In the past, we used to have regular “Five for Friday” columns that featured five interesting links for the week. I’m going to start bringing this back more often with all different types of lists. Today, in honor of Twitter’s #FF (Follow Friday) hashtag, here are five great sports business folks to follow on Twitter.

(NOTE: there are clearly WAY MORE than five great sports business folks to follow on Twitter, and since this is a recurring column, you will meet many more of them over time, so please do not be offended if you aren’t on the list).

• Brian Gainor (@BrianGainor) – The founder of PartnershipActivation.com and account supervisor at GMR Marketing, Brian is a constant source of best practices and new ideas in consumer and corporate sports marketing.
• Lou Imbriano (@LouImbriano) – Former CMO of the New England Patriots, current CEO of TrinityOne and author of Winning the Customer, Lou offers a great blend of business insights that span sports, sales, marketing and customer service.
• J.W. Cannon (@cannonjw) – Senior Project Lead for Sponsorships at UPS and co-founder of #sbchat (with Lou), J.W. is never one to shy away from an opinion and always shares excellent and entertaining sports business knowledge.
• Mike Mahoney (@mahoney) – Sponsorship Sales Executive for the Carolina Panthers, Mike is one of my earliest Twitter friends and is an active, expert participant in all sponsorship-related discussions.
• Tariq Ahmad (@tariq_ahmad) – A Ph.D candidate at Northern Colorado studying the intersection of sports and social media, Tariq has quickly become a go-to person on emerging trends in social media marketing.

On this week’s edition of Five for Friday, we’ll discuss some of the most (and possibly least) watched professional football, a unique take on Olympic sponsorships, the fan’s role in the economic model of sports, and whether or not we will see golf in Rio in 2016.

1.  Favre attracts cable’s largest audience – People were expecting this week’s Monday Night Football match-up between Favre’s current and former team to draw a large audience, and they weren’t disappointed. A whopping 21.8 million viewers tuned in, setting a record for a cable television broadcast and creating a nice windfall for ESPN in this early season episode.

2.  Against All Odds, UFL Kicks Off Tonight – On the opposite end of the spectrum, the UFL officially launched their inaugural season last night when the Las Vegas Locomotives defeated the California Redwoods. The league started up with only four teams, so there won’t be a lot of UFL football this year, but they plan to add two more teams next year. Click on the link to read a quick interview between Darren Rovell of CNBC and Frank Vuono, the COO for the UFL.

3.  Why Olympic Sponsorships Aren’t Effective – This is an excellent guest blog post on the Harvard Business Blog by Kim Skildum-Reid of PowerSponsorship.com. She covers many different points, including the strategic and legal challenges from ambush marketing efforts, the struggle to enforce exclusivity, compliance with Olympic standards, lack of flexibility, and fan engagement.

4.  “Fans as Inputs” Series – The Sports Economist has written a couple of very interesting posts recently, discussing another way of looking at fans as part of the economic equation of the sports industry. The most straight forward way to look at fans is purely as consumers, since they are the people buying the product.  However, there is no arguing that fans also have an impact on the game itself, whether its creating a better (or worse) fan experience, impacting team performance through vocal support, or maybe even influencing referee decisions. As such, they also need to be looked at as an “input” into the sports product.

5.  Golf looking like it has less of a shot of making Olympics – Back in August, the IOC voted in favor of adding rugby and golf to the list of Olympics sports. However, it now seems like golf may be held back from the 2016 Games in Rio. There is concern that Rio is not the best location to debut golf, since it is not very common in Brazil. There will be a formal presentation today in Copenhagen, featuring PGA executives and athletes, which will be followed by a formal vote.

It’s been a busy week in the sports industry, so here are a few of the most interesting stories in this week’s “Five for Friday.”

1.  NHL’s Coyote Ugly Courtroom Battle Continues - Jim Balsille still wants to own the Phoenix Coyotes and move then to Ontario, bidding $212.5 million for the franchise. The other team owners still do not want Balsille in the league. The federal bankruptcy court was supposed to make a decision on Balsille’s bid, but that decision has now been delayed. The team auction is still supposed to take place on September 10, and there are two other prospective bids, but each is well below Balsille’s offer. Will Balsille’s bid be allowed?  We have about 5-6 days to find out.

2.  Richardson’s sons exit in Panthers shocker - In a surprising announcement, both Mark and Jon Richardson, sons of Carolina Panthers team owner Jerry Richardson, announced their resignation on Tuesday. Each brother ran one side of the house (sales vs. operations) and apparently there were some differences of opinion in how to run the team, leading the elder Richardson to ask both sons to step down. Mixing business and family can be a difficult proposition, and many NFL teams are still family-run. Jerry Richardson is back to being actively involved in running the franchise, and they hired a new team president, former TCU AD Danny Morrison, the next day.

3. The NFL Reveals its Social Media Policy - After all of Chad Ochocinco’s statements about finding a way to tweet during a game, the NFL put out their official policy on social media. Basically, players, coaches and other staff will not be able to update personal media outlets starting 90 minutes before the game starts up through the end of the post-game media interviews. In addition, credentialed media members will not be allowed to use these services to provide updates or descriptions of any game in progress. It may seem like the league is being a little narrow-minded, but I’m sure the teams are happy to have this rule, keeping the players and staff as focused on the game as possible.

4.  The NHL Players Union Dismisses Its Director – Paul Kelly was dismissed from his role as NHLPA Executive Director earlier this week. This came as an unexpected move to Kelly, who has held the post for less than two years. In addition, multiple other NHLPA employees resigned this week over the decision to dismiss Kelly, including Glenn Healy, Director of Player Affairs. There are rumors that the decision was based on Kelly attempting to access private transcripts of players-only meetings, but this has not been confirmed as the reason.

5.  LSU Promotes Facilities with Cribs Segment - I love watching creative new video campaigns, so I really enjoyed this 7-minute “Cribs” video produced by LSU. It really shows off their incredible facilities, and also includes footage that features LSU partners Muscle Milk, Nike and Everlast. This well-produced video simultaneously acts as both a marketing and a recruiting tool, and by releasing it through YouTube, it has been viewed over 180,000 times in just over a two-week span.

It has been a pleasure covering this summer’s “Five for Friday” posts here at The Business of Sports but it is officially time for me to sign off. I want to thank Russell Scibetti again for the opportunity to work alongside him this summer and look forward to returning as a guest in the future. With that said, this week on “Five for Friday” our sports business stories include the first sports Twitter-blogger to be offered a seat on press row, UW’s decision to end a $425K advertising deal with MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch, and “unethical” sponsorship agreements between professional franchises and the airline industry. We also have news of the Kings’ hockey festival to take place this weekend and a Long Island insurance company’s decision to offer insurance for your fantasy football league.

