Portland-based Nike likes the global economic outlook of soccer shoes and apparel. The Oregonian blog Playbooks & Profits breaks things down Nike's deal to try to win over the hearts of the French.

Nike's France Win in Context
A little context on Nike's unseating of Adidas  as outfitter of the French national soccer team:

The soccer/rugby market in France is about $525 million in 2006, according to market research firm NPD Group. That includes footwear, apparel and equipment.

By comparison, sales in Germany totaled $1.24 billion and in the U.K. they totalled $2.12 billion.

The United States ranked as the largest market by country in the world with $2.27 billion in sales in 2006.

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Brent Hunsberger of the Oregonian examines athletic-revenue issues at Oregon and around the Pac-10 in the Playbooks & Profits blog:

Last month, the University of Oregon told P&P Blog that the amount of money its athletic department gets from selling the rights to broadcast and advertise around its sporting events was a "trade secret" and not for public knowledge. The publicly financed university blacked the amounts out in the contracts it released in response to P&P Blog's request, invoking exemption under the Oregon Public Records Law. Oregon State University made the same claim.

Since then, five other publicly funded PAC-10 schools -- Arizona, Cal, Arizona State, Washington and Washington State -- provided the amounts of their agreements without redaction.

Then, last Tuesday, Feb. 12, when Oregon announced its intent to sign a new media and marketing pact, university officials disclosed its value: $67.1 million over 10 years. It even broke the amounts down by year and source. Those were the same amounts P&P Blog was told it couldn't see in past agreements.

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Minor-league baseball facilities have undergone extensive remodels and renovations in recent years, to capture a more family and community based feel for fans to enjoy America's past time in their own back yard. Some of these locations, such as where the Class AAA Tacoma Rainiers play, have seen incredible growth over the last decade and are now taking advantage of expanding business trends away from nearby metropolis markets.

With the steady economic growth in Western Washington from key industries such as aerospace, biotech, software and hardware technology, internet companies and outdoor-recreation, business leaders in Tacoma are experiencing a boon in development. The timing is right for the Tacoma Rainiers to tap into this growth and offer local fans something that caters to the needs of businesses even more. Joining the Rainiers as a part owner in late 2006 is celebrity Nick Lachey, formerly the husband of pop culture diva Jessica Simpson, who now dates former Miss Teen USA Vanessa Minnillo.

Published in the Puget Sound Business Journal:

Tacoma Rainiers raise profile with new VIP club
Venture Bank thinks that the Tacoma Rainiers are a good investment.

The Lacey-based bank has inked a five-year sponsorship deal with the minor-league affiliate of the Seattle Mariners. The Rainiers will build a special VIP patio and covered area along the right field line at Cheney Stadium, the Rainiers' home venue in Tacoma. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

The VIP section will be named Venture Bank Gold Club II and will be open to people who purchase gold club memberships when the season starts April 2. The stadium has already featured another gold club, a tavernlike room that doesn't offer views of the playing field. That club, which didn't have a sponsor, also will be named after Venture Bank and will continue to be open to gold club members.

Jim Arneson, CEO of Venture Bank, said the sponsorship gives the bank -- which has branches in Lewis, King, Pierce and Thurston counties -- an opportunity to get its name in front of the business people who buy club memberships to entertain clients at the ballpark.

You must be a PSBJ subscriber to read the full story here.

More info at the Tacoma Rainiers homepage.

The newest experiment with off-season professional football is underway, as the All American Football League (AAFL) prepares its debut on the heels of former attempts of the past such as the USFL and XFL.

Tacoma-based and family owned Baden Sports enters the mix and will provide official game footballs to the AAFL, in a strategic branding initiative designed to create national awareness.

AAFL teams will play 10 games, beginning in April 2008. The spring schedule is designed to satisfy fans who hunger for quality football between the NFL and college seasons. The League's teams are located in avid college-football markets, representing Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Michigan, Tennessee and Texas.