IMG College to Market Harvard Athletics’ Sponsorship Rights

Harvard Athletics has signed an agreement with IMG College for exclusive sponsorship representation rights for its athletics programs.

“IMG’s goal will be to build additional exposure and opportunities for our athletics program and connect us to sponsors that align well with Harvard athletics in the areas of leadership, allergy academic integration and competitive excellence, ailment ” Bob Scalise, Harvard’s athletic director, said in a statement.

IMG College, a Winston-Salem subsidiary of IMG Worldwide Inc., has 160 local employees and more than 1,000 overall – mostly based on the campuses of their clients.

Ben Sutton Jr., IMG College’s chairman and president, said the company was attracted by the unique sports offering of Harvard, as well as its current student population and alumni base.

“Harvard has 271,000 alumni living in the United States (who) are very active in school athletics and represent a veritable ‘who’s who’ of distinguished Americans,” Sutton said.

IMG College spokesman Andrew Giangola said the partnership reflects Harvard’s overall athletic success, but “basketball is certainly a factor playing into this.”

Counting Harvard, IMG College represents 80 schools, eight conferences – including the Mid-Eastern Atlantic Conference – four venues –including the Greensboro Coliseum – and four associations.

It is not the group’s first client in the Ivy League Conference; it has represented Yale for nearly two years.

Other IMG College clients span the nation in terms of prominent Division I programs. They include: Wake Forest, Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, Boston College, Brigham Young, California, Clemson, Connecticut, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Georgia, Georgia Tech, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Oregon, Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Syracuse, Tennessee, Texas, UCLA, Vanderbilt and Virginia Tech.

Edmonton to Host 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for Women

Edmonton in Canada has been announced as the host of the 2015 FIBA Americas Championship for Women.

The tournament will determine who qualifies directly to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.

The championship will take place Aug. 9-16, 2015, with 10 teams from the Americas zone competing in the eight-day tournament.

“FIBA Americas is extremely proud of announcing Canada Basketball and the City of Edmonton as hosts of our Women’s continental championship,” stated Usie Richards, President of FIBA Americas.

“It is only fitting to have the event in Canada in celebration of the great work and positive results the Canadian Senior Women’s National Team has achieved globally for the country and our continent in recent years. For this we have to thank Canada Basketball for always believing in women’s basketball and its development. We are confident that it will be a true success and a historic event for our game in the Americas.”

All 24 games are being played at the Saville Community Sports Centre at the University of Alberta’s South Campus in Edmonton.

“Our Canadian women’s national basketball team now has the opportunity to compete for an Olympic berth with a home-court advantage,” said Canada Basketball executive director Michele O’Keefe. “Hosting is a strategic priority for Canada Basketball and this championship is a great step forward.”

U.S. Patent Office Cancels Washington Redskins Federal Trademarks

Owner Daniel Snyder’s bid to keep the Washington Redskins name has been dealt a blow after the U.S. Patent Office ruled the Washington Redskins nickname is “disparaging of Native Americans” and that the team’s federal trademarks for the name must be canceled.

The decision by a Patent Office administrative tribunal followed years of criticism of the Washington club by Native Americans and others who said the name was denigratory.

Evidence presented to the tribunal showed that “Redskins” was disparaging of Native Americans, it said in a statement.

“Thus, the federal registrations for the ‘Redskins’ trademarks involved in this proceeding must be canceled,” the agency said.

Redskins owner Snyder has refused to change the team’s name, citing tradition, but there has been growing pressure including statements in recent months from President Barack Obama, lawmakers of both parties and civil rights groups.

The decision means that the team can continue to use the Redskins name, but it would lose a significant portion of its ability to protect its financial interests. If others printed the name on sweatshirts, apparel, or other team material, it becomes more difficult to go after people who use it without permission.

Redskins’ attorney Bob Raskopf said in a statement: “We’ve seen this story before. And just like last time, today’s ruling will have no effect at all on the team’s ownership of and right to use the Redskins name and logo.”

