Super Bowl biz notes
By Darren Rovell
ESPN.com
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Super Bowl biz notes By Darren Rovell ESPN.com | ||||
Thirty-six years.
That's how long it took for Art Modell to win another NFL title. Since his Cleveland Browns won the crown in 1964, the now-Baltimore Ravens owner has hardly become used to hoisting a championship trophy. Modell paid $3.93 million for the Browns in 1961 -- which would translate to about $24 million today.
In December 1999, Modell sold a 49 percent stake in the team to Maryland businessman Stephen Bisciotti for $275 million and gave Bisciotti an option to buy the rest of the team for another $325 million in 2004. At last check, Bisciotti was planning to exercise that option.
With Modell's wait over, here's a look at the owners who have been waiting the longest:
Not only did winning and losing Sunday mean a difference of $23,500 in the players' shares, but the marquee players on the Ravens likely will get more money to sign autographs. Some players had signed "if-win" clauses in previous contracts, stipulating if they won the Super Bowl, they automatically would earn more for their autographs. It's an average of $10 to $50 more, according to Jared Weiss, executive vice president of Steiner Sports Memorabilia. Players will also get more to sign special inscriptions. Weiss said that a player such as Ray Lewis could get 15 to 20 percent more money to sign, "Ray Lewis, SB XXXV MVP." I love New York? Not so fast Are New York-area sports teams too successful? With the Yankees winning four of the last five World Series, the Devils winning the Stanley Cup, the Mets reaching the World Series and the Giants playing in the Super Bowl, "New York (on the collectible market) is clearly 'championshipped' out," Weiss said. The success of New York coupled with the lack of marquee stars on both teams will hurt the post-Super Bowl collectible market. The New York-Baltimore matchup instead of a Minnesota-Oakland matchup means the loss of "a couple million dollars" in potential sales, according to Greg Bertoni, director of merchandising for QVC. QVC sold 45,000 pieces of locker-room gear from its TV program in the two days after the Denver Broncos wrapped up their championships. This year, QVC plans on selling plenty of Johnny Unitas/Trent Dilfer-autographed Super Bowl XXXV footballs ($350) and Ray Lewis-signed Super Bowl XXXV footballs ($290). Cash and Kerry From the NFC Championship Game until the national anthem at Raymond James, there was no one hotter than Kerry Collins. On Friday, more than 4,200 Collins items were listed on eBay -- at the time more than Joe Montana, Jerry Rice and Babe Ruth combined. One seller, from T and J Sports in Edina, Minn., sold his Kerry Collins-autographed football late last week for more than $200. "I had that ball stored away, and almost had the name rubbed off because of where his career was heading," he said. Who knows? After the Super Bowl, maybe the buyer might want to rub it off. No Disney World for Ray Ray Lewis won the MVP on Sunday night and the word was all week that Disney apparently did not have Lewis on its list to say, "I'm going to Disney World," because of his association with the double-murder trial. It marks the fourth time since the "What's Next" promotion started with Phil Simms (Super Bowl XXI) that the MVP did not utter the famous line. The other three times were in Super Bowl XXIII when Rice won the MVP but Montana was in the promotion and Super Bowl XXX when Larry Brown won the MVP but Emmitt Smith said he was going to the theme park. John Elway got the spot in Super Bowl XXXII despite Terrell Davis picking up the MVP award. The spot is reportedly worth between $65,000 and $75,000 for Ravens quarterback Trent Dilfer. Coaches ready to cash in In comparison to other coaches, Super Bowl head coaches Brian Billick and Jim Fassel are very underpaid. In the coming months, Billick should get a raise, and Fassel -- whose contract runs out after next season -- should get an extension.
To Shaq, it was a nagging injury. To the bettor, it ruined all the fun. Shaquille O'Neal's late scratch from the lineup Sunday afternoon ruined a couple of the best proposition bets for the Super Bowl gambler. Some of the bets included Shaq's missed free throws vs. Trent Dilfer's incomplete passes and Shaq's total points vs. a running back's rushing yards. "Any time you put up a goofy bet like that, you always have to assume that the player must play," said John Avello, the race and sports book director at Bally's and Paris Las Vegas. Minutes before the Lakers game, Avello heard that Shaq would be a scratch and took down the Shaquille propositions. He noted that any proposition bet that involved the Lakers' total points versus another number in the Super Bowl, would not be similarly scratched. It's 'over' in a hurry Since the over/under fell in between 32 and 33 points, the "under" gambler had to worry about out-of-hand scoring in the second half. Duane Starks' interception, followed by Ron Dixon and Jermaine Lewis' kickoff returns, hurt the under bet big-time. As a mere 36 seconds elapsed in the third quarter, 64 percent of the line was put on the board. After Lewis' kick return, the Giants and the Ravens had an eternal 18:13 left in the game to score either a field goal or touchdown. Who would have thought that the Ravens and Giants would score more (41) than the Titans and the Rams (39) last year? Avello said 55 percent of all who took the bet took the "over" for the game. Darren Rovell is ESPN.com's sports business reporter. |
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