MLB's Home Run Derby Will Be Twittervized

League Encouraging Players to Tweet From the Field

A few years ago, when then-Ladies Professional Golf Association Tour Commissioner Carolyn Bivens suggested that players tweet while on the course, golfers looked at her like she had three heads and politely ignored the request.

More recently, in 2009, the National Basketball Association had the opposite problem -- players tweeting during games, which prompted the league to put a ban on Twitter 45 minutes before and after each game. Similar policies were adopted by the National Hockey League and National Football League.

So it will be interesting to see how the social-media tool will be used going forward after tonight, when Major League Baseball players will utilize Twitter from the field during the Home Run Derby, part of the sport's annual All-Star activities. Tonight's Home Run Derby and tomorrow's All-Star Game are both at Chase Field in Phoenix.

The social-media experiment is at the request of MLB, which has no formal policy on tweeting but informally asks players to turn off all communication devices 30 minutes prior to game time.

In addition to the tweets tonight, there will be video and picture content shot by players during the event that will be distributed across social media and posted to MLB.com, marking the first time MLB players will communicate directly with fans via social media platforms while on the field during an MLB event.

The participants include: Jose Bautista (@JoeyBats19), Heath Bell (@HeathBell21), Gio Gonzalez http://twitter.com/giogonzalez47), Joel Hanrahan http://twitter.com/hanrahan4457, Matt Kemp http://twitter.com/therealmattkemp, Howie Kendrick http://twitter.com/HKendrick47, David Ortiz http://twitter.com/davidortiz, Hunter Pence http://twitter.com/HunterPence9, Brandon Phillips http://twitter.com/DatDudeBP, Gaby Sanchez http://twitter.com/GabySanchez15, Justin Upton http://twitter.com/RealJustinUpton, Shane Victorino http://twitter.com/ShaneVictorino and C.J. Wilson http://twitter.com/str8edgeracer. Other All-Stars will have the opportunity to share their personalized live commentary, photos and video through MLB and MLBPA social media accounts on Twitter @mlb and @MLB_PLAYERS) and Facebook (Facebook.com/MLB and Facebook.com/MLBPlayersAssoc).

ESPN will show the Twitter handles of the Derby participants and some of the All-Stars who are engaging in social media during tonight's Home Run Derby telecast.

The traditional halfway point of the season also finds MLB having another solid year. Overall attendance is flat compared to the All-Star break in 2010 (down less than 1%) as the league looks to have its eighth consecutive year of all-time high attendance and ninth straight season of record revenue. Sales of MLB-licensed products are up 10% year-over-year.

News Corp.'s Fox, which is televising Tuesday night's All-Star Game, is reporting that ad inventory is sold out, and 40% of the inventory was purchased by MLB partners.

Ludacris to perform at Civil Rights Game

Hometown hip-hop star will entertain at Turner Field on May 14, 2011


By Alden Gonzalez / MLB.com 
 
Ludacris, one of Atlanta's most famous products, will take center stage when the Civil Rights Game heads to his hometown city.


The Braves announced Thursday that the famous rapper will conduct a one-hour performance at Turner Field on Saturday, May 14, the day before the fifth annual Civil Rights Game between the Phillies and Braves.

The performance will take place after the 1 p.m. ET game between Philadelphia and Atlanta and will feature a "special guest," according to a release sent out by the Braves.

"I'm a fan of baseball, and I am honored to be a part of MLB's family and tradition of being a pioneering organization for civil rights and social justice and equality," Ludacris, whose birth name is Christopher Bridges, said in a statement. "I have studied the strides made in baseball and in sports, and the impact they have had on social issues affecting race and race relations in America. The Civil Rights Game week is a celebration of those achievements and a reminder of our ongoing responsibility to continue leveling the playing field for all."

Born in Champaign, Ill., but raised in Atlanta, Ludacris has sold more than 12 million albums domestically and has been nominated for 17 Grammy Awards, winning three. He has also acted in films such as "Crash" and "Hustle & Flow."

With the movie "Crash," Ludacris partnered with writer-director Paul Haggis and the Artists for Peace and Justice to help raise more than $4 million for Haitian relief efforts. He has also raised more than $100,000 for Atlanta flood victims through The Ludacris Foundation, and recently partnered with an Atlanta car dealership to give away 20 cars to those affected by the recession, according to the Braves.

Leading up to the first Civil Rights Game in Atlanta, Major League Baseball will bring back the Baseball and the Civil Rights Movement Roundtable Discussion and the Youth Summit/"Wanna Play?" event for kids, while introducing the two-day Selig Business Conference and a red-carpet screening of the Hank Aaron documentary "Chasing The Dream."

