General
Why DTC men’s athleisure Legends Brand is spending less on Instagram marketing
Kristina Monllos, Digiday
Legends Brand, the direct-to-consumer athleisure brand for men, is increasing its focus on affiliate marketing using celebrities, professional athletes and influencers to help it grow. At the same time, the company has decreased its spend on Instagram — though the platform still accounts for 50% of its marketing spend — which it used and continues to use to get the word out about the brand.
The next phase of retail: Adidas is turning influencers into sneaker salespeople
Jeff Beer, Fast Company
Last year, Adidas launched a membership program called the Creators Club, essentially giving some of its most enthusiastic consumers early access to products, exclusive drops, and special events. Now the company is taking this relationship to the next level, allowing members to sell Adidas goods themselves.
Puma is opening a massive flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Here’s a first look inside
Lauren Thomas, CNBC
Sneaker retailer Puma on Thursday is opening a brand new flagship store on Fifth Avenue in New York. The massive 18,000-square-foot space, spanning two levels, marks Puma’s first bricks-and-mortar location in New York, and the first of its kind in North America.
Top women’s hockey players announce series of tournaments
John Wawrow, The Associated Press
Growing up, Kendall Coyne Schofield recalled how her dreams of playing hockey ended at college, or maybe the Winter Games — something the two-time U.S. Olympian forward eventually would achieve. Playing professionally was never part of the equation, which is something Coyne Schofield remembers once mentioning to former American star Cammi Granato, noting how girls can only win gold medals while boys can win Stanley Cups.
Fitbit’s CEO discusses the company’s subscription future
Brian Heater, TechCrunch
At a small event in Manhattan this week, Fitbit laid out its future for the press. Tellingly, the event was far more focused on the company’s software play, with the big hardware announcement feeling almost rushed at the end.
Toyota to sponsor Channel 4’s Paralympic sports coverage
Rebecca Stewart, The Drum
Following on from a successful 2018 Winter Paralympic Games partnership, Toyota has inked a deal to sponsor Channel 4’s Paralympic sports programming. The partnership will span live and highlights coverage across More4 and All4 from the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) Swimming World Championships, taking place in September.
NFL
Baker Mayfield Settles Into His New Home, the Browns’ Stadium, in Progressive Ad Debut
David Griner, Adweek
Getting settled into a new home is never easy, but it’s especially challenging when your house is the Cleveland Browns’ 68,000-seat stadium.
Andrew Luck retired young, and was hailed for his courage. Barry Sanders was called a quitter.
Ben Strauss, The Washington Post
The Saturday night news that Indianapolis Colts star quarterback Andrew Luck was retiring at 29 years old — a shocking, league-defining event that altered the trajectory of a franchise — had an obvious precedent. Twenty years earlier, Detroit Lions running back Barry Sanders, just 31 and also seemingly at the peak of his powers, jolted the NFL with his own sudden retirement.
Suspended Browns RB Hunt won’t be with team during ban
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
Kareem Hunt will have to spend his NFL suspension isolated from his team. The suspended Browns running back, who must serve an eight-game ban for physical altercations, will not be permitted inside the team’s facility starting Saturday at 4 p.m., league spokesman Brian McCarthy said Wednesday in an email to The Associated Press.
NBA
Gone in 3.9 seconds: Where basketball took JamesOn Curry
Royce Young, ESPN
He’d rehearsed this moment in his mind thousands of times. Pop off the bench like you’re sitting on a spring.
MLB
Group trying to bring Major League Baseball to Music City has chosen name: Nashville Stars
Nate Rau, The Tennessean
Major League Baseball may not be moving forward with expansion yet, but a group seeking to bring baseball to Nashville has already chosen a team name: the Nashville Stars. The local group, Music City Baseball LLC, led by newcomer businessman John Loar and also including former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales and retired pitcher and front office executive Dave Stewart, announced the nickname Wednesday in meetings with local media.
Family of Minor League Pitcher With Tampa Bay Rays Is Reportedly Killed
Jacey Fortin, The New York Times
After three people were found dead in Keeling, Va., on Tuesday morning, a manhunt for the killer ended with a suspect running naked through the streets and briefly choking a bystander shortly before he was arrested.
NHL
‘Her career is as important as my career’: How Jacob Trouba and Kelly Tyson balance their ambitions
Emily Kaplan, ESPN
They met on Halloween in 2012 at a bar in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Jacob Trouba was dressed up as Superman; Kelly Tyson was Superwoman.
Soccer
Major League Soccer’s MLS Cup To Air This Year On ABC
Patrick Hipes, Deadline Hollywood
Major League Soccer’s annual championship game, the MLS Cup, will air this year on ABC, marking first time the American pro league’s title match will appear on a broadcast network since ABC aired it in 2008. The game is set for Sunday, November 10 at 3 PM ET/noon PT and will also be available to stream live on the ESPN and ABC apps.
