FeedPosted Mar 4th 2011 11:00AM by Joseph Lazzaro (RSS feed)
Filed under: Business of Sports
Madison Square Garden, Inc.'s (MSG) shares have risen more than 40% in the past six months and are currently testing $30 resistance. Even so, I'd avoid the shares at this stage.
The company operates the namesake sports/entertainment arena in New York City, and also owns the New York Knicks and New York Rangers sports teams, and the accompanying sports/entertainment cable TV network, the MSG Network.
Other properties owned include New York's Radio City Music Hall, the Chicago Theatre, and the Beacon Theatre.
Continue reading Madison Square Garden: For Now, Stand Aside
Posted Jul 23rd 2010 3:40PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Columns, NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Under Armour'A' (UA), Business of Sports

Football season is right around the corner and you can expect athletic apparel stocks to benefit --- the question is, who will lead the way? Most people will assume Nike (
NKE) --- a safe assumption given the company's wide spectrum of offerings, ranging from apparel to shoes. That said, I don't think that we can overlook NKE's competitor Under Armour (
UA). For those not familiar with the company, UA makes performance athletic wear, ranging from underwear to camouflage hunting wear. A majority of UA's clothing offerings are made of the company's moisture-wicking and heat-dispersing fabrics, which help keep athletes dry during workouts and competition. The company's products are available on the Internet, through catalogs, and at more than 20,000 stores nationwide. Not only is UA a major competitor to NKE, but it is also the world's leading compression sports apparel brand - holding almost
80% of market share.
Continue reading JockStocks: Is Under Armour on the Road to Recovery?
Posted Jun 11th 2010 12:30PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Rumors, NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Under Armour'A' (UA), Business of Sports
The exodus is set to begin. Rumors have pegged today as the day that Colorado is going to leave the Big 12 athletic conference for the "greener pastures" of the PAC-10.
This move will be the first in what will become the end of one of NCAA Football's most storied and most profitable athletic conferences. The Big 12 was one of the leaders of the NCAA Football world, but it is set to become nothing more than a carcass, left to be picked over by the major predators of the football world (most notably the PAC-10, SEC, and the Big Ten).
Continue reading JockStocks: RIP Big 12
Posted May 21st 2010 5:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: NIKE, Inc'B' (NKE), Business of Sports

So, the Cleveland Cavaliers have been eliminated from the NBA playoffs again -- adding to the city's rather impressive list of sports failures. Unfortunately for C-town, the biggest loss of the season will take place in a little less than 41 days when LeBron James (who was supposed to lead the city to championship glory) becomes
a free agent.
Quite honestly, there hasn't been such an overhyped move since Shaquille O'Neal left the Lakers and went to the Heat ... although Shaq actually helped the Heat win an NBA title. So, perhaps this may be the most over-hyped free agency ever -- and you can blame Nike Inc. (
NKE).
Continue reading JockStocks: Where Will LeBron James Play Next Year?
Posted May 14th 2010 1:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Business of Sports
Suddenly, there is an outcrop of support for conference realignment in college football. This groundswell started a few weeks ago when rumors surfaced that the Big 10 Conference was thinking about inviting Notre Dame into the conference.
The expansion list has since expanded; branching out to include Nebraska, Rutgers, Missouri, Notre Dame, and Pittsburgh -- making the Big Ten the Big Sixteen. The rumored invites sent speculation running rampant about who is going to play in what conference and who will be left out. Let's take a look at the financial ramifications of any moves.
Continue reading JockStocks: Does Conference Expansion Make Sense?
Posted Apr 22nd 2010 5:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Columns, Business of Sports

Tonight is the night that NFL fans the world over treat as Christmas: the NFL Draft. Year after year, hopeful NFL fans tune in to the draft to see which player their chosen team will draft. When the pick is made, network talking heads, sports radio hosts, bloggers, and casual sports fans will issue their opinions on the team's new pick, with some teams declared winners and some declared losers.
One thing is certain: the two big winners will be the NFL Network and ESPN. These two networks are the sole television broadcast outlets for the Draft (aside from NFL.com, where you will be able to watch the NFL Network's coverage), and there are some major changes to the broadcast this year.
Continue reading JockStocks: The Big Winner in Tonight's NFL Draft? ESPN and the NFL Network
Posted Apr 8th 2010 2:00PM by Sheldon Liber (RSS feed)
Filed under: Forecasts, Wal-Mart (WMT), PepsiCo (PEP), Sirius Satellite Radio (SIRI), Under Armour'A' (UA), Business of Sports, Bargain Stocks, Jarden Corp. (JAH), Hibbet Sports Inc. (HIBB)

Baseball season is officially under way and it's all a numbers game.
Kiplinger has
highlighted five stocks that may be in play --- Jarden, Under Armour, PepsiCo, Hibbett Sports and Siriius Radio-- so here is their pitch and my thoughts on taking a swing at any of them.
Oddly, the
Kiplinger story makes note of the fact that baseball and investing are both driven by numbers, yet provides very few of them to support their thesis.
Continue reading Jarden, Under Armour, PepsiCo, Hibbet Sports, Sirius: Five Big Hits with the Boys of Summer
Posted Feb 22nd 2010 1:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: General Electric (GE), Business of Sports
As you may know, I am a rabid hockey fan. My team is the Columbus Blue Jackets, but I have come to appreciate good hockey as a whole. Last night, I hunkered down with my wife and brother-in-law to watch the USA take on Canada in the Olympics. What a game. Some are calling it the biggest upset since 1980's Miracle on Ice. I will play into the hype, although these were pros versus pros and anything can happen.
That said, I have to express a few opinions about the game. First, let's start with NHL Commissioner (or should I say uber-villain) Gary Bettman. Bettman believes that NHL players shouldn't compete in the Olympics because it takes away from the NHL itself. Really? The fact that your games are on Versus and once a week on NBC doesn't? How many times can the American public be force-fed Sidney Crosby and Alexander Ovechkin? Great players, but there are other players in the NHL.
Continue reading JockStocks: Wrapping Up the USA/Canada Hockey Game
Posted Feb 8th 2010 12:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Columns, Business of Sports
So, on Friday I took a look at the potential of some Super Bowl advertisements, which leaves today to digest the commercials and say who we thought had the best commercial.
First things first, congratulations New Orleans -- what a win. Second of all, I need to make an editorial comment before I reveal my thoughts on the best commercial: what's up with all the guys in their underwear? I saw enough tighty whities in the span of two minutes during the first half to last the rest of my life. I know one thing, I am not going to go to CareerBuilder.com or wear Dockers thanks to the visage of pasty white men in their underwear standing at the water cooler or singing about pants.
Continue reading Which Super Bowl Ad Won the Night?
Posted Feb 5th 2010 12:00PM by Mark Fightmaster (RSS feed)
Filed under: Consumer Experience, PepsiCo (PEP), General Motors (GM), Marketing and Advertising, CBS Corp 'B' (CBS), Business of Sports
Who's ready for some football? The Super Bowl is this weekend, and you know what that means -- commercials that we will all be talking about on Monday morning. In fact, we all know someone who says they watch the game for the commercials.
CBS announced earlier this week that it sold out all the in-game spots, but a few pre- and post-game spots remained. How much money did this make for CBS (CBS)? Roughly $200 million, and that is a low-end estimate. We all know why advertisers flock to the Super Bowl, as more than 98.7 million viewers tuned in last year. No matter who is in the Super Bowl, people watch the game and the commercials -- and eventually they may buy the products from the ads.
Continue reading JockStocks: Super Bowl Commercials, a Preview
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