Victoria Batik

When the headline reads: The Hardest Working Man in Sports Entertainment, I dont mean his work in the ring and the moves he performs in the ring. Im talking about everything else that makes him the superstar that he is.

Let me level with the readers for a second. I realize as much as anyone else that Cena isnt the most technically sound wrestler in the world, and almost has the same match every night unless someone who is a lot more technically sound (ie Shawn Michaels or CM Punk) is in the ring with him.

But thats not the reason why he is the hardest working man in sports entertainment (or professional wrestling for those of us born before 1998).

Cena has on numerous occasions been honored by the Make-A-Wish Foundation for the hundreds of wishes he has granted to terminally ill children across the country.

Say what you want about his in-ring work rate, but that should definitely be commended by even the most anti-Cena viewers out there.

He makes the most public appearances of anyone on the main roster as far as interviews, award shows and what not.

Whether you like it or not, Cena is the face of the company. He has carried that mantle very well, as far as keeping his nose out of trouble (as far as what has been reported) and maintaining a good look for the WWE.

Again, I thought a long time ago that his work and gimmick in the ring were stale and they were in dire need of a change. But dont let that discredit everything the man does for the business that we all know and loveas far as trying to bring people back to it.

Pamela Vines has raised exotic birds and others animals at her home for 23 years, but with annexation, she doesnt qualify for business license in city of Gulf Shores.

LOS ANGELES, LONDON and TORONTO, Feb. 6, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Variety, the world’s leading publication for business entertainment news, and strategic partner, Los Angeles and Toronto based Ortsbo Inc. (“Ortsbo”), the leader in real time experiential language services, are partnering to present unprecedented and exclusive online global coverage of the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2012. Coverage will be presented simultaneously in 53 languages from the red carpet and backstage winner’s press area. The event takes place on February 12, 2012 at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, London.

The Live & Global Red Carpet event will broadcast live at 12 pm Eastern / 9 am Pacific (1700 GMT) on Sunday, February 12, 2012 and can be viewed at
www.ortsbo.com and
www.variety.com as well as select streaming partners from around the globe. The Winner’s Press Area will be broadcast based on a required press delay at 5 pm Eastern / 2 pm Pacific (2200 GMT). Users from around the world will be able to submit questions at Ortsbo.com for the red carpet and backstage winner’s press area beginning Thursday, February 9, 2012.

Variety and Ortsbo will be broadcasting their coverage live, around the world, showcasing Ortsbo’s Live & Global Language Captioning System recently unveiled at the Variety Entertainment Summit at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, NV and the Variety Studio at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival. The technology was also showcased during The Sundance Film Festival at Ortsbo’s Live & Global event with the legendary Stan Lee and Ortsbo spokesperson and business partner Gene Simmons.

Representing Ortsbo on the red carpet will be Sky News’ entertainment correspondent Jane Witherspoon and Jason Solomons, film critic with The Observer. Before joining Sky News, Jane worked across the BBC reporting for the BBC News Channel, BBC Breakfast and BBC London News. She has covered the Oscars, the Brits and interviewed some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. In addition to his work with The Observer, Jason is a presenter for the Film Weekly podcast on Guardian.co.uk and is the Chairman of the London Film Critics’ Circle.

The Orange British Academy Film Awards have tended to be a reliable indicator of who will be taking home Academy Awards in L.A. just a few weeks later. “The Artist” and “Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy” both have the most nominations at this year’s BAFTA awards. Both films received 12 and 11 nominations respectively with each film up for Best Picture, Best Director and Leading Actor nominations for Jean Dujardin and Gary Oldman. “The Help,” “Drive” and “The Descendants” are also in the running for Best Film.

“Hugo” has 9 nominations, “My Week with Marilyn” has 6 nominations and “The Help” and “War Horse” are each nominated 5 times. “Drive,” “The Iron Lady” and “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2″ have 4 nominations. “The Descendants,” “Moneyball,” “Senna” and “We Need to Talk about Kevin” all have 3 nominations apiece, and “Shame,” “The Ides of March,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” “Bridesmaids” and “The Adventures of Tintin: Secret of the Unicorn” each received 2 nominations.

