Can Media Be Held Liable For Assisting In Sponsorship Ambush?

We've seen legal action proposed and taken against ambushers, but USAA just filed a lawsuit against a paper that it says facilitated an ambush attempt of its 10 year Army-Navy game presenting sponsorship. It claims the Military Times, owned by Gannett, helped pass off Navy Federal Credit Union as game sponsor. “Just like the NFL protects the Super Bowl from those who are not official sponsor...

Study: Sponsorship To Be Fastest Segment Of Sports Revenue Through 2015

PwC is out with its latest global sports market outlook, a must read for anyone interested in seriously working in sponsorship. As expected, the prevailing themes are selling global and adding more sophistication to measurement. While the firm says that sponsorship growth rates will be fairly even across the globe (4.4% in Asia to 6.1% NA), PwC points out that in some regions like BRIC and Asia...

IOC Says Partners Must Stay Neutral In Upcoming Prez Vote

New ethics rules surrounding the 2013 IOC presidential vote are aimed at ensuring greater equality among candidates for the IOC's top spot. According to the new directive, TOP partners "shall refrain from making any public declaration and may in no way support a candidature." Jacques Rogge's run as president will end in 2013. In other news, the IOC has also banned candidates from using s...

NBA Exec Says League Hasn't Lost One Partner Due To Lockout

According to the Wall Street Journal, the NBA, which will now begin its season on Christmas day, is set to announce long-term advertising partnership renewals with Anheuser-Busch InBev, Gatorade and AutoTrader.com later today. Mark Tatum, the National Basketball Association's executive vice president of global marketing partnerships, said the league didn't lose one partner because of the NBA ow...

Qualcomm Stadium Renamed Snapdragon Stadium For 10 Days Only

Qualcomm is taking an interesting tactic towards promoting its Snapdragon mobile processor this holiday season. The San Diego-based company announced on Friday that it would rename Qualcomm Stadium, home of the San Diego Chargers, to Snapdragon Stadium for 10 days. “Any where you have the big Qualcomm signage – in and around the parking lot, on the stadium, in the seating bowl -- we will re...

Illinois Company Invests $1 Million In India's First American-Style Football League

The Elite Football League of India (EFLI), India's first pro league for American-style football, today announced that Illinois-based, Schutt Sports, a leading maker of football helmets and faceguards, will commit 2,000 helmets, 2,300 face guards, 2,000 shoulders pads and additional accessories and equipment as part of its first million dollar sponsorship. Just last week, a PwC study projected t...

NBA Inks Multi-Year Marketing Partnership With Under Armour

A day after announcing major ad partnership renewals with Gatorade, Anheuser-Busch and AutoTrader.com, the NBA on Tuesday announced a new multi-year partnership with fast growing apparel-maker, Under Armour, Inc. The deal will promote Under Armour's basketball shoe line, Micro G, which was launched just over a year ago. Terms of the deal were not released. As part of this partnership, Under...

Report: BBVA Lands $20M Naming Rights To Houston's New MLS Stadium

The Houston Chronicle reports that BBVA Compass has signed a 10-year, $20 million naming rights deal on the Dynamo's new stadium, which will open on May 12, 2012. BBVA Compass Stadium will reportedly be announced at a new conference on Wednesday afternoon in Houston. The deal is the latest in a string of sports sponsorships for the international bank, which has aggressively expanded thro...

Sprint To Take T-Mobile's Spot As NBA Partner

The NBA today announced a multi-year deal with Kansas-based telecom, Sprint. The deal has been rumored for months and was first reported during the lockout back in September. Sprint will take over for T-Mobile, which had been a major sponsor of the league since 2005. According to SBD, the four-year deal is worth a $45 million rights fee and the total value of the agreement could reach $250 ...

IMG College Inks Lease-To-Own Retailer To 30 School Sponsorship

Aaron’s, Inc., a lease-to-own retailer specializing in the sales and lease ownership of residential furniture, consumer electronics, home appliances and accessories, has signed a multi-year agreement with IMG College to sponsor athletic programs at 30 top universities across the nation. Aaron’s is no stranger to college sports, but the deal according to officials will "considerably expand the C...