Conference 7.286::sports_90

    	Hey Dick, how about the "Harley Davidson Rangers"?  They could
    have a bunch of bikers hitting each other over the head with hockey
    sticks.  It would be a big hit on the East Side of New York!
    
    				/Don

Sort of related....

	In Sunday's Atanta 500 NASCAR Race, Darren Cope, winner of this
	year's Daytona 500, reserved the space on the back deck of his
	car for a missing child ad.  It referred to the little boy
	missing from Minnesota, and gave a phone number to call, with
	the caption "Find ......."

	It was estimated that the cost of that space was roughly half
	a million dollars over the course of a season.

	Quite a gesture, I think
	
	Truly a SportingClassAct(tm)...

Chainsaw

    Nike apparently also supplies basketball shoes to high school progams. 
    Good Morning America recently interviewed an SI reporter and the guy in
    charge of baseketball promotions for Nike.  The SI reporter was saying
    that free basketball shoes is just the first step in corruption of
    student atheltes.  These kids get free shoes in high school and then
    expect things to be given to them throughout college.  When they
    don't/can't get them it could lead to things like point shaving.  The
    Nike person said that he is just a nice guy and likes to give out shoes
    (45 pairs to a basketball team doesn't cost Nike much).  He pointed out
    that he doesn't give shoes to just the top HS teams although they are
    the ones drawing the most publicity.

    Re: Corporate sponsors of teams
    
    You mean like the St. Louis Cardinals playing in Busch stadium?
    
    -- FooBear

    
    I was reading in the New York Post last week a great article on this
    subject. It addressed the problem of gang violence, many deaths, that
    has increased lately over ownership of name brand sneakers and jackets.
    One young kid opened the door of his house to be shot point blank in
    the face for his "name-brand" jacket.
    The question here is should the pro athletes as well as coaches and
    announcers ( have you seen the new Nike ad? ) promote these products
    as heavily when kids are getting killed over them?? Is a John Thompson
    telling these kids that if your role models are wearing them that you 
    should go out and "obtain" them and you will be a better player or wear
    them because they are "in"??
    
    Whaddaya think??
    
    Joe
    

$200,000 for sneaker endorsements ???  Sounds like an annual amount for a 
coach as opposed to a one-time shot.

The corporate sponsors are everywhere and totally unavoidable, if you ask me.
I'm surprised nobody's mentioned things like the "USF&G Sugar Bowl" or the 
"Federal Express Orange Bowl".  I think the Rose Bowl has resisted corporate
sponsorship to date but who knows for how much longer.

The NFL has very strict guidelines on teams and their corporate sponsors. 
Teams cannot display corporate logos on any part of their uniforms.   Seems
like the NBA, MLB, and the NHL feel the same way at least as far as player
uniforms are concerned.

I've always been impressed (if that's the right word) at the underhanded and
sly methods the tobacco companies use to get around the network ban on 
adverising their products.   Sure, you can't have a Marlboro commercial on the
tube anymore.  But that doesn't stop Phillip Morris from renting space near 
the stadium scoreboard and placing a huge red-and-white Marlboro logo next to
it.   So, everytime the camera pans the scoreboard, there's the logo.

Bob Hunt

    
    Joe,
    This crap started with the LA gangs wearing RAIDERS jackets/shirts/
    hats. I was told that a high school here in Colorado Springs is calling
    the cops if they see anyone hanging around the school with RAIDERS
    gear on because it is assumed they are gang members. In Chicago it is
    the Bears and Bulls paraphernalia that the gangs are after. I saw on
    WGN a couple of weeks ago where a kid was shot to have his jacket
    stolen. Then they found out that this kid had robbed the jacket from
    another kid at gun point just an hour earlier. The Bears sell the most
    NFL official gear with the RAIDERS a close 2nd.
    
                                                   HOOT
     

> Why even our own Nazz is better known as the 'D' in Budlight advertised on
> the scorers table.

	Not any more, they moved NAZZ over to the other Scorer's Table. Rumour
has it the Budweiser people complained about the ugly dude behind the 'D'. I
forget what ad he sits behind now... :-)

JimH

CHICAGO COULD CHANGE TO THE :

	MERRILL LYNCH BULLS

		AND THE 

	MERRILL LYNCH BEARS

Mike JN

    Sneaker companies generally give their sneakers to colleges - I'd
    venture a guess that a high, high percentage of all colleges (Div
    I, and maybe some lower) receive sneakers and other equipment for
    free from the major corporations.
    
    I never bought running shoes in college - instead different companies
    would sponser us with shoe contracts.  Generally, I received a new
    pair every other week or so.  I know the hoop teams (men and women),
    the football, baseball, and a few of the other sports also had deals.
    Again, a form of advertising.
    
    JD

>>Why even our own Nazz is better known as the 'D' in Budlight advertised on the
>>scorers table.

Not any more.  Nazz used to be the 'D' in Bud Light but it started to look like
BDght so they moved him to center court ;^).

j.

       Isn't that NAZZ behind the auto parts sign now? Not a bad seat!
                                        Denny

    FooBear, the Cardinals play in Busch Stadium, named after the late
    owner of the Cards and Anheuser-Busch, Augie Busch. So I dont think
    that could be classified as corporate sponsorship.
    			HTH, Rich
    

	Hey!

	I just noticed that!

	Who is Foobear in real life?

	And is it a takeoff on FUBAR ? (and we know what that means, right?)

	Mike JN

    "FooBear" is Tony Eros from the Delaware Software Services
    District (my former "home" before transferring to Charlotte).
    
    And saying that the Cardinals are not involved in corporate
    sponsorship by Anheuser-Busch is simply ludicrous.
    
    Just go to one Cardinals game.  No, make that one inning of one
    Cardinals game.  Better still, just go to Busch for one batter.
    
    I gar-ron-tee you that you will hear again and again and again
    that insipid "When You Say Bud" jingle.  After 2 or 3 innings,
    you'll be whimpering in your seat every time the organist hits
    those first few notes.  After a whole game, it'll be burned into
    your brain forevermore.
    
    Same thing at Blues hockey games.   I was there for a game against
    the Whalers in January and I could not believe just how many times
    they pounded that jingle into your ears.   Every timeout, every
    intermission, after every score ...
    
    And the saddest part (to me) was how each time the hometown fans
    got all perked up and started a rhythmic clapping in time to the
    jingle.   It was like some sort of automatic motor neuron reflex. 
    Organist plays first notes of jingle.  Wake up.  Clap-clap-clap. 
    Go back to sleep.  Order another Busch or Bud or Bud Light or
    Michelob or Michelob Light or Michelob Dry.  Wait for next jingle. 
    Repeat five minutes later.
    
    Oh, and you can be sure that Miller, Old Milwaukee, Strohs, Coors,
    or any other non-Anheuser-Busch brand was most definitely *NOT*
    for sale there.
    
    Bob Hunt

    Bob, say you own a major league baseball team. You also own
    Hunt's Hot Dogs. Do you think Oscar Meyer is going to get the
    concession?? I doubt it.  Corporate sponsorship is bound to happen
    simply because some big business owners want to own a sports franchise.
    I wouldnt call it corporate sponsorship because the team doesnt openly
    solicit sponsors. 
    		The Cardinals are OWNED by the Busch family, not sponsored
    by the corporation. There is a difference.
    				Rich