EA SPORTS branding will be featured on all live on-screen broadcasts of Barclays Premier League fixtures, and EA SPORTS will work with broadcasters to develop enhancements for match day broadcast analysis and increased fan interaction. EA SPORTS will also sponsor the Player Performance Index and will explore new ways to utilise more in-depth Barclays Premier League statistics than ever before in future iterations of EA SPORTS Football products.

In the exclusive role as Official Sports Technology Partner of the Premier League, EA SPORTS will explore new ways to leverage actual match and performance data to deliver improved interactive football experiences that match the complexity, finesse and excitement of a real-world football match. Examples include:

The EA SPORTS Player Performance Index: EA SPORTS will sponsor the Premier League Player Performance Index that will soon expand to include new performance data that will now account for time and distance measurements. This will allow for detailed statistics such as the speed at which a shot is hit, the force of a ball as a keeper makes a key save, the height of a jump, the speed at which a penalty is struck and  more. This technology will be introduced at all Premier League club stadia this season. EA SPORTS will have direct access to the Player Performance Index to further extend the authenticity and depth of its football franchises including EA SPORTS FIFA in future versions.

EA SPORTS Team of the Week: Available at www.premierleague.com, the Premier League and EA SPORTS will publish the EA SPORTS Team of the Week. The team will be based on ratings from the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index after each round of the Barclays Premier League and will be integrated into EA SPORTS Football games.

Barclays Premier League Broadcast Branding: EA SPORTS branding will appear on-screen, linked with live match statistics, during all Barclays Premier League broadcasts in the UK and overseas.

Barclays Premier League Match Broadcast Enhancements: Using EA SPORTS graphics, animations and interactive technology combined with real-time, real world data feeds, EA will work with broadcasters toward enhancements for match day broadcast analysis that will bring football fans closer and deeper into the action direct from their sofa. (via EA Sports)

Every time I think EA Sports games reach the height of their popularity, they come along and do something like this to make me rethink everything.  How much longer before player performances, abilities, and injuries are updated in congruency with the games themselves?

For those looking for the next FIFA soccer title, expect FIFA ’11 out sometime later this year.

The, uh…Turkish Airline has landed another huge sponsorship deal, this time as the title sponsor for the Europe’s biggest basketball league, the Euroleague,

The first-ever title sponsorship deal for the Euroleague will run for the next five seasons, with an option to extend it for a further five. Turkish Airlines was one of the league’s main partners for this year’s Final Four in Paris, France.

Under the agreement, the company will also name the Euroleague Final Four and become a global sponsor of the Eurocup, the second-tier pan-European club basketball competition. (via SportBusiness)

For those who may have forgotten, Turkish Airlines also recently signed a deal to become the official airline of the Manchester United soccer club.

The airline carried more than 25 million passengers in 2009, pulling in more than $4 billion in revenue.

The campaign, which will begin next month, focuses on the players and the importance of their jersey numbers (i.e. Maurice Jones-Drew wearing #32 because all 32 teams initially passed on signing him),

The print and retail ads are part of a collaboration among longtime NFL sponsor Reebok, the NFL Players Association and the Champs sporting goods chain that will try to energize sales of the apparel category dubbed names-and-numbers after years of focus on women, performance and lifestyle merchandise.

The campaign, running through September, will have a dedicated Web site with video footage of players like New York Giants quarterback Eli Manning and safety Kenny Phillips, Kansas City Chiefs running back Thomas Jones, and other stars talking about the origins of the numbers they wear. Fans can upload video clips about their favorite numbers (or the ones they wear during their own games) and enter a contest to win NFL swag.

More than 600 Champs stores will get extensive signage, crew T-shirts and POP for the seven-figure program under the tagline, “Every number has a story. What’s yours?” McMahon said Reebok plans to make it an annual event, eventually expanding to include more players and more tales. (via BrandWeek)

If nothing else, the NFLPA usually does a good job of marketing individual players to the general public, and this campaign appears to be no exception.  Maybe more subtlety, the campaign will give NFL fans another chance to humanize and relate to various NFL players; something that certainly won’t hurt the players’ position amongst the fans in the ongoing labor dispute.

image via BrandWeek

The trendy pick to move to Los Angeles, it appears as if the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars might be staying in Jacksonville  a little longer, due to a recently signed stadium naming rights deal with the multi-billion dollar financial institution, EverBank.  Details below,

Under terms of the Jaguars lease agreement, the team will receive 75 percent of the stadium naming rights revenues and the city 25 percent.

