Prazmark, who has had a longtime association with the U.S. Olympic Committee, has reopened his sports marketing firm, 21 Sports and Entertainment Marketing Group, 85 Railroad Ave., Greenwich, with the Olympics among three A-list clients.

The other two are the Miami Dolphins professional football team and the Bicentennial of Mexico next year.

“My DNA is the Olympics. I go back to 1985. I represent the U.S. Olympic Committee to generate revenue for the team,” said Prazmark, who sold his original 21 business in 1997 to IMG, a global sports marketing business, where he stayed for another nine years.

Prazmark worked with the U.S. Olympic Committee’s TOP, which stands for The Olympic Partner Programme, from 1985 to 1995. He also represented the Salt Lake City Olympics from 1999 to 2002 and the U.S. Olympic Committee from 2002 to 2005 while with IMG. After operating 21 within IMG, he resigned in 2006 as president of Olympic sales to join Wasserman Media Group.

Now, Prazmark, 55, has decided to restart his business with a staff of five. He retained the rights to the name and federal registration of the logo.

“When I re-created 21, it was very easy. Basically, 21 was put in a box,” Prazmark said.

There was a clause in the agreement with IMG that he could get his people and properties back if he decided to strike out on his own again.

His work with the Olympic Committee would expand dramatically if Chicago is announced Oct. 2 in Copenhagen as the winner of the games over Madrid, Spain; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; and Tokyo, Prazmark said.

He is working closely with fellow Greenwich resident Lisa Baird, marketing director for the U.S. Olympic Committee.

“He’s a legend,” Baird said, noting that Prazmark played a key role in marketing the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002. “He became one of the key marketing people in the Olympics movement when he worked for IMG.”

One of Baird’s goals is to show the International Olympic Committee how Chicago and U.S. Olympic Committee officials can cooperate leading up to the Oct. 2 vote, and Prazmark will participate, she said.

Nestled on the second floor of a newly renovated building, which was the former home of the Harrington Ham Co., Prazmark and his staff also are working on promoting Mexico’s 200th birthday in September 2010 to garner U.S. corporate support.

The event is likely to be celebrated by many Latinos in this country, he said, noting that 65 percent of the millions of Latinos living in the United States are Mexican or of Mexican descent.

Participating in the celebration is a marketing opportunity for U.S. corporations, Prazmark said.

“Most important, they’ll have access to the official mark (issued by the bicentennial organizers),” he said. “The biggest problem U.S. companies have is how to market this to the Hispanic market. No one has the answer.”

Prazmark and his staff will be challenged in attracting U.S. corporations as sponsors or advertisers in conjunction with the celebration, and convincing them that it will garner U.S. media coverage, said Susan Steiz, marketing professor at Norwalk Community College.

Prazmark, however, has a solid reputation, she said, and he has a strong client list.

“His clients have great brand equity,” Steiz said, adding that the timing may be ideal for a new marketing business. “We’re seeing improvements. I don’t see it as a problem for an entrepreneur.”

Venom has rounded up stars from a variety of sports as spokespeople to be featured in marketing campaigns and in-store promotions in their teams’ respective geographic regions.

The sports stars signed include Joe Johnson (Atlanta Hawks), Adam Jones (Baltimore Orioles), Milan Lucic (Boston Bruins), Lance Briggs (Chicago Bears), DeMarcus Ware (Dallas Cowboys), Kenyon Martin (Denver Nuggets), Pavel Datsyuk (Detroit Red Wings), Lance Berkman (Houston Astros), Jordan Farmar (Los Angeles Lakers), Joey Porter (Miami Dolphins), Max Talbot (Pittsburgh Penguins), Roger Mason (San Antonio Spurs), Patrick Willis (San Francisco 49ers) and Lofa Tatupu (Seattle Seahawks).

IEG, a unit of advertising giant WPP Plc, on Wednesday said in a report obtained by Reuters that it now expects spending this year by North American companies on sports, arts, cause and entertainment marketing and other sponsorships to rise 1.1 percent to $16.79 billion.