When English Soccer Clubs Disappear
Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal
The English soccer season started weeks ago, but fans of third-tier Bury FC were still waiting to see their team kick a ball. Each of the club’s six scheduled matches had been suspended while it sought a buyer to save it from financial ruin.
Christian Pulisic tops 26-player U.S. men’s team roster that includes some surprises
Kevin Baxter, Los Angeles Times
Chelsea’s Christian Pulisic tops the 26-player roster called into camp for the U.S. national team’s September friendlies with Mexico and Uruguay. But after that Gregg Berhalter’s team contains a number of surprises.
Racing
U.S. driver Jessi Combs killed in bid to break land-speed record
Reuters
Race car driver Jessi Combs, host of the television series “All Girls Garage,” was killed in a high-speed crash while trying to set a new land-speed record, her family said on Wednesday. Combs, 39, was attempting to become the fastest woman on Earth when she was killed while racing on Tuesday on the Alvord Desert, a dry lake bed in southeastern Oregon, the family said in a statement.
Arlington Racecourse owner threatens to end racing
Steven R. Strahler, Crain’s Chicago Business
The owner of Arlington International Racecourse is threatening to end racing at the storied horse track despite winning long-sought authority to add gambling options there. Louisville, Ky.-based Churchill Downs said today it would not apply to the Illinois Gaming Board for a slot machine and table game license under the recently enacted Illinois Gaming Act.
Golf and Tennis
Betrayal or Just Business? A Coaching Breakup Looms Over Two Top Women
Ben Rothenberg, The New York Times
Monica Puig’s United States Open lasted only one day, ending in a 6-3, 6-3 defeat against Rebecca Peterson of Sweden on Monday. But the seeds for the loss were planted a week ago, she said, when her coach, Kamau Murray, abruptly told her that he would be unavailable to continue working with her.
Kyrgios considered for ‘major offense’ for ‘corrupt’ comment
Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press
The ATP is considering whether to punish Nick Kyrgios for a “major offense” after he called the men’s tennis tour “corrupt” because it fined him more than $100,000 for his behavior during a match last month. A tour spokesman issued a statement Wednesday saying that Gayle Bradshaw, the ATP’s executive vice president for rules and competition, would determine what to do about Kyrgios’ comments made at the U.S. Open.
What I learned watching a PGA Tour rules official set up East Lake
Brendan Quinn, The Athletic
Before a ball is struck at a PGA Tour event, big or small, a rules official you’ve probably never heard of walks the course and decides how the players will be tested. It’s an aspect of golf entirely unique in the sporting landscape.
For These Tennis Pros, (Basket)ball Is Life
Marc Stein, The New York Times
As a high school freshman in Greensboro, N.C., weighing his prospects for a basketball career, John Isner was forced to admit that dribbling was not his specialty.
College Sports
Urban Meyer and Reggie Bush helping Fox build dream team for its college football show
Helene Elliott, Los Angeles Times
Urban Meyer, who led Florida to two national titles and Ohio State to one championship, insists he has retired from coaching. Of course, he has said that before, stepping away and taking a TV analyst job until he was lured back to the sidelines.
New ACC Network leaning on campus-built broadcast facilities
Aaron Beard, The Associated Press
The Atlantic Coast Conference finally has its TV channel airing hundreds of league sporting events each year thanks in no small measure to its schools. Administrations around the ACC played a critical role in getting the channel up and running, spending millions to ensure campus broadcast and production facilities were capable of handling telecasts.
NCAA decisions on transfers bring relief, angst
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
With the college football season set to start for most teams this weekend, the NCAA has been handing down rulings left and right in waiver cases involving transfers seeking immediate eligibility. Tennessee and Iowa got good news on a couple of high-profile players. Georgia Tech got one of its two waiver requests.
A Twist for the SEC as College Football Begins: No New Head Coaches
Alan Blinder, The New York Times
The first time Ed Orgeron, Louisiana State’s football coach, led a Southeastern Conference program, Steve Spurrier had a warning when all of the region’s gridiron gods kept their jobs from one season to the next. “Folks, look around,” Orgeron remembered Spurrier, then at South Carolina, saying at a 2006 meeting of the league’s coaches.”
Esports
Ad and gaming industry leaders team up to launch gaming and esports business Ampverse
Charlotte McEleny, The Drum
Four leaders from South East Asia’s advertising, media and gaming industries have come together to build a business upon the rapid rise of esports and gaming marketing. Former Havas Media Thailand CEO and Twitch South East Asia head of marketing Ferdinand Gutierrez will be the Ampverse CEO, while Charlie Baillie, ex-Universal Music and RythmOne, will be chief commercial officer.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Pat McAfee is ESPN’s new loose cannon
Andrew Marchand, ESPN
This fall, Pat McAfee will be a thing. A good thing? A bad thing? That is not fully known. But he will be something.
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