Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT) has a patented endorsement platform which provides their users daily media analysis, and the ability to explore cross-media licensing opportunities for their marketing ventures. Under BAT’s licensing deal with the MLBPA, people utilizing BAT’s endorsement platform will have the ability to present potential endorsement opportunities to any one of the MLBPA’s 750+ players.

“We are extremely excited that the MLBPA recognized BAT’s unique capabilities as a leader in technology and marketing solutions and are excited to offer our advertising and brand partners exceptional access to all its players for sponsorship and endorsement opportunities,” said Ryan Steelberg, co-founder and CEO of BAT. “This landmark agreement really highlights the marketing value of Major League baseball players and we are thrilled to work with the MLBPA.” (via Press Release)

BAT, which already works with numerous well-established companies such as AT&T, Comcast, and Sony, has already established itself in the marketing technology field, but the fact that their platform has now opened up the entire MLB roster has to look pretty appealing to marketers looking to utilize multiple baseball players in their next national or regional marketing campaign. And its also a way to open up players to new endorsement partners as well,

“BAT’s unique ability to provide targeted athlete recommendations, licensing and clearance solutions, through their digital platform to brands across our 750 players is a fantastic capability and we felt this was a key opportunity for players to gain access to new endorsement partners,” said Richard White, MLBPA General Manager of Business Affairs. “This new relationship is a true milestone for the MLBPA and we are excited to work with BAT.”

More information about BAT can be found on the Brand Affinity Website.

Similar to Gatorade, FUSE Science develops various proprietary technologies that look to provide quick and efficient delivery of essential nutrients.

“I am excited to be part of the FUSE Science family which is presenting breakthrough technology that will help my performance and energy,” said David Ortiz, “I started using FUSE Science’s EnerJel product and I am amazed at how it has helped me stay in great shape. EnerJel helps me with pain relief and provides natural energy in a matter of minutes. I believe that you need to keep your body in perfect condition to be competitive throughout the long baseball season, especially as you get older, and FUSE Products help me do that.” (via Press Release)

The ‘EnerJel’ product referenced by Ortiz will be the first product released for Fuse Science — a gel-type, anti-inflammatory/energy source that is applied to problem areas.

“This is another big day in the POWERED by FUSE world,” said Adam Adler, CEO of FUSE Science. We are taking major steps to ensure the POWERED by FUSE Team represents the best and we are very pleased that the one and only Big Papi has decided to join our team.”

For a company that could easily be considered a relative unknown in the sports marketing world, Fuse Science has done a lot to raise its profile in the last couple weeks. While the branding building power of a slumping Tiger Woods and an aging David Ortiz remains to be seen, if Fuse Science is able to capitalize off of one or both of the athletes the endorsement deals will be well worth their money.

David Ortiz. Now powered by FUSE.

MLB ’12, The Show will be available for both the Playstation 3 and Playstation Vita systems on March 6, 2012 just before the beginning of MLB Spring Training.  The 2012 iteration of the game will be the first video game cover for Gonzalez, who is a four time All-Star and a candidate for the 2011 AL MVP award.

“I feel very humbled to be chosen for the cover of MLB 12 The Show,” said Gonzalez, who recently won his third Gold Glove Award.  ”I think most sports fans would agree it’s a dream come true to be immortalized as the cover athlete for a video game so I jumped at the chance to work with a leading franchise like The Show—it’s truly a great honor.”

Gonzalez joins a growing list of elite athletes to grace the cover of Sony’s The Show, including Twins catcher Joe Mauer, Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia and Phillies first baseman Ryan Howard.  According to Sony, the decision to go with Gonzalez as the cover athlete was an easy one,

“With a standout 2011 season in his first year with the Boston Red Sox, Adrian Gonzalez has cemented himself as one of the best all-around players in baseball,” said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President, Product Marketing, SCEA.  ”Similarly, The Showhas been the market leader and the highest rated, best-selling baseball video game franchise of all time.  Therefore, Adrian was an easy choice and a perfect fit to represent the next installment of our critically acclaimed series, MLB 12 The Show.”

The independent Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) rating for MLB 12 The Show is “RP” for “Rating Pending.”  For more information about the ESRB visit http://www.esrb.org.  For more information about the MLB 12 The Show, visithttp://theshownation.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/mlbtheshow.

2K Sports has chosen Tigers pitcher Justin Verlander as the cover athlete for Major League Baseball 2k12; the newest iteration in their long running ‘MLB 2k’ series.

It’s a dream come true to be on the cover of Major League Baseball 2k12 ,” said Verlander, who pitched the second no-hitter of his career this season. “I’ve worked closely with 2K Sports on the MLB 2K series since 2007, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue my relationship with such a great baseball game.” (via Press Release)

MLB 2k12, which is developed by 2K sports’ Visual Concepts studio, will be available for the XBox 360, Playstation 3, Wii, and other hand-held video game systems in March, prior to the start of the 2012 MLB season.

