JAKKS to Release WEC and Pride Action Figures

Toy maker JAKKS Pacific Inc. said Tuesday it had signed licensing agreements with two mixed martial arts organizations to launch a line of action figures and play sets.

The line is expected to be launched in spring of 2010, and will be based on fighters of the World Extreme Cage Fighting and PRIDE organizations, said the Malibu toymaker. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

WEC and PRIDE are members of the Ultimate Fighting Championship organization, which is owned and operated by Zuffa LLC., a Las Vegas sports promotion company. Mixed martial arts is a full contact combat sport that allows wide variety of fighting techniques from various martial arts.

"As the world leader in fighting action figure toys, we plan on dominating the mixed martial arts collector action-figure arena," said JAKKS Pacific Chief Operating Officer Stephen Berman in a statement.

Harley-Davidson Signs Sponsorship Deal with Milwaukee Brewers

Harley-Davidson has signed a major new sponsorship deal with the Milwaukee Brewers that will include the addition of a new seating area to Miller Park.

As part of the new deal, which was announced Tuesday morning at Miller Park, a 42-seat elevated seating area will be added in left-centerfield. It will be called the “Harley-Davidson Deck” and feature Harley-Davidson motorcycles built into the decor. The new seating area will be added prior to the 2009 season.

Members of Harley Owners Group (HOG) will receive discounted tickets, which will include food buffet and two complementary beverages, to the deck for all games. Tickets for groups and individuals for the new deck will be made available first to HOG members before being sold to the general public.

The Brewers also announced that admission to the seating area will be through a new gate that will be constructed called “Gate H-D.” It will be located behind centerfield. Any HOG member, no matter where they are sitting, can enter through the gate and park in a new motorcycle parking lot the team is building.

As part of the agreement, Harley will also get LED signage, ticket deals and in-game promotions. Starting with tonight’s game against the New York Mets, a game ball will be delivered via a Harley-Davidson motorcycle prior to the first pitch of each home game.

“This is one of the most comprehensive (sponsorship) deal in Brewers history,” said Rick Schlesinger, Brewers’ vice president of business operations. “This is a partnership that not only brings the Milwaukee Brewers and Harley-Davidson together, it will also benefit fans coming to Miller Park.”

Mark-Hans Richer, Harley-Davidson’s chief marketing officer, said the sponsorship was about local support and national outreach.

“With the Brewers, we’re creating reasons for our owners to ride to Milwaukee all summer, and building passion with young adults as well as strongly diverse national audiences through TV broadcast exposure,” Richer said.

Breaking News: UFC Will Make a Major Announcement Regarding Couture

BREAKING NEWS:

UFC has announced they will be holding a conference call this afternoon at 3:00 PM EST to make a major announcement.


The announcement is expected to be that Randy Couture has come to terms on a contract and will make his UFC return to fight Brock Lesnar. If so, he will be facing off against the former WWE champ on November 15 in Portland, Oregon.

UEFA Extends Partnership with Sony

UEFA has extended its sponsorship agreement with Sony Europe for the UEFA Champions League for the period between 2009 and 2012.

Sony Europe is the second of six official sponsors whose agreement with UEFA has been announced for the 2009-2012 period in European club football's most prestigious competition. With the renewal of this agreement, Sony will continue a partnership which started in 2006.

"We are extremely pleased that such a global player has chosen to extend its agreement with UEFA and the UEFA Champions League," said UEFA marketing director Philippe Le Floc'h. "The UEFA Champions League continues to be a very valuable platform for our sponsor partners and we are sure it will provide Sony with excellent opportunities to connect with the fans and further strengthen their brand identity."

"We are excited to be able to announce our continued sponsorship," said Sony Europe vice-president marketing communications Ben Moore, "as we see the UEFA Champions League as the ideal platform on which to be able to demonstrate the full capabilities of our HD products."

2009 Grey Cup: Canada's Game

The 2009 Grey Cup Festival committee unveiled the 2009 Grey Cup Festival brand to a sold-out crowd at McMahon Stadium on Monday. Members of the Department of National Defence, the R.C.M.P., Stampeders alumni and amateur football players helped to unveil the brand in a special halftime presentation.

"It's a uniquely Canadian tradition and celebration of our culture," said Stamps president Scott Ackles. "Fans all come together, no matter what their team colours, to celebrate the great game of Canadian football and the national pride that comes with it. This is the essence of what our festival brand will capture."

