Team USA Has No Love For adidas

Is Nike running an anti-adidas logo blockout in this Team USA Olympic promotional photo?

As our favorite Sports Biz reporter, Darren Rovell from CNBC, points out-- Nike is the main sponsor for Team USA basketball, however Dwight Howard (#11 with ball) is the only athlete without a Nike sponsorship on the team. He is signed with the adidas brand.

So keeping that in mind, Rovell asks is it a strange coincidence that Coach K is mysteriously sitting in this photo, with his left foot blocking Howard's adidas logo-ed sneaker?
When have you ever seen a coach awkwardly sitting on a stool in a team photo before? But wait, there's more.

Also of note, the whole team is in height order except for Howard who appears to be shorter than the man standing behind him (Chris Bosh). Could just be another coincidence, but Howard is then able to carry the ball and not place his arms behind his back, thus covering the Nike logo on his shorts.

This photo is part of a news release by Nike hyping their new Olympic jerseys. I've lambasted Rovell in the past for some 'over the top' conspiracy theories (See: 'Did Kevin Garnett ruin the moment when he screamed 'Anything is possible'?), but I think I'm starting to see what he's saying with these things. Nike, those crafty bastards.

He followed up with Nike and asked an inside source about this Team USA conspiracy photo. The response he got was that there was no conspiracy, it's just an 'artistic' photo and yes, all those things must just be coincidences. But he's done a good job of selling me on the clever posing these brands do to stiff the competition. Do you buy it?

I can just imagine this kind of thing going to the extreme. What if Nike sponsored the whole Olympic basketball tournament and forced NBC to blur out Dwight Howard on every play in the live television broadcast? Some Nike exec will probably be sitting in his mansion, stroking a hairless cat and shouting, "Who 'doesn't want to sign with our brand now, MR. HOWARD?!!?"

Check out Darren's full post for other details:

CNBC: USA Basketball Team Photo: Artistic or Logo Conspiracy?, July 3, 2008

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Major League Baseball Beer Pricing

In recent years the price of a cold one at the ballpark has grown astronomically. It's almost as if I can't afford to get drunk enough to like my crappy team anymore.

But which MLB fields are the most conducive to getting plastered without breaking the bank?

The chart to the left and these statistics, care of Darren Rovell over at CNBC, explain that the Phillies offer the cheapest beer. You can get a 21-ounce beer for a very reasonable $5 at Citizens Bank Park in Philly. Yet another reason Philly rocks.

Even though the Phillies are competitively priced at 24 cents an ounce, that is still quite a mark-up from the approx. 8 cents an ounce you would pay for a 6-pack of 'decent' domestic beer at your local store.

Surprisingly, the Yankees don't crack the top 5 most expensive ballparks to get a beer. I could have sworn last time I was there I paid something like 9 or 10 bucks for a bottle of Bud. And what are the Toronto Blue Jays doing up there? Is this some sort of weird currency exchange pricing scheme?

But if you're really looking for some cheap brews, head over to catch a home game with the Sioux Falls Canaries, where beer is FREE from 5-6 pm on Thursdays. For some reason only 10-15 people take advantage of the deal. Wow, are the Canaries really that horrible of a team that you wouldn't watch them if they gave you free beer? I guess they are.

In his blog post, Darren also goes on to explain the high markup in beer prices is not just a price-gouging maneuver, but also a safety precaution. If beers got any cheaper, there would be some unruly fans causing violence at the park. You mean to tell me people do dumb things when they're drunk? Impossible:

For those of you who aren't aware, the Cleveland Indians had 10-cent beer night for a game against the Texas Rangers in 1974. The promotion tripled the average attendance of 8,000 fans, but predictably it ended in forfeit. Not a surprise considering fans could buy six cups at a time.

Those were the good ole days, weren't they? What I wouldn't give now for six or seven 10-cent beers at the bottom of the ninth when my team is down by 10 runs. Increase the ticket prices to pay for additional security/riot police and then bring back ultra-cheap beers!

CNBC: How Cheap Should A Beer Be?, June 20, 2008

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Did Kevin Garnett Ruin The Moment?

The Boston Celtics won the NBA Championship last night after destroying the Lakers in Game 6, but during an awkward on-court post-game interview, Kevin Garnett supposedly screwed over his main sponsor.

When asked how he felt after winning, Garnett responded by saying, "Man, I'm so hyped right now. Anything is possible. ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!".

While I was watching it, I realized this quote would be perceived as an incredible moment. Garnett, after being a great player on a losing team for years, came to Boston and got his first championship. Now he's sweating and crying on the court, getting hugs from former Celtic legends, and pouring emotion into the reporter's microphone.