Competing in the Best Actor category along with Gary Oldman and Jean Dujardin are George Clooney for his role in “The Descendants,” Michael Fassbender for “Shame” and Brad Pitt for “Moneyball.” Best Actress nominees include Berenice Bejo for “The Artist,” Meryl Streep for “The Iron Lady,” Michelle Williams for “My Week With Marilyn,” Tilda Swinton for “We Need to Talk About Kevin” and Viola Davis for “The Help.”

Best Supporting Actor nominations were announced for Kenneth Branagh in “My Week With Marilyn,” Jim Broadbent for “The Iron Lady,” Philip Seymour Hoffman for “The Ides of March,” Christopher Plummer for “Beginners” and Jonah Hill for “Moneyball.” The Best Supporting Actress category pits Carey Mulligan for “Drive,” Melissa McCarthy for “Bridesmaids,” Olivia Spencer and Jessica Chastain for “The Help” and Judi Dench for “My Week With Marilyn” against one another for the award.

To see the full list of nominations and information about the Awards, please visit
www.bafta.org .

“Our partnership with the Orange British Academy Film Awards provides a perfect venue for Ortsbo to showcase its global, real time experiential language platform,” said David Lucatch, CEO of Ortsbo Inc. “Real time translation combined with live streaming and an interactive communication platform to ask questions gives users the ultimate Global Village experience, providing opportunities for commercial sponsors to reach a worldwide, interactive audience.”

“Variety is constantly evolving how we deliver our content to audiences, who are quickly embracing new platforms and digital experiences,” said Neil Stiles, CEO and President of Variety. “Our partnership with Ortsbo and our global coverage of the red carpet and winner’s press area in 53 languages definitely accomplishes this, as we strengthen the ability for our global audience to benefit from our premier entertainment business coverage.”

About Ortsbo’s Language Captioning System

Ortsbo’s Language Captioning System allows viewers to watch video broadcasts, and also view an accompanying language real time text stream, like closed captioning found on television broadcasts, but in their personally selected choice of over 50 languages. This game-changing proprietary system, which is part of Ortsbo’s Live & Global platform, provides the ability for universal language broadcasting on a global basis, regardless of the native language of the broadcaster, potentially changing the face of ethnic, cultural, sports, entertainment, business and other forms of online, video and television live and pre-recorded broadcast programming.

Once a user reaches the event web broadcast page, the Language Captioning System will default to the user’s pre-set system language. The users can also select the language of their choice from an on-page drop down menu, with continuous live streaming updates. The system will automatically deliver a “real time” effective stream of “closed captioning” in the user’s chosen language.

About The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA)
www.bafta.org

The British Academy of Film and Television Arts is an independent charity that supports, develops and promotes the art forms of the moving image by identifying and rewarding excellence, inspiring practitioners and benefiting the public. In addition to its Awards ceremonies, BAFTA has a year-round Learning & Events programme that offers unique access to some of the world’s most inspiring talent through workshops, masterclasses, lectures and mentoring schemes, connecting with audiences of all ages and backgrounds across the UK, Los Angeles and New York. BAFTA relies on income from membership subscriptions, individual donations, trusts, foundations and partnerships to support its ongoing outreach work. For further information, visit
www.bafta.org .

About Variety
www.variety.com

Variety is the leading publication for business entertainment news, recognized and respected throughout the world of show business. The Variety Group – Daily Variety, Daily Variety Gotham, Weekly Variety and Variety.com – are all owned by Reed Business Information (RBI), the largest business publisher in the U.S. RBI is a member of the Reed Elsevier Group plc

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About Ortsbo Inc.
www.ortsbo.com

With over 40 Million monthly users in over 170 countries and territories, Ortsbo (
www.ortsbo.com ) enables real-time conversational translation in over 50 languages and seamlessly integrates with today’s most popular social media platforms.

Ortsbo’s flagship product for social media (
www.ortsbo.com ) supports global communications with instant translation capability, real time multi-lingual social media chat connects to PC and Mac computers, mobile browsers as well as all major chat platforms including MSN, Google, Facebook, Twitter and Yahoo! and others.

