Dave Winfield, and a 2001 National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee, pills will serve as the official ambassador for the 2013 TD Ameritrade College Home Run Derby.

The event will take place at 7:30 p.m. CDT on Wednesday, medstore July 3, at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha (Neb.) and will air nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CDT on Thursday, July 4.

One of only seven players in the history of baseball to accumulate more than 3,000 hits and more than 450 home runs, Winfield is listed among all-time leaders in hits, home runs and RBI. He played college baseball at the University of Minnesota, where the 12-time All-Star was voted MVP of the 1973 College World Series as a pitcher.

He made history as the only athlete to be drafted in three major professional sports: basketball (Atlanta Hawks and Utah Stars), football (Minnesota Vikings) and baseball (San Diego Padres). Winfield is currently an Executive Vice-President/Senior Advisor for the San Diego Padres.

Plymouth University has agreed a naming rights deal with the South West’s premier basketball team, the Plymouth Raiders.

The three-year agreement will see the team named the Plymouth University Raiders as they compete in the UK’s premier competition, the British Basketball League.

The partnership will heighten the national profile of both organisations, opening up a range of opportunities for University staff and students, the Raiders’ squad and organisation, and schools and community groups across the Plymouth area.

Professor Wendy Purcell, Vice-Chancellor of Plymouth University, said: “This exciting new partnership sees the teaming up of two like-minded organisations aspiring for further success at a national and international level. Sporting excellence has the power to inspire, and we are confident this partnership will do just that, both for our staff and students, and the wider community. It also reinforces our commitment to our home city, and will generate genuine impact in Plymouth and across the wider region.”

As part of the partnership, there will be a range of opportunities for staff and students on courses from the arts and business, to health professions and sciences.

Bob Widdecombe, Chairman of the Plymouth University Raiders, said: “We are absolutely delighted with the partnership between ourselves and Plymouth University. The agreement will see both parties benefit enormously, and we will be proud to take the University’s name and identity to all corners of the UK during the BBL season. The Raiders are one of the South West’s most successful professional sports teams, and are Plymouth’s only professional premier league team. With the full commitment from both parties, the partnership is set to go from strength to strength over the coming years.”

Skechers USA, Inc. today announced a multi-year partnership with the Houston Marathon Committee, Inc. with the footwear manufacturer’s performance division becoming the official footwear and apparel sponsor for the Chevron Houston Marathon.

As part of the agreement, the Skechers Performance Division will have a high-visibility presence at all race events including the annual Houston Marathon EXPO. The Company will also exclusively design, distribute and sell products featuring the Chevron Houston Marathon logo. This includes outfitting course volunteers with branded merchandise and providing the finishers’ shirts for runners.

“This partnership further solidifies our position as a major player in the performance footwear business,” began Michael Greenberg, president of SKECHERS. “Since launching the Skechers Performance Division in 2011, our award-winning innovative footwear has been embraced by the media, elite runners like Meb, and casual fans of the sport. The exposure created via this sponsorship is a huge opportunity to engage with runners as we continue to develop the next generation performance products on our Skechers GO platform.”

“We’re extremely thrilled to welcome the Skechers Performance Division to our team,” added Steven Karpas, managing director for the Houston Marathon Committee. “Skechers shares our vision and is totally committed to ensuring that Chevron Houston Race Weekend is a can’t miss event on the running circuit for years to come.”

Moto-X 338, generic host of the sixth round of the 2013 Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, sanctioned by AMA Pro Racing, has signed Chaplin Kawasaki to serve as title sponsor of the 35th annual Moto-X 338 National scheduled for Saturday, June 29th, in Southwick.

Additionally, Crotty & Sons Body Works will serve as the event’s presenting sponsor.

Southwick has hosted a round of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship since 1976, making it the fourth-longest running event in American Motocross. Just a few weeks ago, it was announced that this season’s race at Moto-X 338 would be the final one at the iconic facility. 

“We are very excited to welcome the support of Chaplin Kawasaki for our final event at Southwick,” said track president Diane Peebles Pittello. “They have always made their presence felt at our events and its only fitting that they receive top billing as we close out three decades of racing at Moto-X 338.”

“Since this will be the final year of the Moto-X 338 National, I figured the best way for me to show how much that track and this sport means to me is to give the event all the support I can,” said Kenny Ives Jr., owner of the Connecticut-based Chaplin Kawasaki dealership. “When you think of motocross in New England you think of Southwick and we want to do everything we can to make sure this year’s event is bigger than its ever been in over 30 years.”

