Sports Sponsorship Now Tax Deductible... In Taiwan

Sports Minister Tai Hsia-ling described Thursday a Ministry of Finance (MOF) decision to list business expenditures on sports sponsorship as tax deductible as "a great breakthrough." Read More >>

USGA Renews Lexus, Signs Polo Ralph Lauren To Multi-Year Deals

Over the past 4 years, Lexus has provided 3,127 vehicles to players and officials at 16 USGA championships. That will continue, as Lexus will remain the exclusive automotive partner of the USGA and the official car of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open and U.S. Amateur. "We are proud to extend our partnership with such a prestigious organization as the USGA. It represents our c...

'Mock Purse' Concept Puts Partner In Interesting Spot

The new RR Donnelley LPGA Founders Cup is raising some concerns with players after it was revealed that players will be competing for an "imaginary purse" of $1.3 million, with all proceeds (expected to be around $500K) to be donated to charity. “To have the purse be $1.3 million and the charity not get $1.3 million because it’s imaginary money, I’m having a difficult time with that,” LPGA pla...

Capital One Extends NCAA Commitment By Titling Academic All-American Program

Capital One Financial, already the exclusive credit card and retail bank of the NCAA, has formed a partnership with the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) to become the title sponsor of the Academic All-America Program. As part of its partnership, Capital One will receive title sponsorship of the Academic All-America Program - as well as for each of its individual program...

Florida Marketing Firm Suing IRL Over Izod Contract

A Florida-based sports marketing firm that claims it is owed millions of dollars in commissions for landing Izod as the Indy Racing League’s title sponsor is suing the series. Read More >> photo credit

Brand Affinity & GMR Formalize Partnership

GMR and Brand Affinity Technologies (BAT) today announced a formal partnership that will provide GMR with access to BAT's technology and proprietary platform data, as well as a range of celebrity endorsement and advertising offerings. The partnership is an extension of the working relationship both have developed on numerous client projects over the last 18 months. "As an agency, we're const...

AEG, Farmers Insurance Agree To $700M Deal For LA's Proposed NFL Stadium

Backers of a plan to build a football stadium in downtown Los Angeles are set to announce Tuesday that they have reached a naming-rights deal worth $700 million, which would be the most valuable such agreement ever and a significant step toward bringing an NFL team to Los Angeles. AEG, the huge entertainment company that, among other holdings, owns Staples Center and the L.A. Live complex, pla...

Analyst To ISC: Why Aren't You Doing Better?

At last week's Q4 conference call, analyst Barry Lucas, of Gabelli & Company, had a hard time reconciling ISC's flat sponsorship projections in light of an improving economy. Earlier in the call, ISC President John Saunders had mentioned in regard to sponsorship escalators, that "flat is the new up." Lucas posed this blunt follow-up question to ISC execs: "Whether we are talking about cor...

Why Volvo Sponsors Golf

Volvo's investments in sponsorship are primarily focused on golf, sailing and cultural properties. Among its golf holdings are title sponsorships to the Volvo China Open, the Volvo World Match Play Championship and the Volvo World Golf Challenge (formerly the Volvo Masters Amateur). These are just a few of what the automaker says is over 120 sponsorships in the game. Here's Karin Bäcklund, Dir...

MLSE & Live Nation Form Canadian Alliance

Live Nation Entertainment and Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment have formed a strategic partnership aimed at maximizing their respective operations across Ontario. As part of the new alliance, MLSE will sell and service Live Nation's sponsorships in its properties, which includes the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre. "The Greater Toronto Area is the third highest grossing event market in North...