The Grey Cup championship and festival has become an annual tradition for fans, stretching Canada's largest one-day sporting event into a week-long celebration. In 1948, Calgarians began the great tradition, when they made the trek across the country and took over Toronto with a party atmosphere that had never been seen before. The Stampeders went on to capture their first Grey Cup championship that week with a 12-7 win over Ottawa.

"Calgarians can take pride in adding an element of grandeur to the game which has made it the great celebration it is now," stated chair of the 2009 Grey Cup Festival committee Malcolm Kirk. "Stamps fans rode horses into the lobby of the Royal York Hotel, hosted pancake breakfasts on the steps of Toronto's City Hall, and created parades and festivities wherever they went. And that is going to be at the forefront of our celebrations next November."

Fans are encouraged to visit 2009greycupfestival.com and register to receive 2009 Grey Cup festival event and ticket information and email updates.

"In 2009 Calgary will host the best Grey Cup Festival that has ever been staged in the 61-year history of the festival", stated president of the 2009 Grey Cup Festival Greg Albrecht. "Our Grey Cup Festival staff, volunteers, committee and corporate partners will ensure a fantastic event that will leave a lasting legacy for the city and the province".

Toronto Varsity Blues Football Ends 7 Year Losing Streak

For the first time in nearly seven years, The Toronto Varsity Blues football team can celebrate a victory.

Andrew Lomasney hit a 32-yard field goal with 21 seconds left to lift the Blues to a stunning 18-17 win over the Waterloo Warriors on Monday night, ending Toronto's 49-game losing streak. The Blues hadn't won a game since beating the Windsor Lancers 13-11 on Oct. 13, 2001.

The Blues lost last year's season opener 42-17 to the Warriors, kicking off a season which saw the OUA doormats lose all eight of their games by an average of more than 29 points. The Varsity Blues' best chance at ending the streak last season came against York, when Stephen Grochot's 36-yard field goal with 40 seconds left gave the Lions a 21-20 win.

Blues quarterback David Hamilton ignited the comeback Monday night. Down 17-8 with 2:39 left in the fourth quarter, Hamilton found receiver Drew Meerveld on a 29-yard touchdown pass, and the ensuing convert cut the deficit to two. Toronto then stopped the Warriors (0-1) with enough time to march down the field, setting up Lomasney's game-winning kick in front of 2,562 fans at Varsity Centre.

Hamilton finished 13-of-27 for 189 yards with one TD and one interception for the Blues (1-0), who haven't reached the playoffs since 1995.

In other CIS action Monday, it was: Queen's 35 McMaster 11; and Laurier 15 Guelph 13; and Western 35 Ottawa 31.

At Toronto, punter-running back Mark Stinson added a three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter and a single to open the scoring late in the first.

The game was marred by sloppy play on both sides, with both teams losing three fumbles apiece.

Quarterback Evan Martin was nearly unstoppable for Waterloo, completing 21 of 30 passes for 375 yards and a pair of touchdown strikes to Joshua Svec. Martin's 53-yard touchdown pass to Svec to end the third quarter gave the Warriors a 17-8 lead.

Randy Couture Back with UFC?

Reigning UFC heavyweight champion Randy Couture could return to the UFC before the end of the year as part of an out-of-court settlement.

Couture resigned from the UFC two months after a third-round TKO victory over Gabriel Gonzaga in August 2007.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that now Couture could return for UFC 91 on November 15 in Portland - either in a co-promoted bout against Emelianenko, or the UFC's own marquee heavyweight Brock Lesnar.

Read This Story

UK Athletics Performance Director Quits

UK Athletics performance director Dave Collins has stepped down after being told his contract would not be renewed following Britain's poor track and field performances at the Beijing Olympics.

Although Britain enjoyed its best Olympics for 100 years with 47 medals and fourth place in the standings, the team won just four athletics medals - one fewer than it had targeted.

Charles van Commenee, who led the Netherlands to its second most successful Olympics in Beijing with an overall seven gold medals, is expected to succeed Collins.

Van Commenee is known in Britain for telling heptathlete Kelly Sotherton that she "ran like a weasel" in the competition's final event in the 2004 Athens Games, where he was UK Athletics multi-events director. Sotherton cried at being told by Van Commenee that she could have won silver instead of bronze had she tried harder, but later said he was correct.

