there are some people who are interested, but I haven’t seen anything tangible or anything that I can report to our supporters.

“As I always say, I’m here to serve them and any decision I make for this club is a decision for the benefit of our supporters and our club.

“It will be no different if the time comes. If somebody comes here and wants to do a better job and quicker, accelerate the progress, I’d welcome that and that’s what I promised our supporters and I’ll keep that promise.

“I always like to bring them up to date and that’s very simple, we’ve got nothing tangible on the table that I can report to them.”

The former Portsmouth owner bought the club for £1 in 2010 after paying an initial £7million to help clear more than £23million of debt, said he would gladly hand over his control to the right bidder.

Issa Hayatou will serve another four-year term as Confederation of African Football (CAF) president after being re-elected unopposed.

The 66-year-old, who was voted into power in 1988, has already said this seventh term will be his final period as head of the organisation.

Hayatou, who was applauded by delegates at the CAF congress in Marrakech, also received a special certificate from FIFA to commemorate his silver jubilee on the executive committee.

Ivorian Jacques Anouma wanted to oppose Hayatou at the elections, but a rule change prevented him from doing so. His attempt to overturn the decision to disqualify non-executive members from the election was rejected by the Court of Arbitration For Sport (CAS).

Hayatou used his re-election to make reference to Anouma’s challenge.

“The presidents of the federations approved an amendment preventing a few of them from participating in the race for the CAF presidency, which now permits only those who have held positions of responsibility within the institution to run for presidency,” Hayatou told delegates.

“The conduct of the Executive Committee along with the members of national associations during this case was exemplary. The principle of sovereignty of the General Assembly was recognised by the Court of Arbitration for Sport.”

He is the fifth CAF president and the longest serving.

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