With the PGA TOUR’s FedExCup–the playoffs of golf–beginning this week (with Tiger Woods’s absence) the following questions were posed on Relay Worldwide’s Sports Sponsorship Symposium Blog: Does Woods need to play for the playoff concept to be a success? Or has the PGA Tour, with or without him, already created a platform that sponsors will continue to rally around in [...]

So McDonald’s (being the sensible Olympic sponsor that it is), is launching a program that will enable up to 300 kids from around the world to travel to the 2008 Olympic Games to share their stories and experiences with their local communities and hometown news outlets.  Through this once-in-a-lifetime journey, the “McDonald’s Champion Kids” will have the chance to see the [...]

This week’s issue of IEG’s Sponsorship Report has an interesting article about how virtual worlds can generate real-life benefits for sponsors and properties. Virtual worlds still have a ways to go before they become as viable a vehicle/space as MySpace or Facebook, which both have over 20+ million users each. However, the popularity of virtual worlds has been increasing steadily–1.8 [...]

I thought I’d share some great sports marketing blogs I read, and you should, too, if you want to stay on top of what’s happening in the sports business world. Feel free to share any other good ones I should add to my reading list. Sports Business News http://sportsbiznews.blogspot.com/ An extension of Sports Business News, featuring the comments and insights of SBN Publisher [...]

Just thought this was a pretty cool way for Visa to leverage its relationship with the NFL. Buffalo Bills linebacker London Fletcher-Baker teamed up with Visa to introduce Buffalo-area students to an interactive money management computer game called “Financial Football.” The game, which Fletcher-Baker demonstrated at a high school, tests students’ money skills in an online football simulation [...]

Who doesn’t have a reality show these days? Scratch NASCAR off that list. Their upcoming reality TV series is called “Angels,” and it debuts Sept. 12 on ABC affiliates in major cities and WGN. According to SportsBusiness Daily, the show is a mix between “Pimp my ride” and “Extreme Makeover.” Freecreditreport.com is currently the show’s major sponsor. [...]