PG officials, team officials guarantee DC United will move to Maryland

LIZ FARMER
February 16, 2009 3:24 PM

LARGO — Prince George’s County and D.C. United officials guaranteed Monday that not only would the Major League Soccer team move to Maryland, but a new stadium would not cost county residents more Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson holding a DC United jersey.in taxes.

“I emphatically want to repeat this again,” said United Executive Chairman Victor B. MacFarlane, who alluded last week to the team’s commitment. “We want to be in Prince George’s County and we will be in Prince George’s County.”

About 100 people, including several United players, attended a news conference Monday at Prince George’s County Community College to hear officials detail how that was going to happen.

“We understand that we cannot ask for one dollar from this tax base,” said MacFarlane. “We cannot and we will not — I promise that.”

Del. Melanie Griffith, D-Prince George’s, said she wanted to dispel rumors that new taxes would pay for the stadium.

“That is not the case,” she said.

Stadium authority says it’s poised to bring more events to Md.

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 11, 2009 6:47 PM

ANNAPOLIS — Fresh off of winning the bid to host the 2010 and 2011 NCAA lacrosse Final Four in Baltimore, Maryland Stadium Authority Chairman John Morton III told legislators Wednesday that while the agency expected a decrease in revenue this year, it was poised to be a revenue generator for the state’s future.

“When I worked on the [2012] Olympic bid, one of the things we took away from that is that there were hundreds of events taking place every year that our state was just missing,” Morton told the House Appropriations Committee’s Education and Economic Development Subcommittee. “We had the transportation and infrastructure in place ... but no consolidated effort or logistic approach to how we were going to loop in on this.”

With a new sports marketing director in place who last month submitted a report stating that Maryland had at least 380 venues that could be marketed to the national and international sporting world, Morton said progress had been made but was far from complete.

Ravens to raise ticket prices by $5 to $15

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 6, 2009 4:12 PM

Despite the recession, the Ravens will raise ticket prices by $5 to $15 per game next year.

A letter was sent to season-ticket holders Thursday to notify them of the changes, according to Kevin Byrne, senior vice president of community and public relations. The Ravens’ policy is to raise prices every two years, although Byrne said consumers’ tight budgets were considered when making the decision this year.

“It’s never done willy-nilly; it’s done with a lot of thought, and you work from a budget and the need for it,” he said Friday. “It’s almost directly related to player costs and the cost of doing business. But in this economy, the decision [to raise prices] was a little slower.”

Some seats in the upper deck will be raised by $5 while other upper-deck seats and most in the lower bowl of the stadium will increase by $10. Club seats and lower-level midfield seats — locations in the highest demand — will increase by $15 per game, said Byrne.

NCAA lacrosse Final 4 coming back to Baltimore in 2010, 2011

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 6, 2009 3:01 PM

The men’s NCAA lacrosse Final Four will return to Baltimore in 2010 and 2011, the Maryland Stadium Authority announced Friday afternoon.

Baltimore last hosted the championship at M&T Bank Stadium in 2007 and notched a then-record total attendance of 123,215 people for the three-day event.

“We are elated the NCAA Lacrosse National Championships will be returning to Maryland,” said Gov. Martin O’Malley in a statement. “Our state is recognized nationally as the cradle of lacrosse with its storied history, perennial powerhouse teams and loyal fan base.”

Baltimore was awarded two out of the three years it bid for. Boston, New Jersey and Denver also submitted bids last year to host the championship for years 2010–2012. Boston will host in 2012.

The state’s newly created Office of Sports Marketing, and its director, Terry Hasseltine, also added a new face to Baltimore’s bid for the championship. Hasseltine, the former deputy executive director of the Kentucky Sports Authority, arrived last August.

Preakness promoters ban outside beverages

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 5, 2009 12:50 PM

The biggest change so far to this year’s Preakness doesn’t have anything to do with horses.

In an effort to change the image of the race’s wild and often unruly infield fan area, the Maryland Jockey Club announced Thursday that all outside beverages, including soda and water, will be banned from this year’s race.

Instead, the club is hoping new attractions, including Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Famers ZZ Top, will keep the area youthful and fun — and civilized.