1. St. John’s puts new twist on tweets – St. John’s University has officially embraced Twitter by offering Peter Robert Casey a credential and seat on press row to their men’s basketball home games this upcoming season. Casey was contacted by the school because of his impressive ability to network with those in the basketball community and also because he amassed over 50 thousand followers on Twitter in only eight months. His job with the university is simply to live-tweet the Red Storm’s home basketball games from a court side seat giving online fans and followers of @Peter_R_Casey a great inside look at each game.

2. UW ends $425k deal with MillerCoors, Anheuser-Busch – A University of Wisconsin campus committee recommended that they no longer renew their sponsorship contract with MillerCoors and Anheuser-Busch InBev in order to fight against the promotion of binge drinking. The University’s football fans will most likely hear few if any beer ads listening to the game via radio this year for the first time in a long while.

3. Are Recent Airline Deals Unethical Sponsorships?- On Monday, AirTran announced that it was the official airline of the Atlanta Falcons even though the team will not use AirTran as transportation once this upcoming year. The sponsorship agreement between the airline and the Falcons constitutes signage in the Georgia Dome for AirTran, a Falcons themed plane, and the use of Falcons players in AirTran advertisements. Should professional sports teams have to sign a charter deal with an airline before sponsorship agreements are allowed to even be considered?

4. Kings hope Hockey Fest heats up passion for the franchise- This past year the Los Angeles Kings missed the playoffs only to see their biggest rival hoist the Stanley Cup and their Staples Center co-tenant hang another NBA championship banner. A year such as that one could make it difficult to retain fans in the Los Angeles area this upcoming season which is why the Kings are  holding a three-day Hockey Fest starting today at L.A.Live and the Nokia Theatre. The event will allow fans to meet present and past Kings players and should help the franchise energize their fan base for the upcoming season.

5. Fantasy Football Insurance: Good or Bad? – The folks at CNBC SportsBiz say they weren’t surprised by this one, but I have to say I sure was. A Long Island insurance company is offering insurance for your fantasy football league. Policies cover any of the stipulated top 50 players of the league and offer you the entry price you paid into a league if an insured player on your team happens to miss more than two-thirds of the regular season with an injury. The insurance per player is roughly 1o percent of your individual entry fee into the league of your choice.

(Editor’s Note: I’d like to take a moment to thank Dino for all his hard work during the past few months. He’s been an incredible asset for the site, from his weekly “Five for Friday” posts to all his work on our different social media initiatives. I wish him the best of luck as he finishes school and continues on to what I’m sure will be the start of a great career in the sports industry. -RS)

This week on “Five for Friday” we discuss President Obama’s thoughts on how NASCAR can help American automakers, Michael Vick’s jersey back in production, and a contract extension between the NFL and NBC. We also look into the story behind Shaquille O’Neal taking a former teammates idea for a reality television show and the marketing strategy behind ESPN The Magazine’s decision to charge only four cents an issue to current subscribers.

1. Obama: NASCAR Can Help With American Automakers’ Recovery – President Obama is confident that American automakers will bounce back stronger than ever in years to come. Obama commented outside the White House on Wednesday that he feels it is extremely important for the Big 3 American car manufacturers to continue sponsorship agreements with NASCAR in order for a comeback in the industry to happen. As our president mentioned, “It’s about as good advertising as you can get.”

2. Vick jerseys back in production- When Michael Vick was reinstated by the NFL’s commissioner Roger Goodell on July 27, his jersey was eligible for production. However as Dan Sarro a spokesman for Reebok commented, a Vick jersey would only begin production if demand was high enough. Sure enough retail shops all over Philly received positive signs that the number 7 green jersey would sell and so Reebok went ahead and started production once more of a Michael Vick replica jersey.

3. NFL, NBC extend ‘Sunday Night Football’ deal to 2013 – NFL and NBC have approved a two-year contract extension to televise Sunday Night Football through the 2013 season. NBC will also retain the rights to the Thursday night season opener as well as the two wild-card Saturday match-ups.

4. Why ESPN The Magazine Is Going To Four Cents – ESPN The Magazine is offering its 2 million plus subscribers a chance at a 1 year subscription to their magazine plus ESPN.com pay site, Insider, for only $1. That equates to less than four cents an issue plus the addition of Insider for free. What ESPN is trying to do here is reel in more readers to experiment with their pay site, Insider, so that when prices do rise again hopefully they will retain more paying visitors.

5. Did Shaq steal Steve Nash’s idea for reality TV Show?- In 2008, around the time when Shaquille O’Neal was traded to the Phoenix Suns to play alongside Steve Nash, supposedly Nash was overheard by the media talking to a fellow teammate about his desire to start a reality television show in which he would challenge the best athletes of all major sports. About a year later, before Nash could get that project going, O’Neal started his own show, Shaq Vs., which was designed just like Nash’s proposed show. Now what started off as a potential lawsuit has ended up with Nash getting an executive producer credit on the show.

Over the course of this past week we have had some of the most interesting sports business stories of the year. We have seen plenty of Michael Vick and the Philadelphia Eagles’ decision to sign the quarterback, Rick Pitino admitting to an affair outside his marriage, and the New Jersey Nets decision to give away jerseys of star NBA players who do not play for their franchise. We also caught wind about the NHL’s decision to use virtual advertising this next year and we want your prediction for how many blackouts this upcoming NFL season will bring. Here is your “Five for Friday.”

1. Admissions could hurt Rick Pitino endorsements - On Wednesday evening Rick Pitino apologized to University of Louisville fans, players, and recruits for his decision to have an extramarital affair six years ago. During Wednesday’s press conference Pitino made it clear that he plans to stay at Louisville as long as he is still wanted as a coach. Questions loom whether the university will keep him, what effect his extramarital affair will have with recruits, and how this could affect endorsement deals with not just Pitino but with the university as a whole. What do you expect will result from all of this?

2. Virtual signs to invade NHL sightlines in upcoming season - NHL teams and television networks continue to look for new opportunities to gain advertising money and have recently decided it is time to try virtual signs. These high-tech signs have been placed on blank walls or flat surfaces in other sports leagues and are unique since only viewers from home are able to see them. To be honest I did not know or even recognize that these virtual signs existed in other sports because they do such a remarkable job designing these signs and placing them to look like they are real and physically present at the stadium.

3. How Many NFL Blackouts Will We Have This Season? - It is a great question to ask. How many games will not be broadcast locally on television or on DirecTV this upcoming year due to the home team’s inability to sell out that particular game? Over the last four seasons the average has been a total of 38 games a season. Do you think this number is heading down or up this year?

(Photo by Jonathan Ernst/Getty Images)

4. Michael Vick Vows To Help End Dogfighting – This past Sunday on 60 Minutes, Michael Vick spoke out and told the world that he will now be an advocate to help stop dogfighting. He continued on to apologize once more for all that he has done wrong and admits that he was at fault for running an illegal dogfighting chain. Later this week CBS Sports’ James Brown who interviewed Vick commented that he felt Vick’s apology was sincere and that he was deserving of another chance on the field to prove so. Now keeping in mind that Vick has officially signed a short-term contract with the Philadelphia Eagles and that the NFL is giving him another chance, do you think we will ever see Vick land a solid sponsorship agreement in the future? The Eagles think Vick will be a positive face for preventing animal cruelty in the community.