The list of events will range from May 12-15. More information, as well as an opportunity to purchase tickets, can be found at MLB.com/civilrights.com.

Alden Gonzalez is a reporter for MLB.com. Read his columns and his blog, listen to his podcast and follow him on Twitter. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

MLB 2K11 brings back million dollar challenge despite money woes & First Look At Game

Back in May 2010, 2K Sports awarded $1 million to Wade McGilberry from Alabama for being the first player to pitch a perfect game in MLB 2K10.


Take-Two Chairman Strauss Zelnick has been telling anyone who will listen that 2K Sports is losing money with the Major League Baseball license. Keeping Zelnick’s words in mind, I was wondering if 2K Sports would bring the $1 million contest back.

2K Sports has announced the contest will return in 2011.

From an advertising standpoint, Zelnick may consider the million dollar prize cost effective. Numerous gaming sites and publications spread word of the contest and, as such, MLB 2K10. Mainstream media outlets including ESPN covered the contest and interviewed the eventual winner. He pitched a perfect virtual game the first day MLB 2K10 released.

One million dollars for a full-length interview on every major sports network and ample product placement is a lot less than prime time commercials during sporting events would cost. Other companies go to even greater length to get a movie hero to drive one of its cars or drink one of its sodas for a few seconds. One of 2K Sports’ chief rivals, EA, is well-versed in video game advertising. Games as far back as Need for Speed:Most Wanted featured in-game ads for everything from Verizon phones to Burger King Whoppers.

Zelnick has talked about the pro baseball license not being as lucrative as it once was. That is true, TV ratings back him up. Baseball is behind both the National Football League and the National Basketball Association in terms of ratings and merchandise sales. Even if baseball were still the national pastime, 2K Sports has another huge problem: Sony’s MLB The Show series has gained most of the critical acclaim in recent years. The gap between the two games is so big that The Show has been outselling MLB 2K even though The Show is only available on Sony systems.

2K Sports’ losses might not stand out at a company where everything is going well. Gamertell has reported that, at Take-Two, that’s anything but the case. Take-Two did turn a $42.6 million profit in 2010, but would still love to solve its baseball problems. If a million dollar prize can help turn MLB 2K’s fortunes around, it will be money well spent for Take-Two Interactive. MLB 2K11 releases March 8, 2011 for the Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS2, PC and PSP. There is a slight change in the contest, as it does not begin until April 1, 2011.

Posted By Matt "The Mayor" Verden

IF ENGLISH SOCCER CAN TAKE IN $155M FROM SPONSORED JERSEYS, WHAT ABOUT NBA, NFL?

Mark Cuban: Ads on Uniforms a Matter of 'How Much' Not 'If'


NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- It was just a small blurb in Sports Illustrated magazine's "By the Numbers" section two weeks ago: "$155 million -- Income generated by the 20 English Premier League soccer teams this season by selling ad space on their jerseys."

But those 21 words are causing the four major American sports leagues, its corporate partners and even fans to rethink the idea of sponsor patches on team uniforms.

"It's definitely on the horizon," Mark Cuban, owner of the National Basketball Association's Dallas Mavericks, said in an exchange of e-mails with Advertising Age. "I think it's more an issue of 'how much' rather than 'if' [it happens]."


If the English Premier League can generate $155 million, imagine what the National Football League or the NBA can do. Those are the two sports leagues that have already dipped their respective toes into the sponsorship-on-jerseys debate.


The NBA has been the most aggressive in pushing the agenda, hence Mr. Cuban's opinion that it could be sooner than later for sponsor patches. The league-backed NBA Development League and its Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) both allow teams to sell jersey sponsorships. That exposure has even led some brands not normally associated with sports marketing to put its patch on the coveted uniform. Microsoft, for instance, placed its Bing search engine logo on the front of the WNBA's Seattle Storm's jerseys.


"We are always watching the WNBA and the NBA Development League to see what works and what may be an applicable business practice, and we fully recognize that the presence of corporate branding on game uniforms is a widely accepted practice on the global sports landscape, particularly in soccer," NBA spokesman Mike Bass said. "That being said, the value proposition to include branding on the NBA game uniforms has not yet presented itself."

Mr. Cuban agreed, saying "Find me a multi-year deal at $10 million or more per year and I will make it happen."


