SPONSORSHIP & PROMOTION
Nike formally submitted a countersuit against new LA Clippers star Kawhi Leonard following the player’s own lawsuit against the company last month over the use and ownership of the "Klaw" logo that was developed and used during Leonard's time as part of Jordan Brand. "In this action, Kawhi Leonard seeks to re-write history by asserting that he created the 'Claw Design' logo, but it was not Leonard who created that logo," Nike stated, per ESPN. "The 'Claw Design' was created by a talented team of NIKE designers, as Leonard, himself, has previously admitted.
Speaking of Nike, James Madison Athletics entered into a partnership with Nike through BSN SPORTS. The five-year agreement sees all JMU sport programs now unified competing in Nike apparel. “James Madison has enjoyed a previous partnership with Nike, but we are excited to expand our Nike relationship further to encompass all of our sports thanks to a partnership with BSN Sports,” JMU AD Jeff Bourne said. “Apparel is a significant piece of brand representation and recognition, and Nike stands at the top when it comes to the college sports apparel industry. It is a key example of an outside entity recognizing the value of the JMU brand and seeking to invest in a relationship for mutual benefit.”
MP Brand announced World Champion and American-record holder Chase Kalisz joined Team MP as the first competitive swimmer named an official global ambassador of the MP Brand. As part of Team MP, Kalisz will train and compete utilizing the industry-leading MP Brand range of products from training equipment to performance swim suits.
DIGITAL, DATA & TECH
Abu Dhabi Media announced the launch of ‘UFC Arabia,’ the first Arabic language UFC streaming platform in the MENA region, allowing fans in the region’s 21 countries to exclusively live stream events as well as access a range of fight videos. “We are very excited to welcome back UFC to Abu Dhabi through the launch of this first Arabic language streaming platform, UFC Arabia. We are thrilled to allow all passionate fans in the UAE, and MENA, a chance to exclusively live stream all UFC events, and this step reaffirms our commitment to bringing all major sports to our viewers in the region,” said Abdulrahman Awadh Al Harthi, Executive Director of Television at Abu Dhabi Media.
Bleacher Report is launching the Mariano Rivera World Tour Apparel Collection – a collaboration that pays tribute to his career milestones. The collection will feature two designs in short and long sleeve: Unanimous World Tour and Save New York - featuring locations for all of his 652 saves during his career and designed by contemporary Latino pop artist and native New Yorker, M. Tony Peralta.
Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated unveiled the 2019 Fashionable 50 list naming the most stylish athletes across all sports. 2019 SI Fashionable 50 honorees Serena Williams, Lindsey Vonn, Ashlyn Harris, Tyrod Taylor, Ben Simmons, Michelle Wie, P.K. Subban, Iman Shumpert, Rudy Gay, Evander Kane, Kelly Oubre Jr., PJ Tucker, Malcolm Jenkins, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, DeAndre Jordan are among those expected to attend SI’s invite-only Fashionable 50 event in Los Angeles.
ESPORTS
AT&T continues to dive deeper into esports, announcing new agreements with both ESL and DreamHack. The ESL partnership sees the brand bring new experiences to ESL’s marquee North American events, including Intel Extreme Masters (IEM) Chicago and ESL One New York, as well as the expansion to new regions of the ESL Mobile Open presented by AT&T. The deal continues AT&T’s designation as the Official Telecommunications Partner for ESL North America, and broadens ESL and AT&T’s commitment to making esports accessible and inclusive.
Meanwhile, the new partnership with DreamHack will see AT&T take on a “key role” in DreamHack’s North American events, including the recent CORSAIR DreamHack Masters Dallas in June and the upcoming DreamHack Atlanta in November. AT&T will now serve as a key part of DreamHack Atlanta, which will take place Nov. 15-17 at the Gerogia World Congress Center. In addition to being a festival supporter, AT&T will also be a head sponsor of all DreamHack esports tournaments at DreamHack Atlanta, including the DreamHack Open and DreamHack Fighting Game Championships.
Speaking of DreamHack, the company announced that it will return to Jönköping, Sweden for 2019 DreamHack Winter. The gaming lifestyle festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary during DreamHack Winter to honor the date of the very first DreamHack festival on December 9, 1994 with the festival running Nov. 29-Dec. 1. “We are thrilled to officially kick off the celebration DreamHack’s 25th anniversary with some of our closest supporters and fans at DreamHack Winter,” said DreamHack Co-CEO Marcus Lindmark. “This will be our longest festival ever, offering 80 hours of BYOC, which will open the night before the festival kicks off. We will also feature a live music concert with a women-led metal night, and fans will experience the largest gaming expo in Sweden. With many more celebratory events and commemorations planned, this will truly be a not-to-be-missed event.”
Cavs Legion Gaming Club, the NBA 2K League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, unveiled plans for an esports center in Cleveland’s Battery Park neighborhood. The center, which is set to open this fall, will serve as the practice facility for Cavs Legion GC and will be open to the public for organized gaming competitions, tournaments and events.
THE MAIN EVENT
The Open concludes on Sunday with coverage on Golf Channel from 4:30-7a and 7a-2p on NBC.
