Sports Biz

Published: Friday, 14 Aug 2009 | 9:30 AM ET

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For every action, there is a reaction. Here are the winners and losers from Michael Vick signing with the Philadelphia Eagles.

WINNERS

AP Michael Vick

Michael Vick: Some people, including me, thought Vick would be starring in the United Football League this Fall. In the Eagles, Vick will get as legitimate of a quick second chance as he could have hoped.

Joel Segal: I also thought that Vick's prospects would be so bleak that Segal, his agent, would get him the veteran minimum of $1.38 million for two years. Fox Sports' Jay Glazer reported the deal was worth $1.6 million in year one, with a team option of $5.2 million in the second year.

Philadelphia Eagles: The early read on things is that most fans are ecstatic about the Vick pickup. Perhaps a few will ask to get a refund for their season tickets in protest, but the majority seem to be happy with the move. The Eagles have had some good disaster PR training over the last few years, so if they handle Vick right they can help him silence the critical noise.

Con-Way Freight

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[CNW  Loading...      ()   ]: This $5 billion freight transportation and logistics services company based in California is the logo on the Eagles banner backdrop. They should get a nice publicity pop today.

Eagles Ticket Brokers/Secondary Ticketing Sites: Mark my words, the August 27th preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars -- the only preseason home game Vick will play in -- is going to be highest priced preseason ticket to ever hit the secondary market. Given his absence from the league, it's a game Vick has to play.

LOSERS

CBS: "60 Minutes" landed the the exclusive, which was scheduled to air on Sunday night. Is there any question interviewer James Brown thought to ask Vick that a host of Philly reporters, as well as the national media, wouldn't think of asking today? If I were running the news magazine, I would have run the entire piece online last night.

UFL: If Vick didn't sign with a team, the upstart United Football League could have gotten away with paying Vick $60,000 for the season. Vick could have filled the seats in Orlando, the team that was assigned his rights.

PETA: The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been active in trying to pressure teams not to sign Vick. Since they are one of the most effective protesting groups in the land, it should be interesting how willing they are to work with Vick, who must approach them.

DRAW

Sponsors of Eagles & NFL: While I don't expect major sponsors to leave, I do expect some pressure on them. If Vick handles things well, they'll absorb the impact better than sponsors of the Masters dealt with Martha Burk's attack on Augusta National. If anyone in particular feels like protesting, the Eagles make it easy by listing their 44 corporate partners on their Web site.

Update: While Con-Way Freight was on banner yesterday, Switch2HFA.com is on the banner today.

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