Earlier today, news came out that the NFL was close to borrowing almost $2 billion to help support the operating expenses for all 32 teams (Kansas City Star, 11/1/08).  There are two ways of looking at this loan – one on hand, the league has to be doing well to secure such a large loan on behalf of the teams.  On the other hand, the economic downturn must really be hurting (or at least scaring) some of the teams, so the league felt that they needed to take action right away.  Of all the four major sports, I have to believe that the NFL would be in the least trouble with their massive media deals and (mostly) sold-out stadiums.  Hopefully this is just a precautionary measure.

Madison Square Garden is hosting a pretty interesting event on Tuesday, December 2 called “Night with the President”.  Scott O’Neil, the President of MSG Sports, is going to give a talk is the WaMu Theater on “breaking into and being successful in the sports industry” – a topic that he clearly knows quite well.  Scott is well known for his work with the NBA’s TEAMBO group, and has now taken on one of the highest profile positions in the industry.  Tickets are $30 each, and also includes admission to that night’s Knicks game (so this event doubles as a nice sales vehicle for the company).  I may try to attend this event, and I’d encourage others in the New York area to attend as well.

Other Newsbytes:

• The NHL is offering another free trial of NHL GameCenter Live tomorrow, October 30.  I still think their price point is a bit high, so this additional free trial might be a sign that they’re not hitting their subscription goals.  I do really like the service, and hope it does well for the league.
• I am starting to use Twitter a bit more, and I update my account whenever I add a new post.  If you use Twitter, please follow my “tweets” and I will do the same!
• Finally, if you work for a sports league/team/organization and would like me to write about your current events, please add me to your press release distribution list.  Use the “Contact” link at the top of the page and I will get back to you with my contact information.

Here is a short video clip, courtesty of AJ Maestas, Managing Director of Navigate Marketing.  In the video, he talks about the WP Carey Sports Business MBA program and the value of an MBA education in today’s sports industry.  The video was taped at last year’s All-Invitational fundraising event.