5. Nets Make Stars of Opponents – The New Jersey Nets marketing department understands that basketball fans enjoy watching a single player dominate. That is why for the upcoming season the Nets will be giving fans who purchase two ten-game ticket packages five reversible jerseys that include a star player from an opposing team on one side. The reasoning is that with Richard Jefferson, Jason Kidd, and Vince Carter missing from the Nets lineup and with no other star players around in their own organization, the Nets feels they should embrace star players who will be visiting New Jersey to play their youthful team.

This week’s “Five for Friday” encompasses a lot of new. We feature the newest and possibly biggest Twitter story yet, the future end to Lowe’s Motor Speedway, and the new naming rights for the new Orlando Magic arena. We also cover the new Tennessee Volunteers  football recruiting billboards and the “party passes” that the new Dallas Cowboys stadium offers.

1. Twitter Ban Continues: ESPN Bans its Reporters From Sports-Related Social Media - Yesterday, ESPN NBA analyst Ric Bucher was the first source to notify the public that any ESPN on-air personnel can no longer use their twitter accounts as a personal means to express themselves. Now all ESPN employees must only tweet messages that serve ESPN as a business. What was Bucher’s choice of medium to deliver this message that ESPN implemented a new rigid social media policy? Twitter of course.

2. Lowe’s, speedway dispute report on nixed naming deal – Lowe’s Motor Speedway will be no more as reports have surfaced that Lowe’s no longer wants to renew the naming rights agreement with the Motor Speedway. This year will mark the final year of an 11 year long relationship between the race track and the construction parts company which had trouble reaching an agreement for an extension.

3. Amway to be new Orlando Magic arena name – same as the old – In the past the Orlando Magic’s old home court facility was referred to as Amway Arena. With the completion of  the Magic’s new $480 million arena,  Amway agreed upon a new $40 million contract that will give them the naming rights to the new building for the next ten years. The new facility, The Amway Center, is set to open in 2010.

4. Is Cowboys Standing Room A Smart Move? – The Dallas Cowboys new stadium cost 1.1 billion and has the capacity to hold 35,000 fans who won’t have a place to sit. On Monday the Cowboys released what they are calling “party passes” for sale which is a ticket into the stadium but that does not include a seat. The new stadium includes six party decks that are in the end zone areas for those fans who are willing to stand the entire game. The Cowboys organization feel these “party passes” could be one of the best deals the league has to offer.

5. “It’s Time”… to recruit in South Florida – We have discussed the University of Kentucky’s singing billboards that encourage you to tune your radio to a station that plays their fight song when you pass by and now we are taking notice of the Tennessee Volunteers new billboard that seeks out high school football talent in South Florida. The message, “It’s Time” shows the new head coach Lane Kiffin and defensive back Eric Berry and is directed at extending the Volunteers recruiting class message to a broader geographical area. The billboard has supposedly been placed in Atlanta and Memphis as well as near Fort Lauderdale.

We have a great “Five for Friday” lined up for you folks today which includes a story of Anna Rawson and her attempt to sell sex on the LPGA tour as well as the return of Michael Jordan to Gatorade. We also have news on a new Twitter for NBA players, the potential fall of David Ortiz, and more advertising tricks from the NHL and NBA.

1. Ailing Gatorade Calls in Michael Jordan – What is your move as a company who was previously successful but is now facing elimination? Well as Gatorade knows, your move is go back to those founding roots that helped your company blossom to begin with. Gatorade has been facing tough times as of recent and decided this summer that it was time to go back to the bread and butter of  their older marketing campaigns, Michael Jordan.

2. Hot on Heels of Twitter, NBA Players Make LifeCasting ‘Next Big Thing’ – If the 2008-2009 season of the NBA was a season of an all out Twitter competition, then the 2009-2010 season could bring some competition on Ustream. Usteam is a platform among many others that allows you the opportunity to live steam anything you can record. NBA players began using this medium a couple of years back but more recently it has become the next greatest technology based tool for them to digitally interact with their fans.

3. NBA, NHL soften stance on jersey ads – Starting this upcoming season the NBA will allow teams to sell ad space on their teams’ practice jerseys. Deputy Commissioner Adam Silver explained, “We are operating a diverse business all around the world. The sponsored game jersey is a well-established practice in other countries. Ultimately I think our fans will come to accept it.” John Collins, COO of the NHL, said for the right price their league will even consider ads on game jerseys.

4. Anna Rawson Can Fix the LPGA - Anna Rawson’s average tournament round is above 73 and as a professional golfer that is not very impressive. Then how is it that she is gaining national exposure for the LPGA tour you may ask? She is doing so by way of her looks and personality. Rawson has gained the media’s attention of late by first with her looks and then by voicing her opinion. She recently told ESPN that if she was the head of marketing for the LPGA that things would be very different. Each golfer would tee off to their own personal song of choice like in baseball where each home team hitter has a song played as they approach home plate. What she has to say about how to increase the sport’s fan base is surely interesting, but it may seem offensive to others. Here is a quick video clip of Rawson from a recent episode of ESPN’s E:60.

5. ‘Big Papi’ Was One of the League’s Most Marketable Players - Next to Derek Jeter, David Ortiz was one of the easiest players for MLB to market in the past. He was a slugger, he won championships, he was a clutch hitter, and he had that smile that fans want to see from a hero. To put it simply he was a complete package. Now with reports released that he tested positive for illegal performance enhancing substances in 2003, his image and the ability to easily market him could all go down the drain.

This week on “Five for Friday” we bring you two home videos from a Florida Marlins marketing campaign that are better than the LeBron James dunk tape, the new strategy behind the PGA’s FedEx Cup commercials, and a new type of breakfast for champions. We’ll also cover RadioShack’s sponsorship of Lance Armstrong and Under Armour’s newest business move. Sit tight.

1. What’s Your Reason Contest - The Florida Marlins came up with a fan participation contest called “What’s Your Reason” in which fans were encouraged to make a home video showing what their reason was for owning a rival team’s jersey. Fans were then allowed to go to the Marlins website to vote for their favorite video entries. As of right now two finalists remain. What a great marketing gig for the baseball club accompanied by two great finalist home videos.

2. PGA Tour Today Launching Latest Series of Ads Around FedEx Cup - Yesterday the PGA tour launched the second of three promotional ads for the FedEx Cup. In the new set of ads that broke on Thursday, PGA players discussed the means to winning the cup and playing well during the playoffs. In previous years, ads were scripted and used personalities outside of the sport itself to bolster the excitement of the playoffs. This year it was decided that the players themselves could best explain the reasons why fans should tune in.