The infield, which drew more than half of last year’s Preakness crowd of 112,222, will be the first stop of the Toyota Pro Beach East Volleyball Tour’s season, with a daylong women’s tournament ending before the Preakness Stakes.

And with the addition of music acts ZZ Top, Grammy-nominated Buckcherry and a third local band to be announced, Preakness promoters hope to still attract a young audience while maintaining more control over the infield.

“Change is inevitable,” said Tom Chuckas, president of the Maryland Jockey Club, which operates Pimlico Race Course. “For the past couple of years we’ve been looking at this ... the goal here is to make Preakness the best experience for everyone.”

Race commission says marketing needed in addition to slots

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 3, 2009 5:45 PM

Maryland racing officials expressed concern Tuesday that if media coverage of the sport continues to decline, slot machines alone could not fill up the grandstands.

 Maryland Racing Commission members John P. McDaniel (left) and Louis J. Ulman (right) listen to chairman John B. Franzone at the board’s meeting Tuesday at Laurel Park.The issue came up at the Maryland Racing Commission’s first public meeting since the Washington Post announced in December it was dropping its regular coverage of horse racing at Laurel and Pimlico racetracks.

“We’re doomed to fail over time,” commission member John McDaniel said at the meeting, which was held at Laurel Park. “We see every other sport being covered and we’ll do whatever we can politically to launch a frontal attack with The [Baltimore] Sun and The Post, but we need to find a way to allocate some money for publicity. Nobody’s going to go to Laurel if it’s not in the paper and they don’t see some enticement to be there.”

McDaniel also said the decline in racing’s popularity in Maryland can’t be solved solely with bigger purses from slots revenue.

“This isn’t just about slots,” he said. “The long-term problem is trying to reinvigorate and get people talking about this sport.”

Marketers: For Phelps, after 2nd offense, saying ‘sorry’ isn’t good enough

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
February 2, 2009 6:12 PM

With Olympian Michael Phelps’ image in question, some sports marketers are criticizing what they say is the tepid way his management team has handled the situation and are warning that his endorsement deals with family-oriented brands may be in danger.

“Just saying you’re sorry isn’t good enough now,” Baltimore-based marketer David Warschawski said of the statement Phelps issued Sunday after a British tabloid published a photo of Phelps inhaling marijuana from a bong.

Phelps’ apology, issued by his management firm Octagon and published on his Facebook Web page, acknowledged he had “engaged in behavior which was regrettable and demonstrated bad judgment” and said it would not happen again.

But since Sunday afternoon, Phelps and his team have stayed silent. That’s not a good move, said Warschawski, because it allows public speculation to continue.

“Part of crisis communications is owning it and being out in front of it — all they did was issue off a paltry and small statement that wasn’t that different from the first time around,” he said, referring to a statement Phelps issued in 2004 after he was charged with driving under the influence.

How do you promote these schizophrenic Orioles?

July 2, 2009

Yesterday’s ninth-inning comeback from the Red Sox — one night after the Orioles executed a similar feat against them — highlighted what has become a theme for Baltimore this year: you never know which O’s squad you’re going to get.

The Orioles have been streaky this year, to say the least. Seven-game losing streaks, five-game winning streaks. They blanked the Rays one night then allowed 11 runs the next. They were scoreless against the Yankees on May 8, then touched home plate 12 times the next night. More than half of their wins have come from runs scored in late innings.

I recently heard a radio ad highlighting the fact that the Orioles have been an exciting team to watch because you can’t count them out in the later innings. Last year, the O’s marketing team launched a tongue-and-cheek promotion around the team’s bad luck on Sundays. At that point, the Orioles had a 13-game losing streak at Camden Yards on Sundays and marketers launched a....

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This Super Bowl weekend, Under Armour taking grassroots marketing approach

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LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
January 29, 2009 6:21 PM

When Pittsburgh and Arizona square off Sunday in Super Bowl XLIII, it will be the finale to weeks of anticipation and media coverage, and one Baltimore company is looking to again cash in on the buzz.

After paying big bucks for a Super Bowl television ad last year to announce its cross-trainer shoe — then seeing its share price fall partly in response — Under Armour is taking a grassroots approach this year in Tampa to marketing its new running shoe on the sporting world’s biggest stage.