But not everyone is regarding this as a genuine sports success moment. Some are calling it a disastrous marketing blooper.

Garnett is sponsored by adidas, which has been running an ad campaign featuring the slogan 'Impossible is Nothing' for months. Darren Rovell, CNBC's sports business reporter, believes that when Garnett 'incorrectly' exclaimed the adidas slogan, it was a huge missed opportunity for the brand.

Rovell attempts to explain how Adidas got hurt in the celebration:

And then I thought, wait, did he just say, "Anything is possible?" That's not adidas' slogan. Their slogan is "Impossible Is Nothing."

Before I had a chance to review it, I got an e-mail from reader Ross Pryde who pointed out that not only did Garnett get it wrong, he accurately quoted the slogan of Li-Ning, the Chinese shoe company whose slogan is yiqie jieyou keneng, which means--you guessed it--"Anything Is Possible."

Some people are telling me that Garnett wasn't trying to be clever and that it would have been awkward if he threw out adidas' slogan, but I'm not so sure. Saying "Anything is possible" is pretty close, plus the second scream of the phrase was done in a way that made him look like he thought he was at the end of that Under Armour.

Really, dude? Garnett winning the championship and giving one of the best sound bites of the year may have helped Under Armour and Li-Ning? No way. If anything, a sponsored athlete with a back-story like KG's winning a major sports title has to be a huge revenue driver for a brand. No matter what he's screaming.

Slipping in a phony corporate sports slogan would have come off as so fake and disingenuous, that it would have cost the athlete a lot of credibility as anything but an endorsement sell-out. At a moment of unbridled emotion such as this, are we really supposed to believe endorsements are the first thing entering the victor's mind? Maybe I'm just not jaded enough, but it doesn't seem likely.

I like Darren's blog, but this is making a mountain out of a molehill. The story even got front page billing on CNBC.com's main page today.

Let us know in the comments section your take on the whole situation. Did adidas miss out on a big opportunity? Or would it have hurt them if Garnett said their real slogan?


adidas: Impossible Is Nothing

Lu-Ning: The Chinese Shoe Company's 'Anything Is Possible'

CNBC: Kevin Garnett Butchers Adidas Slogan?, June 18, 2008

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America's Top Earning Athletes

Sure, playing the sport you love professionally and being wildly popular amongst all men and women is fun but. . . what's the pay like!?

Well if your name is Tiger or your paychecks say 'NBA' on them, it's probably pretty damn good. Sports Illustrated released it's yearly 'Fortunate 50' list of the American athletes earning the most money. The list factors in on-field salaries plus off-the-field endorsements.

The article on SI.com, asks what happened to all the ladies?:

No one can touch Tiger Woods, the runaway No. 1 for the fifth year in a row. Tiger's near $128 million haul is more than double his closest pursuer, Phil Mickelson at $62.4 million. As usual, hoops dominates the 50: More than half this year's list is made up of NBA players. There are 10 baseball players, seven football players, three NASCAR drivers, three golfers and one boxer -- and yet zero women.

In recent years this race has basically become a contest to see which non-golfers make the list. Check out the full list and some of the missing big names after the jump.

1 - Tiger Woods
Pro Golf
Last Year's Rank: 1
$22,902,706 - salary/winnings
+$105,000,000 - endorsements
$127,902,706

2 - Phil Mickelson
Pro Golf
Last Year's Rank: 3
$9,372,685 - salary/winnings
+$53,000,000 - endorsements
$62,372,685

3 - LeBron James
Cleveland Cavaliers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 6
$12,455,000 - salary
+$28,000,000 - endorsements
$40,455,000

4 - Floyd Mayweather Jr.
Boxing
Last Year's Rank: 22
$20,000,000 - salary/winnings
+$20,250,000 - endorsements
$40,250,000

5 - Kobe Bryant
Los Angeles Lakers (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 5
$19,490,625 - salary
+$16,000,000 - endorsements
$35,490,625

6 - Shaquille O'Neal
Phoenix Suns (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 4
$20,000,000 - salary
+$15,000,000 - endorsements
$35,000,000

7 - Alex Rodriguez
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 11
$29,000,000 - salaray
+$6,000,000 - endorsements
$35,000,000

8 - Kevin Garnett
Boston Celtics (NBA)
Last Year's Rank: 7
$22,000,000 - salary
+$9,000,000 - endorsements
$31,000,000

9 - Peyton Manning
Indianapolis Colts (NFL)
Last Year's Rank: 12
$17,500,000 - salary
+$13,000,000 - endorsements
$30,500,000

10 - Derek Jeter
New York Yankees (MLB)
Last Year's Rank: 8
$22,000,000 - salary
+$8,000,000 - endorsements
$30,000,000


Also of note: Eli Manning, the current SuperBowl champ made the list, but is way down at #50. Maybe he'll be able to score a few of his brother's big endorsements. But do we really need more Mannings on TV?

