The New Orleans Saints’ Drew Brees (No. 1), Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Rodgers (No. 2) and New England Patriot’s Tom Brady (No. 3) top the Bloomberg Businessweek/Horrow Sports Ventures 2012 Power 100 ranking of the most powerful professional athletes in the U.S. To determine who the 100 most powerful athletes are on- and off-the-field going into 2012, Bloomberg Businessweek teamed up with Rick Horrow, host of Bloomberg TV “Sportfolio,” and CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures; CSE, a leading integrated marketing agency that created the Power 100 list for the third consecutive year using proprietary methodology; and the Nielsen/E-Poll N-Score.

As the business of sports continues to grow, endorsement contracts increasingly impact players, teams, and the industry. These contracts take into consideration many of the same factors as the Power 100 ranking - performance, name awareness, appeal, influence, trustworthiness and overall popularity, among other things. Social media, for example, played a role in boosting the rankings of such athletes as LeBron James (No. 4) and Shaquille O’Neal (No.7).  The Power 100 rankings are based 50 percent on these on “off-field” measurements, and 50 percent on “on-field” performance using a variety of industry statistics.
 
The most notable drops this year include injury-plagued Peyton Manning dropping from No. 1 to No. 51 and golfer Phil Mickelson dropping from No. 4 to No. 18. Due to the individual dominance of its top athletes, tennis commands ten percent of the spots on this year’s list, with the top female athlete on the list being American tennis stalwart Serena Williams (No. 25).
 
In addition, this year’s Power 100 rankings also emphasize the importance of team sports, with the NFL dominating the list with 26 players ranked in the top 100. The National Basketball Association came in second with the most athletes on the Power 100, with 20, followed by MLB baseball (16), tennis (10), golf (8), NASCAR (6), Olympics (4), soccer (4), hockey (3), boxing/MMA (2), and action sports (1).
 
“This is the third year of the Power 100, and it continues to be a cutting-edge tool to measure the power and value of athletes,” says Horrow, who will devote an entire “Sportfolio” episode to the special report on January 25.  “CSE’s consistent methodology provides the industry’s only analytics to provide integrated on field and off field attributes.”

The top 10:

1 Drew Brees, Football
2 Aaron Rodgers, Football
3 Tom Brady, Football
4 LeBron James, Basketball
5 Rafael Nadal, Tennis
6 Roger Federer, Tennis
7 Shaquille O’Neal, Basketball
8 Shaun White, Action Sports
9 Novak Djokovic, Tennis
10 Calvin Johnson, Football

The Power 100 special report is available here.

Raycom Media, Inc. announced today that it has acquired the assets of New York City-based Tupelo-Honey Productions (THP), including 50% of My Tupelo Entertainment. The acquisition adds to the Raycom Media production capabilities, which include Raycom Sports, a subsidiary of Raycom Media based in Charlotte, N.C.

Cary Glotzer will continue to be the CEO of Tupelo-Honey and the Managing Partner of My Tupelo Entertainment. My Tupelo Entertainment is headed by Partner, and veteran Executive Producer, Michael Yudin. 

“Combining the assets of Tupelo-Honey with Raycom Sports is a natural fit,” said Raycom Media CEO Paul McTear. “Both organizations produce live and studio sports programming of the highest quality, and in putting the organizations together, we have one of the largest independent sports production companies in the United States.  We are also excited about the prospects for My Tupelo Entertainment, a leading independent production company, producing original programming for Network, Cable, Syndication and Broadband.”

Currently Tupelo-Honey produces and packages over 150 live sports and entertainment television events per year. My Tupelo has produced recent shows such as Pros vs. Joes, Wreck Chasers, and six seasons of Ghost Adventures for Travel Channel.

Coupled with Raycom Sports, the combined entity will deliver close to 300 shows in 2012 including NFL and college football, college basketball, Major League Soccer games, producing games for ESPN, NBC Sports Network, FOX Sports, The NFL Network, The ACC Network, and The YES Network. 

“We are very excited about this agreement with Raycom,” said Glotzer, who has worked with Raycom Sports on several entertainment projects over the years. “The transaction will allow both THP and Raycom’s client base to immediately benefit from the scale and incremental resources created by the combined entity.”

