The Business of Sports

PlayStation gives glimpse of game action at Marlins Park in MLB 12 The Show

Wed, 08 Feb 2012 12:01:20 -0500

The Marlins are weeks away from playing their first games in Marlins Park, but PlayStation offered the first animated look Wednesday on how it will look in game action with the stands full of fans with a sneak peek of MLB 12 The Show. The graphics are excellent, and the trailer, just over a minute long, offers a glimpse of the unique features of the park, including fish swimming in the tanks behind the plate and the home run extravaganza going off with jumping marlins, flying gulls and lights flashing.

Sparano's Davie mansion marked down $100,000; other NFL personalities desperate to sell

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 13:51:42 -0500

Success in the NFL can be a burden. That is, when it becomes necessary to unload the mansion that seemed like a good idea when the big bucks started to roll in. As a Super Bowl special, Realtor.com last week featured 13 mega-homes that NFL figures are attempting to sell, some significantly marked down from their purchase price or original listing. Curiously, the list of owners included a dozen players and former Dolphins coach Tony Sparano.

Super Bowl ads have become an early show via social media

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 15:46:55 -0500

The measure of the magnitude the Super Bowl has become as a cultural event is that the hype for the game is matched by the hype for the commercials that will air during the game. For some the anticipation of the ads tops that for the game. Viewers who normally reach for he mute button during commercials view the Super Bowl ads as a big part of the show. In the social media age, it isn’t even necessary to wait for them. Many that will make their television debut Sunday during Super Bowl XLVI have been playing for weeks on YouTube, Facebook and elsewhere on the Web. (See lineup of this year’s ads after the jump.)

Must-see TV? Reyes to cut his hair on MLB Network

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:50:17 -0500

ESPN had LeBron and The Decision. Now the MLB Network hopes to captivate a national audience by featuring another Miami-bound free-agent acquisition in The Haircut. The all-baseball, all-the-time network obviously has a lot of airtime to fill during the offseason, and they will devote some of it to new Marlin Jose Reyes having his dreadlocks cut Friday at 6 p.m.

Lottery begins for tickets to opener at Marlins Park

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:15:26 -0500

Those looking to score tickets for Opening Night at Marlins Park without committing to a partial- or full-season plan can register for a lottery through Feb. 20 at marlins.com/openingnight After that date, fans will be selected at random based on available inventory for the opportunity to purchase two tickets to the April 4 opener against the Cardinals. Those selected will be notified by February 28.

Photo tour: Field taking shape at Marlins Park; fans impressed

Sun, 29 Jan 2012 13:33:49 -0500

MIAMI A fan exiting Marlins Park after Saturday’s Select-a-Seat tour as I was heading up the ramp noticed my camera. “Take a lot of pictures,” he said. “This is the most incredible structure I’ve ever seen.” Maybe he was David Samson’s uncle. Unlikely -- he was a lot taller. What is clear is the Marlins couldn’t script more effective advertising than simply opening the gate and letting fans see for themselves.

Super Bowl future uncertain for South Florida; so is Broward's role

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:44:58 -0500

Broward County was a focal point for the most recent Super Bowl in South Florida, in 2010. It could be a fringe player in the next bid to bring it back. The Dolphins will join with the South Florida Super Bowl Host Committee in the 50th anniversary championship game in 2016. Mike Dee, CEO of the Dolphins and Sun Life Stadium, said this week that it has yet to be determined if the bid will be a regional effort, as in 2010, or a Miami-Dade initiative. “That doesn’t mean Broward and Palm Beach counties don’t benefit from people who are coming here for the game. But in terms of NFL-sanctioned events and functions and where teams stay and where the epicenter of the event is, should that be Miami-Dade or should it be as it was in 2010. We’ve got to figure that out,” Dee said. Significant upgrades are needed to keep Sun Life Stadium a viable Super Bowl site. Dee pointed out that Broward's opposition scuttled the Dolphins' latest bid for tourism funds for stadium improvements despite the economic benefit the county received in the last Super Bowl.

Miami Dolphins can rebuild image by winning, team CEO Dee says

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 13:00:00 -0500

The Dolphins built an iconic reputation on the 1972 Perfect Season and names like Shula, Csonka and Marino. In recent years they’ve become more often associated with failure on the field and mocked for accumulating celebrity minority owners in lieu of playoff victories. Asked this week about the franchise’s tarnished image, Dolphins CEO Mike Dee said that success on the field would restore the luster.