3. RadioShack to sponsor Armstrong’s team- RadioShack has decided they want to be the new lead sponsor for Lance Armstrong’s new cycling team in 2010. Armstrong will compete for Team RadioShack as a cyclist, runner, and triathlete which will include racing in the Tour de France.

4. Under Armour taps former Nike, Reebok exec McCarthy to lead footwear business - Gene McCarthy will begin in August as the senior vice president of Under Armour’s shoe department. McCarthy comes to Under Armour from Timberland but has held past positions with Nike and Reebok. It seems the sportswear company is making moves to bounce back from a rut by adding experience to their staff and coming out with even more creative products as of late.

5. New Wheaties Cereal Sounds Very Familiar- Wheaties has been called “The Breakfast of Champions” for some time now but has never really been a “breakfast to help champions.” The cereal never had much nutritional value and was instead very appealing to your tastebuds. Now that has all changed as the new Wheaties cereal is designed to included the right amount of protein and carbs to fuel an athlete’s day.

(Editor’s Note: I want to include an extra link today for your reading pleaseure.  Brian Gainor of PartnershipActivation.com released his July newsletter, which features some great content on new trends and technology in sports sponsorships.  You should definitely check it out.)

With the MLB All-Star game behind us, this week’s “Five for Friday” looks into the future of the NHL and NBA. We also bring you the latest news regarding sports technology via Under Armour’s new recovery suit.

1. NHL’s Winter Classic set for Fenway Park – It has been confirmed that Fenway Park will host the Flyers and Bruins in the NHL Winter Classic on New Years Day. Details about ticket pricing have not yet been released but as in the past years, this event is sure to bring in huge sponsors. Bridgestone has already signed on as the game’s title sponsor for this year as it did last year. There are also rumors that a college hockey game and public skating will be part of this year’s event.

2. Fan Frenzy: Season-ticket sales soaring for Cleveland Cavaliers -  Over this past year the Cleveland Cavaliers have held the number one spot in a few different regular season ticket categories. LeBron James has had a lot to do with those statistics, just as he has with almost every other statistic in the basketball games he plays in. However with the recent addition of Shaquille O’Neal, the Cavaliers have seen pre-season ticket sales soar higher than ever with trends suggesting the possibility of a sell-out crowd for every game this upcoming season.

3. NBA salary cap lowered, team profits sink – More than half of the NBA’s teams lost money this past year and expectations are that ticket sales and sponsorships will decrease even more this upcoming season. As a result the NBA recently lowered the league wide team salary cap from $ 58.68 million to $57.7 million for the upcoming 2009-10 season, and the number will probably drop even lower for the 2010-11 season.

4. Under Armour’s New Recovery Suit – Recharge is the name Under Armour has given to their most brilliant product which is a full body compression suit designed for athletes to wear for 24 hours after an extremely intense workout. The suit is said to help reduce soreness and swelling while helping to recharge the athletes body for the next workout. Sounds like an excellent idea to me. Do you think this product will work for the athlete and work to help Under Armour bounce back from their current struggles?

5. NHL and NBC Announce Extension – The NHL and NBC started a revenue sharing plan in 2006 and have most recently extended this contract for the second time since they became partners. Game 7 of  this years 2009 Stanley Cup Finals was the most watched hockey game in 36 years which leads both parties to understand that they work well together. NBC’s coverage for this upcoming season will begin with the Winter Classic to be held at Fenway Park in Boston as mentioned above.

Twitter has become so big over the past year that new articles are surfacing online about how it will no longer serve a practical use. Too many people are using the platform for personal marketing which ruins the entire purpose of logging on to find quick and useful information. Whether these claims are accurate, they are interesting. This brings me to this week’s “Five for Friday” which includes the conclusion of a celebrity Twitter lawsuit.  Of course we’ll also bring you the viral story of LeBron James’ mishap at his summer league basketball camp and three other top stories.

1. NASCAR Racing Experience bring track action to fans - NASCAR announced yesterday that they formed an agreement to rebrand the former Jeff Gordon Racing School into the NASCAR Racing Experience. This racing experience, which puts fans behind the wheel of a real race car traveling upwards of 100 miles per hour, will now hold a name that doesn’t just imply the experience of a single driver. A smart move for NASCAR all together, as I’m predicting that not all fans are simply Gordon fans.

2. Tony La Russa drops Twitter lawsuit - Tony La Russa, manger of the St. Louis Cardinals recently dropped his lawsuit charge over a fake Twitter account in which an imposer pretended to act as La Russa. The baseball coach claimed to Twitter representatives that this impostor made derogatory and damaging comments in regards to his image as well as the St. Louis franchise. Twitter responded by explaining that they are in no way responsible for such allegations but have since added a program that verifies celebrity accounts.

3. Detroiter Jordan Crawford dunks on LeBron James - So the newest “viral video” if you can call it that, would be the sophomore college basketball guard, Jordan Crawford, supposedly dunking on LeBron James at his camp this past week in Akron, Ohio. Why is “viral video” in quotations? Because no video footage of the dunk has made it public since it supposedly happened. Sources say once Crawford made his move on James, Nike representatives present at the scene immediately confiscated all video material from anybody who may have been filming. The question looms, did Crawford actually dunk on James? Better still, why wouldn’t James embrace this? By avoiding it, this dunk has become a thousand times bigger than it ever would have been. Do you agree?

4. MLB Finalizes Promotional Giveaways For All-Star Game Events – The starting rosters of the MLB All-Star game have been set.  Major League Baseball has also finalized the lineup of promotional and sponsor give aways for the game that is to take place in St. Louis. The strategies for such give aways are the most interesting of those I’ve ever seen. For example, at Taco Bell All-Star Sunday, the fast-food restaurant is giving out lanyards and ticket holders designed to look like their hot sauce packets.

5. Report: Staples Center to switch to Coca-Cola - Staples Center is the home to many Los Angeles events besides just the Los Angeles Lakers. It is also considered home court to the Los Angeles Clippers and  it’s a major venue for many musical concerts. What is interesting about the Staples Center is that ever since it opened it has served Pepsi products. However, starting in September it will switch over to serve all Coca-Cola products for the next eight years.

We are just one day away from fireworks, hot dogs, and hamburgers but no Fourth of July would be fun without something exciting to talk about with your family and friends. So this week on “Five for Friday,” we bring you news about the NFL’s first off-season sponsorship deal, increased incentive to visit Miami, and Nike’s contract with recent NCAA basketball champion North Carolina Tar Heels.

1. Marlins ballpark ground-breaking tidbits – The Florida Marlins new stadium will be ready for the 2012 baseball season, but before we can get that far we have to have a ground-breaking ceremony in honor of the team and in honor of such a large construction project. The Marlins franchise announced yesterday that the ground-breaking ceremony will take place on July 18 at 10am at the former site of the Orange Bowl and where the new stadium will be built. Entrance to the event is free and all fans will be able to shovel dirt at the exact location where home plate will be placed. Contests and other promotions help to hype the event as much as possible and build anticipation from Marlin fans for a great 2012 opening season.