In January, the firm forecast growth of 2.2 percent, which was then the smallest projected increase since the firm started tracking such data 24 years ago. Last year, spending rose by 11.4 percent to $16.61 billion.

“There’s so much conversation within the industry about how are we doing, people wanting to take the temperature,” IEG senior vice president Jim Andrews said. “Is anybody seeing any green shoots in terms of sponsors willing to pay more or do more deals?

“If we look back over the last few months, there was not as much activity as we thought there would have been and certainly as people would have liked to have seen,” he added.

IEG said in January no other downturn in the past 20 years has had such a negative impact. Spending even rose 3.7 percent in 2002 after the September 11, 2001, attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.

The revised 2009 estimates show similar declines across all categories, including the largest: sports, where IEG now sees 2009 spending of $11.48 billion, down from the $11.61 billion it predicted in January.

The sports and entertainment tours categories also are expected to show the smallest rate of growth with an increase of 0.7 percent, according to IEG. In January, predicted growth rate for sports was 1.8 percent.

Major sports marketers like General Motors Corp and FedEx Corp have cut spending on such sponsorships, as well as advertising, due to the recession.

Other categories include causes, arts, festivals, and associations and membership organizations.

IEG expects a similar slowdown in sponsorship spending globally as it cut its 2009 estimate to $44.4 billion, or an increase of 3.1 percent. In January, the estimate was $44.8 billion, or an increase of 3.9 percent.

With her contract up with Andretti Green Racing after this season and questions arising again concerning the future stability of the Indy Racing League’s IndyCar Series, would Danica Patrick, arguable the most recognizable name today in open wheel racing, consider making the jump to NASCAR.

Patrick hasn’t closed the door and there’s little doubt some of NASCAR’s biggest players would line up for her services simply because of her marketing clout.

So what would the Patrick effect be on NASCAR should she end up in a Sprint Cup Series ride?

In a story on the website for Advertising Age magazine, a sports marketing executive predicts that Patrick would $50 million of new sponsorship into the sport should she make the move from open wheel to NASCAR.

Patrick has competed full-time in the IndyCar Series since 2005 with one win in 73 starts. That historic victory came in the third race of the 2008 season at Motegi, Japan. She finished a career best third at the recent Indianapolis 500. She was fourth as a rookie at Indianapolis in 2005 and has top-10 finishes at the event in four of her five starts there. She is currently fifth in the IndyCar Series standings with top-6 finishes in five of the first six events this season.

“Danica would undoubtedly be a big story for Nascar,” Torrey Galida, president – motor sports for the Charlotte, N.C.-based sports marketing firm Millsport told Advertising Age. “I wouldn’t necessarily classify her as a ‘savior,’ but she would certainly generate a huge amount of interest. She is a star. Danica’s star power would be great for the sport. Over the last few years, in the interest of not offending sponsors, many of the Nascar drivers have begun to act and sound alike. Danica has a unique story people are going to be interested in, and she’s a good interview.”

“Inner Armour has developed a science based, banned substance free line of products that are formulated for high school, college and pro athletes; these products have been tested on real athletes in Parisi Speed Schools across the nation,” said Marvin Barton, Sports Nutrition Expert at The Vitamin Shoppe. “Inner Armour products give athletes the type of cutting edge formulas that they are looking for. Carrying a product that prides itself on being banned substance free is an important part of The Vitamin Shoppe’s unique sports nutrition offering. ”

“We saw dramatic improvements in our athletes’ strength, speed and power output while this year’s group was by far our most successful group ever,” said Bill Parisi, Founder and CEO of Parisi Speed Schools. “Our athletes were bigger, faster, and stronger than ever and Inner Armour supplements played an enormous role in that. The products got a tremendous response from our athletes because they demand to put the absolute best supplements in their bodies. They just didn’t know what works and what to trust, but now they do.” Inner Armour supplements and Parisi Speed School training methods produced significant results in strength and speed at this years NFL combine according to Parisi.

