BREAKING: NFL Owners Opt Out of Collective Bargaining Agreement

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TNT and Yellowbook Enter Sponsorship Agreement. Ties Television and Online Offerings
Published 5/20/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Turner Network Television (TNT) announced today it will partner with Yellowbook, for a unique multiplatform promotion during TNT’s online and exclusive on-air coverage of the NBA Western Conference Finals. The promotion, Yellowbook’s Future Faces, will include a series of features on TNT and the network’s broadband channel TNT OverTime on NBA.com that will highlight the young, up and coming stars of the NBA such as Lakers players Ronny Turiaf and Jordan Farmar, Hornets forward Julian Wright and Celtics guard Rajon Rondo. ...

SEE IT: Steve Nash's "Sixty Million Dollar Man" Nike "Trash Talk" Shoe Ad
Published 5/20/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The following is Steve Nash's new Nike ad for the "Trash Talk" shoe, which uses recycled materials. Nash produced, directed, and stars in the ad that also stars Amare Stoudemire and Raja Bell. Hilarious take on the Six Millon Dollar Man.  ...

Russia defeats Canada, Renew Rivalry at World Finals
Published 5/21/2008 by Peter Morrison at The Biz of Hockey :: Business of Sports Network
Hockey fans watching the finals of the 2008 World Championships were treated to a thrilling finale, as Russia defeated hosts Canada 5-4 in overtime. These championships which marked the 100th anniversary of the IIHF were celebrated in style as the Canadians and Russians resumed a rivalry which has seen some of the all time classic matches, including the 1972 Summit Series and 1987 Canada Cup. Ilya Kovalchuk’s overtime goal gave the Russian team a 5-4 victory after battling back from a 4-2 deficit in the second period. For the Russians, the victory is a huge relief after the disappointment of losing in the semifinals on home ice in last ...

A Look at the NHL Coaching Openings
Published 5/22/2008 by Peter Morrison at The Biz of Hockey :: Business of Sports Network
As the Pittsburgh Penguins and Detroit Red Wings are preparing for the Stanley Cup Finals, the other 28 NHL franchises are already preparing for the 2008-09 season with several teams currently looking to fill their Head Coaching positions. The interesting aspect of the search for three teams is that their GM’s are looking to replace themselves as coach. Don Waddell in Atlanta, Jacques Martin in Florida, and Bryan Murray in Ottawa all have been behind the bench this season, but each looks set to relinquish this role for the upcoming season. ...

Howard Schultz Claims Clay Bennett Breached Sonics Sale Contract
Published 5/22/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Former SuperSonics owner and Starbucks Corp. chairman Howard Schultz has amended his lawsuit against Clay Bennett and the group that purchased the Sonics saying that they breached the contract on the sale of the franchise by not making an effort to keep the Sonics in Seattle. As reported by The AP: "Mr. Bennett wrote to Mr. Schultz that 'it is our desire to have the Sonics ... continue their existence in the Greater Seattle Area' and specifically denied any 'intention to move or relocate the team," Schultz's latest filing said. "That statement was false from the moment it was made. ... They were willing to lie, and did lie, ...

TNT Sees Slam Dunk Ratings for Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals
Published 5/22/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
TNT started its exclusive Western Conference Finals Game #1 coverage with exceedingly high ratings, delivering a 4.1 US rating and 4,615,000 households. The game, which featured a come from behind 89-85 win for the #1 seeded Los Angeles Lakers over the defending NBA Champion San Antonio Spurs, delivered a 51% increase over TNT’s Eastern Conference Finals Game #1 last year between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons (2.7 US rating), and a 36% increase over the 2007 Western Conference Finals Game #1 match up between the Utah Jazz and San Antonio Spurs on ABC.  TNT's coverage of Game #1 of the Western Conference beat ABC, NBC, CBS and the ...