The Jacksonville City Council must approve the deal. The contract is expected to be introduced at today’s council meeting and approved on emergency action at the Aug. 10 meeting to ensure the agreement is in place before the Jaguars’ preseason begins. (via Jacksonville.com)

The deal, which is the first naming rights deal for the Jags since 2007, expected to bring in roughly $5 million a year in revenue for the Jags over the next 5 years.

It also will provide the Jags which much needed revenue, as they, like other small market teams, have struggled in the past.

Of course, of larger concern is whether or not the Jags will be able to fill the soon to be renamed stadium; all but one of their home games was blacked out in 2009.

…maybe the naming rights cash can be used to take advantage of the little-known NFL black out loophole?

Kiffin and USC were sued (lawsuit here) by the NFL’s Tennessee Titans for the circumstances surrounding the recent USC hiring of now former Titans Running Back coach, Kennedy Pola.

The lawsuit was filed in Davidson County Chancery Court and it claims Pola breached his contract with the Titans after being induced by Kiffin. Pola, hired by the Titans in January, was hired by USC over the weekend as the school’s new offensive coordinator.

Over the weekend, Coach Jeff Fisher, a former Southern Cal player, sounded off against Kiffin, who formerly coached at the University of Tennessee, for recruiting Pola without first asking for permission to speak to him. (via The Tennessean)

The Titans are suing under the theories of common law tortious interference of contract and inducement of breach of contract, both claims stating the belief that Kiffin, and USC by way of Kiffin, intentionally and maliciously induced Pola to breach his contract with the Titans, to the Titans detriment.

Pola had provisions in his contract stating that he could not directly or indirectly work for or entertain offers with another team with the express written consent of the Titans organization.

Without being privy to all of the details, it looks like the case will come down to a matter of proving intent.  There apparently being no written consent from the Titans, there seems to be a breach of contract by Pola, and its a matter of whether or not Kiffin intentionally interfered with, or induced Pola to breach the contract.  You’ll remember from a few days ago, Kiffin was treating the entire situation as a misunderstanding, which could have the effect of negating the intent element,

“We reached out to Kennedy Pola (on Friday) to gauge whether he had any possible interest in returning to USC before we moved forward with the process,” Kiffin said in a statement released by USC.

“Kennedy said he would think about it and get back to us (Saturday). Once Kennedy did call back earlier today, out of my great respect for Coach Fisher I immediately reached out to Coach to make him aware of the situation. I have spoken with Coach Fisher and he now has an accurate understanding of the timeline of events.

“We realize the timing of this isn’t perfect for all parties, but this is a great opportunity and promotion for Kennedy.” (via The Tennessean)

If Kiffin and USC can show that Kiffin’s actions weren’t done intentionally or maliciously, thereby negating the element of intent, then the Titan’s claim would be in jeopardy.  Of course, in light of “Kiffin fostering a culture of violation and avoidance of the sanctity of contract, which he similarly practices”, negating the intent claim may be easier said then done.

In the end, regardless of the Titan’s request of punitive damages and treble damages as a result of Kiffin/USC’s conduct, the trial is purely based on principle.  Even if USC loses the case, or settles, the judgment against them will surely not break the program, nor will it pay all of the Titan’s bills.

It may however, teach a lesson to the current coach of the USC Trojan’s football team.

…and it costs $39.99.

With preseason kicking off in August, NFL Network and NFL.com features the most NFL preseason game coverage ever. NFL.com unveils NFL Preseason Live to watch games online and NFL Network once again carries all 65 preseason games in HD.

For the first time, NFL.com offers NFL Preseason Live, a subscription product that delivers fans preseason games live. Users can watch available games online and choose from home or away broadcasts to complement a new viewing experience that includes movable picture-in-picture and mosaic layouts to watch multiple games at once. NFL Preseason Live is available for $39.99.

