Erin Andrews Appears in Gritty Gridiron GQ Shoot

Erin Andrews gets down & dirty in a new photoshoot for GQ magazine.

Erin Andrews GQ 2

• Oakland Raiders coach Tom Cable ducks & weaves from questions about his alleged clobbering of assistant Randy Hanson.

• Hey, Georgia Bulldogs fans - please pass the caviar, s’il vous plait!

Jeremy Mayfield’s stepmom won’t keep off her stepson’s lawn. What, is she high? Why, yes she is!

• A group of senior bowlers in Oregon put the beat down on a would-be purse snatcher. We must protect these lanes!

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Jordan, Nike Turn Hall Of Fame Into Hall Of Fake

Michael Jordan’s not a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame yet. He’s been voted in, of course, and he’ll be inducted on 9/11 (Guys, you couldn’t have picked a better day? Like literally any other day?), but technically, he’s not there yet. But he’s got an exhibit there already in advance of his enshrinement.

Michael Jordan Hall of Fake
(Hey, neat, right?)

It’s a sprawling shrine to the man who revolutionized not only pro basketball but corporate sponsorship - and therein lies a rather jarring problem. That entire exhibit to him, full of sneakers and championship rings? None of it came from MJ himself.

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Why Tattoos Usually Aren’t Worth It, Vol. 598,214

Do you have a tattoo? Odds are that it’s stupid. No really, it’s stupid. You’re going to grow up and have kids and they’re going to ask why you drew a skull with fire coming out its eyeholes on your leg, and you’re not going to have an answer that doesn’t make you look even dumber than before.

Marcin Gortat Leg Thing
(Is it really “sticking it to the man” if you ink yourself with a corporate logo and the company doesn’t even pay you?)

And then there’s the financial aspect of it all. Yes, the worst tattoos from a “get a job” standpoint are still the face tattoo (what the hell, seriously people) and the cursive name on the side of your neck (you might as well have written “I have gone to jail on assault charges” there). But for an NBA player, corporate logos can be just as damaging to the prospect of making more money. Marcin Gortat, ye of the Jumpman leg tattoo, we’re looking right at you.

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Secret LeBron Dunked-On Video Finally Released

For those of you who just can’t wait for the TV show tonight, TMZ has just posted video of the Jordan Crawford dunk on LeBron James that Nike doesn’t want you to see (click on pic to watch):

LeBron dunk video

(OMG! Did you see that? Can you see that? Can you see anything?)

Amazing, isn’t it? Well, it would be amazing, if you could tell what exactly is going on. Granted, the video was taken from a cellphone at the other end of the court behind the opposite basket. But still, I’m not sure if TMZ got its thousands of dollars worth, or whatever amount they paid for the footage.

Then again, I’m sure they’ll more than make up for it in the amount of site traffic they’ll score once word gets out that the clip is online.

Hey, Anyone Know What This Hat Is All About?

You might have noticed when you were watching Tom Watson’s unlikely run through the Open this weekend that he was sporting a hat for a company called Adams Golf. And while Adams is a well-known brand in the golf community, it’s not exactly on the level of other more popular brands like Nike, Taylor Made, and Callaway. So it was quite an unexpected boon for the brand, whose shares have been trading for less than $3 in recent months on the NASDAQ, but rose more than 18% during the tournament solely based on Watson’s exposure.

Tom Watson

So what did Adams do to capitalize on all of this sudden attention? Well, in the wise words of the host of “Wheel of Fish”: NOTHING! ABSOLUTELY NOTHING! As CNBC’s Darren Rovell points out, not only were there were no newspaper ads, but the company didn’t even alter its Web site to feature Watson in any way. So I guess we shouldn’t be surprised about how the company’s army of new shareholders responded the last two days.

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Coach of Chandler, Prince Accused of Molestation

Russell Otis, the high school coach of Tyson Chandler and Tayshaun Prince, has been accused of trying to get one of his players to commit a sex act on him and attempting to steal $15,000 of Nike sponsorship money.  He will now stand trial for these alleged acts next month.

Russell Otis Compton Dominguez

Otis has already been acquitted once when accused of sodomizing another player in 2001.  However, he continued to work at Compton Dominguez High School until the embezzlement was discovered; he was then placed on paid leave.  As always, the lesson is this: you can be accused of molesting children as long as you win, but don’t you ever mess with Nike.

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Cleveland Rocks: Suns Send Shaq To LeBronland

Shaq will be lacing ‘em up with LeBron on a more continual basis, as the Big Cactus becomes the newest member of the Cavaliers.

LeBron Shaq

Rodney Harrison is sick of the whole Brett Favre brouhaha, too.

• Boston sure loves their Rajon Rondo - well, everyone except Celtics GM Danny Ainge.

• An Oklahoma mom is sentenced to 5 years in prison for attacking a high school cheerleading coach with a stun gun.

• Your next tennis hottie to shed some clothing for a magazine shoot: Belarusian babe Victoria Azarenka.

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Nike Selling Hall of Fame Air Jordans? Not So Fast

If there’s one lesson to take from the last 30 years of sports merchandising, it’s that nothing - nothing - is more powerful than the brand. Nike understands this, of course, and their ability to profit from the Michael Jordan “Jumpman” logo has been not just a model, but the golden standard for other shoe companies, teams, and leagues to aspire to.

Nike Jordan Jumpman Logo
(You know, this old thing.)

So with MJ’s shoo-in nomination forthcoming (it has to be unanimous, right? has to be), you know Nike’s salivating over adding the “HOF” to their line of Air Jordans. As a matter of fact, they’ve already started the advertising campaign with that obviously fake-viral Leroy Smith ad campaign. That’s going to be a revenue bonanza, right?

Well, yes, and that’s so obvious to the rest of the sports memorabilia world that Nike was beaten to the punch years ago. Read more…

Week In Review: Laker Fans’ Celebration is a Riot

• The Lakers win the NBA title, and many Angelenos celebrate accordingly - if “Angeleno” is Spanish for “a$$hole“.

Lakers fan riot

• Baseball phenom Bryce Harper don’t need no education, plans to skip final two years of high school to become eligible for next year’s MLB draft.

• Posing for a new photoshoot, Anna Kournikova shows she’s still A-OK.

• “Joe Buck Live” makes its long-awaited(?) debut, and Artie Lange insures that it’s a memorable one.

• The mom of porn star Catalina Cruz used to work as a secretary for former Cleveland Browns coach Sam Rutigliano.

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McHale’s Move From Minny Tweeted With By Love

Kevin Love is the first one to tell, er, Tweet the world that Kevin McHale would be leaving the Timberwolves.

Kevin McHale Kevin Love Minnesota Timberwolves

• Now that’s what you call a road test fiesta! Thanks, Top Gear!

• Could Coach K depart Duke to land as head honcho for the Lakers?

Eddie Van Halen is very hot at Nike for ripping off his guitar to design their new shoes.

• The Stanley Cup takes a dip in Mario Lemieux’s pool.

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