“Justin’s amazing performance this season speaks for itself,” added Jason Argent, vice president of marketing for 2K Sports. “Between his second career no-hitter and leading the league in virtually every pitching category, I can’t think of anyone else but Justin Verlander to serve as the face of Major League Baseball 2K12.”

For more information about 2K sports and all of their products, check out their website.

96% of their seats, to be exact.

The Dodgers will also offer more than 35,000 seats — at the 56,000 seat Dodger stadium — at a price point at or below $20, on a season ticket basis.

“A lot of factors got us to our pricing, but feedback directly from fans is at the forefront,” said David Siegel, senior director of ticket sales. “You can’t ignore the fact the California economic climate is a factor. We decided changes needed to be made and we made adjustments. At the end of the day, it’s about our fans.” (via Press Release)

The Dodgers will also offer numerous benefits for 2012 season ticket holders, including early entry into the stadium, and the chance to play catch, on-field, with friends and family after select games.

The Dodgers brought in a little under 3 million fans in 81 games this season, averaging about 36,000 fans a game — 65% of Dodger Stadium’s capacity. The team brought in 3.5 million fans in the same number of games last season, an average of about 44,000 fans a game.

According to BizJournals, San Jose city officials are scheduled to discuss the proposed sale of multiple parcels of land in preparation for a new Athletics stadium in San Jose.

San Jose City Council members, acting as the San Jose Diridon Development Authority, are scheduled to discuss pricing and terms for the six parcels that the city owns near Diridon station. They make up about half of the 14 acres where the A’s new home park would be built.

So…are the A’s on their way to San Jose? Well, not quite. For starters, the team does not have MLB approval to move the team from Oakland to San Jose — they plan on using the land purchase to encourage MLB — approval which is necessary for a move to San Jose, or anywhere else.

The A’s would also have to purchase two other parcels in order to acquire the amount of land necessary to build the stadium and surrounding structures. And finally, the San Francisco Giants hold all territorial rights to the city of San Jose and surrounding areas, and any move to the city would be subject to Giants approval.

Major League Baseball has been studying the A’s proposed move to San Jose since 2009, although they’ve given no indication as to when they will make their recommendation.

In short, the Athletics are about to make a pricey land purchase that may or not pay off depending on a number of factors. Of course, if everything does somehow work out, the city of San Jose may find themselves with a baseball team in their future.

Andrew McCutchen. Jeff Karstens. Neil Walker.

Those three may not be known to many outside of the ‘baseball fanatic’ circle, but, over the next month, the average baseball viewer will be getting better acquainted with that trio, and the rest of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

ESPN has already announced that the Pirates will be making their 2011 national television debut when they visit the Atlanta Braves this evening at 7pm. Sean McDonough will be in the booth along with ESPN analysts Rick Sutcliffe and Aaron Boone. Senior ESPN MLB reporter Tim Kurkjian will be reporting from the field.

The Pirates were last seen on national TV (MLB-TV) on June 8th of last year, but that appearance wasn’t for the play of the Bucs, it was the debut of Washington Nationals’ pitcher Steven Strasburg. Going into today’s series against the Braves, the Pirates find themselves tied for 1st place in the NL Central — the latest in the year the team has been in first place since 1992.

Of course, ESPN isn’t the only network taking notice of the play of the baseball team from Pittsburgh, Fox will be broadcasting the Pirates game when they face the Milwaukee Brewers on August 13th.

Also taking notice of the Pirates? The people of Pittsburgh. Although its only midway through the baseball season, the Pirates are currently averaging 4,000+ more fans a game at home, and they have already achieved 75% of 2010′s attendance numbers will 30 home games still yet to be played.

British Petroleum (BP) has signed a partnership deal with the Indians to become the Indians “Official Fuel Provider”. BP will now hold naming rights to the Indians’ pre-game batting practice, and as a bonus to the fans, fans that catch BP-branded balls during the Indians’ batting practice will be able to win BP gift cards.

Furthermore, Indians fans who pump more than 10 gallons at participating BP service stations — there are 215 stations in the Northeastern Ohio area — will receive lottery-type scratch off tickets. Each ticket reveals a code, and after registering five codes (at BPIndiansBaseball.com) fans receive a password, which is used on the site to obtain two free mezzanine tickets for a future Indians home game. The promotion runs from June 1st to August 30th.

“BP is building on its commitment to local drivers and adding to the fan excitement following the start of the Indians season,” said, Kevin Phelan, Vice President of Sales and Marketing. “We’re rewarding our customers for something they’re already doing, which makes this offer especially convenient.”

