Sponsorship & Marketing

David Stern, commissioner of the NBA, and Michael Levy, CEO of CBS SportsLine will keynote a seminar focusing on ``Reinventing Sports in the Age of the Internet '' for the Jupiter Consumer Online Forum, March 1-3, at the Sheraton Hotel and Towers in New York City.

Persistence Software has signed a sponsorship agreement with USA Water Polo (USWP).

U.S. insurance group John Hancock has agreed to renew its Olympic sponsorship for a further four years, despite its president's forceful criticism last year of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

Sales of athletic shoes are declining because sports are losing their appeal for many young people, according to the Zandl Group, a New York City-based trends research firm.

Sears, Roebuck and Co. has signed to become the Official Supplier of Home Appliances for the 2002 Olympic Winter Games and the 2000, 2002 and 2004 US Olympic Teams.

Research undertaken by Sport England has revealed that spending on sports-related activities in England has increased from #8.8bn in 1995 to #11bn in 1998.

Manchester United has confirmed that it has signed a new multi-million dollar four-year sponsorship deal with telecommunications giant Vodafone in a deal worth #30m ($48m).

More women are attending English Premier League matches than ever before, but fans in general are spending less money on merchandise according to a new survey.

Churchill Downs Inc. has launched a national branding programme for the company's expanding network of racetracks and off-track betting facilities.

Barcadi-Martini has signed a deal to renew its sponsorship of the Ford World Rally team, the agency BWP International has announced.

365 Corporation, the UK internet content company, has launched soccer365.com, an online soccer service in English and Spanish aimed at the US market.

ISL and Sport+ - the sports rights acquisitions arm of the Canal+ group ? have announced a strategic television and marketing partnership to further promote the new FIBA EuroLeague.

Sports Internet, the web site operator and online sports betting company, has entered the e-commerce business with its #20m purchase of a 49 per cent stake in Sports e-tail.

XLSports.com, the online venture dedicated to personal sports participants, set to launch later this year, plans to unveil its business model during a "Sports in E-Commerce Summit." The event will be presented in cooperation with Motorola, Penske Logistics, Sprint and Sun Microsystems in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, February 15-17.

Broadband Sports has named Marla Messing, the 1999 FIFA Women's World Cup President and CEO, as vice president of partner marketing, effective Feb. 7, 2000.

Mellon Financial Corporation has named Michael J. Carbone, formerly target marketing coordinator and manager of Reebok's consumer relations department, as Mellon Private Asset Management?s representative responsible for selling asset management services to sports and entertainment professionals.