*By Brian Henry*
The Delaware Blue Coats will make their debut Wednesday night at the brand new Philadelphia 76ers Fieldhouse in Wilmington, Del., and the team will share the spotlight with an arena that boasts five stories, can seat 2,500 fans, and includes three NBA-regulation basketball courts.
But flashy as the arena may be, it was designed with a less glamorous intention ー to promote youth sports in the state of Delaware and the greater Philadelphia region.
"It's so different than anything that we've ever seen. On the other side of this basketball court in this arena we have a full-size football field, soccer field, lacrosse field, we have sports rehab," said Chris Heck, the president of the Philadelphia 76ers.
"It's all geared towards youth. We have retail shops, concessions, there's parking gear," he added.
According to Heck, the Fieldhouse is an ideal setup for an NBA development team like the Blue Coasts, members of the G League.
Heck said the stadium is such a draw that "when we're at the 76ers \[home stadium\] we sell out every game. There's an incredible demand for tickets. This gives us an opportunity, right down the road, about 26 miles from South Philadelphia, in Wilmington, Delaware, to actually cater to our fans with our G league affiliate."
Ninety-five percent of front row seats have already sold out for the season, which Heck attributes to the Fieldhouse.
"Its small enough where it's going to be a hard ticket to get but it's also small enough where you can really be a part of the action."
The 76ers Fieldhouse will also host adult leagues, tournaments, clinics, play-days and even serve as a concert venue.
Eighteen of the Blue Coats' 24 home games will be played at new 76ers Fieldhouse for the remainder of 2018-19 season.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/the-delaware-blue-coats-unveil-76ers-fieldhouse-as-their-new-home).
Millions of people around the world are getting ready for the Super Bowl on Sunday. And while the day is all fun and games, there's still a serious discussion happening about player safety. Now, two leading sports brands have teamed up to design new, state-of-the-art equipment using 3D printing. Joe DeSimone, co-founder and CEO of Carbon, stopped by Cheddar with more on how technology is making football more safe, head to toe.
Luke Wilson is taking a short break from Hollywood. A commercial break. The "Rushmore" and "Old School" actor is starring in his first Super Bowl commercial, and he says the 30-second Colgate spot will probably get more views than any of his movies. "I think more people will see this than any movie I've ever been in for sure," Wilson told Cheddar on Friday.
Draftkings CEO Jason Robins told Cheddar that New Jersey residents alone could wager as much as $100 million on the Super Bowl, the first time sports betting will be legal there for the big game.
Although it has 3 million customers, home security company SimpliSafe isn’t a household name yet. It’s hoping that will change on Sunday after its first Super Bowl ad airs.“In a market where people are trying to lock you in a contract or harvest your data, we’re trying to keep you safe,” brand creative director Wade Devers told Cheddar. “There aren’t really a lot of places you can reach the number of people you can reach like the Super Bowl.”
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Friday, Feb. 1, 2019.
On Super Bowl Sunday, the Hallmark Channel will be home to the sixth annual Kitten Bowl, the annual matchup of cat-letes held to benefit the North Shore Animal League. Beth Stern, host of the Kitten Bowl and spokesperson for North Shore (and wife to Howard), brought a pair of 12-week Siamese kittens to Cheddar Thursday to help promote a new event this year: the first-ever Cat Bowl.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Wednesday, Jan. 30, 2019.
Super Bowl Sunday is the ー well ー Super Bowl of building brand awareness, particularly for food and beverage companies. This year, Pepsi and Frito-Lay, both units of PepsiCO ($PEP), are once again among the snack giants planning to use the 100 million-plus members of the expected television audience to launch new products and elevate brands in their respective portfolios. Frito-Lay CMO Jen Saenz spoke to Cheddar Tuesday alongside Greg Lyons, the CMO for Pepsi, which is known for its Super Bowl ads and social media engagement tied to the Big Game.
Apple is planning a subscription service that would function like Netflix for games, according to people familiar with the matter. The iPhone maker has also discussed partnering with developers as a publisher, which could signal ambitions to assume distribution and marketing costs for games.
These are the headlines you Need 2 Know for Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019.