NFL Network is home to the entire NFL preseason game slate with all 65 matchups, including multiple replays, airing on the only network dedicated to football. The 2010 preseason schedule on NFL Network includes 10 live nationally-televised games, with all match-ups available in high definition. (via NFL)

It’s a gutsy move, to say the least.  I consider myself a die-hard football fan, but I can honestly say that there’s no way I’d pay $40.00 to have the ability to watch out-of-market NFL preseason games…online.  Furthermore, it seems like those die-hard fans willing to pay $40 for online preseason football would already have the NFL network, which would make NFL Preseason Live a moot point.

Regardless of its faults, the whole NFL Preseason Live plan really shows the apparent strength of the NFL brand.  For the package to have so many apparent strikes against it, and yet still be offered at a $40 price point?  That’s brand strength if I’ve ever seen it.

Of course, when you look at the bottom line, what does the NFL have to lose?  Any infrastructure necessary to show pre-season football games already exists, so there’s minimal cost to the NFL to implement the Preseason Live program.

On its face, it looks like its nearly pure profit. $40 per online user profit.

Well, maybe.

Numbers-wise, soccer looked very impressive during the month long World Cup,

An estimated 111.6 million U.S. viewers watched at least six minutes of the 2010 World Cup on English or Spanish language networks, according to an analysis by The Nielsen Company. The figure is a 22% increase from the reach of 91.4 million U.S. viewers during the 2006 World Cup.

…All told, 38% of U.S. viewers – and 50% of all U.S. households – tuned in for at least six minutes of this year’s tournament.

Nielsen’s research also found that 57% of the total audience reached by World Cup telecasts was male and 43% was female. Almost half (49%) of the total audience fell between the ages of 18 and 49. (via Nielsen)

Soccer has also managed to create a marketable star in Landon Donovan.  He had already generated a considerable buzz with his World Cup exploits, and once he returned to the MLS? Ratings didn’t only increase, they soared.  Furthermore, although you can argue their star power, the MLS does have some marketable foreign players that have made the move to America (ala David Beckham and Thierry Henry).

A couple of marketable stars and an extremely high, albeit short, increased interest in your sport.  Maybe not the perfect building blocks to a strong soccer foundation in the states, but they are building blocks…right?  And lets not forget the X-factor…the other sports.  The NFL and NBA are in the middle of serious labor issues, and although stoppages are less likely in the NHL and MLB, they have expiring collective bargaining agreements in 2011.  If football is in the middle of a lockout and baseball is arguing over things like HGH testing, and basketball’s talks stall…could we see a summer of soccer next year?  Granted, it is a huge “if”…but, what if?

Even without the 4-sport meltdown, soccer’s popularity is currently in uncharted territory.  Have we ever seen a player that is as marketable as Donovan is right now (Mia Hamm?)?   And we’ve already seen that ratings are the highest ever…All of that makes the MLS television ratings that much more confusing.

MLS’ average attendance jumped 7.7% to 16,627 fans per game through the first 117 matches this season.

Meanwhile, MLS ratings on ESPN2 were flat through 14 telecasts, but viewership was down 1.6% from 255,000 viewers through the same period in ’09 to 251,000 this season. That decline comes “despite ESPN and the league’s decision to shift back” to a schedule which primarily consists of Thursday primetime telecasts. Telefutura, which broadcasts Sunday MLS games, averaged 93,000 viewers through eight games. Also, ratings remained flat on Fox Soccer Channel, but the network “failed to attract more than 100,000 viewers for a single one of the 16 broadcast games” (via Sports Business Journal, subscription required)

So, an increase in person, but a drop off on television?  Its like people stopped watching television and decided to go to the games in person!  Sure, there have been some other events that could explain the TV drop off; the World Cup, “The Decision”, baseball games featuring Steven Strasburg…maybe people just got their temporary fill of soccer? Yet and still, are all of those singular events enough to explain a ratings drop off over numerous telecasts?

Not really.

So where does that put soccer in America? Its certainly hard to argue MLS growth if the MLS can’t even become a viable television product; all of the big money is in television contracts, not in gate receipts.  And sure, Henry will provide a momentary ratings boost, the same way Donovan did, but that growth doesn’t seem to be permanent, much like the buzz from the World Cup.  And to everyone arguing that a move to Versus would fix the problem, things like production value or announcers could remedy the problem to an extent, but its also not hard to imagine beautifully produced broadcasts still going unwatched.