Ortsbo allows users to communicate with family, friends and colleagues around the world, providing users with the ability to break down language and cultural barriers through its easy to use, language centric interface.

Ortsbo also provides plug-in email translation capabilities for Microsoft Outlook.

Ortsbo’s Live & Global platform offers a unique solution for broadcasting events to a global audience, with video and real time, multi-lingual chat. Ortsbo currently hold the Guinness World Record for the most nationalities in an online chat.

International rock legend, accomplished global entrepreneur and one of the world’s most recognized personalities, Gene Simmons has endorsed Ortsbo.com, having signed on as a business partner and to serve as Ortsbo’s official spokesperson.

Two-time NBA MVP Steve Nash is an official spokesperson for Ortsbo. Leading Ortsbo’s global sports fan program, Nash will present and participate in a number of online fan chats with international athletes from a number of sports disciplines.

Ortsbo is an Academy Partner to the Orange British Academy Film Awards in 2012.

Headquartered in both Los Angeles, CA and the Toronto, Canada area, with additional offices in New York and San Mateo, CA, Ortsbo Inc. is a subsidiary of Intertainment Media Inc. a publicly listed company on the Toronto Venture Exchange under the symbol “INT”

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and traded in the US on the OTCQX under the symbol “ITMTF”. Intertainment is also traded in Europe, on the Frankfurt Exchange on the XETRA trading platform under the symbol “I4T”.

SOURCE Ortsbo Inc.

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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2011
was a year where sports took a leaf out of the success of the Indian
Premier League (IPL) and announced leagues following a similar franchise
format. Leagues ranging from football to hockey are being built
to offer content to sports broadcasters.

Sports
marketers believe that there is an audience for sport other than
cricket as long as it is packaged, marketed and organised well in
a professional manner.

As
far as cricket is concerned, the big news was the termination of
Nimbus rights for India cricket by the BCCI. On a more positive
note, the sport did well for advertisers in terms of ROI.

As
far as the push towards non cricket is concerned, two leagues were
announced this year in motorsports and American football. Nimbus
and the Indian Hockey Federation (IHF) concretised their plans for
World Series Hockey (WSH).

The
property for Nimbus will serve as a feeder for Neo Sports. Wizcraft
International director Sabbas Joseph expects this franchise to break-even
within five years. But given that politics has been responsible
for the national sport going down the drain, it is not surprising
that the initiative has run into some rough
weather.

In
order to take the sport of horse racing to another level, R1 was
launched marking Bennett Colemans first big push into sport. The
push also extended to sports entertainment with WWE opening an office
in India.

Life
In The Fast Lane:
It is not just mass sports that are going the league way to gain
a wider audience and boost their commercial value. In motorsports,
Machdar Motorsports announced the launch of a racing league at a
cost of $12-15 million a year. It will no doubt be encouraged by
the response that the first F1 race got in Delhi. The league, called
i1 Super Series, will see the likes of Bollywood Badshah Shah Rukh
Khan owning a team.

The
league, though, has been postponed to January next year, partly
due to the fact that franchise owners want time for marketing activities.
Also, it has been finding it tough to get corporates to own teams
for I series, which is why it had reduced the ownership price from
$5 million to $3.5 million.

1 Super
Series managing Darshan M expects the franchises, who have ownership
for 15 years, to recoup their investments in the fourth year. Each
team will race with two cars forming an 18-car grid.

Aiming
to grow the amount of sports it covers, Ten Sports has taken the
broadcast rights for the event. Ten Sports CEO Atul Pande believes
there is place for a domestic racing league. Our programming
mix is the best among the sports broadcasters and this property
is a significant addition. With the kind of capital and marketing
dollars chasing it, the event will gain traction, he says.

And
for Khan, this offers an opportunity to get involved with other
sports ventures apart from his Kolkata Knight Riders IPL franchise.

GroupM
ESP managing partner Hiren Pandit notes that the involvement of
celebrities like SRK will lend visibility. But ultimately
it is the quality of sport being dished out that will determine
its fate. At this point I am not sure if it will turn out to be
a good TV sport. This will be a toy for the big boys.

Taking
a Punt: In order to boost the profile of horse racing, RWITC
formed a joint venture with Bennett Coleman and Procam to launch
R1.