2. St. Louis sets new tone for All-Star Game - Last years MLB All-Star Game in New York featured a ton of high-dollar glitz and glamor that helped promote the event so much that the economic impact on New York was estimated at $150 million. This year in St. Louis the All-Star game theme strays away from all those bright lights in order to concentrate efforts on a community service and charity theme. Partly as a result, the economic impact for the area is estimated at $60 million.

3, Dolphins team with marketing company for travel packages – Recently the Miami Dolphins partnered in a multi-year contract with Premiere Global Sports to provide travel packages to Miami Dolphins fans for home and away games. Premiere Global sports is working on packages for away games that include a 2 night hotel stay, game tickets, and a game-day souvenir all for a starting price of $245. Prices will of course be different for home games, but none the less what a brilliant way to help fans get to the game and increase ticket sales.

4. NFL adding IHOP to 2009 sponsor menu – The International House of Pancakes signed a sponsorship deal with the NFL which marks the first off-season deal for the league this year. IHOP was among many casual-dining chains that the NFL targeted for a possible off-season sponsorship. The deal is set for a three-month span from August through October. The QB Scramble is one of the new items that the restaurant chain will offer. Is anybody hungry all of a sudden?

5. UNC, Nike reach 10-year deal – The North Carolina Tar Heels will run the court, shred the field, sprint the bases, whack the tennis ball, swim through water, and throw a softball among other sports for the next 10 years wearing nothing but Nike athletic apparel. The contract between UNC and the Oregon-based footwear company was signed in May but was retroactive until July 1st of last year. It seems both parties are happy with the deal and so we will see the Nike swoosh on everything baby blue for several years to come.

On this week’s “Five for Friday” we talk about how this is a lackluster year for shoe endorsements as an NBA draft pick, how Apple landed a patent that could revolutionize sports, and the new plans for the Phoenix Coyotes. (Editor’s Note: This week’s Five for Friday post was delayed by one day so that Joshua Duboff could share his sponsorship recap of the 2009 NBA Draft.)

1. “Profitwood”: Dodgers Likely Made Money From Manny Loss - When Manny Ramirez was suspended from the Los Angeles Dodgers, most suspected that the team would begin a long downward spiral. Ticket sales were expected to drop along with the team’s standings. Since Ramirez’s absence the Dodgers attendance has actually risen an average of 54 fans per game. Taking into account that the team has saved $7.7 million that they would have been paying Ramirez and it makes sense that they are making more money. Who would have thought?

2. Apple TV to Take Sporting Event to a Whole New Level – Apple was officially granted a patent this week to use the technology necessary to record real-time velocity, rotation, movement, and impact that professional athletes experience during sports. A network of sensors placed on experimental athletes will record such data and relay it to an Apple television station or your iPhone. NASCAR fans, imagine watching your favorite driver on television while receiving information regarding this heart rate, stress level, and respiratory rates in addition to the speed, pressure, and force that his car is withstanding around a corner. Now that is technology at its finest.

3. NHL’s bankrupt Coyotes to go to Aug or Sept – The Phoenix Coyotes have never made a profit since moving to Arizona in 1996, yet there are a few avid fans that are willing to buy the team to keep them in Arizona. In August an auction will take place that allows an open chance for bidders to buy the Phoenix Coyotes franchise and keep them put in the desert. If no bidders offer a decent amount in the eyes of Judge Redfield Baum of the U.S. bankruptcy court, then in September another auction will allow bidders the chance to buy the team and relocate them.

4. The U.S. Open Scorecard Auction – The U.S. scorecard auction ended yesterday and it was a brilliant event. The Metropolitan Golf Association or MGA held an auction selling the scorecards of ten golfers which participated in the 2009 U.S. Open. The proceeds allow the foundation to continue to help and educate underprivileged children, youth golfers, and the disabled. With this auction MGA raised over $3,600 just for Lucas Glover’s scorecard alone.

5. Bad Year For NBA Draft Pick Shoe Deals – In 2003 Nike agreed on contracts with LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony that would pay these players $108 million combined. Now these were not 1 year contracts but obviously when you equate how much these players were recieving a year, it was on average over $10 million. The NBA draft is tomorrow and most likely no draft pick will sign a contract worth more than $750,000 a year – just a slight dropoff!

This week on “Five for Friday” we discuss a new sponsorship deal for the New York Giants, merchandise sales by the Los Angeles Lakers, and ESPN coverage of the U.S. Open. Perhaps most interestingly, we include the NBA’s decision to remove a courtside ban on advertising by spirit brand companies. Maybe increased liquor consumption by basketball viewers will help fuel the idea that the NBA is where amazing happens?

1. New York Giants announce deal with Timex for practice facility naming rights – The Giants announced Wednesday morning that their practice stadium has a new name, The Timex Performance Center. The Giants signed a 15 year deal worth an estimated $35 million with Timex that includes the naming rights to their practice facility along with the right to sew Timex logos on all of the team practice jerseys. It is fun to note that Eli Manning, the star quarterback of the team, has a deal with Citizen Watch. What do you think is a better investment as a watch company - the star quarterback of the team or the practice jerseys and facility? 

2. Tiger Gives Boost to Golf Betting - The new sport to bet on is golf. Due in part to Tiger Woods’ dominance, more gamblers are looking to take advantage of a “sure thing.” In golf you can bet on an individual player to win or on the odds that a player won’t win.If you bet on Tiger at the U.S. Open this year and put down a $100 your return if Woods hoists the trophy is $175. Gamblers and golf analysts see this as basically free money.

3. Liquor deals start to flow – The National Basketball Association has a social responsibility initiative program with the slogan, “The NBA, where caring happens.” However this past week the NBA removed a longtime ban on courtside advertising by spirit brand companies. Bacardi, which has a deal with the Miami Heat, already plans to use this new option in order to advertise down at the court level during the 2009-2010 NBA season. Do you think this is a smart endorsement move by the NBA?

4. Lakers Set Champs Sale Record- The Los Angeles Lakers team won more than a championship for their franchise this year. They also won the record for most championship merchandise sales in the 48 hours following their series victory. As a matter of fact, they sold twice as much merchandise as the Boston Celtics did last year after they won the 2007-08 NBA title. Why was there such a greater volume of sales this year? The NBA’s senior vice president of global retail development explains that is has to do with a larger global fan base.

5. Full-court press on U.S. Open- ESPN has plans to cover close to 87 hours of U.S. Open play via the television or internet this weekend. ESPN360 has the rights to 30 hours of Open play and the other 57 hours can be seen on television. However if you have plans to watch golf action from your computer be aware that ESPN hasn’t exactly made it clear that they require an ESPN360 subscription from internet users to watch on their site. They want you to make plans to watch it on your computer and then give in to a subscription once you realize one is required.