What does it take for soccer to truly catch on?

…and if it doesn’t catch on now, does it catch on ever?

Did I forget to mention that the owners wanted to make all of those changes retroactive?

Here we are now, well into the NBA’s free agency period and summer league games, and I’d like to say that things are looking up, but we’ve heard very little on the labor negotiation front, other than David Stern’s mention that the NBA lost approximately $370M last season.  A statement that NBAPA head Billy Hunter vehemently disagrees with,

Union director Billy Hunter made that statement in a telephone interview with ESPN.com, saying the commissioner’s assertion of the severity of the owners’ financial woes “just doesn’t hold water.”

“I’m preparing for a lockout right now and I haven’t seen anything to change that notion. Hopefully I’ll see something over the next several months,” Hunter said. “As of this moment, it’s full speed ahead for me in preparing the players for a worst-case scenario.”

Hunter, who also spoke Wednesday to several other news organizations, said the players do not believe the owners’ claim that they lost a combined $370 million last season — a statement Stern reiterated in public comments Monday following an owners meeting in Las Vegas.

“There might not be any losses at all. It depends on what accounting procedure is used,” Hunter said. “If you decide you don’t count interest and depreciation, you already lop off 250 of the 370 million dollars, and everything else was predicated upon what they were projecting, which was a decline in attendance that didn’t happen. Attendance was the second-highest ever.” (via ESPN)

Its not exactly the most optimistic of outlooks when two sides are at least $370 million dollars apart.

The owners of course, are arguing that the system is inherently flawed, in part because the system is revenue based.  The BRI, of which the players receive 57%, is based on things like team gate receipts and concession sales; owners costs aren’t really ever considered.  That sentiment is echoed by NBA deputy commissioner Adam Silver,

“Part of the problem with the existing system is it’s based largely on revenue, not net revenue,” Silver said Monday. “Although our actual revenue numbers were better than what we projected, it came at a large cost. Our teams did a spectacular job in a down economy of increasing ticket sales, but that came at the cost of additional promotions, additional marketing, additional staff.”

The owners’ argument seems to have some validity on its face.  It was only a year ago when half of the teams needed to be bailed-out due to not being profitable, they’ve opened themselves up to new streams of revenue (via the courtside liquor ad), and as Silver mentioned, they increased spending on things like marketing and promotions in order to get fans in the seats.  All signs that costs were increasing, or at least that they’ve expected costs to increase…and why wouldn’t they? It was a recession.

Of course, what we’ve actually seen recently is an increase in the 2010-2011 salary cap (it was expected to decrease), great ratings for the finals, and the highest BRI in the history of the NBA.  So now, the question that begs to be asked is “How much of the owners’ decisions were a result of actual losses versus an attempt to mitigate expected losses (and have things turn out better than expected)?”

With the Union and the League on opposite sides of the spectrum, this is one of many questions that will have to be examined, and answered, before we’ll see basketball played in the 2011-2012 season.

Being right has never made me feel so miserable.

Congratulations ESPN, you got me.  Me and the other 4 or 5 million people (i’m guessing) that watched the 73 minute spectacle known as “The Decision”.  An event that should have taken 5 minutes, or that maybe should have been accomplished in 140 characters (ala Kevin Durant via Twitter), ended up consisting of a montage of Lebron regular season highlights, re-hashed discussion by ESPN roundtable Scott, Wilbon, Barry, and Broussard, photoshop, and various commercials from Bing, Vitamin Water and the like.

And that was the first 22 minutes.

Of course, that went completely in the face of what ESPN head Norby Williamson had promised us; a decision with the first 10-15 minutes followed by 45 minutes of analysis and interview.  Although after seeing what began in minute 22, I was kind of longing for the Lebron James NBA team photoshop montage I had seen a few minutes earlier.

Enter Jim Gray.

I’m not sure how many questions Jim Gray asked, in part because I was watching the television in disbelief.  I simply couldn’t understand not only why Lebron was getting questions reserved for a high school athlete (“Are you still a nail-biter?”), but why there were so many of them.  Wasn’t he here to discuss his decision regarding his free agency?  Wouldn’t Gray have been able to ask more pressing and poignant questions if we all knew Lebron’s answer first instead of a piling on to a build-up which had been created weeks if not years ago?

