HK News

On Tuesday, as a ferocious EF5 tornado bore down on the Oklahoma City and suburb Moore, destroying 2,800 homes, two elementary schools and killing 24, the Thunder could take small comfort in their name not further contributing to the pain, and go to work hastening the healing. As we see over and over again when disaster strikes the U.S., America’s sports teams and athletes are always there as second responders behind the emergency crews, ready to help with open hearts and open wallets. [read more]

**Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts is threatening to move the team to a new ballpark if a planned Wrigley Field renovation falls through. **Levi Strauss has purchased the naming rights to the San Francisco 49ers’ new $1.2 billion stadium. **TBS will air both men’s basketball Final Four semifinal games in 2014 and 2015, marking the first time the games will be televised on cable. [read more]

**MLB is being criticized for banning pink bats without Louisville Slugger logos on Mother’s Day. **MLS signed a six-year deal with Topps to make the company the “official trading card producer” of the league. **MLB is seeking a protective headgear product for pitchers, though no solution is imminent. [read more]

These days, it is seemingly impossible to open the sports page and NOT see a story about somebody suing someone. From retired NFL players suing the league over health benefits and head trauma to golfer V.J. Singh suing the PGA Tour over deer antler spray, and most recently, former NBPA head Billy Hunter suing the union and President Derek Fisher for defamation and breach of contract, the list of legal tangles in sports never seems to get any shorter. [read more]

**MLB is being criticized for banning pink bats without Louisville Slugger logos on Mother’s Day. **The family of late NHL player Derek Boogaard has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the league. **Fast food chain Zaxby’s has signed sponsorship deals with 25 universities as it attempts to brand itself as “The Official Chicken of College Sports.” [read more]

Following the recommendation of the NBA’s relocation committee, the league’s Board of Governors voted 22-8 against moving the Sacramento Kings to Seattle. While current Kings owners the Maloof family still must reach a formal deal to sell the team to Vivek Ranadive’s group, the league’s vote ends any chance of the team moving to Seattle next season. With the team staying in Sacramento, the city will contribute $250 million to a new arena for the Kings. [read more]

One of the unique features of the NBA Draft relative to other pro sports leagues is the lottery, which deters teams from intentionally trying to get the worst record by not guaranteeing them the top pick. While the system is weighted to give the worst team the best chance at receiving the first selection, since 1990, only three teams with the worst record have actually won the lottery. [read more]

Here’s a sports marketing partnership you don’t see everyday. The Barclays Center has signed a marketing deal with the University of Southern Cal for brand exposure during home football games at L.A. Memorial Coliseum. The three-year deal is worth in the low to mid-six figures annually, and gives Barclays Center a hospitality presence of the West Coast. [read more]

Fast food chain Zaxby’s has signed sponsorship deals with 25 universities as it attempts to brand itself as “The Official Chicken of College Sports.” The schools that are partnering with Zaxby’s – including Alabama, Florida, and North Carolina – are concentrated in the Southeast, which is where most of the restaurant’s stores are located. Zaxby’s has 570 locations across 13 states. [read more]

To the naysayers who contend that professional sports teams and facilities don’t make significant contributions to local economic impact, look no further than the Oklahoma City Thunder. Research done by the city’s Convention and Visitors Bureau found that the team this season generated $64 million for greater OKC. The Thunder also have a strong affect on civic pride. [read more]