The decision can be reviewed by a federal court.

Three Indian Players Arrested for Spot-Fixing in IPL

Indian international fast bowler Shanthakumaran Sreesanth and two teammates have been arrested for spot-fixing in the Indian Premier League (IPL), patient a report said on Thursday.

Sreesanth, 30, was arrested by Delhi police in Mumbai along with fellow bowlers Ankeet Chavan and Ajit Chandila on charges of spot-fixing, the Press Trust of India (PTI) news agency said.

The arrests were made at a hotel where the team was staying after a match on Wednesday night against the Mumbai Indians.

All of them play for the Rajasthan Royals and a statement from the team confirmed that three of their players had been called in for investigation over spot-fixing charges, without confirming their identities.

“We are completely taken in by surprise … we will fully co-operate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation,” said the statement.

The BCCI said the IPL Governing Council had met and decided to suspend the three players pending an inquiry. “As of now, the three players Ankeet Chavan, Ajit Chandila and Sreesanth stand suspended pending enquiry. All information required to bring the persons involved to book will be collected and strictest action will be taken, if found guilty,” a press release from the board said.

ICC Chief Executive, Mr David Richardson, said: “The ICC will provide full support to the BCCI and Delhi Police in this investigation. The BCCI’s decision to suspend its three cricketers on corruption charges is a clear indicator of the ICC and its Members’ zero-tolerance approach.

“The ICC and its Members have collectively taken measures to tighten vigilance, strengthen our anti-corruption codes and increase player education programmes as well as offering strict penalties to those found guilty of illegal conduct.

“As such, it is disappointing to see that despite the extensive education programmes delivered by the ICC and the BCCI, there still appears to be some players who remain vulnerable to temptations. We have always maintained that the real battle is against the unscrupulous individuals who are preying on the susceptible players.”

There was no immediate confirmation of the report from the police.

Sreesanth, who played the last of his 27 Tests against England two years ago, is no stranger to controversy, and was famously slapped by his teammate Harbhajan Singh during a match in 2008.

Sreesanth has also played 53 one-day internationals.

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NBA Agrees Licensing Deal with PersonalizationMall.com

PersonalizationMall.com, impotent the premier online retailer, has signed a licensing deal with the National Basketball Association (NBA) that will give sports fans new options for custom-made gifts that feature NBA logos.

“This partnership with PersonalizationMall.com adds a new dimension to our current product offerings and gives our fans the chance to show their support with personal flair,” said Lisa Goldberg, Vice President of Licensing, NBA.

Products can be personalized and embellished with the NBA or team logos and shipped to customers in one to two days. Product categories range from water bottles to apparel to frames and plaques and more.

“The NBA is a highly respected global brand with an avid following and we are thrilled to offer our customers products featuring their favorite NBA team logo,” said Kathleen Flynn, Vice President of Merchandising, PersonalizationMall.com. “Combining the logos with personalization means each gift is truly unique.”

 

South Korea Prepares for World Youth Baseball Championship

South Korea hopes an upcoming world youth baseball championship on home soil will provide an opportunity to further promote the country’s prowess in the sport.

South Korea will host for the first time the Under 18  Baseball World Championship, organised by the International Baseball Federation (IBAF), from August 30 to September 8.

All matches will be played in Seoul at the Jamsil and Mokdong Stadiums. {jcomments on}

Game 7 of Eastern Conference Finals Gets Highest Overnight Rating

Game 7 of the East finals between the Heat and Celtics delivered a record 9.1 overnight rating, medicine the highest for an NBA game recorded on cable television dating back to 2003.

The winner-take-all game peaked from 10:45 p.m. to 11 p.m. (Eastern Time) with a rating of 11.9. Ratings denote the percentage of all homes with televisions tuned into a program while overnight ratings measure the country’s largest markets.

The Celtics-Heat matchup also generated the three highest overnight ratings for NBA games ever on cable — 9.1 for Game 7, discount 8.2 for Game 6 and 7.9 for Game 4.