Apparently not.

But eventually, we did learn of Lebron’s decision;  The Miami Heat (side note: the most interesting part of the show had to be Wilbon’s interview with Wilbon and Lebron being able to see Cleveland fans burning James’ Cavaliers jersey).  Of  course, a large majority of those watching weren’t completely surprised, since ESPN’s Chris Broussard had been correctly citing “independent sources” for the past few days regarding James’ decision and the ESPN/James partnership (it always will be impressive that Broussard had to rely on independent sources to confirm a show on his own network).  Scooping your network before their “scoop revealing” show, in which you are part of a roundtable of speakers.

ESPN conflict of interest quagmire complete.

Sure, some scholarships were given out via the University of Phoenix, and the Boys and Girls clubs of America (in the cities that were vying for Lebron’s attentions, no less) will reportedly receive $2.5 M dollars from the event.  But at the end of the day, was it worth it?  Did anyone come off in a positive light?  Lebron — who still came off as narcissist, especially with his 3rd person references to himself, ESPN — who either planned or agreed to an hour long format full of drivel for a 35 second statement, while simultaneously preventing their own employees from doing their job (or leaving them in the dark), The Sponsors — who seemed out of place (scholarships aside…University of Phoenix? really? Where did they even find the money?) or just a financial backer for a markedly arrogant endeavor, or Jim Gray — who was finally able to ascertain the answer to the years long debate; whether or not Lebron still bites his nails?

No…they didn’t.

Like I said earlier. You got me ESPN. Fooled me once, shame on me.

It won’t happen again.

…because before today, regardless of what you may have been told, it wasn’t.

But now?  Everything is out the window.  Any statistics regarding television markets, Miami Heat attendance…anything.  The books will be re-written in the 2010-2011 season, and beyond.

Lets just take a quick look…

–Well, for starters, the Heat have already sold out all of their season tickets for the upcoming season.  Compare that to the 2009-10 season where they ranked 15th in attendance, averaging 17,730 fans a game, which put them at 90.5% capacity.  On a related side note, how timely is it that the Heat just unveiled their new online ticket system (which was actually down for most of today, but still),

Expecting an uptick in season ticket sales once this summer’s NBA free agents decide where they will be playing, the Heat has officially launched a new online season ticket sales system.

Called Heat SeatPick, the system — designed by the team’s information technology department — allows fans to check seat availability in real time and purchase tickets without needing to speak with a sales representative. The system also includes a 3-D seat viewer that shows views from the AmericanAirlines Arena stands.

“In recent years, consumers have become increasingly comfortable with the secure online purchase of big ticket items, so we designed Heat SeatPick with this trend in mind,” Heat President of Business Operations Eric Woolworth said in a statement. “Season tickets are a substantial investment often accompanied by questions about seat locations, sightlines and inventory, and we believe the platform directly and thoroughly addresses these concerns.” (via Sarah Talalay)

–Need more? Forbes ranked the Miami Heat 12th out of all NBA teams, with a team value of $364M.  After the Lebron decision? that number has increased to roughly $400M which would have the Heat ranked 9th as far as team valuations go, with the Cavs also dropping down to $370M.

–Miami also has the 12th largest radio market and 17th largest television market in the United States.  While certainly not the largest market it, along with a 5.5M person metro-population, is certainly sizeable.

–Furthermore, you can also expect Miami to challenge the Lakers for the “team jersey sales” title (Lebron & Wade were #2 and #5 respectively in jersey sales for 2010), and for Lebron’s new Miami Heat #6 to challenge Kobe Bryant for most popular NBA jersey.

–Lets not forget the obscene amount of national television coverage the Heat will now garner.  Lede in’s on Sports Center, numerous showings on TNT and ESPN; regardless of opponent.  Of course, its all with good reason; you’d be hard pressed to argue that the Eastern Conference Champion for the foreseeable future wouldn’t have to go through Miami…if it wasn’t Miami itself.

–If you’re looking at endorsement deals, or sponsors, again, Miami is in the argument.  If you’re dealing with individual sponsors are there two players on a team that have more endorsement deals and more endorsement money than Wade and James?  And corporate sponsors will find the Heat to be an attractive option as well, especially if the team is able to produce a championship or two.