Did you wear Starter gear as a kid growing up? Dallas Cowboys QB Tony Romo did, and since last year he has been helping the organization known as “Starter” work its way back into the sports industry mix. Be sure to make your way to the bottom of this week’s “Five for Friday” article which also features stories on Rodger Federer and a risque move by ESPN The Magazine.

1. Yahoo sues NFL players union over fantasy stats – As funny as the headline sounds, it is real. Yahoo’s fantasy sports games gross an average revenue of more than a billion dollars a year. Recently, the NFL player’s union has threatened to sue Yahoo, arguing it doesn’t have the right to use player’s names, photos, or stats.

2. Off the Court, Federer is Trumped – Statistically Rodger Federer is atop the world on the greatest athletes list; however he receives proportionally few sports endorsements . Why is this the case? Well it seems tennis players need a certain personality to gain a fan’s attention outside of being dominant inside the sport. There are certain characteristics that American tennis fans look for and Federer simply does not fall into many of these categories.

3. NBA Finals: This Year Is Outrating 2008′s Matchup – Last year’s NBA Finals match-up revived a classic rivalry between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Boston Celtics. It included a ton of star power and overall boosted a great series. However this year’s NBA Finals between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic has been attracting more viewers. Maybe this proves that the increased marketing and emphasized dream Finals series between LeBron and Kobe has helped the league out. What are your thoughts?

4. ESPN The Magazine floating idea of risque ‘Body Issue’ – ESPN The Magazine has made what could possibly be a regretful move to enter into the world of nude photography. They aren’t completely engaging in a new style of photography, but they have been approaching professional and semi-professional players to take semi nude photographs where sports equipment will cover specific body areas. The players’ photographs are planned to be tasteful and will show no visibility of body parts that ESPN The Magazine hasn’t already included before.

5. Iconix Using Romo To Resurrect Starter – Iconix, a company whose brands consist of  Danskin and Candie’s and Joe Boxer, currently owns the athletic retailer Starter. Last year Iconix signed Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo to one of the league’s highest paid endorsement contracts. It is their hope that Romo can help revive Starter to the level it was at back when Romo was a child. The investment Iconix has made signing a superstar like Romo could prove valuable considering Romo is still dating Jessica Simpson and besides his own commercials appears in magazines and other media outlets regularly.

This week’s “Five for Friday” welcomes a sports marketing strategy that uses a celebrity lookalike to impress customers, a new Vitamin Water ad, as well as the new trend of corporate marketing on professional sports teams’ jerseys.

1. The Lie of the Tiger  - Discount clothing retailer, T.J. Maxx, has been advertising golf Polo shirts using a Tiger Woods lookalike. Their advertisements are meant to show customers that they too can look like Tiger in a discounted polo, however this stunt by T.J. Maxx may turn out badly if Tiger Woods or Nike decides to sue based on the discount retailer implying an alleged relationship between the golf star and their company.

2. Dwight Howard Parodies Kobe/Lebron Vitamin Water Ad in… Vitamin Water Ad - As soon as the Orlando Magic made the NBA finals, Dwight Howard (a Vitamin Water spokesman himself) called up Rohan Oza, the comany’s chief marketing officer and told him that he wanted his own ad. Oza responded by giving Howard a budget and a production crew and asked Howard what he wanted to do. On Monday night they spent 45 minutes shooting the ad from start to finish so that it could be prepared for yesterday’s game one of the NBA finals. The Kobe vs. LeBron hype was solved that easy for Vitamin Water. It is Nike who feels the pain of featuring Kobe vs. LeBron for the past few weeks since they can’t easily grab Howard (Howard is with Adidas) to update their commercials. It is interesting to note that earlier this week, a Nike spokesman told the media that Nike will continue to run their Kobe and LeBron ads throughout the NBA finals even if LeBron is not playing.

3. In WNBA, Jersey Sponsorship Could Set New Standard -  On Monday the Phoenix Mercury professional women’s basketball team announced a three year deal with LifeLock, a Tempe, Arizona based identity-theft protection agency, to wear team jerseys that read LifeLock across the front. The deal could change the standard of jersey sponsorships in the WNBA to that which resemble international sports where displaying corporate names on jerseys is standard.

4. Manchester United signs Aon as shirts sponsor  – For at least the next four years, the logo of Chicago-based insurance broker Aon will adorn the uniforms of Manchester United players. The Aon logo will replace that of the New York based insurer, American International Group (AIG), which previously held position as the corporate name to run across the most popular international professional soccer team’s jerseys.  The deal is said to be worth $131 million dollars which could prove to be a great move for Aon since Manchester United has one of the greatest followings in all of sports.

5. Adidas Gives Howard New Shoe For Finals - Depending on how detail oriented you are, you may have noticed that Dwight Howard was wearing a new pair of shoes in last night’s game one between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Orlando Magic. Adidas provided Howard with the TS Commander LT which weighs six ounces lighter than the TS Bounce Commander shoes Howard had been wearing recently. Adidas explained that they felt Howard should have a lighter shoe for the finals match-up. However for those fans who have seen Howard play, we all know he does not need a lighter shoe. He would do just fine on the court with weights around his ankles. Adidas is using the shoe as a reminder to everyone that the superstar Howard is with them and not Nike.

The NBA has a lot happening right now with their Conference Finals boiling over and with the spotlight of the sports world shining brightly in their direction. So with this week’s “Five for Friday” we will discuss an ownership acquisition involving the Cleveland Cavaliers as well as future plans for the league. We will also address Nationwide Arena sales considerations and the troubles of this year’s number one NFL draft pick.

1. Today’s Sports Genius: David Katzman - When LeBron James hit that amazing buzzer-beating three pointer in game two of the Eastern Conference Semifinals, the stock of the Cleveland Cavaliers franchise sky rocketed. A man by the name of David Katzman who owned at least 15% of the Cavaliers recognized this might be his best chance to sell his share of the organization while everything was going good. Now that the Cavaliers are down three games to two in a best of seven game series with the Orlando Magic and considering that LeBron James is a free-agent soon, it looks like selling his share of the organization might prove to be a superb business move.

2. Nationwide Arena sale under discussion - Currently the Columbus Blue Jackets’ revenues are not covering their operating costs. As a result there are discussions about the sale of Nationwide Arena to Franklin County. The deal requires that a higher tax is imposed on alcohol and cigarettes in order for Franklin County to have the funds to finance the purchase of an arena.

3. NBA basketball returns to Mexico in October - The Phoenix Suns will play the Philadelphia 76ers in Monterrey, Mexico in a preseason match-up on October 18th. This will become the 18th game ever played in Mexico by two NBA teams and will become the second time in Monterrey. The NBA Mexico game in 2009 will help the NBA to build a larger fan base across the border.