The Indians and BP will celebrate the partnership this Friday, June 3, with a public event that offers fans the chance to meet former Indians players Len Barker and Joe Charboneau and Indians super-fan John Adams.

“It’s an exciting time to be a Tribe fan,” said Cleveland Indians Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing Vic Gregovits. “We are in the business of creating memories here at the ballpark and providing affordable family-friendly experiences for all to enjoy. The partnership with BP further extends an opportunity for added value for Indians fans throughout the region while filling up at the pump.”

Again, look for the Indians promotions with BP at Progressive Field and at Cleveland area BP stations for the rest of the baseball season.

The Pirates are making discounted outfield box seats available for select Friday night games — July 8, 22, August 5,9, September 9, 23 — as long as the tickets are ordered at least one week prior to the actual game. The promotion will also include a limited edition Pirates hat and t-shirt. (sidenote: Every Friday at the ball park is a “free-shirt Friday).

The Pirates are currently 3 games under .500, and only 6 1/2 games out of first place in the National League’s Central Division.

“This agreement has provided an added value to the price of a Pennsylvania hunting and furtaker license,” said Carl G. Roe, Pennsylvania Game Commission executive director. “We are pleased that the Pittsburgh Pirates recognize the importance of our license buyers to wildlife management, as well as the economy, of the state and the Steel City region, by offering this discount.”

For more information, and to order tickets, visit the Pennsylvania Game Commission website

Moving right along…

The Pittsburgh Pirates signed a sponsorship deal with local brewery, Iron City Brewing Company.  The agreement makes Iron City the lead sponsor of the Pirates annual Skyblast fireworks and music series.  The series begins on June 11th (Huey Lewis & the News), with additional concerts on July 9th (.38 Special) and August 6th (Train).

Under the agreement, each party will also have the rights to use each other’s names and logos in various advertising and marketing materials.

“Iron City and the Pirates are iconic Pittsburgh institutions that are united in their dedication to the city and its fans,” said Ed Lozano, president and CEO, Iron City Brewing Co. “As we embark on a campaign to re-connect consumers with their hometown beer, we’re proud of our new relationship with the Pirates and invite everyone to enjoy a cold Iron City or IC Light at PNC Park this summer.”

As per the deal, Iron City products will be advertised throughout PNC Park, with the Pirates utilizing pre- and post-game marketing initiatives in and around the park to generate support for both brands.

“The Pirates are very pleased to partner with Iron City and look forward to working with their new leadership on re-establishing the great partnership that existed for decades between our two organizations,” said Frank Coonelly, president, Pittsburgh Pirates.

As someone who lives in Pittsburgh, I can honestly say that many a year the Skyblast’s have, many a season, been the only reason to attend the Pirates game.  They are always well attended, and the fact that Iron City has now become the lead sponsor of these events…it will do nothing, if not increase their visibility in front of some of the guaranteed larger crowds the Pirates will see this season.

The Red Sox have teamed up with Dunkin’ Donuts for DD’s new “What Are You Drinkin?” campaign. The campaign looks to celebrate New Englander’s love of the Boston Red Sox, and Dunkin Donuts Iced Coffee. The campaign will feature Red Sox players — David Ortiz, Dustin Pedroia, Carl Crawford and Adrian Gonzalez, and Red Sox manager Terry Francona in a series of Dunkin’ Donuts commercials and advertisements.

“Nothing says New England like combining Dunkin’ Donuts with The Boston Red Sox. This campaign highlights how the team runs on Dunkin’ – whether it’s iced coffee with a turbo shot for Pedroia or an iced mocha coffee for Gonzalez – the customization and energy options we provide for our loyal guests is uniquely Dunkin’,” said Michael Mahon, Manager of Field Marketing for Dunkin’ Donuts in Boston.

Dunkin’ Donuts, in conjunction with the Red Sox, are also giving away free Red Sox tickets every Wednesday throughout the summer for anyone that is “Caught Cold” drinking a Dunkin’ Donuts Iced Coffee, and they recently had a meet and greet at Fenway Park between the players and 100 lucky fans.

The campaign, which was started in January, was created by Hill Holiday, and will run throughout the Red Sox season.

[format] Just last week Familia Camerena announced their sponsorship extension with MLB World Champion San Francisco Giants. Today? they’re announcing that they’re continuing their sponsorship deal with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, which, in case you were wondering, is still the most convoluted name in baseball history. [/format]

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“As we celebrate 50 years of Angels baseball this year, it is all about the fans,” said Dennis Kuhl, Chairman, Angels Baseball, LP. “Optimizing the fan experience wouldn’t be possible without new and dynamic partners like Familia Camarena Tequila. We are pleased to continue Familia Camarena Tequila’s presence in Angel Stadium and look forward to sharing many more milestones with this valued sponsor.”