And what about Shaq? That fatso hasn't done crap all year. He's dragging more ass now than he was in the movies Kazaam and Blue Chips combined.

Some other stipulations were that the sports star had to be an American citizen to make the list. That's why David Beckham, Ronaldinho, Roger Federer, and Ichiro Suzuki don't pop up.

You can find them on the International Top 20 List. Interestingly, if David Beckham were considered on the American list he would sit at #3 right after Phil Mickelson and before King James with his $48 million a year salary+ endorsements+ hot wife.

Better luck next year, Ping Pong and Badminton players of the world. Your day will come.

Sports Illustrated: Fortunate 50, June 2008

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Free Funerals At Minor League Baseball Games

Minor League Baseball is well known for its wacky promotions and free giveaways, but this one might be going a little too far.

The independent league Grand Prairie Airhogs, playing out of Grand Prairie, Texas (between Dallas and Fort Worth), are giving away an all expenses paid funeral to a fan at today's game.

According to the team's press release:

“We thought this promotion was a great opportunity for us to showcase Irving’s newest funeral home,” said Chapel of Roses Funeral Director, Charlotte Chism Waldrum. “We are excited to be partnering with the AirHogs in their inaugural season."

Upon the winning fan's death they will be garnered with a casket with their choice of color (black?), professional fees (undertaker charges), burial preparation (embalming), use of facilities (burial plot space), vehicle services (hearse), and the burial plot will also include a 24" x 14" granite marker with a zinc base. You gotta go with the zinc on that kind of hardware.

As the press release continues, more strange details emerge:

Fans of all ages are welcome to participate in the promotion. Registration will be accepted immediately and will continue until 6:15p.m. on June 3. Fans can either call to register or can visit the fan assistance booth during the games. Twenty people will be selected randomly from the pre-entries and will be announced after the pre-game funeral march. Throughout the game, competitions will be held between the twenty selected to determine who will be the winner. The lucky individual will be selected in the middle of the eighth inning.

Some of the in-game-festivities will include: pallbearer races, mummy wrapping, eulogy deliveries, and much more! Fans are encouraged to wear black to the game.

You've gotta be kidding me with this one. Fans of all ages? What if some little kid ends up winning this thing? That's going to be pretty morbid. And it appears as though 'The Airhogs' have very little respect for the dead with 'games' like pallbearer races and eulogy contests.

However, as far as funeral home/minor league baseball promotions go, this is some brilliant marketing. Being the inaugural 'season' for both the team and the funeral home, it's a can't miss crossover, right? Everybody's gotta die sometime.


Grand Prairie Airhogs: Airhogs Give Away Free Funeral, June 3, 2008

CNBC Sports Biz: Free Funeral, The Latest Promotional 'Plot' For Baseball, June 3, 2008

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Gillette Sponors Zambonis, Ice Becomes Less Hairy

Gillette gets in on the sports sponsorship game by sponsoring this Zamboni at a Boston Bruins hockey game.

With the Bruins having a decent season, and going on to the playoffs, it looked like their 'silky smooth ice' may have been the advantage.

Unfortunately, the Bruins lost in the first round to the Montreal Canadiens, who went a little over the top with their celebrations.

It's all about raking in that sweet advertising money and according to Darren Rovell, our favorite and only sports business reporter at CNBC, this is the "Coolest sports sponsorship around" (emphasis on 'cool'):

"It's very cutting edge," said Amy Latimer, senior vice president of sales and marketing for the Bruins and the TD Banknorth Garden. "And the amazing thing is it really looks like the razor is shaving the ice."

I commend Amy Latimer for referring to this razor promotion as 'cutting edge', she must have a degree in marketing from somewhere prestigious. But her observation as to 'the amazing thing' about this promotion strikes me as not true. Pretty clearly it's the zamboni that's 'shaving' the ice rather than the promotional plastic razor.

My sports promotion idea is to get Rita's Ices to sponsor a Zamboni, and make italian ices/ water ices out of the gross dirty ice the machine scoops up. The kids will love it!

What's with this shaving promotion at a hockey playoff game anyway? Aren't all those NHL guys supposed to be growing their playoff beards?


CNBC Sports Biz: Coolest Sponsorship Around, May 8, 2008

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