Sports Organizations
John Skipper was named president of ESPN and co-chair of Disney Media Networks. Skipper, who has been with ESPN since 1997, has been its executive vice-president of content since 2005. Before that, he was senior vice-president of the Disney Publishing Group. Skipper is succeeding George Bodenheimer, who was named executive chairman of ESPN. Bodenheimer has been with the network for 31 years.
Steve Pastorino has resigned as general manager of USA Team Handball, the national governing body of the sport of team handball. Pastorino, who cited a desire to pursue other opportunities, had led the organization since its inception in 2008.
Joe Castiglione, the vice-president of intercollegiate athletics programs and director of athletics at the University of Oklahoma, has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball Committee. He takes the position previously held by former Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe.
The Ragnar Relay Series, which organizes overnight running races, has named Dave Klewan vice-president of corporate sponsorships. Klewan was previously head of partnerships for the Los Angeles Marathon and prior to that served as vice-president, partnerships and events at the AVP Pro Beach Volleyball Tour.
NASCAR appointed Kim Brink as managing director for brand and consumer marketing. Brink formerly served as the executive director of advertising and sales promotion for Cadillac at General Motors Corp.
The New England Nordic Ski Association, a group that promotes the athletic development of New England cross-country skiers, has become just the eighth organization in the U.S. to be certified by the U.S. Olympic Committee as a community sport group in its Community Olympic Development Program. The program works with national governing bodies to provide opportunities for youth to participate in Olympic and Paralympic sports.
The NCAA and the Atlanta Organizing Committee have unveiled the logo for the 2013 Men’s Final Four. The 2013 tournament will be the 75th Final Four and will be the fourth held in Atlanta. It is scheduled for April 6 and April 8, 2013, at the Georgia Dome.
The North American Lacrosse League has announced a new team for its first season, which begins this month. The Kentucky Stickhorses, who will play home games at Freedom Hall at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, are the league’s fifth team and will compete against teams from Charlotte, Jacksonville, Hershey and Wilkes-Barre/Scranton.
Hosts & Suppliers
The Phoenix Regional Sports Commission has appointed Aaron Muth to the newly created position of director of events. Muth was previously sports tourism and development manager for the Mesa (Arizona) Convention & Visitors Bureau.
Sports Hampton (Virginia) has named Craig Lenniger sports logistics coordinator. Lenniger, who produces the annual Hampton, VA Sports Festival, is also president of Stop Watch Sports LLC and director of operations for the Extreme Volleyball Professionals Pro Beach Tour.
Mary Beck and Robert Greenway have been named to the board of directors of Armada Sports & Entertainment Inc., a sports marketing company that owns and develops made-for-television events. Beck is senior vice-president of marketing and promotion for the MLB Network. Greenway, who is now retired, was most recently executive vice-president of programming, production and operations at the Golf Channel.
Vision International, an XXL-format digital printer, and Color Graphics, a visual merchandising graphics printer, have merged to form Vision Graphics. The Salt Lake City company will continue to provide services from printing a single fabric banner to designing and producing graphics for an entire event.
PrimeSport, a provider of tickets, packages and corporate hospitality events at sports events around the world, has extended its partnership with the NCAA. Under the deal, PrimeSport is the official ticket and hospitality package provider for the upcoming Division I Men’s Basketball Tournament, the Men’s Final Four, the Women’s Final Four and the Men’s Frozen Four. As the NCAA’s only approved ticket and hospitality package provider, PrimeSport can offer guaranteed seat locations and official hospitality.
William Bos has been promoted to senior worldwide sales manager at Best Western International Inc. Bos, a 20-year veteran of the hospitality industry, first joined the company in 2008 as worldwide sales manager. He has also worked for the InterContinental Hotels Group, Kempinski Hotels and Fairmont Hotels.
Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has appointed Jennifer Fox president. Fox was chief operating officer of managed operations in continental Europe at InterContinental Hotels Group. She has also held leadership posts in brand marketing at Sheraton and InterContinental and been general manager of several luxury hotels around the world. She succeeds Chris Cahill, who recently resigned as president to focus on his duties as chief operating officer.
Antlers Hilton/ Colorado Springs has named Timothy Wolfe general manager. Wolfe has more than 25 years of experience in hotel management and was most recently area general manager for RDA Hotel Management, overseeing Sheraton-Denver West and the Burnsley All Suite Hotel, also located in Denver.