R1
has 13 races lined up across the country in its debut year. Aired
on Ten Sports, R1 kicked off with the Indian 1000 Guineas on 11
December 2011. The aim of the stakeholders is to position the sport
as being cool and trendy so that younger viewers start tuning in.

Zee
is pushing the property on its other channels like Zee Cafe
and Zee Studio. Bennett Coleman will also heavily promote the event
across its different properties like Times Now.

For
the first time in the history of this sport, behind-the-scenes action
will be captured, which include the jockeys room and the stewards
room. The live world feed will include new cameras including a Super
Slo-Mo Camera.

According
to Pandit, horse racing operates in a tight segment. It is
seen in India as a gamblers sport. Some brands will associate with
it. Whether they broaden the audience base or not remains to be
seen, he says.

EFLI
makes an entry: The Elite Football League of India (EFLI) announced
a league aiming to grow American football in India. Based on the
franchise model, it starts with eight teams, building up to a total
of 52 by 2022 representing all Indian cities with a population in
excess of one million.

With
Ten Sports as its partner, the league will kick off in November
2012 in Pune. Says EFLI CEO Richard Whelan, American football
is fast, furious and fun to watch. Indian viewers are now watching
sports other than cricket. There is no doubt in our minds that the
EFLI has picked the right time for its Indian touchdown. Even women
are keen on watching sports.

Nimbus
Woes: Speaking of the bat and ball game, Nimbus is on a sticky
wicket. It moved the Bombay high Court over its deal with the BCCI
(the Board of Control for Cricket in India) that got terminated
for non payment of dues.

The
BCCI has time to find a new broadcaster as there are several months
to go before India plays a series at home.

Ad
revenue scene: Sports broadcasters earned an advertising revenue
of around Rs 21 billion in 2011, a healthy growth over last year.

Agrees
Lodestar UN CEO Shashi Sinha, 2011 was special for sports
as there was the cricket World Cup and the IPL. You had the highs
of big properties as well as events that helped build the image
of sports.
FMCG brands also got more involved with cricket. The economic slowdown
has not impacted sports ad revenue.

There
is a challenge, though, in 2012 as ad revenue from cricket could
degrow in terms of monies due to a lesser number of high profile
events.

Sinha
finds the entry of new leagues an encouraging sign. The surface
of sports in India has not been scratched beyond cricket. There
is scope for leagues to work as long as investments are made. It
will be a question of how a property is leveraged and marketed.

The
Cricket Rights Scene: On the cricket rights front, 2012 will
see a lot of action as a host of properties come up for grabs.

In
2011, Zee took the crucial step of renewing its rights for Cricket
South Africa. Zee also renewed rights for Zimbabwe cricket, while
ESPN Star Sports (ESS) retained Australia.

The
rights for India, England, West Indies, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh
and New Zealand are all due for grabs.

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 7, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Digonex, a leader in dynamic pricing technology, today announced that it has been issued 2 new patents by the United States Patent and Trademark Office. The company now has a portfolio of 7 issued patents relating to dynamic pricing, clearly establishing its position as the leading owner of dynamic pricing patents in the sports and entertainment industries.

The newly awarded US patents: #8112303 and #8095424 demonstrate Digonex’s continuing innovation in the field of dynamic pricing. These new patents give specific protections to Digonex’s proprietary pricing platforms, including pricing of items that have a limited quantity and an expiration time like tickets for an event or hotel room reservations, and the pricing of items which have unlimited quantities like digital music or eBooks.

“As companies, hotels and sports teams become more sophisticated in how they price their services and communicate to their customers our patents ensure the safety of their investment in our technology,” said Jan Eglen, CEO of Digonex. “These patents underscore our commitment to lead in all aspects of the pricing market. We are particularly pleased to have been issued our “303″ patent which is important to pricing in the sports, entertainment, and hospitality industries.”

The newly issued patents issued relate to the following:

Patent # 8112303 – Digital online exchange for pricing items to exhaust inventory by an expiration time: A computer, which knows the sales history for an item available in a limited quantity, prices that item to sell it out by its expiration.