On June 13th, Parisi Speed School has a planned combine clinic and training expo which will include the strength coaches from the NY Giants and the NY Jets as featured speakers. The event will be held at the Parisi facility in Fair Lawn, NJ on Saturday, June 13 starting at 9:30 am. More information can be found at www.parisischool.com

Parisi Speed School has trained over 100,000 athletes from every major sport resulting in more than 125 NFL draft picks (including 2008′s #2 pick Chris Long) plus record-breaking Olympic medalists, fearless MMA champions and repeat appearances on ESPN, FOX, NBC and other leading media outlets. The Parisi Speed School program has become nationally recognized as the leader in performance enhancement training and has over 40 Parisi Franchises in 22 different states across America currently and is growing.

Inner Armour products also contain a free training DVD on every product with 5 different DVD’s to collect in total. The DVD’s include secret training tips used by Parisi Speed School on their athletes to increase strength, speed and agility.

It was not the prettiest Game 1 of the 2009 postseason as the Red Wings beat the Pittsburgh Penguins, 3-1, on Saturday night at Joe Louis Arena. It was not a game that will have many folks outside of Detroit and Pittsburgh chewing on it Sunday morning with their coffee and bagels.

But it was a triumph for those who want NHL hockey, the marquee version anyway, offered as a flower bouquet to an audience it is desperately hoping to court.

Saturday’s victory, apart from the one the Wings racked up against the Penguins, had to do with the skills and the stars on displays, which is what the NHL is, at all costs, attempting to inject into the living rooms and minds of a sports culture it desperately wants to impress.

That presentation has come at a questionable price. Marching two teams into the Stanley Cup Finals veritable hours after they nailed down their semifinals victories was not exactly noble.

It was even less defensible to ask the Wings and Penguins to play three games in four nights, the first two of which are back-to-back.

But the objective was TV exposure. The league needs for a country that can get hooked on the craziest things — “American Idol” comes to mind — to understand there is an age-old sport with speed and muscle and flash and passion being played, if only folks would take a couple of hours out from their channel-surfing to see what the NHL offers.

Carwin is ranked eighth in the world, and is undefeated as a professional Mixed Martial Artist. He is a contender for the UFC Heavyweight Title. The announcement of the expanded relationship comes just two weeks after Carwin, through his website, www.shane-carwin.com, was named as an affiliate of MMAAdnet.

“Shane’s decision to become not only an affiliate, but an endorser of the MMA Advertising Network, is an outstanding opportunity to help us in growing our network,” said Extreme Sports Marketing CEO Jason Genet. “The initial relationship as spokesman is for a 12 month period, and we hope it will extend long beyond that.”

“I have a lot of faith in Jason’s vision of MMA, and how we as fighters can capitalize on our efforts,” said Shane Carwin. “I am proud to support the MMA Advertising Network, and I will promote the service through my channels and do whatever I can to help the MMA Advertising Network to grow its business.”

“In addition to spokesman duties, the endorsement agreement includes advertising in and around Shane’s upcoming bouts,” Genet explained. “His website will also include tie-ins to the MMA Advertising Network Affiliate Marketing program, making Shane available to its Publishers for exclusive and breaking news stories and more.”

The deal is worth $33.8 million to Boise State over the potential 10-year contract with $26.8 million in guarantees.

For all of that money, Learfield will exclusively manage and sell multi-media and sponsorship rights for Bronco athletics, including signage at all venues, radio and television advertising and sponsorships for coaches’ shows and football and basketball broadcasts, official athletic Web site advertising and sponsorship and the right to seek naming sponsorships for athletic venues, including Bronco Stadium.

The deal begins in July 2010 and cover the next seven athletic seasons. The deal has three one-year extension options. This is the first time the Broncos have outsourced its entire rights in a comprehensive package.

The contract still must be approved by the State Board of Education.

