06/21/17: Fitbit, Disney land NBA jersey patch deals

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CynopsisSports

Good morning. It’s Wednesday June 21, 2017 and this is your first early morning Sports briefing.

Fitbit agreed to a multiyear partnership with the Minnesota Timberwolves, becoming the official wearable and sleep tracker of the franchise. It will have its logo appear on player uniforms starting next season and the agreement also extends to the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx and the Iona Wolves of the NBA G League. Additionally, Fitbit is working with the Timberwolves to integrate new concession menus into the food logging section of the Fitbit app, making it easier for fans to track what they eat.

Disney will add its logo to jerseys of the Orlando Magic starting next season, with the brand featured on a patch that measures about 2 ½ by 2 ½ inches. The theme park, which is 20 miles southwest of Orlando, has been a community sponsor of the Magic since 2010. As part of the expanded multiyear partnership, Disney will increase its presence at the Amway Center with a special seating and hospitality area, and will also sell Disney-branded team jerseys.

ON THE AIR

FOX Sports said its average viewership across all four rounds of the U.S. Open golf championship on Fox and FS1 was about 2.69 million, a 10 percent increase from last year’s average audience. A total of 26.5 million viewers watched all or part of the four-day event, according to Nielsen Media Research. Fox Sports, presenting its third U.S. Open, averaged 5.1 million viewers during Sunday’s final round, with a peak of 8.3 million from 7:45 to 8 p as Brooks Koepka pulled away to clinch his first major title.

FOX Sports also honored former women’s soccer coach Tony DiCicco, who passed away Monday night at the age of 68. DiCicco became a prominent television analyst for the network after successes with the national team that included Olympic gold in 1996 and a FIFA Women’s World Cup Championship in 1999.

ESPN is televising the NBA Draft for the 15^th straight year, beginning at 7 p on June 22 from the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, New York. Host Rece Davis will man the desk with NBA analysts Jalen Rose and Michael Wilbon, and college hoops analyst Jay Bilas. Jay Williams, Jeff Goodman, Fran Fraschilla, Tom Penn and Allison Williams will add to the on-site coverage, while ESPN will have reporters on location at team facilities for the Boston Celtics, Los Angeles Lakers, Philadelphia 76ers and New York Knicks.

LaVar Ball, the father of NBA top draft prospect Lonzo Ball, will join the Dan Le Batard Show with Stugotz on ESPN Radio tomorrow, on the eve of the NBA Draft. The national show starts at 10 a on ESPN Radio.

MSG Networks is launching a new late-night sports show starring comedian – and New York sports superfan – Sam Morril. The 30-minute program, called People Talking Sports* (*And Other Stuff), will air Monday through Thursday at 11 p, starting on July 10 and running throughout the summer. The show’s opening monologue will simultaneously run on MSG Network’s Facebook Live page.

The NHL’s 31^st team fills out its roster tonight, with the league’s expansion draft airing on NBCSN starting at 8 p. The Vegas Golden Knights are the NHL’s first expansion team since 2000 and will select one player from each of the 30 current NHL teams. Each team has a protected list from which Vegas can’t select a player.

Premium television network EPIX will premiere documentaries about racecar driver Danica Patrick and boxer George Foreman later this year. “Danica” will debut in fall of 2017 and was directed by Hannah Storm. “Foreman” will premiere on Sept. 13 and details how Foreman underwent a personal transformation and then staged one of the greatest comebacks in heavyweight boxing history.

The Canadian Football League will open its 2017 regular season on ESPN with a Week 1 rematch of the Grey Cup between the Calgary Stampeders and CFL champion Ottawa Redblacks. The game will air on ESPNEWS at 7:30 p on June 23.

Telemundo Deportes’ multiplatform coverage of the FIFA Confederations Cup Russia 2017 reached 5.3 million total viewers through the first three matches, according to Nielsen. Mexico’s 2-2 tie against Portugal on June 18 reached 4 million total viewers and scored 2.3 million streaming minutes, ranking as the network’s most streamed match ever.

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SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION

American Express and the NBA announced a comprehensive, multiyear extension of their marketing partnership, continuing the company’s position as the official card of the NBA, the WNBA and the NBA G League. As part of the deal, American Express will provide card members with exclusive experiences and access at events such as the NBA All-Star weekend and the NBA Draft.

Toyota has expanded its partnership with U.S. Ski & Snowboard, becoming the official automotive and mobility partner for the national ski and snowboard teams. Toyota first stepped in last season as title sponsor of the U.S. Grand Prix, one of the organization’s premiere events and the official Olympic qualification series for snowboarding and freeskiing. As part of the expanded deal, Toyota will now have a presence across multiple events and logo exposure on athlete uniforms.

