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Michael Vick in Atlanta, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


Former quarterback Michael Vick's infamy certainly isn't helping his real estate sales. Vick, who is currently serving a prison sentence for his role in a dog-fighting ring, can't seem to sell his Atlanta home. As the Wall Street Journal's Private Properties column reports, he has cut the price of his luxury Atlanta home to $4.1 million, from $4.5 million after it has sat on the market for a year. The eight-bedroom home in the Sugarloaf Country Club in Duluth, Georgia has lake views and a grand look with two-story foyer with a curved double staircase and dome, a two-story study, a home theater, wet bar and a gymnasium. The only sign of Vickness is that big number seven set into the den floor. Vick bought for $3.78 million so even if he sells for the $4.1 million listing price he won't be making a lot of money.

Vick's even more infamous piece of real estate, the home which was the site of the dog kennels, is up for auction yet again, this time for $590,000 on December 12. Developer Wilbur Ray Todd Jr.bought the home for $450,000 from Vick last year and wanted to sell it for over $1 million originally.

As we mentioned recently, a wine collection, Vicktory Dogs, raises money for the rehabilitated dogs who live at an animal sanctuary in Utah.

UPDATE: The home was put up for auction but there were no takers and it remains on the market.

Experience more lush living in luxury homes and mansions or see the stars living large with celebrity homes
galleries at AOL Real Estate.

Alyssa Milano Designs for NFL Fans

Filed under: Apparel, Celebrity Shopping, Sports


Alyssa Milano has an option for female NFL fans tired of wearing oversized men's logowear but still wanting to look fashionable while supporting their team: her "TOUCH" apparel and jewelry line, available at NFL Shop.

Launched in spring 2007, TOUCH, which also includes lines for the NBA and NHL, was born out of necessity, according to Milano's Web site. When Milano, an avid baseball fan, went to games, "she wanted to wear fan gear to support her team, but found that the product mix offered in the marketplace did not address her everyday fashion needs. She felt women should be able to look stylish while cheering on their favorite team. So, she partnered with G-III Apparel Group and Major League Baseball to design and distribute a line of juniors' ladies MLB apparel." And so it began.

I just learned about the line when I saw a TV ad during a Sunday night football game; it seems the NFL partnership is fairly new. This line includes 245 products that range in price from $16.99 - $89.99.

View the gallery for some examples. Most of the products are available for multiple teams.

N.F.L. Wants The World To Party At The Super Bowl

Filed under: Sports

With people in the U.S. starting to spend less on travel and on entertainment the National Football League is seeking greener pastures when it comes to marketing the Super Bowl. Bloomberg reports that the NFL has made a big push to market corporate Super Bowl travel packages outside the U.S. The hope is that corporate clients in Canada, Japan, the U.S. and Mexico will be willing to travel to Tampa, Florida to see the game on February 1 and take part in the surrounding festivities. Packages run from around $4,600 to around $10,600 depending on tickets and parties.The NFL has a dedicated website to sell these packages and is competing against travel companies that also offer packaged sports events promotions. Of course the NFL has the upper hand when it comes to access to tickets, hotels and all the parties. The game is traditionally one of America's biggest celebrations but it remains to be seen if the rest of the world is ready to join our Super Bowl party.

The Economy Of Sports

Filed under: Sports


So far most of the news I've heard about sports teams in this economy has been pretty positive. New stadiums are still being built and luxury suites are being filled. But Gary West writing in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has a piece that points out that sports are going through their own cost-cutting measures. Attendance is down at professional baseball games. The NCAA is curbing spending on postseason travel and the Grand Prix du Canada, the only Formula One race in North America is struggling to find funding. And layoffs have even come to the NBA which is cutting their work force by 9%.

More than ever professional sports depend on revenue from advertising, sponsorships and naming rights but with many corporations in trouble those opportunities are drying up. As the Dallas Morning News reports the Cowboys have a new $1.1 billion stadium expected to be completed by next June and they are looking for a naming-rights deal that could be worth hundreds of millions. There are less and less companies now that would be interested in a deal of this magnitude.

And Nascar, which has risen to be one of the most popular sports in the U.S. is really feeling the pinch. General Motors, Chrysler, Sears Holdings and Chevron will cut or drop sponsorships next season. Perhaps more than any other sport this economy has a dramatic effect because it takes so much money to compete. Dario Franchitti, the 2007 Indianapolis 500 winner, was forced out of the series by a lack of sponsors and teams from names like Petty, Waltrip and Earnhardt may enter 2009 with unfunded cars. Nascar may even have trouble filling up their 43-car fields because so many teams have had trouble finding sponsors.