4. Report: Matthew Stafford faces endorsement challenges- Two years ago Brady Quinn arrived in Cleveland from the University of Notre Dame as a first round pick in the NFL draft. He did next to nothing to land endorsements from companies like Hummer, Subway, Xbox and Nike. This year’s number one pick Matthew Stafford doesn’t have it as easy. Due to a horrendous economy, a winless 2008 season in Detroit, and team troubles acquiring new players, Stafford has it tougher than any other recent top QB pick.

5. NBA, ABC Won’t Automatically Lose From Matchup - It has been discussed that Nike could lose millions  if  the Los Angeles Lakers don’t face the  Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Finals after creating a series of commercials featuring LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. However let’s discuss whether ABC, the network which hosts these NBA games, would lose out as well if the ideal match up of the Los Angeles Lakers and Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t manifest. Former president of CBS Sports Neal Pilson suggests the ratings of an NBA Finals relies directly on the quality of the games and the length of the series, not necessarily which teams play.

Its time to kick off summer and with this week’s “Five For Friday” where you will read about a quick marketing move the Los Angeles Clippers tried as well as the details regarding what is necessary to make a professional Lingerie Football League successful.

 1. The Greatest Sports-Business Turnaround Ever - In October of 2007, William “Rocky” Wirtz took control of the Chicago Blackhawks franchise after his father passed away. Wirtz quickly made executive level decisions that changed the direction the Blackhawks were heading. He invested money to bring star players in, to change management, and to earn back the rights to have all Blackhawks’ games televised locally. What ensued was one of the greatest sports business turnarounds to date.

2. Lottery Winners Lose - The Los Angeles Clippers won the first pick in the 2009 NBA draft recently and with that news they immediately began advertising Blake Griffin and Ricky Rubio on their homepage as a stunt to sell tickets. Griffin and Rubio are locks as the top two players in the draft and the Clippers want their fans to purchase tickets now to see one of those two players in L.A. next season. Interesting enough these players may not have signed any official NBA documentation yet that allows a franchise such as the Clippers to advertise them. Was this a smart move by the organization?

3. San Francisco Giants Increase Ticket Sales with Dynamic Pricing – Dynamic pricing has made its way into baseball and the Giants are the first team to see the benefits. On Monday the franchise recognized a 20% increase in ticket sales in sections that were using dynamic pricing solution. For those who aren’t familiar with dynamic pricing, it is the adjustment of ticket prices to reflect the value of attending such an event on a specific day. This pricing strategy for the Giants organization takes into account who the opposition is, the weather, and how well the team has been performing before setting prices for the game.

4. NFL Owners Interested in Lingerie Football? - The Lingerie Football league has officially been launched. The founder, Mitch Mortaza, decided that this was the year to break out and commence a 20 game regular season in the sport. Mortaza has The Lingerie Football league retaining 51% ownership of the teams but with in-market majority team owners. In order for the league to be successful it must fill at least 60% of the seats available in the major NBA, NHL, and MLS venues that they’re in. A great idea or a recipe for disaster?

5. Anheuser-Busch CEO: We’re Not Waking Away From Sports -  Sales are increasing steadily above what Anheuser-Busch expected this fall for their organization. Recently they have been more selective in choosing where and when to advertise and are focusing their efforts more on digital and cable.

This week on “Five for Friday” we discuss the purchase of Yankee Stadium seats, the irony of sponsoring Dale Earnhardt Jr., the Dallas Cowboys, the Cincinnati Bengals and a legal steroid in baseball.

1. The Biggest Loser: Dale Earnhardt Jr. - In many sports the best players or teams to market are those which are doing well. People enjoy supporting a professional who wins often and consistently hits a “home-run” so to speak. This is not necessarily the case for NASCAR’s Dale Earnhardt Jr. He has only won 2 of his last 110 races, including none of his last 32 events, yet he is still the most marketable driver in NASCAR!

2. Why Cowboys can’t sell naming rights - The Dallas Cowboys announced two days ago that they will officially name their new stadium “Cowboys Stadium” until an organization is in a position to buy out the naming rights. Team owner Jerry Jones came up with the title and says he will wait patiently until the economy allows for a large organization to do so. It’s hard to say whether having patience at this time is a good move or not for Jones and the Cowboys. What if he sold the naming rights in a short-term, two-year deal? At least then he could be earning back some of that 1.1 billion spent on the new facility.

3. Bengals ready for ‘Hard Knocks’ - HBO announced yesterday that the Cincinnati Bengals will be the chosen team for this year’s five-week “Hard Knocks: Training Camp” series. For those viewers who are not familiar with this reality show, it is an all-access look at the five weeks of training camp and preseason of one professional football team. This comes at an opportune time for the Bengals organization as they just learned that they haven’t been scheduled for a single nationally televised appearance this season, so they are in dire need of some publicity.

4. Old Yankee Stadium Seat Sales Brisk – On Tuesday the New York Yankees and Steiner Sports began selling old seats, frozen patches of outfield grass and used turnstiles from the old Yankee Stadium. By Wednesday they had reported sales of 1,500 pairs or 3,000 seats! Considering that a random pair of seats had a price tag of close to $1500 and that a specific pair sold for nearly $2000, it seems they did pretty well turning a sunk cost into something to brag about.

5. Baseball still allows the steroid DHEA - Even with all the talk surrounding  Barry Bonds, Alex Rodriguez and recently Manny Ramirez, MLB still allows players to take a specific type of steroid, DHEA. As long as the league allows players the use of some performance enhancing drugs, players will continually push the boundaries. It seems Major League Baseball needs to decide one way or another that these types of substances are legal or illegal so that franchises like the Los Angeles Dodgers no longer face situations like “Mannywood.”

Another week has flown by and so comes another “Five for Friday” article to deliver five of this week’s most interesting sports business stories.

1. College coaches are using Twitter to reach recruits - As this blog addressed on Monday, sports and Twitter have officially meshed. Professional sports teams have been slowly catching onto this rapidly growing social media network and are finding that Twitter offers a great way to connect with their fans. College coaches have jumped on the Twitter bandwagon and have actually found a way to make their “tweets,” or Twitter messages, very advantageous to their respected athletic programs. A few coaches have begun “tweeting” as a means of communicating to potential recruits. As the NCAA rules state, coaches are not allowed to communicate directly to their recruits via phone calls or text messages unless the student is of a certain grade. However, Twitter does not violate this policy since the nature of the messages are indirect. Who would have guessed?

 2. NBA gets loan pool renewal - The NBA is on track to renew its $1.96 billion league-wide loan pool this week after the old loan pool ended on Monday. This is great news to the NBA by comparison of the NFL and MLB which were rejected by lenders for their own renewal plan. The deal was made possible as a result of the NBA’s media contracts which act as collateral.

3. Dodgers: Mannywood Section Done - When Manny Ramirez re-signed with the Dodgers, a seating section in left field was named after him, and so Mannywood was born. Within a few weeks, fans bought up all the available $99 two-seat ticket packages in the Mannywood section which included two Mannywood t-shirts. Sadly, on Thursday evening the Dodgers were forced to close down Mannywood after the slugger was found to have used a banned substance. The Dodgers really had no choice on the issue. Besides closing down Ramirez’s section, they are offering all fans who bought season tickets in that section a full refund or credit to future games and they are allowing the return of all Ramirez t-shirts that were bought this season.

