Next Level Sports Marketing

Nike Inc (NKE.N) will likely “just do it,” cutting its marketing budget this year as part of its push to reduce expenses. The world’s largest athletic shoe and clothing maker said late on Tuesday it would cut up to 1,400 jobs, or 4 percent of its workforce, as part of a review aimed at bringing [...]

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Today Mars North America announced a new sponsorship agreement with International Speedway Corporation (ISC), one of the world’s leading promoters of motorsports-related activities. The agreement provides official designations and promotional rights for a variety of Mars brands at different ISC properties throughout the country during the 2009 NASCAR season. Specific provisions of the contract include: [...]

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Alex Rodriguez’s image transformed in a three-day span, costing himself millions of dollars in future endorsements. Marc Ganis, president of the consulting company Sports Corp. Ltd., said Rodriguez will be viewed differently by fans and sponsors as his home-run total climbs from 553 and nears Barry Bonds’ mark of 762. The A-Rod brand has been [...]

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Despite competing on the un-aired preliminary card of “UFC Fight Night 17: Lauzon vs. Stephens,” lightweight Kurt Pellegrino took home an event-high $32,000 from this past Saturday’s event at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Fla. Other top earners on the card included Cain Velasquez ($30,000), Anthony Johnson ($26,000), Gleison Tibau ($26,000), Rich Clementi ($23,000) [...]

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The recession may soon be heading to a sports stadium near you as economic struggles change the way signs and promotions are sold at Rockets, Astros and Texans games and other major events. Some companies are pulling back on sponsorships. Others are holding steady or altering existing packages, said Pam Gardner, the Astros’ president of [...]

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Sportgenic, a sports marketing company, today announced a new product, Sportgenic Torque, which allows marketers to connect with sports enthusiasts wherever they are – online and offline. The product provides media partners with the tools to automatically manage their all of their online and offline inventory, efficiently connect with the right marketers, and maximize their [...]

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For two Tuscaloosa organizations, 2008 was a very good year. The Tuscaloosa Sports Foundation and the Tuscaloosa Conventions and Visitors Bureau received national recognition for their sports-events planning. Both were listed in SportsEvents Magazine’s feature “50+ Sports Planners and Places to Watch in 2009.” Talty O’Connor, founder and publisher of Sports Events, said readers nominated [...]

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After a close first-round, lightweight Joe Lauzon forced late-replacement Jeremy Stephens to submit to an armbar late in the second-round of their headlining matchup, which capped off UFC Fight Night 17 on Saturday at the USF Sun Dome in Tampa, Florida. Heavyweight prospect Cain Velasquez, veteran Josh Neer, and knockout artist Anthony Johnson also picked [...]

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Ultimate Fighting Championship president Dana White brought a show to Tampa as a test – and apparently, Tampa passed. “We’re very happy with the turnout,” White said, sitting ringside. “We brought a Fight Night here first to test out the waters, to see how a pay-per-view would do and we’re very happy with the turnout, [...]

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We’re going to have to check it out just because it might be an epic trainwreck. One thing that won’t be a trainwreck is Bobby Lashley, who will be making his second professional MMA appearance on the undercard. The only thing that Lashley lacks is experience in the sport–the guy is a beast, with many [...]

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