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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: 03:10:14 06 Jul 2009
LinksList Documentid: 30212900

SPORTS BIZ VIDEO GALLERY

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Current DateTime: 03:10:14 06 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.24
11:06 AM ET
Thursday, 24 Jan 2008
SportsBiz To A Fan's "Rescue" Over NBA Pro-Cut Jerseys

So yesterday, I get a link from a reader that points me to a YouTube rant from a Lakers fan, who thinks the NBA and adidas are being disingenuous in advertising that they sell authentic, pro-cut jerseys. The fan makes a lot of good points. The most important one: the authentic jerseys they sell online sure don't look like the real ones. It's actually really entertaining.

The fan said he took his complaints to the NBA and adidas, but they both failed to give him a sufficient response. That's not surprising and I don't blame either organization for the lack of response. These guys get hundreds of calls to their switchboards every day and you can't expect these people to be routed to employees who can give them good answers.

Inside Nike Show Information and Web Companion
So we did some work and called both. For its part, an NBA official did say that the word "pro-cut" was inaccurate and, although it is still listed as such on the site, will be removed from the listing soon. Pro-cut means that the jersey is to the exact size and specifications of the athlete. Pro-cut jerseys are often coveted by crazed fans and autograph hounds.

But the league spokesman did say that the jerseys are authentic, but that the pictures at the NBA.com store did not accurately reflect how the jerseys look. (I'm not sure how this benefits sales). Adidas spokesman Travis Gonzolez said that pro-cut jerseys are sometimes available for order through teams, but are quite rare given the lack of demand.

The bottom line is the fan's argument doesn't seem to be as big of a deal as it was made out to be, but it is certainly worth discussing. There is a miscommunication between a discerning fan--who wants to buy a jersey--and what he comes to find online.

And I guess, in this new age that we live in, if you don't get answers, you take it to YouTube. Now the fan knows that he'll get an authentic jersey if he pays for it, but he won't get a pro-cut, which was advertised.

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