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TV pitchman Billy Mays was found dead in his Florida home on Sunday. CNBC's Darren Rovell has the details.
The athletic company faces an uphill battle after its earnings fall 30%, reports CNBC's Darren Rovell.
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Current DateTime: 09:57:30 04 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 30212900

SPORTS BIZ VIDEO GALLERY

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Current DateTime: 09:57:30 04 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 30231077
    • TV Pitchman Billy Mays Dead at 50  29 Jun 2009

        TV pitchman Billy Mays was found dead in his Florida home on Sunday. CNBC's Darren Rovell has the details.

    • Nike: Not Doing It  25 Jun 2009

        The athletic company faces an uphill battle after its earnings fall 30%, reports CNBC's Darren Rovell.

    • Likely #1 Draft Pick  25 Jun 2009

        Blake Griffin, the likely number one pick in Thursday's NBA draft, talks to CNBC's Darren Rovell.

    • Kyle Busch  24 Jun 2009

        One of the key selling points of a NASCAR sponsorship is driver access. Kyle Busch spent the day at sponsor M&M, getting a tour of the plant and signing autographs for employees, with CNBC's Darren Rovell.

    • Tony Stewart  24 Jun 2009

        Tony Stewart is a winner both on and off the track. The two-time Sprint Cup Champion also runs a dozen other businesses, including racetracks and a public relations firm, with CNBC's Darren Rovell.

    • Brian France  24 Jun 2009

        The France family has run NASCAR since its inception. Brian France is the third generation of the family to oversee the sport, with CNBC's Darren Rovell.

Sports Biz Blog
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Jan.11
9:35 AM ET
Friday, 11 Jan 2008
Ana Ivanovic (My Favorite) Signs With Yonex

Source: anaivanovic.com
Ana Ivanovic

Ana Ivanovic, who my blog readers know is my favorite tennis player has switched rackets. The 20-year-old Serbian beauty will play the Australian Open--which begins Monday--with a Yonex racket in her hand. Ivanovic had played her entire career with Wilson rackets.

"Yonex presented us with an attractive offer, but the racket was really the most important thing," said Gavin Versi, one of Ana's representatives. "She had never tried any racket other than Wilson. She just grew up using one brand never knowing if it was the best one. But she tried Yonex and loved it."

Versi wouldn't divulge contract details, citing confidentiality, but one source told CNBC that it's a four-year deal that could hit eight figures if Ivanovic is ranked No. 1 for about half the deal. Ivanovic begins the season ranked fourth in the world.

Versi told CNBC that before Ivanovic signed the deal she spent three days at the end of the season extensively testing the Yonex rackets with an independent racket technician present. After trying three different models (38 rackets in total with different customizations) she settled on using the model Lleyton Hewitt uses--the RQiS 1 Tour.

Ivanovic, who has endorsement deals with Adidas, Juice Plus and Verona Motors, is expected to be the new face of Yonex, being that she is the brand's highest ranked player.

Now, we'll give you the CNBC Racket Sponsors Rankings. Each brand gets one point for having a man or woman in the top 10. Their ranking is in parentheses next to their name.

1. Prince, 6 points. Jelena Jankovic (3), Nikolay Davydenko (4), Maria Sharapova (5), David Ferrer (5), Daniela Hantuchova (9) and Marion Bartoli (10)

2. Wilson, 5 points. Justine Henin (1), Roger Federer (1), Novak Djokovic (3), Serena Williams (7) and Venus Williams (8)

T3. Babolat, 3 points. Rafael Nadal (2), Andy Roddick (6) and Fernando Gonzalez (7)

T3. Head, 3 points. Svetlana Kuznetzova (2), Richard Gasquet (8) and Andy Murray (9)

4. Yonex, 2 points. Ana Ivanovic (4) and David Nalbandian (10)

5. Fischer, 1 point. Anna Chakvetadze (6)

For fun, here's the CNBC Clothing Sponsor Rankings. Same scoring applies. As far as I can tell, Marion Bartoli doesn't seem to have a clothing sponsor.

T1. Nike, 5 points. Roger Federer (1), Rafael Nadal (2), Maria Sharapova (5), Serena Williams (7) and Daniela Hantuchova (9).

T1. Adidas, 5 points. Justine Henin (1), Novak Djokovic (3), Ana Ivanovic (4), Anna Chakvetadze (6) and Fernando Gonzalez (7).

3. Lacoste, 2 points. Andy Roddick (6) and Richard Gasquet (8).

T4. Fila, 1 point. Svetlana Kuznetsova (2).

T4. Reebok, 1 point. Jelena Jankovic (3).

T4. Airness, 1 point. Nikolay Davydenko (4)

T4. Lotto, 1 point. David Ferrer (5).

T4. Steve & Barry's, 1 point. Venus Williams (8).

T4. Fred Perry, 1 point. Andy Murray (9).

T4. Yonex, 1 point. David Nalbandian (10).

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