Talented players, high attendance, a sizeable market, lucrative merchandising and branding, and a large amount of television coverage.

Sure, maybe basketball wasn’t invented in Miami, or even made popular in Miami, but five years from now, we might be looking at this day as the day that basketball was re-invented.

Miami.  The new basketball mecca.

Lebron and his marketing company LRMR have lured New Orleans PG Chris Paul away from Octagon and into the LRMR fold.

James and LRMR CEO Maverick Carter have been recruiting Paul for more than two years to join their fledgling marketing company, and the All-Star guard finally informed his agency at Octagon that he had decided to leave.

LRMR has yet to make a formal announcement that Paul will be joining them, and sources believed they might have been waiting to use James’ Thursday night free-agent announcement as a backdrop to release the story.

“He’s left Octagon,” Paul’s agent Jeff Austin told Yahoo! Sports.  ”We’re proud of the work we did with him over the past five years.  We wish him nothing but the best.” (via Yahoo! Sports)

Wow.  Octagon is an established player in the sports marketing world.  They had negotiated various deals for Paul before his departure, including Right Guard and Team Jordan.  LRMR on the other hand, has seemingly been run largely on Lebron James’ own money and hasn’t really had any major players enter their client stable, they don’t even have a client roster listed on their website, until Paul’s signing. (NOTE: LRMR did sign Wide Receiver Ted Ginn a few years ago, O.J. Mayo briefly, and have wooed #1 NBA draft pick John Wall, but there seemingly hasn’t been much else)  Yet apparently, LRMR has something that Chris Paul values.

So, what has LRMR done for Lebron since he left Goodwin Sports?

Here’s where the cliff presents itself: since leaving Goodwin in late 2005, LeBron has inked deals with … Microsoft (a short-lived, low-impact partnership most NBA fans never saw), State Farm insurance, Cub Cadet lawnmowers and McDonald’s, the last of which was reportedly in the works before James left Goodwin. LeBron also recently reupped his Nike deal, with CNBC’s Darren Rovell reporting that it was likely for less per annum than the original 2003 deal negotiated by Goodwin. (via Fanhouse)

I’ll await for more information before rendering a verdict on Chris Paul…and his marketing career.

One of the most anticipated decisions in the sports world – where NBA superstar free agent LeBron James will play next season and beyond – will be officially revealed on “The Decision,” to be presented live on ESPN and ESPN Radio Thursday, July 8, at 9 p.m. ET.

For those of you wondering, ESPN and Lebron have decided to sell sponsorship and ad space during what will presumably be a highly viewed press conference.  The program itself will be presented by the University of Phoenix and Bing, while various other James’ sponsors such as Vitaminwater, McDonalds, Nike, and Sprite will either sponsor or make contributions to/for the program.  A portion of these various proceeds will go to the Boys and Girls Club of America.

So, to recap… ESPN and Lebron James have teamed up to create an hour long press conference about James’ free agency plans to which they’ve sold sponsorship and taken contributions…a portion of which are donated to charity.

There are no winners in this situation.

Could James come off looking more narcissistic?  Who needs to hold an hour long press conference just to inform everyone where you’ll be playing basketball next season?  Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh had a joint 10 minute interview on SportsCenter.  In other sports, even when marquee players sign, its a quick interview, if not just a Q&A with an expert in that particular sport.

But the charity angle…that negates all of the “bad thoughts”, right?

Does Lebron’s checkbook not work?  Could Lebron not hold an event with some corporate sponsorship and probably make even more money than the proposed “Decision” will make for some worthwhile charity?

Most importantly, we have no clue about the percentage going to charity.  Without that number, there will always be people that think you’re donating $1.00…even if you’re not.  So, it would be almost impossible to convince some people that the gesture is as good-natured as it appears on its face.

The sponsors? They almost seem guilty by association.  Donating money to a cause which inevitably may not do much more than boost the ego of the self proclaimed “king of Akron”…Right or wrong, I can honestly say that I don’t feel all “lovey-dovey” towards Sprite and Nike, now that I know their a part of this event.  Again, if the event was anything more than an ego fest (i.e. about donating money to a charity) why not send the charity a check and not have the event?  It’s one of those situations where the event has a completely different connotation, depending on which one of the two facets came first.  Here, the charity is an after-thought, hence the ego fest.