The NFL allows teams to sell advertising on practice jerseys, and more than half of the 32 franchises have already done so. The New York Jets signed a deal last year with Atlantic Health to sponsor their practice jerseys as well as their New Jersey-based practice facility. According to Joyce Julius & Associations, an Ann Arbor, Mich.-based company that evaluates sports sponsorships, Atlantic Health received nearly $200,000 in free exposure during HBO's four-week telecast of its popular "Hard Knocks" series, which chronicles an NFL team each summer during training camp.


"We are approached annually by major companies who say that NFL jerseys represent the most valuable real estate in sports and inquire about placement of their logos," NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. "But we do not have any plans to do so with game jerseys."


Parity would be an issue, of course. While that $155 million for the 20 English Premier League teams sounds great, the disparity between the top teams and the bottom is wide, just as it likely would be in American sports between franchises in New York and, say, San Jose or Oklahoma City. The EPL's two biggest clubs, Liverpool and Manchester United, take up 40% of that ad revenue -- $31 million a year for Liverpool's deal with British financial services company Standard Chartered, and $30 million annually for Man-U's agreement with insurance carrier Aon. Seven clubs in the EPL earn less than $1 million annually for shirt sponsorship deals.

This isn't a recent issue, either. As leagues and teams have struggled to find new sources of revenue, the idea of putting sponsor patches on uniforms has simmered on the back burner, with an occasional switch to a front burner boil.

In 2009, MLB allowed sponsor patches on team USA jerseys at the World Baseball Classic.

In 2004, MLB tried to put the logo for the film "Spider-Man 2" on the bases as a promotion tool for the film, until a public outcry over the sanctity of the game and the field forced the league to rethink that decision.

As far back as 1999, Howard Smith, then VP-marketing for MLB, told The New York Times that the league was "talking from A to Z about our on-field programs, and bringing in additional sponsors in other formats than we have now. We've talked about everything. But we're not close to anything."

And they're still not.

In a statement emailed to Advertising Age, an MLB spokesman wrote: "Baseball has a longstanding policy of not allowing corporate advertising on our uniforms for non-international competitions. We are continuing to monitor what appears to be an increase in the trend that places non-manufacturer corporate marks on uniforms."

National Hockey League spokesman Kerry McGovern said, "At this time, we'd prefer not to comment."

JAY-Z x EMINEM CONCERT ANNOUNCEMENT

SPORTS TOP SELLING JERSEYS

In 2004 the NBA estimated its merchandising revenues would rise to at least $3.3 billion in gross sales, which could mark the first time that the NBA surpasses the NFL in licensed product sales thanks to the entry of LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony. In 2003, NFL-licensed items grossed $3.2 billion, with the NBA and Major League Baseball pulling in $3 billion, according to issue of License! Magazine.

DENNY’S SPONSORING ESPN’S “BASEBALL TONIGHT,” WEDNESDAY GAME TELECASTS

Denny’s has signed on to sponsor ESPN’s “Baseball Tonight” and its Wednesday night MLB broadcasts. It also has inked ESPN MLB analyst John Kruk to an endorsement deal that will include a TV ad and a weekly blog. The 1,500-plus location restaurant chain will advertise on “Baseball Tonight” and the Wednesday game telecasts for the rest of the season. Denny’s gets branding on the K Zone and Value Player features within “Wednesday Night Baseball,” and the Touch ‘Em All and Grand Slam Moment features in “Baseball Tonight.” Kruk is expected to film at least one TV ad for Denny’s. Maury Gostfrands’ Vision Sports Group handles Kruk.

Contributed by Matthew "The Mayor" Verden

JAY-Z SUES DAVID ORTIZ OVER NIGHTCLUB NAME

Jay-Z and a business partner are suing slugger David Ortiz, claiming the Boston Red Sox star named his Dominican nightclub after the mogul's chain of 40/40 clubs.

The lawsuit, filed Thursday in Manhattan Federal Court, accuses Ortiz of naming his Santo Domingo club Forty-Forty in the hopes of trading in on the rap star's fame.

The suit seeks over $5 million in damages and for Ortiz to forfeit any use of the 40/40 name.

Jay-Z's string of bars can be found in Manhattan, Las Vegas and Atlantic City.

"David Ortiz is fully aware of Plaintiff's Manhattan 40/40 club, since he had been a patron there on several occasions before he opened his Infringing Forty/Forty club," the lawsuit states.

The clubs are named after the feat of hitting 40 homers and stealing 40 bases in one season.

A message seeking comment was left Thursday night with SFX Baseball, the agency that represents Ortiz.