Sites & Venues
U.S. Soccer and the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) have selected Nashville; Carson, California; and Kansas City, Kansas, to host the 2012 men’s Olympic qualifying tournament. The tournament, scheduled for March 22 to April 2, will determine the organizations’ representatives at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.
Daytona Beach, Florida, has been selected to host the 2012 National Collegiate Wrestling Championships, scheduled for March 8–10. The 15th annual event was originally set for Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, but moved because of a scheduling conflict.
The Amgen Tour of California has selected the 13 official host cities for the 2012 race, set to begin on May 13. The seventh edition of the international professional cycling race will visit two new cities, Sonora and Ontario, along with Santa Rosa, San Francisco, Santa Cruz County, San Jose, Livermore, Clovis, Bakersfield, Palmdale, Big Bear Lake, Mt. Baldy and downtown Los Angeles, where the final stage of the race will send riders around L.A. Live, the city’s sports and entertainment district.
Plans for a new event center in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, have been approved by a public vote. The new multipurpose arena is set to be built next to the city’s convention center and arena and will be able to seat 12,000 spectators for basketball, 10,450 for hockey, 13,000 for a concert, and 5,750 for rodeo, and fit 180 standard booths for a trade show. It is scheduled for completion by fall of 2014.
Sponsors & Licensing
NASCAR and Sprint have signed a multiyear agreement, extending Sprint’s role as title sponsor of NASCAR through 2016. Sprint first became title sponsor in February 2004 and has since introduced NASCAR Sprint Cup Mobile, allowing Sprint customers to follow NASCAR events on their wireless devices; the Sprint Experience mobile marketing display, which entertains fans at NASCAR Sprint Cup Series events across the country; and Miss Sprint Cup, who has more than 1.2 million followers on Facebook and Twitter.
Samsung has signed on as presenting sponsor of the 2012 UCI Para-cycling Track World Championships. The event is scheduled for February 10–12 at the Home Depot Center Velodrome in Carson, California. It is expected to draw about 230 athletes from 30 countries and will serve as the final qualifying event for U.S. athletes to be nominated to the U.S. Paralympic Cycling Team that will compete in the 2012 Paralympic Games in London.
The USOC has extended its agreement with e-commerce provider TeamFanShop. Under the agreement, TeamFanShop is the preferred e-commerce service hosting official online stores for the USOC through 2020. The agreement also makes TeamFanShop the official online store provider for six of the USOC’s national governing bodies: USA Curling, USA Field Hockey, U.S. Ski & Snowboard, U.S. Speedskating, USA Swimming and USA Team Handball.
I Am Athlete LLC, which provides race registration, fundraising tools, product merchandising and social networking through its technology platform, has formed a partnership with events, communications and creative services firm PSA. The agreement aims at offering athletes a seamless experience from registration to travel needs and allows users to plan itineraries and receive discounted hotel and travel rates. I Am Athlete, based in Santa Monica, California, has also unveiled its loyalty program, myPR. The participation rewards program is designed to provide race directors with increased revenue, and to donate a percentage of race revenue to charities.
USA Luge and the U.S. Army National Guard have formed a one-year sponsorship and marketing agreement. All national luge team sleds, jackets and race suits will feature the National Guard logo, and a National Guard athlete school visit program will be created this spring.
The National Guard has also become a sponsor of the U.S. Bobsled and Skeleton Federation’s 2011–12 season. As part of the agreement, USBSF will provide the National Guard with a designated wrap on a four-man bobsled, bring USBSF soldier-athletes into classrooms across the country as mentors, and provide recruitment opportunities at the world championships in Lake Placid, New York, in February 2012.
And Finally...
Luxury jeweler Tiffany & Co. has unveiled its latest jewel: the Tiffany-produced U.S. Ski & Snowboard Association Gold Pass. The rare gem (only 400 will be produced annually) can be acquired by donors who give a minimum annual contribution of $10,000 to the U.S. Ski & Snowboard Team Foundation. The price comes with its perks; donors are given unlimited access to skiing or snowboarding at resorts across the U.S., and invitations to special events. Funds go toward athlete development, training, education and travel. The Gold Pass, true to Tiffany’s standards, is packaged in a little blue box.
—Edited by Alexia Gura