Nike pushes for dramatic change in NFL uniforms; Dolphins not altering look in 2012

Wed, 25 Jan 2012 15:58:52 -0500

The NFL will have a different tailor next season. It remains to be seen whether players will look radically different in their new Nike threads. There has been speculation, since Nike wrestled the role of uniform provider away from Reebok more than a year ago, that NFL teams will resemble something out of a bizarre video game. Or the other-world look of the Oregon Ducks. Nike brand president Charlie Denson fueled that expectation in an interview with CNBC soon after the five-year deal with the NFL was announced in late 2010, saying, “We plan on changing the NFL jersey dramatically just like we’ve done with the college programs.”

Heat help NBA celebrate Chinese Year of the Dragon

Tue, 24 Jan 2012 15:57:37 -0500

It’s New Year’s all over again for the Heat in Tuesday’s game against the Cavaliers. The Heat, who already played on Christmas and Jan. 1 this season, will take part in a league-wide observance of Chinese New Year’s. The game will be televised in China. To help usher in the Year of the Dragon, fans arriving at AmericanAirlines Arena will be greeted by a Chinese New Year message, and courtside advertising will be in Mandarin for several sponsors, including Chinese companies Peak and Tsingtao beer, the latter a new Heat partner. Heat Dancers will incorporate Chinese dance into their routines.

Telecast of London Olympics to feature 200 hours of 3D coverage

Mon, 23 Jan 2012 16:42:32 -0500

Get ready for the five interlocking Olympic rings to jump out of the television and into your living room. The London 2012 Olympic Games are going to be broadcast in 3D. NBC and Panasonic have partnered to provide extensive 3D coverage to all U.S. distributors that offer Olympic coverage via cable, satellite and telco. Olympic Broadcasting Services will produce more than 200 hours of 3D coverage, which will be shown on next-day delay. The 3D focus will be on at least a dozen sports, including gymnastics, track-and-field, diving and swimming, as well as the opening and closing ceremonies.

Miami Heat get funky for throwback tribute to ABA's Floridians

Fri, 20 Jan 2012 12:33:26 -0500

That may look like Lebron under the big shades and ‘fro, but for this weekend he’s Clarence “Shonuff” McGee, who rocks out to Marvin Gaye on the 8-track in his Plymouth Barracuda on the way to games. The Heat are taking their game back to the days of big hair and disco as part of the NBA’s Hardwood Classics Nights and will masquerade as the 1971-72 Miami Floridians for Saturday’s game against Philadelphia and Sunday against Milwaukee at AmericanAirlines Arena. To get into the spirit, Heat players adopted persona of ’70s ABA stars for a promotional photo and video shoot.

Miami Marlins' spring training schedule; tickets go on sale Saturday

Thu, 19 Jan 2012 13:22:15 -0500

The Marlins will begin selling tickets for spring training games at Jupiter’s Roger Dean Stadium on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Marlins.com. The spring home schedule opens March 6 with a split-squad game in Jupiter (1:05 p.m.) against Detroit followed by a 7:10 p.m. exhibition at the new retractable-roof park in Miami against the University of Miami. The Marlins will play in their new Little Havana home the following night against Florida International. The games against UM and FIU are planned as soft openings for the park with about 10,000 and 15,000 tickets, respectively, to be made available. Tickets for those two games will go on sale Jan. 27 at 10 a.m. on Marlins.com.

Heat to give away 20,000 Back In Black T-shirts at Thursday's game vs. Lakers

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 15:19:51 -0500

Fans attending Thursday’s Heat game against the Lakers will have a chance to join the team in getting back to its Back in Black mode. The Heat will distribute 20,000 Back in Black T-shirts at AmericanAirlines Arena. The promotion will sync with the Heat unveiling at special Back in Black uniform that will be worn Thursday and at five other games this season. The all-black uniform with modest white trim is a tribute to the genesis of the team’s nationally recognized color-themed playoff campaigns.

God's hand in Tebow's success? 43 percent in poll say yes

Thu, 12 Jan 2012 10:24:43 -0500

It pays to Tebow, in the view of many Americans. A sizable portion of those surveyed in a national poll said divine intervention is at least partly responsible for the string of improbable Denver Broncos victories directed by Tim Tebow, including the overtime thriller over the Pittsburgh Steelers.