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February 08, 2012

Amazon to open real-world store this year: report

Amazon doesn’t need any PR bumps, but let’s give it one anyway, shall we?

A_com_logo_RGBMy favourite Amazon story goes like this: one weeknight in 2010, I caught a late-night showing of The Social Network. Certainly, it was the year’s best movie, and so inspired was I that I came home and said, Hey, I oughtta read the book that was made from.

So sometime after midnight, well into the a.m., I placed an order for Ben Mezrich’s “The Accidental Billionaires.” Before the end of the next work day, it was at my door.

I’m not a paid Amazon advocate, just a fan of its convenience. So why, then, would a service as punctual as the web retailer actually open its own bricks-and-mortar store?

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January 30, 2012

A look at Super Bowl ticket prices through the years

The worst-kept secret in sports may revolve around Super Bowl tickets, which advertise a face value but usually sell for two, three, four times that figure.

Stock-photo-18035464-tailgating-male-trying-to-sell-ticketsThis year, certainly, will be no different: tickets for Sunday’s game in Indianapolis technically cost between $800 to $1,200, but only a select number of fans get the chance to buy them for that.

Instead, provided you’re not a Colts season ticket holder, league sponsor or other VIP, your charge for going to the Super Bowl this year should came at an average clip somewhere between $2,800 and $3,623, according to new reports from StubHub and Ticket Exchange.

That’s a lot, but how does it stack up against prices from Super Bowl’s past?

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December 08, 2011

Putting Albert Pujols' new contract in context

Drinks today are on Albert Pujols.

Stock-photo-2637389-money-mittAccording to ESPN’s Buster Olney, the free agent slugger has just signed a ten-year deal with the Los Angeles Angels, worth “at least” $250 million. His former team, the St. Louis Cardinals, is now left holding the bag.

Yet while this isn’t business news, and you don’t need EverydayMoney.ca to tell you $250 mil is a lot, Pujols’ contract nonetheless puts him in a salary category nearly all his own.

Meaning, in terms of earning power, only the most egregiously compensated CEOs can catch him now.

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April 07, 2011

Baseball vendor lets your order beer via Twitter

There’s nothing pleasant about buying a beer at a baseball game, but I’m not telling you anything you don’t know.

Istockphoto_9944667-beer-at-the-game The lines suck, which you fear, and the prices are obscene, which you expect. But even if a beer vendor happens to venture to your section – as he did to my primo 500-level seat at the Rogers Centre last Sunday – you’d need a Russell Brand-sized mouth if you ever hope to yell and get the guy’s attention.

Enter: Twitter. It’s an idea so simple you feel stupid for not suggesting it yourself. Starting at the team’s home opener tomorrow, a beer vendor for the Seattle Mariners will start taking drink orders via his Twitter page.

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October 14, 2010

Brett Favre's sexts could cost $100M in lost endorsements

It’s the (penis) shot heard ‘round the world.

Yes, you’re tired of listening to reports about Brett Favre’s alleged boner – not that  kind of boner, but his supposed screw-up of sending cell phone pics of his own crotch to a female New York Jets staffer when he was QB of the team in 2008.

The married star, who now runs the Minnesota Vikings’ offence, has not admitted to snapping photos of his shotgun for the woman (pictured here), yet the ordeal has caused Favre a heap of embarrassment. Now, it may cause his wallet to lighten after he retires.

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September 24, 2010

New app lets Phillies fans order food right to their seat

This year, the Philadelphia Phillies have enjoyed some pretty good fortune.

1068822_wind_up___and_the_pitch The team stole Canada’s beloved ace Roy Halladay, who won his 20th game of the season Tuesday, and – despite a host of injuries to sluggers like Chase Utley and Ryan Howard – currently sit in first place in the NL East, primed for its fourth-straight turn in the playoffs next month.

But as if Phils fans haven’t had enough, their home diamond is now on the forefront of the newest movement in digital media. Starting with the team’s last three home games against the Mets, patrons at Citizens Bank Park will now be able to use their cell phones to order concession grub right to their seat, without missing a pitch.

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July 12, 2010

Cost of children's sports out of control: poll

The spiralling cost of enrolling children in organized sports and an increase in user fees for renting arenas, sports fields and other recreational facilities is becoming a real burden for families, reports the Ottawa Citizen.

Almost two-thirds of Ottawa residents believe the cost of sports is too high. More than half say the municipality isn't doing enough to maintain low-cost parks, rinks and gymnasiums, according to a recent survey.

Registration costs have risen in all sports, as the cost of renting facilities has increased by as much as 40 per cent over the past two years.

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April 12, 2010

The science of 'choking'

Bounce.Matthew Syed Have you noticed how tough it is when facing a life-changing job interview? How surreally difficult it is to remember your lines when giving a career-transforming presentation? How your calmness and assurance seem to desert you when on the verge of nailing your biggest sales contract?

If so, you are not alone. Most of us have experienced — at some time or another — the curious phenomenon of “choking.” Sure, the terminology varies from place to place (in basketball it is called “the bricks,” in academic domains it is termed “cracking” and in the UK it is sometimes called “bottling”), but the reality is always the same: a curious kind of personal catastrophe.

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February 12, 2010

Will this Olympic index deliver gold?

The eyes of the world will turn to Vancouver tonight to see who comes home with the gold.

But long before the top athletes hit the podium, it looks like the major sponsors of the Games are already coming out way ahead of the pack.

If you’d like to join them, keep an eye on the Dow Jones Summer/Winter Games Index, a collection of publicly traded partners, sponsors and suppliers of the Vancouver Games. 

While the event may be global, the current index is anything but. Having dropped the Chinese names that drove it leading up to the Beijing Games, the index is now heavily tilted towards North America, with roughly 60 per cent allocated to the U.S and 30 per cent to Canada. 

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Gordon PowersGordon Powers

A long-time fund company executive, Gordon Powers now heads up the Affinity Group, a financial services consulting firm. Gordon was a personal finance columnist for the Globe & Mail for many years, has taught retirement planning...

Jason BucklandJason Buckland

The modern-day MC Hammer of money, Jason can often be seen spending cash that isn’t his with the efficiency of a Wilt Chamberlain first date. After cutting his teeth as a reporter for the Toronto Sun, he joined the MSN Money team with...