Certainly professional sports aren't going anywhere. Watching sports has always offered distraction and succor in tough times. Cheering for our teams lets us experience both joy and defeat in a way that doesn't impact our daily living. But in a time when companies are forced to cut back, sports teams, which are businesses too, will be forced to readjust. Some franchises may have to close. Teams that have relied on lucrative corporate suites deals may have to focus more on getting regular customers into seats.

Is Tom Brady's Time Warner Center Apartment Overpriced?

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping, Sports

For years it has seemed like golden boy quarterback Tom Brady couldn't fail. Championships, check, endorsement deals, check, gorgeous girlfriend; check, great real estate deals, check and maybe recheck. Brady did well in Boston when it comes to real estate, converting a townhouse into condos he sold at a profit but he can't seem to unload his ultra fancy New York pad in the Time Warner Center. It's not for lack of trying. As the New York Post's Gimme Shelter column reports it was listed for $16.5 million back in February 2007 with the Corcoran Group. Then, as my colleague Jared Paul Stern mentioned, it popped back on the market this July for $18.29 million listed with new broker, Prudential Douglas Elliman. Now at its current listing price of $17.75 million it still seems overpriced. Certainly other celebrities and non-celebrities have sold at a profit there. Ricky Martin bought it in 2004 for $6.8 million and sold it in September 2006 for $9.75 million. Brady's apartment was listed at $14.5 million when he bought in 2006 which may have been closer to the market's peak.

Brady's apartment is a three-bedroom, three-bath home on one of the highest floors of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel and Condominium at Time Warner Center. It's full of well designed furniture and has details such as black lacquered doors, ebony finished walnut wood floors, Venetian plastering and of course it boasts beautiful views of the city. Given the current real estate climate though, Brady may want to price it in the $15 million range and get out now while he still can.

The Quarterback in Laguna, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates


I spent some time last week in the oceanside town of Laguna Beach, California so I was particularly interested to see this property for sale. Laguna Beach is a town full of hills and canyons which lends itself to homes with truly amazing vistas of the sea. The LA Times Hot Property column reports that today's estate belongs to Cincinnati Bengals quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Carson Palmer. Palmer's home is a four-bedroom Mediterranean perched on a hilltop with beautiful views out over the ocean, the town and an open canyon. Like many hillside homes, this one has a bunch of levels. The top level has an entry deck, oceanview front office and a two-car garage. The home also includes a gourmet kitchen, formal dining room, living room, a full-floor master bedroom suite which has a cedar-lined walk-in closet, an office, sitting area and master bath. The lowest level has two two bedrooms with a large balcony. Big Time Listings reports that Palmer also owns a home in Del Mar, California and a five-bedroom home in Cincinnati. This home is listed at $2.949 million.

For more prime properties and lush locations, see Luxury Homes and Mansions.

Pacman Jones in Tennessee, Estate of the Day

Filed under: Estates, Celebrity Shopping


Oh wow, NFL cornerback and occasional aspiring wrestler Adam "Pacman" Jones is another athlete hoping for a big sale on his house. The flamboyant former Nashville Titan has moved on to the Dallas Cowboys and so he has put his Franklin, Tennessee home up for sale. And reading the blurb on the Real Estalker I knew I was in for a doozy. I've never seen quite so many gargantuan televisions in one place outside of a sports bar. The five-bedroom home is on 30 acres (the property website is called 30 acres and a lake). I'm not sure quite what to make of this one-- a big brick arch in the middle of a room for no good reason, a bedroom that appears to have a set of home theater seats plunked in front of a massive screen, a bathroom that seems to be designed based on the health clubs and gyms that Pacman Jones has likely seen a few of-- all these things combine to make a home that is many things but welcoming is not one of them. The property includes an eight-stall horse barn and a bucolic dock and lake spoiled by the addition of fountains. No pool but there is an above ground hot tub plunked onto the back deck. There are also two other homes on the property. Jones picked up the home in 2006 from an actress and a producer for $1.575 million and has listed it for $1,799,950 which the listing calls "priced well below market value." Maybe, but it will still be a hard sell.