“This agreement will significantly boost the production and post-production capabilities of Raycom Sports,” said Ken Haines, CEO of Raycom Sports. “Looking forward, we believe that the combined entity will continue to be a very significant player in the sports production business.”

“Raycom intends to develop more original programming for its portfolio of television stations going forward,” said Pat LaPlatney, Vice-President of Business Development and Digital Media for Raycom. “Under the leadership of Cary and Michael, Tupelo-Honey and My Tupelo provide a solid foundation for that effort. This is in addition to the great work they currently produce with Ghost Adventures and the soon-to premeire, Baggage Battles for the Travel Channel, as well as the digital production work they execute for Conde’ Nast.” 

Mount Vernon, New York-native and CBS 2 (WCBS Channel 2)  television meteorologist Elise Finch will be honored with the “Denzel Community Service Award” at the Boys & Girls Club of Mount Vernon’s 100th Anniversary Gala at the Rye Town Hilton (Rye Brook, Westchester County, New York) on Saturday night, March 24, 2012.  The award-winning actor Denzel Washington will make the presentation. Washington, the host for the benefit, is a distinguished alumnus of the Boys & Girls Club. For information and reservations call 914.668.9580 or log onto www.bgcmvny.com.
 
Ms. Finch joins YES Network’s former MLB All-Star Ken Singleton, who will receive the “Denzel Lifetime Achievement Award in Sports” among the honorees.
 
Ms. Finch has long made community involvement a priority, and will be so honored for those efforts. She has emceed events for the Alzheimer’s Association of Greater New Jersey, the Westchester Library System, the Mount Vernon High School Hall of Fame and also JDRF Walk for a Cure. Ms. Finch is a member of the National Association of Black Journalists and the American Meteorological Society. She is a volunteer with the non-profit organization Dress For Success and a contributor to the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. She is also a patron of The Minisink Spirit, Inc., a non-profit organization that provides adventure camping and leadership training to urban youth in the tri-state area.

Post Fruity Pebbles and WWE Superstar John Cena are teaming up for a new partnership, which includes a collectable cereal box and an instant-win promotion awarding a VIP meet-and-greet with the talent.

Cena’s passion charity, the Make-A-Wish Foundation, for which he has granted over 250 wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions, and ‘be a STAR,’ the anti-bullying alliance co-founded by WWE and The Creative Coalition, are prominently displayed on newly-designed Fruity Pebbles cereal boxes featured nationwide January through March. 

“It is truly an honor to team up with Post Fruity Pebbles. After all, who doesn’t dream of being on a cereal box one day?” said Cena. “I am proud that the partnership also spreads awareness about the life-changing wishes granted by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, and ‘be a STAR’s’ anti-bullying message of showing tolerance and respect.”

“We are thrilled to support John Cena’s work in and out of the ring for children with life-threatening medical conditions and those who are being bullied,” said Michael Krishnan, Senior Brand Manager at Post Foods. “We hope Fruity Pebbles’ partnership with this popular WWE Superstar will raise awareness for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and ‘be a STAR’.”

The on-pack instant win grand prize winners will each receive a VIP meet-and-greet with Cena, priority seating and transportation to a WWE live event, and an autographed “Rise Above Hate” T-shirt, in support of the ‘be a STAR’ anti-bullying message. First prize winners will receive an autographed version of the exclusive T-shirt. The second prize winners will receive the exclusive T-shirt. To enter, look inside the specially marked boxes featuring Cena for a special code to submit on www.PebblesPlay.com/Cena.

The partnership stems from the onscreen and social media rivalry between Cena and WrestleMania XXVIII opponent Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, who compared Cena’s brightly colored wardrobe to a bowl of Fruity Pebbles. Cena embraced the new nickname, saying he is “Yabba, Dabba Delicious.” 

Post Fruity Pebbles Cereal and Fruity Pebbles Treats can be found at grocery stores nationwide. For more information, visit www.PostCereals.com.

With the annual New York 13.1 Marathon® just over two months away, runners across the tri-state area can take advantage of a fun opportunity to keep their training going – or, if they took a break for the holidays, kick it back into gear – when Paragon Sports hosts its first eight-mile training run of the season on Saturday, beginning at 9 a.m.  The run will start at Paragon’s flagship location at 867 Broadway (at 18th St.) and continue to Hudson River Park on Manhattan’s west side.