Georgia Tech will move on to a new apparel provider when its contract with Russell Athletic expires in June 2018, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. The school’s athletic director, Todd Stansbury, told the paper he’s been negotiating with adidas, Nike and Under Armour to be the Yellow Jackets’ new outfitter. Georgia Tech is one of only four Division I athletic programs to have a contract with Russell.

Glu Mobile Inc. has partnered with WWE to develop a mobile game featuring WWE superstars, logos and marks. The game, which will include simple one-touch game play, is being developed by the same studio as Glu’s largest sports franchise (Tap Sports Baseball) and will feature popular legends such as The Undertaker, Stone Cold Steve Austin, The Rock and Triple H, as well as current fan favorites like John Cena, Roman Reigns and Brock Lesnar. The free-to-play game is set for a global release in 2018.

DIGITAL & STREAMING

Looking to keep up with the latest player transfers in European soccer? beIN sports is launching a new 15-minute interactive social media show called “Transfer Tracker” that will air weekdays through Sept. 1 via Facebook Live. From breaking news to discussing the latest rumors and speculation, “Transfer Tracker” is geared as a one-stop shop for the latest information on European soccer players.

ESPORTS

Amazon’s Twitch and game developer Blizzard Entertainment announced a new collaboration. Lasting two years, the partnership will grant Twitch third-party streaming rights to select eSports content from Blizzard, including games such as Overwatch and World of Warcraft. Twitch users will be able to view events such as the Heroes of the Storm Global Championship and the Hearthstone Championship Tour. In addition, subscribers to Twitch Prime will gain access to in-game content from Blizzard titles.

Fitbit and Walt Disney World Resort are the latest brands to land jersey patch deals with NBA teams.

AEG further expanded its reach into eSports with an investment into the Immortals franchise, joining an ownership group that includes Lionsgate, former financier Michael Milken and Memphis Grizzlies co-owner Steve Kaplan. As part of the investment, Immortals will host their Los Angeles-based tournaments and events at AEG’s sports and entertainment district: L.A. LIVE. The latest move by AEG comes nine months after the company entered a long-term partnership with ESL, in a move that enables ESL to use AEG’s global network of clubs, theaters, arenas and stadiums for qualifying events, tournaments and world championships.

DreamHack is coming to Atlanta for a three-day run at the Georgia World Congress Center July 21-23. The keystone event will be a 24-hour-a-day LAN party, plus eSports tournaments with a prize pool of more than $800,000.

A prize pool of $65,000 and a trip to Evo 2017 in Las Vegas is at stake June 24 in Toronto, where many of the top gamers throughout North America gather to compete in the Cineplex WorldGaming Northern Fights Tournament featuring Street Fighter V and Mortal Kombat XL.

ROSTER MOVES

The owners of the New York Islanders have been unsuccessful in recent efforts to sell a 15 percent stake in the franchise at a valuation of $500 million, the New York Post reports. Jon Ledecky and Scott Malkin bought a controlling stake in the NHL team in 2014 for about $485 million.

Chris Granger stepped down as president of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings after almost four years with the franchise. Granger ran business operations for the team and was instrumental in the construction of a new downtown arena that opened this past season.

THE MAIN EVENT

New York Mets at Los Angeles Dodgers, on ESPN at 10:10p

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You can’t afford to ignore the esports explosion

Register for our June 27 Webinar: How Sports Brands Can Leverage the Esports Explosion , as sports executives at the NFL , Big Ten Network , Mindshare NA and the Philadelphia 76’ers cover:

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ON THIS DAY in 1939: The New York Yankees announce Lou Gehrig’s retirement at the age of 36, after doctors reveal he has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.

In the Know : When Rickey Henderson was traded to and then from the New York Yankees in 1984 and 1989, which pitcher was a part of both deals with the Oakland A’s? (Email Erik Matuszewski ‎at [email protected] with your answer and be sure to include your name, company and city.)

Answer to Our Last Sports Trivia Question: When Tony La Russa was fired as manager of the Chicago White Sox after a 26-38 start to the 1986 season, who replaced him? Answer: Doug Rader, for two games as interim manager (Jim Fregosi replaced him as full-time manager). Kudos: Michael Ritz-BucStar Consulting/New York; Rick Rosenfelt-New York Red Bulls/Harrison, NJ; Rich Dubroff-PressBoxonline/Baltimore; Robert Rodriguez-Buffalo.Agency/Reston, VA; David Ridpath-Ohio University/Athens, OH; Andy Pittman-TAMU/College Station, TX; Lance Phegley-Texas Runner and Triathlete Magazine/Houston; Matt Fumagalli-Levy Restaurants/Chicago; David Westberg-SAG AFTRA/Burbank, CA.

Later — Chris

Chris Pursell @VegasandVine
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