Patent # 8095424 – Dynamic pricing of items based on sales criteria: A computer prices media items (e.g. music tracks, eBooks, or movies) which are grouped according to similar sales criteria. The items in some groups are more valuable than the items in others, and their pricing reflects that.

These new pieces of the Digonex plan position the company as a technological powerhouse in the rapidly developing smart pricing marketplace. Designed to integrate easily with most platforms, Digonex pricing solutions continuously identify the ‘sweet spot’ where prices follow perceived market value and generate maximum economic return for clients while still providing prices consumers find acceptable.

The impact that dynamic pricing can have on selling and purchasing behaviors is significant and can provide a win-win solution for retailers and consumers. Dynamic pricing is already becoming prevalent in many industries including event ticketing, e-commerce and digital media.

Since its beginning, Digonex has been focused on pursuing patents to protect the company’s assets. In addition to the 7 awarded patents, Digonex has eleven further applications pending at the USPTO, ensuring that the company will continue to be able to defend its position as a leader in a competitive marketplace.

About Digonex Digonex focuses primarily on development of automated and optimized pricing platforms for e-commerce, allowing client companies to increase customer retention and maximize revenue. Digonex has been awarded seven patents for its innovative pricing systems. For more information, visit Digonex.com.

All products and company names herein may be trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE Digonex

Copyright (C) 2012 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

Topeka will soon host an internationally traveled team that is part three stooges, part sports powerhouse.

In their 86th year of existence, The Harlem Globetrotters are known as one of the most recognizable sports entertainment franchises around. With more than 20,000 wins while losing less than 500 games, the team is easily one of the most winning teams around.

The Globetrotters will renew their rivalry against the Washington Generals, the team that has traveled with them since 1952. Having won just twice in the history of the matchup, the team has the distinction of having one of the worst winning percentages in history.

Feb. 5 then will be an entertaining day for audience members in Landon Arena at the Kansas Expocentre. The team will feature a portion of their roster as the team features four different traveling squads. Currently, Anthony Buckets Blakes is in Topeka speaking with city youth at schools like Jay Schiedler Elementary students who were visited Tuesday by Blakes as part of the educational outreach program which he helps work with in advance of Globetrotter appearances.

The program is called, Character and celebrates the principles of CHEER., which stands for cooperation, healthy body and mind, effort, enthusiasm and responsibility. The program was developed in association with the U.S. Department of Education. It seeks to give young people a chance to see role models like Blakes in action while hearing a message of positive behavior.

The Globetrotters are set to tip off 1 p.m. Sunday in Landon Arena. Tickets range in cost from $17 to $100 plus fees and can be purchased online at ticketmaster.com or through the Expo box office.

The Rock is one of the most electrifying men in sports entertainment, and he proved that notion again when he rocked The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.

With WrestleMania coming up and the movie Journey 2: The Mysterious Island coming out that The Rock starred in, there was no better time for the WWE ambassador to get out on the national stage.

Not only did Leno and The Rock talk about the WWE, we also got a very funny story about The Rock at Miami University. Its funny to think of Dwayne Johnson trying to run down a mascot.

Leno also brought out a very funny time when The Rock was live in front of 30,000 fans and had a wardrobe malfunction. I hate when the boulders come out.

One thing that I did like about The Rock during this segment was his relationship with his mom. He makes no qualms about loving his family and doesnt mind sharing funny stories that his family has done. The story about his mom thinking he shouldve played a part George Clooney got is too funny.

The highlight of the visit was Leno getting The Rock to play the ukulele while signing What a Wonderful World. It was an absolute train wreck that made averting your eyes from the screen all but necessary.

While I didnt get the appearance of John Cena that I had really wanted, it was still cool to see WWE represented on a big-time show like Lenos.

As much as I dont like The Rocks WWE character anymore, I cant help but love the man behind the character because of how normal he comes off. The Rock seems like someone you could have a beer with and he would be cool as hell.

Now come back to WWE so Cena can whip that ass.

Check back for more on World Wrestling Entertainment as it comes, and check out Bleacher Reports WWE Page to get your fill of all things wrestling. For more on WWE/TNA, check out Ring Rust Radio for all of the hot topics.

