Whatever Else They Do, Guys Still Watch Sports

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They say there’s no such thing as bad ink, and for advertisers, that’s as true for sports as it’s ever been.

National Basketball Association players bickered their way to a third-place finish at this summer’s Olympic Games, and a public flareup between former Los Angeles Lakers teammates Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal has become front-page news in the tabloids. And yet ABC has already sold more than 80 percent of the 60 ads available for its first national NBA broadcast this year—on Christmas Day.

In addition, ABC’s Monday Night Football is still packing in the eyeballs—including the much-sought-after young males.

The Shaq-Kobe soap opera seems to be building up the anticipation for the pair’s first on-court matchup.





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