Athletic Events

The late shows may be back on the air, but except for reality programs prime-time TV is mostly in reruns for the foreseeable future. So what's an advertiser to do? One answer: Think sports. Sporting events have been seeing increased interest from companies looking to promote themselves during shows that will be watched live, rather than recorded and viewed later, sans commercials.

For years, broadcaster Harry Caray waved his microphone out of the booth to lead White Sox and Cubs fans in the singing of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game," a tradition still carried on at Wrigley Field with celebrity conductors. This year, the song turns 100, but it's just one of many that have become a part of the American sports soundtrack. Here are some others that are required listening, whether fans like it or not.

Excuse me, there's a San Diego Chargers cheerleader in your lap. And that's way less scary than having LaDainian Tomlinson carrying the Oakland Raiders' defensive line into your lap. The Thursday night NFL Network broadcast of the Chargers' 34-7 win over the visiting Raiders was shown in three theaters (one each in Los Angeles, New York and Boston) in three-dimensional or 3-D technology.

Once upon a time, professional bowlers were sports royalty. Groupies pawed them after tournaments. Casinos blanketed them with free show tickets. Their TV ratings sometimes trumped baseball and golf. "We were like rock stars," said Carmen Salvino, a bowling icon of the 1960s and '70s. But today, as America's top lane lizards finish competing in a Fountain Valley match sponsored by Denny's, the glamour has faded. Motel 6 is the Professional Bowlers Assn.'s official lodging partner.

You need only two of the primo tickets you bought for the NCAA championship game on April 2 in Atlanta's Georgia Dome. So the next move is to scalp the extras online, where men's college basketball tournament tickets with a face value of $204 are on sale for as much as $5,800 apiece. Not so fast. The NCAA, tired of third-party brokers siphoning off money by reselling tournament tickets, is threatening to blacklist fans who are caught scalping tickets anywhere other than RazorGator.

On the surface, Todd Zagurski seems the definition of ordinary. He collects art and pens, draws a regular paycheck as a vice president of a transportation company and lives in a one-story home in Long Beach with his wife and cat. But a few times a year, he takes part in bike races that last 24 hours, 50-kilometer runs and quintuple triathlons that go on for days. (That's a 2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike ride and 26.2-mile run -- times five.

GLOBALIZATION may lessen exotic experiences around the planet, but an American could find inscrutable mystery right now in the Caribbean. That's because a handful of English-speaking nations deep in the Snorkel Belt speak a popular but eccentric lingo in which "over" is a noun and "wicket" has up to six definitions. In other words, they're talking cricket -- and now more than ever.

Mention the word "triathlon" to beginning exercisers and they'll likely quake in their running shoes, conjuring up images of uber-athletes and intense competition. But a multisport event doesn't have to be intimidating. Scaled-down versions are both motivating and doable -- even for those just getting started. They're also increasingly popular, says Mike Reilly, vice president and co-founder of Active.com, an online resource for sport and fitness events.

A combination of veterans and up-and-comers are expected to headline the Jeep-Body Glove Surfbout at Lower Trestles in San Clemente. The surf contest is scheduled to begin today and run through Saturday's final, scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Among the 192 professionals entered in the four-star World Qualifying Series event is Damien Hobgood of Satellite Beach, Fla., ranked 13th on the World Championship Tour. The WQS is the final qualifying step for those hoping to reach the exclusive 46-man WCT.

THINK Los Angeles is your personal playground? Have no fear of weekend traffic, mind games or the thrill of the chase? Race/LA, a local event inspired by the CBS reality television show "The Amazing Race," leads adventure seekers on a daylong, city-centric scavenger hunt.