Ten Sports Stories to Watch in 2010

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The Vancouver Organizing Committee received more than $345 million in requests for tickets to the Games in sales Phase One alone; Canadians requested about four and a half times the value of tickets as the first phase of ticketing ($75 million) for the Salt Lake City 2002 Olympic Winter Games, the most recent Olympics held in North America.

Then again, we didn't have Stephen Colbert and the support of Colbert Nation in those days.

NBC Universal also reports it expects to lose about $200 million on the Vancouver Olympic Games. The network likely would have posted an operating profit in 2010 if not for poor Olympic ad sales.

2. American Needle Lawsuit

What started as a simple case of licensing rights is heading to the Supreme Court. American Needle v. National Football League could lead to sweeping changes in pro sports. At the center of the debate is whether the NFL is a single entity or a group of 32 separate businesses.

The case began in December 2004 when American Needle filed an antitrust suit against the NFL, claiming that the league was using its monopoly powers illegally to deprive the company of its share of the market for headgear bearing logos of NFL teams. The NFL won; American Needle then filed a request for review to the U.S. Supreme Court, in response to which the NFL asked for "total immunity from all forms of antitrust scrutiny"…that would then also apply to MLB, the NBA, and the NHL.

A Supreme Court decision is expected in spring or early summer 2010.

1. World Cup South Africa

No sporting event captivates the globe quite like soccer's World Cup. Beginning June 11, the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa will mark the first time that the tournament is hosted by an African nation. Total prize money is $420 million, with the winning country pocketing $30 million.

It will be interesting to observe how ESPN covers the world's biggest sporting event halfway across the globe, and whether the U.S. team's success, or failure, will continue to further the popularity of the sport in this country.

Return to the Power 100 2010 Special Report Table of Contents.

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As chief executive of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel. 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. Karla Swatek is vice-president of Horrow Sports Ventures and co-author of Beyond the Box Score: An Insider's Guide to the $750 Billion Business of Sports (February, 2010).

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