The athletic apparel company’s senior vice president for brand, Steve Battista, said a television ad this year just didn’t fit into the strategy for the shoe’s launch Saturday.

“Remember last year, no one had ever even seen what Under Armour [non-cleated] footwear looked like,” he wrote in an e-mail. “The Super Bowl is great for that.”

Instead, Under Armour sent a team of salespeople and athletes to market the new product at the NFL Experience — the Super Bowl’s fanfest at Raymond James Stadium — through activities and athlete demonstrations. Visitors can test out the new shoe in a 40-yard dash and in training sessions, or browse Under Armour’s retail section which will include the new shoes on Saturday.

Flacco, others cashing in as Ravens keep Super Bowl dreams alive

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
January 12, 2009 7:06 PM

Try as he might to maintain his “Joe Cool” composure, Ravens quarterback sensation Joe Flacco is not just your average Joe anymore.

From “I [heart] Joe” T-shirts to buying the Web site “JoeTheQuarterback.com” to the Ravens’ slogan “Wacko for Flacco,” opportunists in the Baltimore region are cashing in on the rookie’s rise to fame as he heads the team’s bid for Super Bowl XLIII.

“He’s a week away from being Elvis,” said Joe Linta, Flacco’s agent and president of Connecticut-based JL Sports.

Linta and Flacco have partnered with Alumni Management Group, a Pikesville public relations agency that also represents Ravens Ray Lewis and Troy Smith, to handle Flacco’s local marketing opportunities. And according to AMG President Seth Katz, interested parties have been chomping at the bit in the last several weeks.

“We have been inundated with opportunities,” Katz said. “We look to treat everyone as a partner between Team Flacco, and while I don’t want to suggest we were rewarding someone who came to us earlier, if they approached us a couple months ago they would have bought into Team Flacco at the ground floor. Whereas now it’s Johnny-come-lately.”

Thousands of Ravens fans expected to make trip to Nashville

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
January 5, 2009 7:18 PM

For Baltimore Ravens fans who couldn’t get to Miami last weekend, one thing became clear after their team beat the Dolphins Sunday to earn a trip to the second round of the National Football League playoffs: It’s easier — and cheaper — to get to Nashville.

The Ravens will play the Tennessee Titans Saturday afternoon, and for many fans, that means road trip.

“That thought entered my mind the week before when we knew we couldn’t get to Miami,” said Rick Williams, 48, a season ticket holder for all of the Ravens’ 13 years in Baltimore. “Tennessee is a doable drive ... and I booked my [game] tickets online right before the game ended Sunday.”

Like thousands of other fans, Williams plans on driving the 11 to 12 hours with a group of family and friends to Nashville for Saturday’s match-up, and spending about $300 to $400 per person for tickets, transportation and lodging. Trip organizers say they expect more Ravens fans to travel to Nashville than were in Miami because many people in Baltimore either couldn’t afford or find a return flight, and the drive is much shorter.

Nestor Aparicio, owner of the WNST-AM radio station, is running a bus trip to Nashville that includes game tickets, a hotel room and tailgate parties. As of Monday evening, he had sold out nearly two bus loads, or 110 tickets.

“We took 217 people to Nashville [for the] 2001 playoffs and had boxed out parts of four different airplanes; we’re hoping to recreate that,” said Aparicio, who has been putting game travel packages together since the team’s first season here.

Ravens play it low-key marketing Flacco

LIZ FARMER
Daily Record Business Writer
September 28, 2008 8:13 PM

As the Ravens prepare for their only Monday night game of the season, the nation will get its first glimpse at the player who has had Baltimore fans buzzing at water coolers for the past three weeks.

But after the on-the-field play, the analysts’ commentary and the post-game interviews, the rest of the country will be pretty much caught up with Ravens fans on all they’ve seen — so far — of their rookie starting under center.

“We really are dying for a quarterback,” said Mike Firestine, author of the blog Baltimore Sports Post, on Joe Flacco. “I want to see more of him... But I think that, in time, we’ll get to know him and he can really latch on to the team.”