Game 7 garnered a 21.7 rating in Boston, making it the highest-rated NBA game on cable in the market.

In Miami, Game 7 ranked as market’s highest-rated NBA game ever on ESPN and third highest-rated game on cable with a rating of 25.0.

The Heat, led by LeBron James, defeated the Celtics, 101-88, in Game 7 to advance against the Oklahoma City Thunder in the Finals, which will begin Tuesday in Oklahoma.

Penn National & State of Ohio Agree to Relocate Racetracks

Penn National Gaming, Inc. have announced it has reached an agreement with the State of Ohio that will help pave the way toward the relocation of its two Ohio racetracks and the development of new approximately $200 million racetrack/video lottery terminal (VLT) facilities (inclusive of a $50 million license fee) in Dayton and in Austintown (located in the Mahoning Valley).

The non-binding Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the Company and the office of Ohio Gov. John Kasich requires Penn National to pay a $75 million relocation fee per VLT facility within 180 days after each facility opens. Penn National previously announced its intent to relocate Beulah Park from the Columbus suburb of Grove City to Austintown and Raceway Park from Toledo to Dayton. The MOU contemplates Penn National paying the State 33.5% from VLT revenues as well as a yet to be determined amount to the Ohio horse racing industry. Talks between Penn National and the thoroughbred and harness horsemen’s organizations are ongoing. In addition, the agreement restricts any other gaming facility from being located within 50 miles of Penn National’s Columbus and Toledo casinos, as well as its relocated tracks, with certain exceptions.

“This agreement is a significant step toward the development of two new first-class racing and gaming facilities that will create thousands of construction jobs and more than 3,000 direct and indirect jobs, and bring the excitement of horse racing and VLTs to two areas of the state that are now underserved with this type of entertainment option,” said Tim Wilmott, President and Chief Operating Officer of Penn National Gaming.

“We appreciate the efforts of the Governor’s Office in allowing us to reach this milestone and the administration’s commitment to helping us gain the remaining approvals for relocating our Ohio racetracks,” Wilmott said. “We’re also appreciative for the support of the legislative delegations from Dayton and the Mahoning Valley as well as the local elected officials and local business communities there.”

The MOU assumes final state authorization of VLTs at Ohio racetracks and a favorable resolution of the current litigation challenging the establishment of VLT facilities in Ohio. In addition, the MOU is expressly conditioned on a definitive agreement with representatives of the thoroughbred and harness horsemen that is satisfactory to Penn National and approved by the Racing Commission.

by Ismail Uddin

Traumquote für RTL bei Klitschko-Boxkampf: Fast 13 Millionen schalten ein

Wie das Magazin Horizont berichtet hat der WM-Kampf von Vitali Klitschko gegen Dereck Chisora RTL am Samstagabend Traum-Quoten beschert.

12, arthritis 88 Millionen Zuschauer verfolgten zu vorgerückter Stunde den klaren Punktsieg des amtierenden WBC-Weltmeisters gegen seinen Herausforderer aus Großbritannien.

Der Marktanteil kletterte auf starke 56, medicine 5 Prozent. Auf exakt den gleichen Marktanteil kam der WM-Kampf in der Zielgruppe der 14- bis 49-Jährigen. In der jungen Zielgruppe fieberten 5,79 Millionen Box-Fans mit dem Titelverteidiger mit.

Die Klitschko-Sponsoren wie Warsteiner und McFit dürften die Traumquoten ein ums andere Mal begeister haben.

Putin Leads Russia’s 2018 WC Supervisory Board

It was confirmed on Friday, March 18, that Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin will head up the supervisory board for the nation’s hosting of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

Having played a key role in Russia’s successful bid for the tournament, Putin will now lead a board that will also include First Deputy Prime Minister Igor Shuvalov, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and St Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko.

A statement released on the government’s official website read: “Prime Minister Vladimir Putin signed an executive order approving the membership appointed to the Observation Council of the autonomous Russia 2018 Organising Committee non-profit organisation.”