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DETROIT — However the stars of the sports/entertainment world align themselves — and Indianapolis is the epicenter of the galaxy this week for hosting Super Bowl XLVI — Detroit is casting an increasingly brighter glow.

In terms of star power, Detroit has emerged to take a position among the nations top sports cities.

Detroit is a major brand name unto itself that should be in the conversation for any ranking of sports cities based on the number of sports stars and franchises with a national identity.

Because of market size, New York, Los Angeles and Chicago have a natural advantage to eclipse any city that is rising on the horizon.

But that doesnt keep other cities from establishing their identity, and Detroit has become a major contender.

I would say ‘emerging is the key word there, said Eric Wright, president and executive director of Joyce Julius amp; Associates, an Ann Arbor-based company that tracks and measures corporate sponsorships for a hefty roster of clients in sports and entertainment.

I think the factors that go into these discussions are things like history and also market size. While Detroit has decent history, it may not have iconic history.

Certainly, there are some market limitations in terms of population — in Detroit vs. Los Angeles, New York and Chicago.

Winning is the obvious factor in any equation. The Tigers and Lions benefited from a surge in the standings last season.

Thats when you start to build that national name recognition, Wright said. Thats what you need to boost these performers into the national spotlight.

If the Lions were poised to make a Super Bowl appearance this weekend, this conversation would be different, but theyre not there yet — not yet.

The Motor Citys roster of supernovas is led by Calvin Johnson of the Lions, Justin Verlander, Miguel Cabrera and the recently acquired Prince Fielder of the Tigers and Pavel Datsyuk of the Red Wings.

A step behind on a national scale are rising stars such as Matthew Stafford of the Lions, Jimmy Howard of the Wings and Alex Avila of the Tigers.

And there are others who are in a class by themselves.

Nicklas Lidstrom of the Red Wings is in the discussion for greatest defenseman in hockey history, even though his quiet precision and dominance make him less heralded than his ability warrants.

The Lions Ndamukong Suh is one of the NFLs most recognizable players and a popular commercial pitchman. His performance and demeanor in 2011, though, made him a divisive figure with as many detractors as supporters.

The proximity of two major college powers — Michigan State and Michigan — expands the border of Detroits constellation in a way few metropolitan areas can match. Both schools have had quarterbacks with national appeal, Kirk Cousins of the Spartans and Denard Robinson of the Wolverines.

The Piston have a championship tradition — the Bad Boys of the late 1980s and early 90s and the 2004 surprise champs — but theyve hit a black hole with the current team.

Detroits talk-show hosts know better than most that star power, winning and controversy make the phone lines buzz.

Johnson is a prime example of a player whose name recognition rose to the level of his ability when the Lions made the playoffs with a 10-6 record in 2011.

As far as star power, Calvin Johnson took a giant leap this year, compared to where he was even a year ago, said Scott The Gator Anderson, co-host with Doug Karsch of an immensely popular mid-morning show on WXYT-97.1 FM.

People have looked at Calvin as the best in the game, the best player at his position in the NFL, and now hes ours, Anderson said.

WDFN-1130 AM morning host Matt Shepard, who also has a wide range of play-by-play experience, says nothing moves the needle like the Lions, win or lose, and Detroits stock is rising across the board.

Having many young stars still ascending — Johnson, Suh, Stafford, Fielder, Cabrera and Verlander to name a half dozen — adds staying power.

I see Detroit on a major rise, from the standpoint they have star power on every team, except for one, Sheppard said. And they have star power from sense that theyre all contributors to great success.

How would Shepard rate Detroit if he could buy stock in its stars?

I would buy, Shepard said. Its a rising stock, and I think its going to get better. I say that because of the age of our stars.

Were calling it the Big 6 — the six cities with the most star power in the four major sports, including college.

Some exclusions need explaining.

Miami has the Big Three in basketball, and the Marlins have won two World Series titles in their 19-year existence. But theyve been largely ignored by their own town. As for the Dolphins, they have no real stars and no recent success.

Philadelphia has stars in the major sports, but excluding the Phillies 2008 World Series title, the city is lacking championships.

