Four-times major winner Rory McIlroy has decided to pull out of the historic golf tournament at the Rio Olympic Games in August because of health fears over the Zika virus. “After speaking with those closest to me, I’ve come to realise that my health and my family’s health comes before anything else,” the Northern Irish world number four said in a statement on Wednesday. “Even though the risk of infection from the
When LinkedIn went public in 2011, it was heralded as the first in a new wave of social media companies landing on Wall Street. Facebook, Twitter, Yelp and Groupon were months if not years away from their public offerings. Pinterest and Snapchat, meanwhile, were still in their infancy. LinkedIn, less sexy than these companies but still growing sales quickly, saw its stock more than double on its first day of
A blanket ban on Russian athletes competing at the Rio Olympics could be recommended by the World Anti-Doping Agency if accusations of state-sponsored doping at Sochi 2014 are proved. Russia’s track and field stars have already been excluded from competing in Rio by the IAAF, and the Wada president, Sir Craig Reedie, said he was minded to create a “precedent-setting opportunity” if a forthcoming report from the law professor Richard
he Toronto Maple Leafs have found their No. 1 goalie in acquiring Frederik Andersen from the Anaheim Ducks in exchange for the 30th pick in this weekend’s NHL Draft and a 2017 second-rounder. The Leafs didn’t wait long to sign Andersen, inking the RFA to a five-year deal for around $5.5 million per season, according to Bob McKenzie. Andersen will join Jonathan Bernier, who has one more year left on
There is a growing need to stay relevant in business, and social media has gone a long way in helping companies reach out to a younger audience. But mindless spending on Google and Facebook has led corporates to wonder what social media spends are all about. “It is about the narrative and using relevant content to win the customer,” says Ravi Gururaj, venture capitalist, mentor and Co-founder of QikPod. He
The sprawling, neon-lit lost weekend Electric Daisy Carnival will take over Las Vegas this weekend for its 20th annual installment. For three days, attendees will commune with fire-breathing monoliths, behold vast art installations, carouse in amoebic dance crowds and bask in the glow of millions of LED lights. More Olympic event than music festival, EDC attracts herculean crowds. Since 2011, more than 2 million people – roughly the population of Paris
LeBron James cradled the shiny gold trophy and struggled to sum up what might be his sweetest championship yet, the one he is so proudly bringing home to his native northeast Ohio just as he promised to do when he returned to the Cavaliers two summers ago. James and his relentless, never-count-them-out Cavs pulled off an improbable NBA Finals comeback, and Cleveland is title town again at long last. Unfazed
Emojis are an increasingly popular way for brand managers to reach consumers—especially millennials. Though there isn’t an emoji for everything, social media managers should be pleased to learn that emoji brand Unicode will release nearly 75 new images this month. For brands like Domino’s—whose managers have made great use of the pizza emoji in various marketing campaigns—the additional imagery could intensify competition in the emoji realm. Unicode shared a list
Need a Trump exit plan? Come to Canada, say marketers Canadian companies are cashing in on so-called anti-Trumpism in the United States, offering our neighbours to the south an escape plan should Donald Trump win the presidential election in November. Come to Canada. It’s a smart move, says one marketing and advertising expert who sees only benefits for firms trying to entice Americans north of the border because of the
4,257 hits between Japanese, North American major leagues With two hits Wednesday, Ichiro Suzuki raised his career total in the Japanese and North American major leagues to 4,257, passing Pete Rose’s record Major League Baseball total. “This wasn’t like a goal of mine to get to this point,” Suzuki said through a translator after the Miami Marlins’ 6-3 loss to the San Diego Padres. Suzuki had 1,278 hits for Orix