Crotty & Sons Body Works, located in Charlestown, R.I., is one of the premier auto body shops on the Rhode Island coast.

With the launch of their new product RWB Ultra-Premium Handcrafted Vodka, medic Luxuria Brands, the brand management division of the Aristocrat Group Corp (ASCC), is looking into the possibility of entering sports sponsorship.

The company is gearing up to compete in the $21 billion U.S. spirits industry, in which many top brands grow their consumer loyalty with sports sponsorships.

“Sporting events have long been a preferred and effective way for distilled spirits brands to build awareness, because association with particular sports and athletes can help cement a brand’s identity, too,” said ASCC CEO Robert Federowicz.

ASCC has already opened talks to potentially sponsor an auto racing team, Federowicz added.

Major League Soccer team, D.C. United have added Arlington Soccer Association (ASA) as a new affiliate and tasked adidas to supply the team.

In addition to the player identification and development component of the affiliate agreement, Arlington Soccer will be outfitted with D.C. United and adidas-branded training gear, uniforms and coaching gear.

“The United States has some of the best athletic talent in the world, and it’s our goal to provide homegrown athletes with opportunities to play elite soccer,” said Ernesto Bruce, Director of Soccer for adidas America. “With our recent extension of the Major League Soccer contract, we have put the importance of youth development at a premium, and are excited about helping create Youth Club Alliances with local MLS clubs. This partnership between Arlington Soccer Association, D.C. United and adidas will prove to be a great step in developing the next generation of American soccer icons.”

Under the affiliation agreement, Arlington Soccer will serve as a source for D.C. United in identifying and developing the top youth talent in the region. United will share its coaching resources and will work with Arlington Soccer to follow its training curriculum and system of play.  

“The Arlington Soccer Association is excited about this new arrangement with D.C. United and United’s Academy Program,” said ASA’s Director of Travel Coaching German Peri. “This presents a fabulous opportunity for ASA and D.C. United to share resources to achieve mutual goals of developing the best quality players and coaches in our area. The affiliation allows ASA access to D.C. United’s professional coaching curriculum and methodologies, and it bolsters ASA’s relationship with the local professional team. In turn, D.C. United will also benefit from ASA’s talented player pool and developmental program. The partnership is a mutually beneficial arrangement that will make both programs better moving forward.”

“Adding ASA as the sixth youth soccer partner of the D.C. UnitedAcademy marks another positive step in the development of strategically integrated business initiatives,” said D.C. United Chief Marketing Officer Doug Hicks. “With such a wide reach to the talent pool in the region, the affiliation with ASA will greatly enhance the club’s overarching goals, specifically in regards to youth development.”

Canadian Tire Corporation, Limited and Senators Sports & Entertainment announced today a new strategic partnership that will see Ottawa’s premiere sports and entertainment venue renamed to Canadian Tire Centre.

This long-term agreement will cover a broad variety of activations on all levels, including community sports in the Ottawa-Gatineau region.

The partnership will feature on-site branding opportunities for many of the retail banners in the Canadian Tire Family of Companies, including Canadian Tire, Sport Chek, Sports Experts and Mark’s. The agreement takes effect on July 1, 2013, and arena-related signage will be in place for the start of the 2013-14 National Hockey League (NHL) season.

“The Ottawa Senators and Canadian Tire have been partners since 1990 when our fans first welcomed the team’s announced re-entry into the National Hockey League. It is a long and storied partnership we are extremely proud of, and pleased to be able to build upon,” said Senators owner Eugene Melnyk. “Canadian Tire is an iconic brand and is one of the largest hockey retailers in the world. That represents a unique opportunity for both of our organizations to work side-by-side on a wide range of new marketing and community initiatives that will be good for our business, our hockey team and most of all, our fans.”

“As a Family of Companies, we are on a journey to partner with leading sports organizations to promote sport and bring physical activity to the grassroots level. Our new partnership with Senators Sports & Entertainment fits perfectly with what we want to accomplish for our customers,” said Duncan Fulton, senior vice president of corporate affairs for Canadian Tire Corporation. “In January we announced one of the largest commitments to amateur sport in the country with our partnership with the Canadian Olympic and Paralympic Teams as well as five National Sport Federations, including Hockey Canada. Our new partnership with the Senators further extends our authority in sports – from backyard rinks to world-class arenas, no other retailer gets hockey like we do.”