“We are thrilled to extend our partnership with the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, a world-class team that is a favorite for so many of our consumers,” said Gerard Thoukis, Director of Marketing for Camarena. “We continue to proudly serve the team as an official sponsor, and consider the Angels an important mainstay in our expanding portfolio of sports investments from coast to coast.”

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

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“Familia Camarena Tequila’s inaugural year with the Giants was an incredible experience,” said Gerard Thoukis, Director of Marketing for Camarena. “The opportunity to continue positive momentum and exposure with a championship team in one of our marquee markets is priceless. We look forward to many more great seasons with the Giants.”

“We are pleased to continue our relationship with Familia Camarena Tequila,” said Jason Pearl, Managing Vice President of Sponsorship and New Business Development for the San Francisco Giants. “2010 is definitely a year we will never forget, from what we accomplished on the field with a World Series Championship to the start of our new partnership with Familia Camarena Tequila. We look forward to the 2011 season, and the continued success of our two brands.”

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Terms of the deal were not disclosed.

[format] Fairly standard, right? Here’s where it goes beyond the realm of the typical sponsorship. [/format]

Under the agreement JetBlue will become the title sponsor of the Red Sox’s new spring training ballpark in Lee County, Florida. The ball park, which unsurprisingly will be called JetBlue Park, will open in time for the 2012 spring training season. A new, six field, adjoining Player Development Complex will open simultaneously with the park.

[format] Furthermore, JetBlue announced that it will make an annual contribution (over the next 8 years) to the Red Sox’s capital improvement fund, a fund established by the Sox to support ongoing maintenance and improvements to the facility. They also established a program designed to provide Spring Training tickets to local non-profit groups, and will continue their sponsorship of Lindos Suenos — the Red Sox’ youth volunteer exchange program in the Dominican Republic. [/format]

[quotes]“From the outset, our relationship with JetBlue Airways has been a true partnership based on our shared commitment to the highest levels of customer service,” said Sam Kennedy, Red Sox Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. “The foundation of our work together continues to be in Boston and Fenway Park, but we’re thrilled that with today’s announcement it now officially extends not only to our new Spring Training home in Lee County, Florida, but also to our work in the Dominican Republic. This is a great day for Red Sox Nation.”[/quotes]

Additional extension terms include JetBlue signage throughout Fenway Park, and naming rights to the Red Sox Dominican Academy.

[quotes]“As the largest carrier in Boston, we are proud to be the official airline of the Red Sox, and especially proud to renew our partnership today…Whether it’s taking part in the Fenway Park Centennial celebration in 2012 or volunteering side by side with Lindos Suenos, JetBlue is committed to being an involved member of the Boston Community,” said Mr. St. George. (Marty, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Commercial Strategy for Jet Blue)[/quotes]

While JetBlue is now seemingly involved in every aspect of Red Sox marketing and sponsorship, the most intriguing piece of the extension has to be the new JetBlue Park. Both JetBlue and the Red Sox provided some insight as to what to expect from the Sox’s new 11,000 seat stadium,

A number of the characteristics of the new ballpark are taken from Fenway Park, including a “Green Monster” that will feature seating both on top of and behind the wall, as well as a manual scoreboard; exact replication of Fenway’s unique playing field dimensions seating bowl configuration; and location of the bullpens beyond the outfield wall in right-center field.

In the spirit of Yawkey Way in Boston, the street positioned immediately south of JetBlue Park on the Complex grounds will become an extension of the ballpark’s concourse and create additional space to enhance the fan experience on game days. This area will have a family-friendly, “street festival” feel featuring entertainment, concessions, and other activities, both pre-game and in-game.

[format] Again, look for JetBlue stadium to open next spring. Look for evidence of JetBlue’s sponsorship extension…anywhere you see the Red Sox. [/format]

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“This is our first partnership with a college conference, and we are honored that the Pac-10 is our first,” says Rafael Rivas, Chief Strategy Officer for TicketCity. “The universities that are part of the Pac-10, and soon to be Pac-12, are among the best in the nation both athletically and scholastically. We are happy to offer these fans the opportunity to attend conference events and proud to be part of the passion and winning tradition held by the Conference of Champions.”

“We are proud to be partnering with such an established and trusted source in the secondary ticket marketplace,” says Mitch Huberman, Senior Vice President at Pac-10 Properties, which oversees Pac-10 corporate partnerships. “We look forward to working together on ways we can continue to enhance our Pac-10 fan experience.”

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Aside from the title as “official secondary ticket provider”, Ticket City will also have a presence at conference tournaments, broadcasted games, and on the Pac-10′s website.

[format] While this is Ticket City’s first college conference partnership, they already have numerous athletic partnerships including CAL Athletics, and College Football’s TicketCity Bowl. [/format]