Van Commenee's task is to raise performances in time for the 2012 London Olympics.

"Our planning for this next Olympic cycle got under way several months ago and this decision and any subsequent appointment is the culmination of this detailed process," UK Athletics chief executive Niels de Vos said.

"We now need to take the next step on the performance ladder and give ourselves and British athletes the very best chance of success at a home games."

Van Commenee was in contention to replace Max Jones as UK Athletics performance director four years ago, but opted to work in his native Netherlands after becoming frustrated by the lengthy interview procedure.

Collins took the post instead.

Vancouver Golf Club Follows Controversial LPGA Policy

A private golf course in British Columbia's Lower Mainland is denying membership to non-English-speaking players, similar to a controversial plan by the LPGA.

The Vancouver Golf Club, which opened nearly 100 years ago in Coquitlam, B.C., rejects potential members who don't speak English.

The club's general manager, Brent Gough, has said the policy is designed to ensure all members are able to communicate and understand the club's rules.

Gough stopped taking calls on the issue Friday, but he told CBC that the policy was introduced a few years ago after prospective members — in particular East Asian immigrants — started applying with the help of translators.

"We ask them to go away and take language courses and reapply," he said.

Earlier, news surfaced that the LPGA Tour plans to implement a policy that would suspend players who aren't fluent in English.

The LPGA policy, which will sanction women golfers for not speaking English in pro-ams, trophy presentations and media interviews, faced immediate criticism, including from male golfers who aren't subject to the same rules.

Source: Globe and Mail

Nike+ Human Race a Big Success in Vancouver

Yesterday, runners from 25 cities across the globe participated in the Nike+ Human Race 10K; the first race of its kind that unites runners from around the world. In Vancouver, competitors tracked their distance during the twilight run through a scenic route that looped through several Vancouver landmarks and neighbourhoods including Yaletown, the Seawall and Larwill Park.


"This evening's race was a great event to come home to," says Simon Whitfield, silver medallist in the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. "In addition to the Beijing Olympic Games, the Nike+ Human Race marked another opportunity for Canadian runners to solidify our place in the worldwide running community."



Following the race, participants were treated to a knock-out show by fellow Canadian rockers Theory of a Deadman and The Trews. "It was the perfect ending to an exciting day," says Katie Gove, Nike+ Human Race participant. "The crowd was pumped up all day long with a DJ spinning before the race, VIPs everywhere, post-run massages, not to mention the concert. It was awesome and I'm exhausted!"


The 25 other cities participating in the race around the world included London, Madrid, Paris, Istanbul, Buenos Aires and Los Angeles (the final city to reach the finish line). As in Vancouver, post-race concerts occurred in each city by renowned artists such as Kanye West and Moby. In addition to uniting globally for the race, participants also ran to make a difference.


Together, Nike and the Nike+ Human Race competitors donated USD $3 million to the charitable benefactors of the race: WWF, The Lance Armstrong Foundation and Ninemillion.org.

Sport Mart Sport Bags Gives Kids a Chance

Sport Mart, a retail banner of The Forzani Group Ltd. Canada's largest retailer of sporting goods has announced their "Back to School Sport Mart Sport Pack" event. Sport Mart is helping kids get active and play sports! For a limited time only, Sport Mart Sport Packs will be sold in stores for $10 each (including GST). All Sport Packs will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary. Each Sport Mart Sport Pack contains a Ripzone T-shirt, Umbro shorts, Drill 3-Pair Pack socks, and a Sport Mart Running Shoe voucher - all neatly tucked inside a snazzy Nike Gym Bag.


Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary reports "... even in Alberta's strong economy, 64,000 children (8.6 per cent) are living in poverty. Being involved in sports is a "luxury" some Calgary families just can't afford for their kids." Boys and Girls Clubs of Calgary offer after-school programs to children ages 7 - 12 in seven Calgary communities. After-school activities include sports, arts and recreational programs, computer programs & homework assistance.


Sport Mart is helping kids with the basics so they're able to play sports. "Playing sports is such an important part of growing up! We just wanted to give kids some essentials they'll need, so they're able to get involved." said Carmen Ng, Sport Mart Marketing Coordinator.