Joe Montana Sues His Ex Over Selling His Stuff

Filed under: Auctions, Sports

Should you be able to sell the love letters from a famous ex? Joe Montana doesn't think so. The NFL football great has sued his ex-wife Kim Moses and Heritage Auction over the sale of love letters and other memorabilia dating back to his college days at Notre Dame. Montana says that the items which were sold at Heritage on May 3, violated his copyright and privacy rights. The items sold include the couple's marriage certificate, her bridal veil, Montana's college I.D. card and a lot of personal letters and cards full of all sorts of intimate details. Montana is seeking damages in excess of $75,000 and the lawsuit says that Moses obtained some of the items without his consent after they were divorced (the couple married in 1974 and divorced less than three years later). Whether or not it is legal remains to be seen but it does show questionable taste to auction off one's college love letters to the highest bidder.

Where the Teams Will Stay for the Super Bowl

Filed under: Events


The New York Giants will take on the New England Patriots in the biggest game of the year next Sunday but where will they be staying all week in preparation for the Super Bowl? No Motel 8 I can tell you that. Giants will be on sovereign ground staying at the Sheraton Wild Horse Pass which exudes its celebration of local tribal culture. The Patriots will be at the luxurious Westin Kierland serving as a desert oasis for the team. Don't even try to book a room at one of these two hot spots -- only those who are part of the team or conference will be able to step foot on the premises and security will be tight. But for those that can get inside, they are sure to enjoy the first class spas, golf courses, pools, restaurants and rooms before the big game -- if you want to see it for yourself, check out the gallery below.

Seattle's Football Team Loses Their Private Jet

Filed under: Wings, Sports

Quite a few readers had comments on the fact that David Beckham and his Los Angeles soccer squad travel by private jet. For Becks and the Los Angeles Galaxy it was an upgrade. The Seattle Seahawks football team are in the opposite position. For years they were the envy of the NFL as they travelled around on billionaire owner Paul Allen's Boeing 757-200. The private jet was seen as such an advantage that at times it was used as a perk to help land free agents. But all good things must come to an end and Paul Allen has sold the jet. According to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer the Seahawks are a little grumpy about losing their jet. They've gone from their own personal aircraft to chartering with Hawaiian Airlines. Oh well boys, it could be worse, at least your new jets have pretty ladies and flowers on them.

Last Minute Superbowl Packages

Filed under: Journeys, Events, Sports

Now that we know who is going to be in the Super Bowl, the rabid fans of the Indianapolis Colts and the Chicago Bears can scramble for some last minute travel packages. The Indianapolis Star has a list of some of the top packages for last minute travelers with a few thousand dollars burning a hole in their pockets.

The Big Game Room offers a four-night package at the Delano that includes a ticket to the game, souvenirs, a ticket to the NFL experience and more for $7,999 per person.

Carefree Lifestyle has a $75,000 VIP Platinum plan for up to 10 guests that includes your own waterfront mansion with a pool, maid and chef service, access to a Lamborghini Gallardo or a Bentley, a yacht cruise, massages and concierge services.

RazorGator Experiences
offers Bears and Colts packages that include airfare, three nights in a hotel, upper level end zone tickets and are in the $5500 to $7,000 price range.

The Fine Things has offers the Ultimate Super Bowl Package for $16,095 per person which includes four nights at the Ritz Carlton Key Biscayne, first class airfare, lower level 50 yard line Super Bowl tickets, NFL Game Day hospitality and tickets to the Playboy Party.

We Have Seats offers a wide variety of a la carte tickets and some packages. One package includes four nights at the Westin Diplomat Resort and Spa, two lower level end zone tickets to Super Bowl XLI , a private meet and greet with an NFL celebrity , two tickets to an NFL Super Bowl Weekend party, VIP NFL Experience tickets and more for $15,510.

Destination Clubs and the NFL

Filed under: Journeys

We've mentioned Exclusive Resorts, a luxury residence club, before. It's just one of the destination clubs that has popped up in the last few years. Exclusive Resorts has now partnered up with The National Football League Players Association (NFLPA).  Exclusive Resorts will make a $25,000 charitable donation on behalf of NFLPA and for each NFLPA member who joins Exclusive Resorts, the club will make an additional contribution to a charitable organization designated by the NFLPA. The Helium Report questions whether former NFL players are the right association for a luxury brand but as they point out, former quarterback Steve Young already appears in ads for Private Escapes and the New England Patriots have a deal with Dream Catchers. It seems to me that for the most part, an association with the NFL doesn't detract from the exclusivity factor but only increases it.


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