Back to the Future: Avalanche Select Tony Granato As Head Coach to Replace Quenneville
Published 5/23/2008 by Peter Morrison at The Biz of Hockey :: Business of Sports Network
As we looked at on Thursday morning (A Look at the NHL Coaching Openings), there are plenty of coaching vacancies for a number of teams, but one has already dropped off the list. The Colorado Avalanche have chosen a familiar face for their Head Coach position with Tony Granato taking the reins for his second stint as the head man in Denver. Granato also was the team’s head coach from December 2002 until the end of the 2004 season.  He was then demoted to an Assistants role when the club brought in Joel Quenneville for the 2005-06 season. Quenneville left the team following a second round playoff loss to the Detroit Red ...

Continental Hockey League to Launch with 24 Teams in September
Published 5/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Hockey :: Business of Sports Network
Russia’s fledgling Continental Hockey League, which is being touted as a competitor to the NHL, will launch in September with 24 teams, according to league president Alexander Medvedev. It will, however, look like a retooled version of the Russian Super League as 20 of those teams will be within the CHL. As reported by the Globe and Mail: In an interview yesterday from Montreal, where he was elected to the International Ice Hockey Federation council, Medvedev said the league will adopt international rules and intends to hold a draft that could include NHL players. "We are planning to draft players from around the world, ...

NBA, Cal Expo Agree to Explore New Arena Deal for Kings
Published 5/23/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Cal Expo, the site of California’s annual state fair, has reached an agreement with the NBA to explore the possibility of a new arena deal for the Sacramento Kings. As reported by Mary Lynne Vellinga of the Sacramento Bee:  With NBA Commissioner David Stern smiling on, the Cal Expo board Wednesday voted unanimously to approve a document that defines its courtship with the league for the next 180 days. The two parties will work together on a conceptual plan for how the 360-acre site might accommodate a new arena for the Kings, a revamped fairground and a development profitable enough to pay for both. ...

Class-Action Lawsuit Against TicketMaster and the NCAA Filed Today Over Non-Refundable "Lottery" Fees
Published 5/23/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Ticketmaster and the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) were hit with a class-action lawsuit today, claiming the two organizations violated racketeering laws by forcing ticket purchasers to pay a non-refundable fee to enter what the lawsuit claims is an illegal lottery for the right to purchase tickets to high-profile sporting events including college basketball tournament games. "The NCAA and Ticketmaster have come up with a scheme that would make a Vegas bookie blush," said Rob Carey, partner at Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro, and the attorney representing the named plaintiff. "We will show that this NCAA practice has illegally taken ...

NBA D-League's Erie Franchise Unveils New Name and Logo - Erie BayHawks
Published 5/24/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The NBA Development League’s Erie franchise, which is set to begin play in 2008-09, today announced it would be known as the BayHawks. Majority owner and Managing Partner Steve Demetriou and lead local Owner Owen J. McCormick were on hand for the announcement of the name and the unveiling of both primary and secondary logos for the BayHawks franchise. “This team is going to be something special for the citizens of Erie,” said Demetriou. “We’re going to deliver great family entertainment and a high level of competitive basketball, and we now have a great name and logo to go along with that.”  Named for Erie landmark Presque Isle Bay and the hawks ...

Fish Market in Pittsburgh Refusing to Sell Octopus to Red Wings Fans
Published 5/24/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Hockey :: Business of Sports Network
Any Red Wing fans looking to throw octopus on the ice after a goal by Detroit during Stanley Cup Finals games in Pittsburgh better not be looking to make purchases at Wholey’s Fish Market in the Motor City as the market has said, “No” to any fans wearing Red Wing jerseys or have an accent that might tip them off that you’re possibly from the Detroit area. As reported by the Detroit Free Press: Dan Wholey, owner of Wholey’s Fish Market in Pittsburgh’s warehouse section known as the Strip District, said he’ll decline the sale of octopus to anyone in Red Wings gear next week. He’ll also listen for Midwestern accents and ...