Pacers will run at 1:40, 1:50 and 2:00 paces during the training run.  Water and sports drinks will be available on the course, and water, coffee, bagels, fruit and other refreshments will be provided at the Paragon store following the run.  Participants can also win raffle prizes such as Craft socks and and iPod Shuffle.

For more information or to sign up, runners can call 212-255-8889 or email customerservice@paragonsports.com.

The nationwide 13.1 Marathon® Series returns to beautiful Flushing Meadows Corona Park on Saturday, March 24, bringing the popular eight-city tour to Queens for its New York stop.  The third annual half-marathon will be joined again this year by the Karhu 5K race, providing opportunities for serious runners as well as newcomers to the sport for a fun-filled day in the shadows of the USTA National Tennis Center, New York Hall of Science, the Queens Wildlife Center and the Unisphere.

The New York 13.1 Marathon® begins in front of Arthur Ashe Stadium and continues around the park, which was the site of the 1939 and 1964 World Fairs.  The walker-friendly course will remain open for 3 hours and 30 minutes, a 16 minute/mile pace.

The Karhu 5K race will take place on a separate course within Flushing Meadows Park.

Racers are invited to join the official benefiting charity, Team World Vision to raise funds for clean water projects in Kenya and Malawi while training with local team groups.  For more information on Team World Vision please visit www.worldvision.org.

Race registration is currently open at www.131newyork.com.  Fees for the 13.1 are $75 per runner until Jan. 12, $85 from Jan. 13 – March 18, and $100 race week; for the Karhu 5K they are $25 until March 18, $30 race week.

The New York 13.1 Marathon® is the third in the eight-city Series, which includes races in Atlanta, Chicago, Dallas, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami Beach and Minneapolis.  Connect with the 13.1 Marathon Series via Facebook at www.facebook.com/131marathon or on Twitter at @131Marathon.

What do Mark Murphy, CEO of the Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers and Coach Brady Hoke of the Sugar Bowl champion Michigan Wolverines have in common?

Both were placed in their organizations by Jed Hughes, the world of sport’s pioneer of senior-level search and organizational assessment.  Korn/Ferry International (NYSE:KFY), a premier global provider of talent management solutions, today announced that Mr. Hughes has joined the Firm as Global Sector Head of the Sports Practice.  He will be based in the Firm’s New York office.

The evolving landscape and economic pressures within the world of intercollegiate and professional sports have elevated the importance of hiring the right leaders to make the right decisions impacting their organizations.  Millions of dollars are at stake and the consequences have never been more critical – from cash-strapped intercollegiate environments to professional sports organizations, each trying to increase profitability and stimulate their fan base.

“Professional sports is a complex business that co-mingles entertainment, retail, consumer goods, technology and new media.  Choosing the right leadership is critical to success,” said Bob Damon, Korn/Ferry International president of North America.  “Jed has a long and distinguished career as the leading consultant in professional sports and intercollegiate athletics.  His relationships are extensive and his knowledge of the critical trends and leadership issues impacting the world of sports is unparalleled.”

Mr. Hughes joins Korn/Ferry from Spencer Stuart, where he led the Sports Practice for over 12 years and served as a core member of the Board and CEO Practice.  Among his high profile placements are Mark Murphy, CEO of the Green Bay Packers; Larry Scott, Commissioner of the Pac-12 Conference; and Brady Hoke, who last week restored football glory to the University of Michigan by guiding the Wolverines to a Sugar Bowl victory.  Other premier sports organizations that Jed has conducted searches for include the United States Olympic Committee, Ladies Professional Golf Association, PGA of America, Seattle Seahawks, Cleveland Browns, Arsenal Football Club, Liverpool Football Club, Ohio State University, ATP Tour, and Women’s Tennis Association.

Mr. Hughes also has a proven track record of success outside the sports world, having recruited board directors and CEOs within private equity, consumer and industrial organizations including, Solectron, Stride Rite, Westpoint Stevens, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, U.S. Steel Corporation, and PNC Bank.

Earlier in his career Mr. Hughes coached for two decades in professional and intercollegiate football where he served under five Hall of Fame coaches - Bo Schembechler (University of Michigan), Chuck Noll (Pittsburgh Steelers), Bud Grant (Minnesota Vikings), John Ralston (Stanford University) and Terry Donahue (UCLA).

