The NFL and Nike have been gearing up for months for the big unveiling of new uniforms for all 32 teams this week, an opportunity for every team to refresh its image and spirit (and make a ton of extra bucks, to boot) — including the NFL.

And while there were plenty who loved the new looks and plenty who didn’t, the general coverage seemed to agree that the uniforms on the whole didn’t change too dramatically.Continue reading...

WWE is going to the mat for Wrestlemania with its first ever “WrestleMania Pre-Show,” to be simulcast live on YouTube, Facebook and WWE.com on Sunday, April 1 at 6:30 p.m. ET. The annual spectacular is leveraging social media to the fullest for WrestleMania Week in Miami as WrestleMania XXVIII broadcasts live on pay-per-view at 7:00 p.m. ET.

Dubbed the “The Social Media Event of the Year,” WWE has named Mike Tyson as their official Social Media Ambassador, and will be pitting main-event competitors The Rock and John Cena against each other in a Twitter face-off. Fans, celebrities and WWE Legends are invited to the Twitter hashtag battle over who will win the WrestleMania event featuring the two legends using hashtags #TeamBringIt vs. #Cenation. (Are you ready to Tumbl?)Continue reading...

Plenty of sports teams invite fans to come watch them train, travel with them to away games, or come play ball with some of the players who were second-stringers way back when, but the Real Madrid soccer team in Spain is going way further than that.

The team has announced that it is constructing a $1 billion amusement-filled vacation resort and theme park on a manmade island in the United Arab Emirates that will be shaped like the team’s emblem and is slated to open in January 2015.

The club's management team told the press that they're confident it's "an emotional place for an emotional brand" — and a smart business extension that will satisfy hardcore fans and prove to be a 'real' money-maker. Critics aren't so convinced.Continue reading...

We have already taken a long look at the extensive official merchandise from the phenomenal film The Hunger Games. Now, a look at a few things that fans can pick up that do not bear the stamp of approval from Lionsgate, Scholastic or any other Hunger Games copyright holder. To Etsy we go!

First up (above): The Hunger Games Capitol Serving Platter ($35) Serve up some delicious nosh during your next Reaping watch party!Continue reading...

We have already looked at how Lionsgate studio marketedThe Hunger Games, an $80 million film which reaped an opening weekend box office of $155 million.

Now, a look at how brands are using The Hunger Games to sell themselves. Call it The Hunger Games Brand Extension Games.Continue reading...

A few years ago, it cost anywhere between $15 million and $20 million for a brand to sponsor a NASCAR driver for a full season of driving. They’d get their name on the jumpsuit, all over the vehicle, and whatever mentions the driver could make when talking to reporters. 

With the way NASCAR fans are so historically devoted to the brands that their drivers support, the expense was a no-brainer for some brands. But then came the economic downturn and it became hard to justify sticking your logo on a driver’s jumpsuit for the whole season when that money could be helping the company survive. So a lot of NASCAR sponsors started going piecemeal in their sponsorships, selectively choosing different events that they wanted to be associated with.

The upshot: car colors and jumpsuits can change every week. USA Today reports that this new reality can get a little confusing for the circuit’s drivers (and fans) at times.Continue reading...

And the votes are in... This past Super Bowl was one heck of a showdown, and not just involving the teams. The highly anticipated and heavily judged commercials have been hotly debated all week. As rated by ad-trackers including Hulu, USA Today and Nielsen, the outcome of votes have made it clear which ads reign supreme. Check out the winners below.Continue reading...

Samsung today released a sneak peek at its Super Bowl debut: a fourth quarter spot that continues on the theme of Apple fan boys (and girls) standing in line like hipster, slacker lemmings.Continue reading...