San Francisco won the World Series a year ago, and the 49ers reached the NFC Championship Game this season. But the glory days are long gone in the Bay Area. That includes Oakland. More is expected of San Francisco/Oakland with two cities in the equation.

St. Louis is a great baseball town but doesnt have pro basketball, has never had a Stanley Cup winner and the Rams have won 15 games in the last five seasons.

The Sporting News puts out a yearly list of the top sports cities and ranked Detroit No. 1 in 1998 and 2007, but had Metro Detroit No. 11 in 2011. Won-lost records, attendance and postseason appearances are major components in its rankings.

Our list is more subjective and relies heavily on star power of individual athletes.

Following is FOX Sports Detroits Big 6, listed in alphabetical order.

Let the arguments begin.

BOSTON

The Fargodome floor was filled with dirt instead of turf this weekend for the 2012 Monster Jam, as people of all ages filled the seats with their earplugs in hand.

Boasting more than 4 million fans around the world, the Monster Jam tour claims it is the perfect sports entertainment brand that mixes racing, showmanship and the ultimate fan experience into one incredible show.

The featured monster trucks are an average of 13 feet tall and 13 feet wide and weigh in around 4 1/2. At a level of around 110 decibels, the noise the monster trucks produce is equivalent to a loud rock concert standing near the speakers and full-body vibrations during the show are a common expectation of fans.

Two different kinds of competition occurred at each of the three Monster Jam events this weekend at the dome: side-by-side racing and freestyle.

These competitions allow drivers to show off their moves through stunts and tricks sometimes more than 26 feet in the air and faster than 100 mph.

Eight monster trucks were featured at the events in Fargo Friday, Feb. 3 at 7:30 pm and Saturday, Feb. 4 at 2 at 7:30 pm

The Grave Digger truck, team and driver Chad Tingler, celebrated their 30th year with Monster Jam and gave the best performance of the weekend. Grave Digger took first place in the racing tournament Saturday night and first in the freestyle competition both Friday and Saturday nights.

The Spider-Man truck, team and driver Bari Musawwir, made their debut in the Monster Jam circuit after much anticipated hype. Spider-Man narrowly finished first in the freestyle competition during Saturdays matinee.

Bounty Hunter and Ground Pounder also took first place titles in the racing tournaments on Friday night and Saturday during the day, respectively.

Other monster trucks that delivered an impressive performance at the dome included Iron Outlaw, Ice Monster, Martial Law and Desperado.

Caseys General Stores sponsored this years Advance Auto Parts Monster Jam.

For more information about Monster Jam and the results of the events in Fargo, visit their website at http//:www.monsterjam.com.

INDIANAPOLIS, Feb. 3, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ –
Entertainment mogul Kevin Liles, founder and CEO of KWL Management, is teaming up with DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association, Michael Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group, one of the ten largest independent global PR agencies, and Tequila Don Julio to host the 2nd annual sports and entertainment Super Bowl dinner at The Field House on Saturday, February 4th in Indianapolis. The dinner, held in honor of athletes, agents and business leaders, will convene more than 70 of the most innovative and influential names in sports and entertainment to celebrate this year’s NFL season.

This annual gathering follows up on last year’s inaugural star-studded event on Super Bowl weekend that was co-hosted by Liles, Smith, and Warner Music Group North American Chairman and CEO Lyor Cohen, and some notable attendees included Cee-Lo Green, Nelly, Rev Run, Kid Rock, and Trey Songz; NFL players Rob Gronkowski and Darnell Dockett; actors Jim Carrey, David Spade, Hill Harper, and Anthony Anderson; model Selita Ebanks; agent Drew Rosenhaus, and many others. Last year’s event was also sponsored by Tequila Don Julio, a line of hand-crafted, 100% blue agave tequilas.

“The Super Bowl is an annual gathering that unites all Americans, and we wanted to come together in Indianapolis to celebrate outstanding leaders in the sports and entertainment business who made this year one for the record books,” said Kevin Liles, founder and CEO of KWL Management, and a former President and CEO of Def Jam Records and Executive Vice President at Warner Music Group. “As a witness to the incredibly hard work that happens behind the scenes all year long, I’m happy to co-host an evening like this where we recognize the innovators and leaders who make a difference on and off the field, on stage, and in board rooms across the country.”