4. Rockets first sports franchise to use Excelyte - Excelyte has received Environmental Protection Agency approval as a disinfectant to combat the bacteria that causes staph infections, E. Coli, and influenza. The Houston Rockets franchise has decided they want to be the first professional sports team to try the product because it is a “green” alternative to traditional chemical disinfectants.

5. $160 Nike Running Shoe Leading Industry - According to Sportsone Source, a sports market retail tracking firm, Nike’s Air Max 2009+ has been the best-selling running shoe in the United States this year. This tends to be extremely surprising given the $160 price-tag with our current economy. It goes to show how people value a brand name product.

This week on “Five for Friday” we cover just how important sports business is to our president as well as how Major League Baseball, the National Football League and the National Basketball Association all have used the sale of apparel to further market their respective organizations.

1. House Hearing take aim at BCS:  Our nation’s leaders have many important issues to consider and attend to these days with the economic crisis and military efforts in the middle East. However today they are choosing to address what has been an issue in college football for quite some time.  Today, Congress will gather to discuss the fate of the Bowl Championship Series. President Barack Obama has suggested that this hearing today is necessary and he has the committee ready to allege charges on BCS officials for unfair distribution of BCS profits which inhibits other college football programs from a chance to win a national championship. This story is truly one of a kind.

2. Change isn’t always good in the NFL:  In the days leading up the NFL draft at least three teams showed off their new NFL jerseys. Detroit, Jacksonville and San Francisco all decided a wardrobe change was needed for this upcoming season. It seems they are taking the position that new uniforms can equate to an opportunity to start fresh this season and recreate a reputation for themselves. Perhaps those particular franchises feel new jerseys also allows them to more easily swing into a new branding initiative and marketing campaign. One thing that is for certain – this will give fans another reason to buy their first, second, or possibly third NFL jersey.

3. Buy a Majestic Jersey, Get Two Tickets to an MLB game:  The Commissioner’s Fan Initiative campaign was created to provide awareness to baseball fans everywhere on just how low MLB ticket prices have fallen at each of the ballparks across the country. In order to do so they have created a promotion which offers each fan two free tickets to a MLB game with the purchase of a Majestic MLB jersey in 2009. This should prove to be a successful marketing operation.

4. Amazin’! Alyssa Milano Opens Clothing Boutique at Citi Field:  Besides the Fan Initiative promotion that Major League Baseball began, they have also agreed to work alongside Alyssa Milano in an attempt to capture the sports fashion apparel market for women. Greg Sim, MLB Properties director of licensing, apparel, and head-wear said Major League Baseball will help market Milano because she is addressing “a part of the market we haven’t touched yet.” The league has already created an online contest in which fans have the chance to win a trip to Los Angeles to join Milano for a Dodgers game.

5. Kobe’s No. 24 jersey is NBA’s best seller:  For the National Basketball Association, the news that Kobe Bryant’s jersey is again the top selling jersey is good news. Since he is one of the league’s best players, it is important that fans approve of seeing him often. After all he carries his team to the playoffs on a regular basis and does play in one of the nation’s largest cities so he will have extra media attention. I only mention this because he has come a long way since his legal issues, which was not how the NBA wanted fans to remember him.

We welcome everybody to “Five for Friday” - a new weekly post that features links to five interesting sports business stories from the week. These Friday posts will be covering a wide range of sports business topics, articles, blogs and the like so that you can have easy access to valuable information. “Five for Friday” recommends other sports business writers from the week with the best content.

1. Sports Business Digest recently wrote an article covering the renewal of a sponsorship agreement between Major League Baseball Properties and Gillette. The article titled MLB and Gillette: Continuing to make sponsorship history first discussed the details of the contract extension before diving into the strategies behind the renewal for Major League Baseball. Emmett Jones wrote, “we have recently found MLB players in venues where MLB and/or the MLBPA can capitalize off of or promote the idea of a superstar player (rather than the usual team-oriented approach).” Jones is referring to the common trend used today in professional sports which markets individual super star players rather than a team or the league as a whole.

2. Howard Bloom’s Sports Business News is an example of a sports industry publication site that has evolved into one of the largest and most influential on the web. Recently, he followed up an article published here titled (The Washington Natinals?) with an article of his own. It included a response from the manufacturing company responsible for misspelling the Washington Nationals’ jerseys. His article answers exactly how Majestic decided to address their mistake.

3. Sports Business Radio is unlike most other websites. It takes you right to the individuals that are responsible for the business operations of their sport. Brian Berger accomplishes this by allowing his viewers to listen in to the interviews he conducts with important sports personnel. Recently, he interviewed Larry Miller, Portland Trail Blazers President on SBR and discussed issues such as the team’s broadcast deals with Comcast. He also covered issues such as whether the franchise profited or struggled this year with the economic turmoil.

4. Sun-Sentinel Sports Business Blog - Yesterday marked the beginning of one of the best fan participation contests I’ve ever heard of: “48 Hours of Intense Heat.” The contest is a two day challenge to test the dedication of Miami Heat fans by asking them to sit for two days straight outside the American Airlines Arena in Miami, enduring the sweltering heat. By doing so, they allow themselves the chance to win 1st round playoff tickets just in time for the game this Saturday night in Miami against the Atlanta Hawks! Participants don’t have it too tough as they will be entertained by the Heat cheerleaders, dance squad and team mascot. This is an ingenious marketing move because people are sure to drop by to check out the contest and entertainment. This contest will also increase anticipation of what could be a crucial game three for the organization. For more information and details on this contest begin here: Win Heat playoff tickets; vote for D Wade.

5. Tinsley Won’t Play for Us (ESPN/AP) - Benching Jamaal Tinsely should prove to be a smart move for the franchise. As it is, the Pacers have a tarnished reputation thanks to the 2004 brawl in Detroit, starring Ron Artest. Ever since, they have been trying to win back the respect of their fans and the league. Some people are going to feel that since Jamaal Tinsley is guaranteed his contract money over the next two years that you might as well play him. However, the President of the franchise, Larry Bird, recognizes that it is better to see Tinsely as a sunk cost and move on without him. It is more important to have standards as an organization so that fans and other organizations are willing to do business with you and associate themselves with your practices.

(Editor’s note:  I want to add two more links from this week that I really liked.  The Rochester Rhinos are giving all their premium and sponsorship clients the chance to name the stadium for the season. Every $1,000 spent by a client gives then one chance in a drawing for their naming rights. This is very unique and creative approach, but will the increase in their premium and corporate sales be enough to cover what they could make from a straightforward naming rights sponsorship?  Also, make sure to check out the most recent edition of the Partnership Activation newsletter.)