Sport Packs are available at all Calgary Sport Mart stores for $10 (including GST), and will be donated to the Boys & Girls Clubs of Calgary. Each Sport Pack is valued at $58 retail.

AVP Announces Return of Indoor Beach Volleyball Tour

AVP Inc., a lifestyle sports entertainment company focused on professional beach volleyball, recently announced the return of the indoor beach volleyball national tour with the 2009 AVP Crocs Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour.


Each event will consist of eight AVP athletes including members of Team USA's Olympic beach volleyball team, current AVP Crocs Tour superstars and other nationally renown beach volleyball pros.

"We are thrilled to be able to continue to bring world-class beach volleyball to all corners of the United States," said Leonard Armato, CEO and commissioner of the AVP Crocs Tour and AVP Crocs Hot Winter Nights Tour. "We are excited about the new venues on the tour this year, and so pleased to return to others."

Driven by the nationwide popularity of the AVP Crocs Tour, the 2009 AVP Crocs Hot Winter Nights Indoor Tour, in partnership with AEG, will kick off January 15, 2009 and run through February 21. The Tour will bring the excitement of an AVP beach volleyball tournament (including Olympians past and present) indoors. Each stop will consist of a three-hour round robin tournament, as well as an indoor beach party.

Taking place during the dead of winter, the Hot Winter Nights Tour brings the beach (including over 200 tons of sand) and the most popular and talented players on the AVP Crocs Tour to arenas in snowbound cities all over the United States. Fans will experience the best of the best competing against each other at every event while taking a break from the gloomy weather outdoors.

The AVP Hot Winter Nights Tour will bring the heat from January 15 to February 21. Tickets will go on sale August 29 on the AVP website at http://www.avp.com and at http://www.ticketmaster.com.

   AVP HOT WINTER NIGHTS 2009 SCHEDULE *
  Jan. 15 - Albany, NY - Times Union Center
  Jan. 16 - Fairfax, VA - Patriot Center
  Jan. 17 - Uncasville, CT - Mohegan Sun Arena
  Jan. 22 - Grand Rapids, MI - Van Andel Arena
  Jan. 23 - Kansas City, MO - Sprint Center
  Jan. 24 - Indianapolis, IN - Conseco Fieldhouse
  Jan. 29 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
  Jan. 30 - Omaha, NE - Qwest Center
  Jan. 31 - Cedar Falls, IA - McLeod Center
  Feb. 5 - Columbus, OH - Nationwide Arena
  Feb. 6 - St. Louis, MO - Scottrade Center
  Feb. 7 - Cleveland, OH - Quicken Loans Arena
  Feb. 12 - Portland, OR - Rose Quarter
  Feb. 14 - Salt Lake City, UT - E Center
  Feb. 19 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center

Abu Dhabi Groups Purchases Manchester City of English Premier League

Manchester City agreed Monday to a takeover by a United Arab Emirates business group, a deal that will end former Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra's brief ownership of the Premier League club.

Thaksin will remain as honorary president of Manchester City without an administrative role.

The Abu Dhabi United Group for Development and Investment will now look at the club's accounts and contracts before a takeover is completed.

The group reached agreement late Sunday night with Thaksin, board member Sulaiman Al Fahim, who brokered the deal, told The Associated Press.

Thaksin will retain a minority stake and remain on the board as honorary president without any administrative responsibilities, al-Fahim said.

The club said in a statement that a "memorandum of understanding" has been signed and the deal is subject to a due diligence, allowing investors to request information from Man City and the Premier League.

Financial terms were not immediately available, but the UAE group described it as a "huge takeover" which gives the consortium "all the management rights."

Al-Fahim -- chief executive of Abu Dhabi-based developer Hydra Properties -- reached the deal at the Abu Dhabi Emirates Palace Hotel with Thaksin and Khalid Kadfour Al-Muhairy, the legal chief of the Emirates Group.

Al-Fahim said the group was attracted to the "richest European competition with more than $3 billion revenue."

Like Thaksin, the new owner wants manager Mark Hughes to deliver Champions League qualification by breaking into the top four of the Premier League.

"We will give support to the club by investing and buying new players," Al Fahim told the AP. "My goal is to make Manchester City one of the top four clubs in the Premier League."

After two wins in the first three matches of the season, City is third in the standings -- one point behind leader Chelsea.