Two Damaging Emails From Sonics Minority Owner Deposition Conflict With Testimony
Published 5/25/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Two more damaging emails between the Oklahoma-based ownership group that currently owns the Seattle SuperSonics have been released within a deposition with Aubrey McClendon, a minority owner for the Seattle SuperSonics who was fined last year by the NBA for saying in the Oklahoma Journal Record that "we didn't buy the team to keep it in Seattle; we hoped to come here." McClendon said during the deposition that the owners of the Sonics had "poured our heart and soul" into trying to find an arena solution in the Seattle area that would allow them to keep the team in Seattle. KeyArena, where the Sonics currently play, is the NBA’s smallest arena ...

Celtics Ticket Prices Likely On The Rise
Published 5/25/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Following the greatest single-season turnaround in NBA history, Boston Celtics fans should expect an increase in ticket prices next season. As reported by Scott Van Voorhis of the Boston Herald:  The Green Team is eyeing a 10 percent to 15 percent increase in ticket prices next season, Rich Gotham, the Celtics president and business guru, told me yesterday.   As a result of last summer’s blockbuster trades that brought Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen to Boston, the number of season ticket holders has increased by 40 percent.   Looking forward to the 2008-09 season, the team has considered ...

The Big Payback: Boston Reasserts Control Over Detroit With Dominant Road Victory
Published 5/26/2008 by David Friedman at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
I don't know karate, but I know KA-RAZY!! Get ready, that's a fact--get ready for the big payback--James Brown, "The Payback" Detroit's fans showed up at game three of the Eastern Conference Finals ready to cheer for their conquering heroes after the Pistons' road win in game two but by the second half the Pistons trailed by 24 and boos echoed through the Palace of Auburn Hills. The Pistons made a late run but never got closer than nine points as the Celtics regained homecourt advantage with a 94-80 victory. Kevin Garnett made big plays at both ends of the court, leading the Celtics in points (22), rebounds (13) and assists ...

Yao Ming Saddened by China Quake, Asks For Your Help
Published 5/27/2008 by Nick Kappel at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
Yao Ming was at Lowe’s Motor Speedway on Sunday as part of a promotion with Coca-Cola. However, his mind was clearly with the people of his home country when he led the crowed in a moment of silence before the Coca-Cola 600. As reported by ESPN:  “We are very sad for the people we have lost in the earthquake,” Yao said. “We have a long way to go to create a new place for the people who don’t have a place to stay right now.”  Yao has donated $290,000 to the relief efforts and has filmed a public service announcement through the Red Cross.   “The best thing you can do for the government is to send money there and ...

Portland City Council to Pass Resolution Urging Bill Schonley Be Given Curt Gowdy Award
Published 5/28/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The Portland City Council will hear a resolution on Wednesday, May 28 urging the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame to honor Bill Schonely with the Curt Gowdy Award in recognition of his outstanding contributions to the game of basketball during his nearly 30 years as the voice of the Portland Trail Blazers. Mr. Schonely and other Trail Blazers alumni will be in attendance in celebration of a career that spanned 2,522 Trail Blazers basketball games, which measured in real time amounts to 6 years, 332 days that Mr. Schonely spent courtside as the link between the Trail Blazers and their fans. “Coining the term ‘ Rip ...

Cowboys and Mavericks Working Together to Bring 2010 NBA All-Star Game to Dallas
Published 5/28/2008 by Maury Brown at The Biz of Basketball :: Part of the Business of Sports Network
The Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Cowboys are working together to try and lure the 2010 NBA All-Star Game to the new $1.1 billion Cowboys Stadium being constructed in Arlington (see details, including high resolution renderings of the new Cowboys Stadium here on The Biz of Football). As reported by the Dallas Morning News: The Mavericks owner, [Mark Cuban], has been reluctant to host the game at American Airlines Center because the league's corporate obligations would kick season ticket-holders out of their seats. Moving the game to Arlington removes that obstacle. "It's important to me to find a venue that can ...