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Sports and the Economy

Tiger Woods
AP Photo/Denis Poroy
With Buick out, Tiger has an opening for a sponsor on his golf bag.
It is no secret that the country's current economic struggles will inevitably have an adverse effect on the sports industry. But how important is the investment in corporate sports sponsorship right now? OTL (ESPN, 3 p.m. ET) examines the business of sports in a downturned economy. Story

• Watch: First Take | Watch: GM halts endorsement deal with Tiger
• LeBron, Microsoft sever marketing relationship

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First Report

GIANT PROBLEM

Plaxico Burress The investigation into the Plaxico Burress situation continues to unfold; the ramifications of which are yet to be determined. Tuesday, the Giants placed Burress on the reserve non-football injury list and suspended him for the remainder of the year. Now it appears that he is not the only Giant potentially facing legal trouble for his alleged role in Friday night's incident. Tuesday, police impounded linebacker Antonio Pierce's car to look for any blood or gunpowder residue that might be inside and still await the opportunity to question him as to what actually occurred. OTL will have the latest on the status of the criminal investigation as well as a live report from Giants camp as both coach Tom Coughlin and the players address the latest controversy surrounding the team.

• Giants suspend BurressWatch: Paolantonio
• Stephen A. Smith | Matt Mosley
• Watch: Countdown Daily
• Mag: A year after Sean Taylor death, players fearfulquestions?

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OTL Show Schedule

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Sunday 9 a.m. ETESPN
Monday2:30 p.m. ETESPN
Tuesday3 p.m. ETESPN
Wednesday3 p.m. ETESPN
Thursday3 p.m. ETESPN
Friday3 p.m. ETESPN

Upcoming Stories

MILLION DOLLAR ARM

Singh and PatelWhen it comes to baseball, India is indeed a foreign country. Though the game is played in one part of the nation, this country of more than 1.1 billion people is largely untapped when it comes to baseball talent. Enter Jeff Bernstein, and his India-based TV show, "The Million Dollar Arm", which aired earlier this year. The premise for the American Idol style show is simple; find pitching talent and send the winners to America to train and eventually try out for major league scouts. Mark Schwarz follows 19-year-old Rinku Singh and 20-year-old Dinesh Kumar Patel on a remarkable journey that began with both players having never seen or touched a baseball before and ended with both young men landing a big league contract. Story

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