Unlike many of the Middle Eastern funds that have taken large stakes in international companies in recent years, City's new owner is not affiliated with the government, al-Fahim said.

Al-Fahim said the little-known consortium is composed of "prestigious businessmen" in the UAE's capital city, but he declined to name the group's members. Al-Fahim said he represents the investors but is not himself one of them.

Al-Fahim pledged to clear any pending payments and solve the club's financial problems, which left Thaksin resorting to obtaining loans from former chairman John Wardle.

"We will adopt marketing plans that reflect positively on the club and the company," al-Fahim said.

Al-Fahim said the deal was a "massive achievement" that will help make Abu Dhabi a global sports capital.

"We were looking for a deal that can support Abu Dhabi sport worldwide," he said. "I am opening a window for my UAE players to play in the Premier League. Our idea is to support the youth in the UAE, and to help the talented players to play in the UK and Europe."

New York Jets Fan Offering Naming Rights for Seats

Howard Freeman, a sports event marketer, said he was testing one way out of paying the high cost of two expensive Jets personal seat licenses: selling their naming rights.

“If teams can sell naming rights to buildings, entryways and portals, why not for my seats?” asked Freeman, of Wayne, N.J., who has had Jets season tickets for 32 years.

He envisions placing temporary signage on the seats and offering a sponsor benefits like product sampling rights at his pregame tailgate, free consulting and event marketing, the right of first refusal to buy unused game tickets and a guarantee that those who sit in the seat will wear the sponsor’s logo.

“I think a company that gets it will understand the p.r. value,” he said.

Freeman said he has not consulted his lawyer or asked the Jets about his plan.

But his idea raises a pertinent question about the extent of a licensee’s rights: If P.S.L.’s confer the rights to transfer or sell seats, would they let him display signage?

Marc Ganis, a sports business expert, said that teams can control stadium signs “especially if there’s a commercial purpose,” he said. “They could block a seat cover, but if he wore a jacket that says Joe’s Mortuary on the back of it, and drapes it over his seat, they couldn’t block that.” He said that signage at his tailgate party might be free of restrictions. A Jets spokesman confirmed the team would not allow seat covers.

Even as the Jets are trying to sell the naming rights to the stadium, fans like Freeman are assessing strategies to help defray the cost of licenses and ticket prices — from finding investors or partners to selling more of their game tickets online.

“I think the Jets will have to take a hard look at letting me do this, but they can’t afford any more bad publicity,” said Freeman, a former Nets marketing official and currently the executive producer of the Quick Chek New Jersey Festival of Ballooning.

Freeman has a wish list of sponsors in categories like charcoal (for tailgate barbecuing), outerwear (for those inevitably cold days) and coolers (to preserve beverage coldness on warmer days).

He cannot guarantee a sponsor that his seats in the new stadium will correspond with those he has in Section 113 at Giants Stadium. If Freeman cannot get a naming-rights sponsor, he is not sure he will stay, even for a downgrade from seats that he figures now would cost him a $15,000-a-seat P.S.L.

“One of the guys in my group said why don’t we go to the upper deck, but that’s only a financial solution,” he said. “It could be snowy, windy or cold up there. One of my associates is already saying no, and one of the others just got laid off.”

Source: New York Times

Book Deals Galore for Olympic Athletes

Olympic champion Nastia Liukin is expected to be the latest Olympic star to ink a lucrative book deal.


Liukin is reported to be in talks with two publishers about a two-book deal. Industry sources estimate it will fall somewhere under the $1.6 million that eight-time Olympic gold medal swimmer Phelps got for an inspirational memoir, according to the New York Post’s Keith Kelly.


Olympic swimmer Dara Torres also has a book deal, which she lined up before the Games began earlier this month.

UFC on CBS?

According to respected journalist Michael Pope of the New York Post, CBS might knockout EliteXC: Primetime.

CBS is struggling for ratings and fan enthusiasm for the Saturday night primetime show - the first of its kind on broadcast TV.

CBS was shocked by how badly the last fight, called "Unfinished Business," did in the ratings.

Rumors have resurfaced that CBS is once again in talks with UFC - the first and better-known of the competing fight leagues - to take over the timeslot.

At least one more "EliteXC" match will air - an Oct. 4 match showcasing Kimbo Slice against Ken Shamrock.