Sponsorship & Marketing

The WNBA has announced an increase in its number of its international television deals in the week leading up to the start of its new season.

YankeeNets is looking to further consolidate the marketing of its major league sports properties ? the NBA?s New Jersey Nets, the MLB?s New York Yankees and the NHL?s New Jersey Devils.

The NBA has launched a new marketing campaign in the UK - aimed to coincide with the finale of its season.

Sports website operator Rivals.com and the One-on-One Sports radio network have signed a marketing deal calling for the two to exchange content and advertising inventory.

The emerging battle between offshore and onshore gaming jurisdictions will be the focus of the Fourth Annual International Symposium on Internet Gambling Law and Management, to be held November 26-28 at the Royal Antiguan Beach & Tennis Resort in Antigua.

Boris Becker has criticised the new format of men's professional tennis and said that the game is heading for a crisis.

A US-based entrepreneurial partnership between two motor-racing enthusiasts has created a new company to provide marketing services to the world of professional motorsports.

Sports.com has launched a new motor sport site ? Rally Arena ? and has enlisted the support of FIA World Rally Championship pace-setters Ford Racing as founding sponsor.

Gloucester Rugby Club owner Tom Walkinshaw performed an about turn as he shelved his own proposals for the future of English Rugby Union and joined the other clubs to support a proposal drawn up by Newcastle?s Rob Andrew.

ISL Worldwide is to buy up all outdoor media sites surrounding the venues staging soccer?s Euro 2000 in a bid to thwart any plans of ambush marketing.

Laurie Landgrebe, director of marketing for Pro Player Stadium, home to the Miami Dolphins, has enlisted the help of the NFL in securing a new naming rights deal.

British cash-and-carry firm Booker has struck a deal with the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) to sponsor both international and county cricket umpires for the current season.

Kellogg USA is set up a special ?commemorative box? promotion involving eight US Olympic hopefuls in the run up to the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney. Maurice Greene, Marion Jones, Lenny Krayzelburg, Jenny Thompson, Amy Chow, Mark Ruiz, Leah O'Brien-Amico and Alison Dunlap will feature on commemorative packages of Kellogg's cereal. The promotion will hit US stores in August.

For the third consecutive year, Hewlett-Packard will launch a competition to showcase the design technology used in Formula One racing. ?Design Challenge 2000? is part of HP's technological sponsorship of the Jaguar Racing team and will accept design entries from all over the world.

Ford Motor Co has launched an innovative marketing campaign whereby its TV commercials will be integrated with sports programming. In an unusual arrangement causing some concern about the merging of advertising and programming, Fox TV?s upcoming ``No Boundaries'' adventure sports TV series will strongly resemble the Ford ``No Boundaries'' advertising campaign for trucks.

Bobby Robson, the Newcastle United - and former England - manager, has been named non-executive director of a Sunday newspaper publisher devoted to non?league football, reports the Financial Times.