And what of the network carrying the presser, ESPN?  The network that has been enamored with James ever since he was in high school, when they were showing his playoff games?  Well, to start, they’ve basically handcuffed every one of their NBA reporters.  Chris Broussard can’t give the Lebron scoop (assuming he discovers it) because he’d be scooping his own network.  Funny thing though…they hired him to find scoops.

It’s an amazingly counter-productive catch-22 ESPN has given to its NBA employees.  The point was succinctly stated last night:

The problem facing ESPN’s reporters? If they scoop the network, they’re in trouble. If they don’t get the scoop, they fail. — Don Van Natta

Catch-22 aside though, the fact that ESPN would even agree to take things to this level; is this to be the norm?  Press events for something that is a non-event (or a relatively short event)?  This whole situation, ratings bonanza or not, sounds so juvenile.  It’s like a self-esteem boost for the most confident person in the world (unnecessary).  It really is like the kids in high school, putting on the hat of the college they’ll be attending.

High School.  Yeah, that’s about right.

Did I mention that the soccer team is in England? The English national team, to be exact.

Controversial social networking website Facebook are in talks with the Football Association about becoming the new sponsor of the England team.

They are one of four companies pitching for the contract, with the FA hoping for more than double the £20million on the table from England’s long-time sponsor Nationwide.

Facebook, the world’s largest social network with more than 400m users, is showing interest despite the national team’s woeful World Cup. (via The Daily Mail, by way of Sponsorpitch)

Wow. On its face, the partnership between the F.A. and Facebook seems to be tremendously advantageous to the F.A. Facebook already has a variety of available options to either drive fans to a particular point (i.e. through a Facebook ad) or solicit fan opinions (i.e. a fan page or a developed application).  All of these things, and presumably some never before seen Facebook options would be available to the English team were they to be sponsored by the social networking site.

Of course, Facebook does face a few hurdles in their quest to enter the sports sponsorship foray.  Namely, sponsorship competition from other competitors including current sponsor, Nationwide.  There is also a time constraint; England’s next match is on August 11th, and it would make sense to have a new sponsor in play before the match (especially if it is Facebook) for the sake of unveiling and generating attention.

But, yet and still…the idea of Facebook being a player in the world of sports sponsorship…I wonder if we’ll see other social networking sites (i.e. Twitter) potentially get into the mix as well?  If for no other reason than the fact that it seems easy to either generate or increase fan bases due to the fact that user interaction would pre-date the sponsorship deal…

That’s right, skater Rob Dyrdek’s Street League will be seen on ESPN 2 this fall, with skaters competing for over $1.2M in prizes.

Street League Skateboarding™ announced today that it will be entering a multi-year partnership with ESPN for worldwide distribution in more than 198 countries.  The 2010 Street League DC Pro Tour fueled by Monster Energy is a prestigious, invite-only, three-event series featuring the top 24 pros in the world.  Founded by twenty-year professional skateboarder and entrepreneur, Rob Dyrdek, Street League™ raises the bar of competitive professional skateboarding with the most prize money in skateboarding history, skate plaza course design in world-class arenas, and an instant-scoring format that makes every trick count.

Street League™  will air the first stop of the tour beginning Wednesday, September 15 at 8 p.m. PT on ESPN2 and will continue its coverage of each stop every Wednesday at the same time slot through September 29th.

Street League™  features the exclusive participation of 24 of the best street skateboarders in the world. To assist their transition into the league, each pro has been given the option to compete in two non-sanctioned wildcard events until the end of 2010. Beginning in 2011, the pros will compete exclusively in the Street League™ series and other Street League™ sanctioned events worldwide.  Street League™ will work in conjunction with ESPN to allow Street League™ pros to participate in ESPN-owned events for the duration of the partnership.

Even though the event will only air for three weeks total, its interesting to not only see ESPN taking a chance on street skatboarding, but also recognizing the sport as a viable primetime option (at least for those on the west coast).  Moves like this always seem exciting to me, mainly because it shows a willingness to put something other than the four major sports on television.  Accompanying that willingness is the fact that it must make sense as far advertising revenue and the like, or else the program wouldn’t air (right?).

Hopefully, this move can lead to an even greater showing of sports programming diversity in the future. If for no other reason that the fact that its nice to have options.