Boise State first announced its decision to sign with Learfield in March, but the terms of the contract were not disclosed.

Among the guaranteed money for Boise State:

— $25.325 million in annual rights fees

— $1 million capital stipend

— $500,000 in extension bonuses, payable in years seven, eight and nine of the contract.

Additionally, Learfield will pay Boise State 50 percent of all revenues in excess of $3.9 million in the first year of the contract and escalating to $5.25 million by the last year of the deal.

The company will also provide $350,000 in office equipment and cell phones. It is a $150,000 increase over Boise State’s current deals, according to the school. The company will provide $292,000 in media advertising as well.

The $1 million capital stipend will be used for new scoreboards and video boards at Bronco Stadium and Taco Bell Arena.

Learfield won the bidding over four other companies — CBS Collegiate Sports, IMG Communications, International Sports Properties and Nelligan Sports Marketing.

That, of course, assumes he can find a job. In January, he started a four-month unpaid internship at the Family Circle Cup, a women’s tennis tournament, helping sponsors place their ads. He hoped his internship would lead to a salaried job.

Not this year. Because of the recession, Martin, who graduated this month with thousands of other sports management majors across the country, is continuing his job search at home in Virginia. If no full-time work turns up by September, he will enroll in a master’s degree program.

“Graduate school is definitely Plan B,” said Martin, 21, who is working this summer as a swimming coach. “My original intention was to get a job, but with the economy, there’s so many people who just graduated who can’t even get a cup of coffee with a prospective employer.”

For decades, the sports industry has been largely impervious to the economic cycle. Through booms and busts, leagues and tournaments expanded, stadiums were built and attendance and television viewership set records. Revenue from suite sales, naming rights and television contracts boomed.

But Martin and other graduates are finding that the industry’s growth is slowing, if not reversing. Students are receiving fewer job offers this spring or are accepting internships instead of salaried positions. Many of those internships are unpaid. The worry, their professors say, is that austerity may become the norm, forcing students to scale down or abandon their ESPN-fueled dreams.

“I used to teach that sport was recession-proof, but this recession proved me wrong,” said Gary Sailes, who runs the undergraduate program in sports marketing and management at Indiana. “I tell students that this is a good time to stay in school.”

The number of jobs related to spectator sports has risen steadily during the last few decades. According to figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, 138,700 people work in the spectator sports industry, 9.8 percent more than in 2002.

There is no accurate tally of how many jobs have been lost in the last year or so, but the anecdotal evidence is grim. The N.F.L. has cut nearly 200 jobs. The N.B.A. has eliminated 10 percent of its staff, and the United States Olympic Committee laid off more than 50 workers.

The L.P.G.A. dropped several tournaments, and Honda ended its Formula One sponsorship. The Jets will furlough some employees for two weeks, and the Cleveland Browns, the Denver Broncos and the Washington Redskins have cut jobs.

Many other teams and tournaments, stung by declines in attendance and sponsorship dollars, have stopped hiring. ESPN will not fill 200 vacant jobs. The Arena Football League canceled its season.

This is bad news for the 300 or so universities that offer sport management degrees. Every year, they churn out thousands of graduates who, even in good times, are willing to work for low pay in return for the chance to work around athletes and arenas. The teams, leagues and others in the sports industry have taken advantage of their willingness to make financial sacrifices, and may continue to do so.

“Sport management is one of the sexy industries, and it’s very hard to discourage students from joining the industry,” said Mark McDonald, the director of internships at the University of Massachusetts’s sport management program. “I feel for the students who haven’t done the preparation.”

Going to college to prepare for a job in sports is relatively new. Years ago, many jobs were filled through word of mouth or serendipitously. Marty Appel, the Yankees’ assistant public-relations director in the early 1970s, wrote to the team in 1967 asking for a summer job. He was lucky; someone was needed to answer Mickey Mantle’s mail.

“It was very much like a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants operation,” said Appel, who estimated there were only 40 people working in the team’s front office then.

