For-Profit Prison Calls Off $6 Million Sponsorship

Dubbed "Owlkatraz" after a doomed Florida Atlantic University's $6 million naming rights deal with for-profit prison company, Geo Group, the stadium that hosts the FAU Owls is already in need of a replacment sponsor. Geo Group dropped their sponsorship on Monday, a little over one month after announcing the deal because it has "surprisingly evolved into an ongoing distraction to both of our org...

Jay-Z Launches Sports Management Agency

Add sports representation to Jay-Z's long list of accomplishments. The rapper-turned-team owner is launching a new sports representation agency and his first client is New York Yankees second baseman, Robinson Cano. Cano is leaving Scott Boras in an arrangement that will see Jay-Z's group team up with CAA to represent athletes under the new banner, Roc Nation. CAA Sports’ Brodie Van Wagenen wil...

This Is Probably The Coolest Thing You'll See Today

Bubba Watson and sponsor, Oakley, introduce the "BW1," described as the "world's first hovercraft golf cart." The BW1 is capable of traversing all of the typical golf terrains, including grass, sand, and water. Hat tip: Jared Melzer #activationstag

Craigslist Connects With Bay to Breakers

Bay to Breakers runners will have a new place to turn for their post race missed connections. The 102-year-old San Francisco race has named San Francisco-based Craigslist as presenting sponsor, following a scramble to replace the race's previous title sponsor, Zazzle. More than 30,000 athletes are expected to run among young professionals (Linkedin is now an official sponsor) and the most in...

Paris Marathon Looks To Create Clean Energy From Runner Footsteps

Having recently signed on as the first-ever title sponsor of the Paris Marathon, Schneider Electric will be installing energy harvesting Pavegen tiles all along the 26.2 mile route and spectator paths at this weekend's race. With over 50,000 runners, the company says that the sponsorship activation will be the largest ever installation of the Pavegen technology. “Imagine if your run or walk t...

How 'Bubba's Hover' Came About...

Last week, we took a look at Bubba Watson's new "Bubba Hover" viral video. On Friday, the Masters champion added some detail on CNBC. He says before you customize it, the standard Bubba hovercraft will set you back $16,000 and several golf courses have already placed pre-orders! In other news, Bubba says he's on the prowl for an automobile partner. #dealstag

Check Out The Adidas Haircut That Was Not OK With The NBA

The Knicks' Iman Shumpert showed unprecedented support for his endorsement deal with Adidas, showing up with this to last Friday's game with Milwaukee. Alas, after the NBA caught wind of the haircut, it was reduced to a sad empty triangle before Sunday's nationally televised match-up with OKC. Shumpert also apologized on Twitter with this before and after shot. Adidas has been the league's offi...

Whoops! Major Brands Sponsor Guantanamo-Themed Coachella Party (NSFW)

Somehow invitations made it out recently for this Smashbox Studios and True Religion-sponsored Coachella after party. Both sponsors have since backed out of the event, stating that they didn't know about the party's controversial theme, which has since been changed by the organizer, Flaunt Magazine, after considerable negative feedback. Refinery 29 has the story.

SeaWorld's Approach To Sponsorships Reflected In S-1

Last night, SeaWorld Entertainment finalized plans for its anticipated $540 million IPO coming later this week. Below is the most relevant bit on corporate sponsorships from the company's S-1 filed back in December. In particular, it's interesting to note the emphasis with which the company places on not only maximizing short-term revenue from sponsors, but also finding partners that can use th...

The Masters: A Business Unlike Any Other

Guan Tianlang has been the talk of the 2013 Masters Golf Tournament. The 14 year-old from China shot a 1-over-par 73 in his first round playing the Augusta National Golf Club. For many people, the fact that an eighth grader can shoot under 80 at this difficult course is unbelievable. What may be more surprising, however, is how Tianlang qualified for the Masters. The tournament allows only 93 ...