ESPN.com presents Sports Business http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness 60 en-us Wed, 16 May 2012 12:39:53 webmaster@espn.go.com http://assets.espn.go.com/i/espn/teamlogos/lrg/trans/espn_dotcom_black.gif 110 110 Danica Patrick had a disappointing NASCAR Sprint Cup race debut at Daytona, finishing 38th. She hasn’t won a Nationwide Series event in 33 tries, with only one top 5 finish. And she didn’t exactly tear up the IndyCar Series, either, with one victory in 115 races. Even so, she continues to be an extremely powerful marketing personality, trailing only legendary drivers Richard Petty, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Jeff Gordon and John Force in the name-recognition metric known as the Q Score.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/752/endorsements-aplenty-for-danica-patrick Fri, 11 May 2012 11:52:33 EDT 752 The Atlantic Coast Conference’s television contract extension with ESPN, announced Wednesday, is the first of three major conference deals expected to be finalized in the next few months. The ACC contract was extended after the addition of new members Syracuse University and the University of Pittsburgh last September. The shifting of schools as part of conference realignment also led to changes in the Big 12 and Southeastern Conference that has those existing deals in play, too.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/720/college-tv-rights-deals-undergo-makeovers Thu, 10 May 2012 12:55:47 EDT 720 Bryce Harper burst onto the scene in Washington, D.C., batting .300 in his first nine games as a major leaguer, with six doubles and three RBIs. So far, he’s everything Nationals fans hoped he would be. Living up to those high expectations on a team tied for the division lead should make him a marketer’s dream … one day. “Because baseball is such a regional sport, it’s difficult to become a national household name without postseason exposure and World Series rings,” said Bob Dorfman, executive vice president and executive creative director at Baker Street Advertising.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/705/harper-may-have-to-wait-for-marketing-hits Wed, 9 May 2012 13:18:50 EDT 705 More than 160,000 fans are expected to crowd into Churchill Downs on Saturday to watch the “fastest two minutes in sports.” Ticket demand for the Kentucky Derby has surpassed all prior years, according to ticket reseller StubHub. More than 3,000 fans purchased tickets online, though prices have been about 10 percent lower than last year. Twenty-four hours before the Derby, the get-in price on StubHub was $245 for lower grandstand seats at the 3/16 pole.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/688/kentucky-derby-big-numbers-all-around Fri, 4 May 2012 14:31:10 EDT 688 Our friends over at the "Outside the Lines" The File blog have an interesting post up this morning: The Kansas State athletic department was the nation's most profitable in 2010-11. Hard to believe it topped powerhouses like Texas, Florida and LSU, but the documents don't lie. Take a look, and see where your favorite school landed in the complete database of D-I revenues and expenses.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/681/k-state-most-profitable-athletic-department Fri, 4 May 2012 09:05:17 EDT 681 Andrew Luck might be the top pick in the NFL Draft, but Madison Avenue has its sights on the likely second pick, Robert Griffin III. “When it comes down to marketability, it’s no contest,” said John Stone, director of business development at New England Consulting Group. “Luck is awkward in the way he speaks. RGIII is a rock star. “[Griffin] is someone who we haven’t seen in a couple of decades. If you look at some the most iconic marketing stars in the last decade -- [Derek] Jeter, [Peyton] Manning, [Michael] Jordan -- RGIII is ahead of them at the same age as far as charisma, overall dynamic personality, his ability to communicate, his authenticity and just being a refreshing personality.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/666/in-this-years-draft-it-will-pay-to-be-no-2 Thu, 26 Apr 2012 11:14:23 EDT 666 Through the years, discussion of a college football playoff system has been full of unknowns. But this much is certain: should the BCS bowl system be chucked in favor of a playoff, a financial windfall will follow. Economists and television consultants value a playoff system around $600 million to $1.5 billion per year, depending on the number of teams included. That’s a major increase from the more than $125 million per year the BCS currently receives annually from its contract with ESPN for the national championship, Fiesta Bowl, Orange Bowl and Sugar Bowl.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/658/college-football-playoff-a-big-moneymaker Wed, 25 Apr 2012 08:26:50 EDT 658 It’s hard to believe with all of the celebrations surrounding Fenway Park’s 100th year that a mere 10 years ago many people were talking about tearing down the ballpark. The thinking was that the new Boston Red Sox owners would need a modern stadium to generate the kind of money that would make buying the team a smart business move. Yet Fenway was saved from the wrecking ball and modernized by a $285 million, 10-year renovation that also added 3,500 seats.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/651/fenway-renovations-paying-off-immensely Fri, 20 Apr 2012 12:22:19 EDT 651 Pending Idaho Board of Education approval, Boise State University has signed its first all-sports contract with Nike. Boise State has had three separate contracts with Nike that pay about $280,000 per year in cash and product, but that number will rise substantially under the new contract. Boise State will receive $850,000 in product and equipment each of the first two years of the contract, $1 million in each of the next two years and $1.15 million in each of the last two years.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/644/nike-deal-boosts-boise-state-revenues Wed, 18 Apr 2012 14:03:30 EDT 644 Despite a slow start that has the Miami Marlins in last place in the National League East, the team’s new ballpark and logo have fans in ticket- and merchandise-buying mode. Through the first four home games, the Marlins rank ninth in baseball in attendance, filling Marlins Park (37,442 seats) to an average 88.6 percent capacity. That’s about the same as the New York Yankees saw in 2009 in their first year in the new Yankee Stadium. The Mets did a little better with 92.]]> http://espn.go.com/blog/sportsbusiness/post/_/id/612/big-sales-for-marlins-with-new-home-logo Tue, 17 Apr 2012 13:25:47 EDT 612