Business of Sports August 13, 2009, 3:00PM EST

When Tiger Woods Loses, So Does the PGA

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Nonetheless, the Cavs forward is stepping out on a 10-city global tour to promote the well-received Lionsgate documentary about his high school basketball championship reign, More Than a Game, in conjunction with Nike's (NKE) release of the Air Max LeBron VII shoe. After a formal kickoff at the Ed Davis Community Center in Akron, James' home turf, the world tour begins in Chicago on August 11 and will visit three continents over two months, his goodwill message centered on "youth initiatives, community service, and grassroots basketball." Three cities in China are on the slate, as well as stops in Paris, London, New York, and Los Angeles

"With the new shoe, movie premiere, and preparations for the season with his new 'Chief of Security,' Shaquille O'Neal, LeBron is firing on all cylinders these days," says James' attorney Fred Nance, of Squire, Sanders & Dempsey. "There's never a dull moment around LeBron, given his charisma, vision, and fundamental business smarts. I think we'll see him branching off into a number of business endeavors as time goes on—he's going to be as much a king off the court as he is on it."

4. NFL Lottery Odds Are Bet-ter Than You Might Think

Since NFL owners voted in May to allow lottery sponsorships, 13 of the 32 teams have taken advantage of the new revenue stream. Of the available figures, the following are the odds of winning a prize on a particular team's ticket:

Washington Redskins—1 in 2.78

Green Bay Packers—1 in 3.5

Baltimore Ravens—1 in 3.54

New York Giants (CT)—1 in 3.57

New Orleans Saints—1 in 3.66

Cincinnati Bengals—1 in 3.8

Cleveland Browns—1 in 3.8

Dallas Cowboys—1 in 3.85

Seattle Seahawks—1 in 3.86

Odds were not available for the Jets, Patriots, and Titans. All of the teams also offer a second-chance drawing for losing lotto tickets, which give out merchandise, autographs, and season tickets as prizes.

5. Foodie Fan: Training Table Trauma?

Last week, the Chargers' Antonio Cromartie was fined $2,500 for using Twitter to complain about the food at training camp. But the cornerback didn't go into detail about what on his plate was so "nasty."

It wasn't likely lasagna, as lunch reportedly came from the Brigantine (seafood) and Peohe's (tropical seafood), two of San Diego's more popular restaurants. So maybe Cromartie doesn't like fish. Whatever his non-beef, there was plenty of it. The Atlanta Constitution claims that 4,800 pounds of chicken will be eaten during the Falcons' training camp meals; the team is also expected to consume "600 pounds of bacon, 1,300 pounds of fish, and 500 gallons of milk." In 2000 the Denver Broncos allegedly consumed 5,150 pounds of vegetables during training camp—and went on to win 11 games.

Athletes and food go hand to mouth. The Bills' Terrell Owens' new cereal, "TO's," was officially unveiled in late July; New York grocery store chain Tops Markets sold over 11,000 boxes in the first week. Ben Roethlisberger sells beef jerky in Pittsburgh, and Red Sox second baseman Dustin Pedroia markets his own salsa in Boston. IHOP just signed a short-term sponsorship deal with the NFL and has added "NFL Stuffed French Toast" and the "QB Scramble" to its menu. Even top chef Emeril Lagasse is jumping on the sports chuckwagon—he plans to open a sports-themed restaurant called Lagasse's Stadium this fall at the Palazzo in Las Vegas.

Aside from Cromartie's revelations, the gastronomic shocker of the week comes from the Dallas Cowboys, who are charging luxury suite patrons $60 for a plain cheese pizza. Let's just hope it's Texas-sized.

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel.

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