By the late 1970s, Appel interviewed graduates of some of the first sport management programs who, he said, were better prepared to handle the growing list of demands on ball clubs.

Walter O’Malley, who owned the Dodgers in Brooklyn and Los Angeles and who foresaw the need for better-trained employees, helped persuade Ohio University to start the first degree-granting sport management program in 1966.

The number of programs jumped fourfold in the 1980s as the industry grew along with ESPN and Title IX, according to Jacquelyn Cuneen, who teaches sport management at Bowling Green. Dozens of universities, looking to increase enrollment, rebranded their physical education departments.

Sport management programs have also been broadened to teach fitness, tourism, recreation and hospitality, prompting critics to claim that many programs do not provide students with the skills to succeed at anything other than the lowest-level jobs.

More worrisome is the realization that even at rigorous programs, students are getting about half as many job offers this year compared with other years, according to Dallas Branch, who teaches sport management at West Virginia. Yeoman’s work is demanded of graduates even from the most prestigious universities like Columbia, which started a master’s level program for midcareer students in 2006.

While attending classes there, Sean Mysel is working this summer as a stadium manager for the Sussex Skyhawks, a minor league baseball team in New Jersey. But he has spent about $25,000 on tuition and $75,000 on living expenses to attend Columbia, which he hopes will help him reach his goal of running a major league ballpark.

“I know the job market is difficult for a while, but I don’t feel I have to hit the panic button,” said Mysel, 31. “At a minimum, it will take 10 or 15 years.”

Graduate students, though, are in a better position than undergraduates because they often have several years of work experience. Kati Karottki, who graduated last weekend from Massachusetts with a bachelor’s degree in sport management, did well in college and worked as a research analyst at a company that measures sponsorships.

But as her senior year began, she planned to single out several companies as potential employers. Then Lehman Brothers collapsed in September.

“I really had to redo everything,” she said.

She reached out to alumni and had half a dozen interviews. But over and over, she heard the same thing: there are other candidates with master’s degrees with more experience who are willing to work for little. This week, she is traveling to Bristol, Conn., to interview at ESPN for an analyst’s job focused on audience research. She is not getting ahead of herself.

“They have so many applicants and people to choose from, just getting to an in-person interview, that’s a big achievement,” she said. “My classmates have resigned themselves to doing another internship or taking time off to travel.”

Alli has partnered with Adrenaline Marketing for strategic planning and activation initiatives for the Dew Tour, a series of action sports events featuring skateboarding, BMX, FMX, snowboarding and free-skiing in eight cities from June to February.

The popularity of action sports has grown exponentially over the last ten years, and action sports events like the Dew Tour pack traditional sports venues. According to America Sports Data (2007), in the U.S. alone there are 11.6 million skateboarders, 6.88 million snowboarders and 3 million BMX participants.

“With our expertise in working with the youth market, sports properties, product launches and event planning and management, we are a perfect fit for Alli,” says Diane Wentworth, Managing Partner of Adrenaline Marketing.

About the Alliance of Action Sports: Alli is owned by NBC Sports and MTV Networks and represents a network of athletes, fans, brands and properties. Its mission is to facilitate the momentous growth of action sports, through competition and lifestyle, for a new generation of fans and athletes. The Alli properties are home to more than 550,000 spectators each year and broadcasts more than 150 hours of original content in 100 countries and 280 million homes worldwide.

About the Dew Tour: The Dew Tour, the premier season-long series in action sports, consists of five major, multi-sport events, featuring skateboarding (park and vert), BMX (park, vert, and dirt), and FMX. Dew Tour is the most watched and attended action sports property in the world with over 250,000 spectators, 41 million total viewers and reaches over 100 countries worldwide. The events extend across the country, have a cumulative points system, and a $3.5 million competitive purse. It crowns year-end champions including past Dew Cup winners Ryan Sheckler, Shaun White, Bucky Lasek, Jamie Bestwick, and Nate Adams.