After his coaching career, Mr. Hughes had a stint with Walter V. Clark, a behavioral assessment company where he led the development of psychological testing and assessments for organizations that include the Super Bowl champion San Francisco 49ers and Green Bay Packers.  He also coached some of the top business executives at General Electric, R.R. Donnelly, H.J. Heinz, and PNC Bank in leadership.

Mr. Hughes holds an M.A. from Stanford University, and a Ph.D. from the University of Michigan with a focus on organizational behavior.  He is the author of Succession Planning – The Retail Black Hole,” “An Old Game with New Challenges - Leadership at a Crossroads in Intercollegiate Sports,” and “Survival in the Sports Entertainment Business: The New Darwinism?”

Ohio’s contestant in the upcoming Miss America pageant never dreamed that participation in the scholarship competition would provide an opportunity to share her sister’s story in hopes of saving others’ lives.  Miss Ohio, Ellen Bryan has been concerned about the cause of lightning safety ever since her older sister was struck by lightning 11 years ago.  Her sister, who was 17 at the time of the debilitating injury, is restrained to a wheelchair and can’t speak.

“When I started competing in the Miss America Organization, I chose lightning safety as my personal platform because of my sister, Christina who was struck by lightning in 2000,” said Bryan, 23.  “When you tell someone that you are a titleholder and would like to speak to their school, business or community about lightning safety, doors open without question—the crown serves as a microphone to help share your message,” explained Bryan.    

Bryan and her sister teamed with the National Weather Service in 2009 to produce a public service announcement about lightning safety.  She has since continued volunteer efforts on behalf of the cause and has helped promote NOAA’s annual “Lightning Safety Awareness Week” campaign each June.  In fact, Ellen was crowned Miss Ohio last June on the eve of the annual safety campaign.   

“Ellen has added a personal and important perspective to NOAA’s lightning safety efforts,” said John Jensenius, Lightning Safety Specialist for the National Weather Service, NOAA.  “Unfortunately, Ellen has first-hand knowledge of just how devastating a lightning injury can be to both the victim and their family.  We greatly appreciate her efforts in promoting lightning safety as Miss Ohio and wish her well in the Miss America Pageant.”

Bryan continues her cause for lightning safety as she competes for Miss America on January 14, 2012 in Las Vegas where all contestants take a platform and bring attention to it.  Bryan has good news to share about her cause, amid recent reports that 2011 will be a record low year for lightning fatalities.  According to the National Weather Service, twenty-six people were killed across the U.S. last year, which is less than half the yearly average.

Jensenius attributes the lower death toll in 2011 to the Weather’s Service’s commitment to lightning education and safety.

“In large part, the reduction in lightning fatalities is due to the efforts of many people and organizations who help educate the public on the dangers of lightning and provide safety recommendations,” said Jensenius. “Undoubtedly the efforts of the Lightning Safety Awareness Campaign are being realized.” 

Bryan views the Miss America competition as an opportunity to continue lightning safety education on a broader scale, as she hopes to spread the message to national outlets and conventions.  She also plans to record a new public service announcement to air prior to major outdoor sporting events, like football, baseball and soccer.

“This spring, I hope to have at least 20 Ohio counties adopt the Lightning Safety Toolkit,” said Bryan. (The toolkit is a program designed by the NOAA team to increase lightning safety awareness at outdoor recreational venues.)  “Lightning safety week also falls during the 2012 Miss Ohio competition, so I hope to include the contestants in a few lightning safety media blitzes, too.”

“Ellen is a compelling and passionate supporter of lightning safety education,” said Bud VanSickle, executive director of the Lightning Protection Institute (LPI).  “As a Miss America contestant, Ellen will have an even broader platform to share her important message about nature’s underrated, yet deadly risk.”

The Lightning Protection Institute is a not-for-profit nationwide group founded in 1955 to promote lightning safety, awareness and education and is a leading resource for lightning protection information and system requirements.  Visit www.lightning.org for more information.

More information about the Lightning Safety Awareness Week campaign (June 24-30, 2012) can be found at www.lightningsafety.noaa.gov.