The Ravens say they are keeping a low public profile with Flacco, a 22-year-old first round draft pick who was virtually unknown outside of his Division 1-AA University of Delaware a year-and-a-half ago. He and fellow rookies Ray Rice and Tom Zbikowski are the faces of the Ravens Rookies Kids Club, and Flacco made an appearance for the Special Olympics Maryland this summer, but otherwise his exposure to fans has been limited to games and interviews.

“We are letting Joe Flacco get comfortable in his role before throwing him into a situation in the community that is not his own, as of yet,” Melanie C. LeGrande, community relations manager for the team, said in an e-mail.

Orioles’ newest marketing ploy — Virtual Birdland

June 22, 2009

New to Oriole Park? Don’t know where to park? Want to get the lay of the land before you arrive at the ballpark? The Orioles and the Harris Corp. have teamed up to offer “Virtual Birdland,” an online virtual tour of the park and its surroundings aimed at visitors unfamiliar with the area.

Harris Corp., a Melbourne, Fla.-based international communications and information technology company, has created 3-D flyover videos that show the park, adjacent parking lots, entrance roadways and the nearby Inner Harbor.

“This is especially convenient for first-time visitors who...want to become more comfortable with where they are going, and how to get there,” said Greg Bader in a news release. “We are confident that Virtual Birdland will demonstrate the ease and convenience of attending a game at Oriole Park at Camden Yards and we’re very excited to offer this capability to our fans.”

I’m wondering what kind of difference this will really make for people attending Camden Yards for the first time. I mean, doesn’t Google Maps’ satellite view essentially do most of this already?

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Greivis Vasquez rolling the dice in a business decision

June 18, 2009

When Maryland guard Greivis Vasquez announced he was withdrawing from the NBA draft this week, it undoubtedly elicited an emotional response from him teammates, as Tuesday’s Washington Post article points out.

But for Vasquez, who became the first Terrapin to finish a season as the team leader in scoring, rebounding and assists and other categories last year, the decision to stay for a fourth year was ultimately a business call.

With a guard-loaded draft coming up at the end of the month, Vasquez was projected as a second-round pick at best. Unlike the NFL, the NBA has a structured salary system for its draftees. (Salaries are awarded according to their draft position: the first overall pick receives more than the second pick, the second more than the third, and so on.)

Last year’s ninth through 21st overall selections, for example, made between $1.8 million and $1 million for their first year salary, respectively. The bottom third of the first rounders made between roughly $800,000 and $980,000.

Salaries for picks one through eight have an even greater variance....

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Look for Orioles attendance boost

June 8, 2009

I may be a reporter but I do love crunching some numbers every now and then. I know. It’s weird. But when you’re talking about the Orioles’ abysmal attendance so far this season, looking beyond the surface numbers has it’s advantage.

Let’s start with the bad news: through 29 games, attendance at Camden Yards is down 19 percent. That’s not just a dip, that’s a flat-out drop. That’s one person out of every five who came last year bowing out.

Attendance has fallen short of 11,000 (that’s less than 25 percent capacity) four times this year, including a Camden Yards, all-time low of 10,130 on May 26 against Toronto. Last year, the park missed the 11,000 mark twice the whole season (both times in April).

OK, time for the good news: the summer weather is upon us, the kids are out of school and it’s tourism season. All three of those factors will help with attendance, especially from casual fans.

Secondly, two words: Matt Wieters. His debut on Friday, May 29....

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Bowie Baysox sporting pink this weekend

June 5, 2009

On Sunday the Bowie Baysox aretaking the field in one-of-a-kind pink jerseys that will be auctioned off after the game with proceeds going to the Holy Cross Hospital Cancer Institute Fund.This particular Baysox fundraiser has raised more than $25,000 over the last three years for the fund through Pink in the Park jersey auctions, according to the team.

“We have collectors of memorabilia, fans who like certain jersey numbers or a favorite player, fans who bid because of the charity that is benefiting from the donation/bids and fans who just want to support the team and organization and want a special piece of the season,” said Phil Wrye, Baysox assistant GM, in an e-mail.

