When Qatar was awarded the first World Cup to ever take place in the Middle East, some eyebrows were raised because, well, it’s going to be 110 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade when the games take place during the summer months and the country only has one stadium that was deemed worthy enough to use.

Still, the country has until 2022 to work out these problems. Part of its bid promised that it would build nine of the most gorgeous stadia you’ve ever seen. They will be air-conditioned to ensure the good feeling and health of the players and fans alike. Also, some are promised to be modular so that they can be taken apart after the Cup and sent along to developing countries so they can enjoy them along with their Texas Rangers 2011 World Series champs T-shirts.

So who is going to build these lovely places? The BBC reports that “over 90% of Qatar's workforce is made up of foreign migrant workers, many of them from South and East Asia,” and several labor unions argue that the workers are not being treated humanely and that, in fact, it's a modern-day form of slavery.Continue reading...

FIFA, the organizing body of world soccer, dug itself a massive PR hole this past spring when a cash-for-votes scandal was unearthed. It left Asia’s former soccer head Mohamed bin Hammam banned for life “after being accused of bribery during his failed attempt to become FIFA president,” according to Reuters.

Though bin Hammam has always denied the allegations, it doesn’t change that FIFA sponsor Emirates Airlines felt “overlooked” during the whole scandal and now is considering leaving when its contract runs out in 2014, Reuters reports.

"We are seriously thinking about not renewing our partnership with FIFA beyond 2014," said Boutros Boutros, the divisional senior vice president of corporate communications for Emirates, told Australia’s B&T Media. The comment took FIFA by surprise, according to Bloomberg.Continue reading...

When the FIFA World Cup, one of the sporting world’s largest events, went to South Africa last year, it generated $1.1 billion in marketing income for the organizing body, according to Bloomberg.

FIFA will continue to cash in some of those bucks from the world’s largest brewer, Anheuser-Busch InBev, which has signed on to continue its 25-year relationship with the organization through the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 Cup in Qatar.

For those of you keeping score at home, this means that you’ll get to see commercials proclaiming that Budweiser is the “Official Beer of the FIFA World Cup” for the ninth and tenth time during those events.Continue reading...

After a city jumps through all the hoops, and builds all the needed arenas and deals with all the crazy hassles of putting on an Olympics and everyone has finally left town, there is always the question of was all the trouble even worth it? Are all those plans made years ago actually playing out the way they were supposed to?

Well, for the organizers of the 2014 Winter Games in Sochi, Russia (where every needed arena is being built from scratch), if nothing else, it looks like they are going to make out pretty well financially, thanks to a boatload of domestic sponsorships. The Associated Press has it that the organizers have already raised $1.2 billion in domestic sponsorships — a new Olympic record! — and “hope to secure deals worth another $200 million and finish with a post-games surplus of more than $300 million.” Not too shabby, right?Continue reading...

Bandit brand pulls ultimate spoof on fellow Michigan native Chrysler with "Imported from Remus" ad for its wood chippers.

Denny's new Mac'n'Cheese Patty Melt will melt your arteries.

On eve of New York Fashion Week, Lady Gaga disses New York Times fashion critic and releases six-part "fashion film" series to promote new single:Continue reading...

U.S. House is expected to pass debt ceiling bill tonight, with the Senate set to vote Tuesday.

Amazon launches AmazonLocal daily deals in Groupon's hometown of Chicago; launches MyHabit app to compete with Gilt Groupe; beefs up streaming offering to compete with Hulu by adding Universal titles; and looks to expand Kindle library.

Apple iPhone 5 now rumored for October; Apple TV lets users buy TV shows with streaming update; and Apple blocks Samsung tablet release in Australia.

Twitter confirms "significant" ($800M?) funding round led by Russia's DST Global; adds Dutch and Indonesian local sites; and opens NYC office.

Adobe bows to Apple and builds Flash alternative.

Airbnb looks to defuse user security concerns by offering $50,000 guarantee to homeowners.

Allstate to shut banking unit, posts $620M in losses on tornado claims.Continue reading...

It’s hard enough to lose such a huge game as the FIFA Women's World Cup Final after having a pair of one-goal leads extremely late in the match and then in the overtime. But a few members of U.S. Women’s National Soccer Team will feel the loss in their wallets as well.

Ad Age reports that the team probably lost $10 million in endorsements by losing the Final in penalty kicks to Japan. Forward Abby Wambach and goalie Hope Solo may be household names right now, but they may have lost out on $3 million or $4 million annually on marketing deals, the publication notes.Continue reading...

Burger King tests menu diversification. 

BMW launches "Don't Txt and Drive" public-service campaign.

Church’s takes on Chik-fil-A in chicken-taste test campaign.

Diageo and Pernot Ricard battle in China.

Exxon fuels chemicals drive in Asia.

Fiat ends four decades of Chrysler sales in Europe.Continue reading...