The “Big Blue Power Lunch” which salutes the New York football Giants as they prep for the Packers, will be re-introduced at Gallagher’s Steak House in the Theater District on Tuesday (January 10). The NFC East champs head to Green Bay to play the Pack on Sunday for the Division Championship. Featuring the “Eli Mann-Eater Big Blue Burger” as a tribute to toast of the town QB Eli Manning, the Big Blue Power Lunch was a mainstay menu throughout the Giants Super Bowl championship march in 2008, and Gallagher’s General Manager David Etienne, like all Big Blue fans, is hoping lightning will strike again.
 
The “Big Blue Power Lunch” is priced at $32 (plus tax and gratuity) and will also include: the “Victor Cruz CAB Steak”* for one of Manning’s favorite targets; the “Justin Tuck Turkey Club”;  the JPP BLT in salute to defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul, the “Osi Onion Soup” for Osi Umenyiora; and the
 
“Ahmad Bradshaw/Brandon Jacobs Beef Tenderloin and Asparagus Salad”  for the explosive running back tandem. (*add $7 to price for Cruz CAB Steak).
 
The three-course Power Lunch includes an appetizing “Coach Coughlin Caesar Salad” for the fierce field general head coach Tom Coughlin; and all main courses will include a wide side of “Hakeem Nicks Hash Browns”.
Gallagher’s Steak House is located at 228 West 52nd Street between Broadway and Eighth Avenue in New York City. For reservations call 212.245-5336. In the Super Bowl championship run, Gallagher’s honored Giants quarterback Eli Manning with a 12-ounce, prime beef burger, topped with “blue” cheese, red tomato slices and warm Gallagher’s mustard sauce, served on a brioche roll.
The full Big Blue menu is below:
Gallagher’s Big Blue Power Lunch
Kick Off (Choice of)
— “Coach Coughlin Caesar Salad”
— “Osi Umenyiora Onion Soup”
— “Chris Canty Endive and Beet-Up the Offense Salad”

“Mid Field” (Choice of )
— “Eli Manning Mann-Eater Big Blue Burger”
— “Victor Cruz CAB Steak”*
— “Bradshaw and Brandon Beef Tenderloin and Asparagus Salad”
— “Justin Tuck Turkey Club”
— “JPP BLT”
All served with Hakeem Nicks Hash Browns

“The End Zone” (Choice of)
— Classic Mara New York Cheesecake
— Mario Manningham Milk Chocolate Ice Cream
— Mango Sorbet
*Add $7 for CAB Steak

Anchor Bay Films has locked in North American rights to the suspense thriller, The Victim, starring Michael Biehn (Terminator, Aliens), Jennifer Blanc (Badass, Dark Angel), Ryan Honey (Men of Honor, Hallowed Ground), Denny Kirkwood (Never Been Kissed), Tanya Newbould (Red Dragon, Rush Hour 2) and Danielle Harris (Halloween series).  The deal was made with Preferred Content.  The Victim was written by Biehn and is his directorial debut.  Bill Clark, President of Anchor Bay Entertainment, made the announcement.

“This is a great grindhouse film and audiences won’t be disappointed,” commented Kevin Kasha, Executive Vice President, Acquisitions and Co-Productions for Anchor Bay Films.

“From the first day of shooting, I had hoped that Anchor Bay would be interested in The Victim.  I’m very happy they will be working with us to distribute it,” added Biehn.  “I loved making such a down and dirty film – true grindhouse.”

Good time girls Annie (Blanc) and Mary (Harris) find themselves in a life and death situation. Annie’s life is put in jeopardy when she is witness to a violent act at the hands of two Sheriff’s Deputies. Fleeing from attackers (Honey, Kirkwood), she stumbles across Kyle (Biehn), a recluse living in the middle of the woods.  The ruggedly handsome loner stays far from civilization – that is – until a single knock on his door throws his solitary life into chaos. Two worlds collide in this psychological thriller that will make you question your trust in mankind.  Who is the victim?

The Victim was executive produced by Brock Morse, Morgan Johnson and Ryan Honey of The Mud Show and produced by Jennifer Blanc-Biehn, Lorna Paul and Travis Romero of Blanc/Biehn Productions in association with Pegasus Productions.  Stevan Mena and Vincent Butta of Crimson Films will be handling the theatrical release.  This is the third project between Crimson Films and Anchor Bay Films.  Additionally, Hogan Entertainment and Pegasus Productions will be handling the college tour of the film.

The deal was brokered by Kasha on behalf of Anchor Bay Films with Preferred Content working on behalf of the filmmakers.