“Our jersey auctions are many times helped by the players who wear the jerseys, meaning if we have a high level prospect (i.e. Matt Wieters in 2008), many times the bidding goes much higher,” he added.

The team doesn’t expect the recession to make a dent this year in its fund raising efforts....

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Bank of America and U.S. Olympic Committee cut ties

June 3, 2009

Is this as bad as I think it sounds?

The Bank of America, after 16 years of sponsoring the U.S. Olympic team, announced today it is ending its support of the USOC. The bank cited a poor return on investment as its primary reason for cutting the cord, according to the Sports Business Journal.

BofA spokesman Joe Goode called the move “an extremely difficult and emotional decision” according to the SBJ.

“It’s not about the economy, it’s not about reducing marketing, it’s not about TARP support,” he added. “But rather, it’s about the insufficient business results we were able to generate.”

Wow. Let’s take a look-see: according to Nielsen, last year’s Summer Games (Remember them? With the thrill of Michael Phelps going for eight golds and the Chinese woman’s gymnastic team age scandal? That’s good TV!) averaged nearly 27.7 million viewers over 17 days. This year’s Super Bowl hit about 98.7 million viewers in one night.

Of course, when you multiply it out....

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More Orioles and Nationals fans opting for the comfort of home

June 1, 2009

OK, aside from the insanity of this past weekend at Camden Yards with Matt Wieters’ debut that drew more than 109,000 people over three days, attendance at the ballpark has been worrisome at best this year.

Oriole Park’s average attendance of 22,431 is down 18.5 percent through 29 games (even with the Wieters boost this weekend), and Nationals Park in D.C. is down an abysmal 27.3 percent, pulling in about 21,000 fans a game.

But according to the latest MLB television ratings, the Nationals’ viewing is up 56 percent to average a 0.53 rating on MASN. It’s still the worst rating in the league, but that’s what optimistic marketers would call a silver lining. And the Orioles, who are notching a 3.1 rating so far this season, are up 13 percent on MASN.

League-wide, Fox’ and TBS’ ratings are holding at about 2.1 and 0.5 of their respective viewing segments through the first two months of the season. ESPN’s baseball viewing is down....

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Matt Wieters to the big show

May 27, 2009

The words Orioles fans have been waiting for all season were uttered last night in a surprise admission from president of baseball operations Andy MacPhail during last night’s game broadcast:”It’s time.”

He was referring to calling up top prospect Matt Wieters, touted as one of the best minor league players in the nation — and a catcher to boot — who has torn through the O’s minor league teams during the past year notching five home runs, a .504 slugging percentage and .305 batting average this year with the Triple-A Norfolk Tides.

Most predictions had Wieters coming to town in mid-June for the home series in two weeks against the Atlanta Braves. But from a business standpoint, the sooner the highly touted prospect gets here, the better.

O’s fans are officially nuts for this guy: one blog called “Matt Wieters Facts” invites readers to submit Wieters “facts” (like “Matt Wieters Is So Important That When He Gets Called Up, Peter Schmuck Will Stop Wearing Hawaiian Shirts And Wear Suits Instead”).

Local and national news outlets all have stories....

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Slots case: all dollars and no sense?

May 22, 2009

Rifkin, Livingston, Levitan & Silver LLC, the firm that is representing the Laurel Racing Association, submitted its April bill this month, and here are the grand totals:

The firm asked for $329,806.80 in legal fees — 80 percent of the more than $412,000 it would have typically billed — and for nearly $40,000 in expenses.

The bill had to be submitted to the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Delaware because Laurel Racing’s parent company, Magna Entertainment, filed for Chapter 11 in March. It’s also itemized, so we know that Managing Partner Alan Rifkin spent 192.9 hours on the case at a rate of $505 per hour for a total of $97,414.50, and Partner Michael Berman spent 266.9 hours at an hourly rate of $395 for a total of $105,425.50.

OK, maybe I can see where they’re going with this. After all, the application fee was supposed to be $28.5 million, so I guess the racing association, a subsidiary of the bankrupt Magna Entertainment Corp., saved $28 million by hiring attorneys to argue their case in court.

But the longer the case, which is now in appeals, goes on the more expensive it gets....

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