“The Super Bowl is a special time not only for the outstanding level of play and excitement surrounding the game, but also as the culmination of a year of hard work, personal investment, and accomplishment. I’m proud to co-host this event and honor those in sports, entertainment, and business who have been innovators and leaders over the past year,” said DeMaurice Smith, Executive Director of the NFL Players Association.

“KWL Management and the NFL Players Association are two of the most important organizations in sports and entertainment. Especially on Super Bowl weekend, where there’s an annual marriage of America’s biggest sporting event and its most exciting brands, we’re thrilled to play a role in honoring the game-changers in sports and entertainment who have made an impact during the past year,” said Michael Kempner, president and CEO of MWW Group.

About KWL ManagementKWL Management is a full-service holistic talent management and brand development firm helping individuals, companies, and organizations reach their potential in a rapidly changing world. The two-year old company utilizes the vision, experience, and network of founder, Kevin Liles, former President and CEO of Def Jam Recordings and Executive Vice President at Warner Music Group, to provide a “360 degree” strategy for the diversification and growth of global talent and brands. KWL is a partner of MWW Group in forming MWW Entertainment, leveraging combined strengths to create an entertainment powerhouse that helps clients enhance relevance, integrate talent into programming, and utilize tastemakers to drive business objectives.

Liles maintains a personal, direct involvement in the business and activity of all clients, many of whom are internationally-recognized, award-winning entertainers, personalities, and models. Current talent roster of KWL Management includes (in alphabetical order) Big Sean, Chrisette Michele, D’Angelo, Estelle, Keyshia Cole, Nelly, Selita Ebanks, Raheem DeVaughn, Shawn Chrys, Terrence J, Trey Songz, and Young Jeezy.

About NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE PLAYERS INC.Formed in 1994, National Football League Players Inc. (NFL PLAYERS) is the exclusive licensing and marketing subsidiary of the NFL Players Association. Representing more than 1,800 active and many memorable former NFL players, NFL PLAYERS “takes the helmets off” the players and facilitates the marketing of them as personalities as well as professional athletes. Through a sponsorship agreement between the organization and the NFL, players are integrated into NFL sponsor activation programs. In addition, NFLPlayers.com, the company’s official website, is part of the NFL Internet Network. Each year, NFL PLAYERS negotiates and facilitates extensive player marketing opportunities for players. NFL PLAYERS activities include retail licensing, corporate sponsorships and promotions, special events, radio and television projects, publishing and Internet. For more information, visit
www.NFLPlayers.com .

About MWW GroupMWW Group is one of the nation’s top mid-sized public relations firms and one of the ten largest independent global agencies. The company is industry-recognized for its work in consumer lifestyle marketing, digital marketing and social media, corporate communications, public affairs and government relations, consumer technology, healthcare and visual branding.

Through its “Network PR” approach, MWW Group helps its clients re-architect the conversation surrounding their brands to increase trust and relevance and drive action among key stakeholders. Among its numerous awards for client work, the agency has been recognized as 2011 “Midsize Agency of the Year” and 2010 “Strategic PR Agency of the Year” by the Holmes Report and has received accolades from PR News for “Team of the Year,” “Digital Firm of the Year” and “Top Places to Work in PR.”

To learn more about MWW Group, visit
www.mww.com , Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

About Tequila Don JulioWidely revered as the best, and currently the most popular selling luxury tequila in Mexico, Tequila Don Julio is the choice for the savvy spirits and cocktail connoisseur. Tequila Don Julio is imported by Diageo North America, which is a subsidiary of Diageo plc, the world’s leading premium drinks business with an outstanding collection of spirits, wines, and beer offerings. The Tequila Don Julio portfolio — available nationwide — includes the Blanco, Reposado, Anejo, 1942(TM) and Real(TM). More information on Tequila Don Julio and other Diageo spirits can be found at Thebar.com. Celebrating life, every day, everywhere, responsibly.’

Please Drink Responsibly.

DON JULIO Tequila. 40% Alc./Vol. ©2012 Imported by Diageo Americas, Norwalk, CT.

SOURCE KWL Management

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