Gainesville nearing completion of a $64.5 million renovation.

TOKYO -- How much did Nintendo pay to land that dream marketing opportunity at the Rio Olympics closing ceremony, where Japans prime minister popped out dressed as the red-hatted plumber Super Mario?Zero.The Japanese video game maker behind Pokemon and Zelda got the coveted stage that corporate sponsors pay millions for after they were approached by those creating the festivities for cooperation, not the other way around, says Nintendo Co. spokesman Yasuhiro Minagawa.I want to make that clear. We did not pay, he said in a telephone interview. And we are not going to become Olympic sponsors either.Prime Minister Shinzo Abes emergence in a Super Mario costume was the highlight of the handover section for Tokyo, the host of the 2020 games.The segment was so favorably received in Japan as surprisingly playful and tasteful, given the staidness usually associated with Japan Inc., that Abe earned a new nickname, Abe-Mario.Tokyo city official Masahiro Hayashi said Japans top advertising company Dentsu Inc. was tapped to produce the handover segment, with a total budget for the Rio Olympics and the Paralympics of 1.2 billion yen ($12 million).He refused to say how much Dentsu was paid, or give other details.The city of Tokyo and the organizing committee are under intense pressure to trim costs, which have ballooned over the years, partly because of the weakening yen but also because planning fiascos, such as decisions to redo designs for both the main stadium and the Tokyo 2020 logo.Organizing committee spokesman Motoki Okumura would not give details of the spending for the closing ceremony. Dentsu also declined to comment.Top Olympic sponsors pay millions of dollars to the IOC for permission to promote their brands to a massive global audience. Nintendo just did it for free. With Japans prime minister as their pitchman. Easily the marketing coup of the Rio games, said Bob Dorfman, a sports marketing analyst and creative director at Baker Street Advertising of San Francisco.Purists might feel the commercial branding was a bit overdone, and argue for other ways to promote Japanese culture, according to Dorfman, who has lived in Japan.But gaming and anime are certainly major aspects of modern Japan, and Mario is a universal icon. As someone who doesnt take sports or the Olympics too seriously, I found the whole thing pretty funny and entertaining, he said.---Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter at https://twitter.com/yurikageyamaHer work can be found at http://bigstory.ap.org/content/yuri-kageyama Wholesale Soccer Jerseys China . Malkin got tangled up with Detroits Luke Glendening early in the third period and his left skate took the brunt of collision with the boards behind Pittsburghs net. Cheap Soccer Jerseys . The Oilers come in having lost five in a row (0-4-1) and 16 of their last 20 games, dropping a 2-1 decision to the Vancouver Canucks on Tuesday. https://www.soccerjerseyschina.us/ . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety. Clearance Soccer Jerseys . What general manager Dave Nonis called "short and productive" negotiations ended with Kessel signing a US$64-million, eight-year contract on Tuesday. Fake Soccer Jerseys . Ouellette, from Montreal, already has three Olympic gold medals since joining the team in 1999. TAMPA, Fla. -- Canyon Barry had 17 points and KeVaughn Allen added 14 as Florida beat Belmont 78-61 on Monday night.After the Gators saw a 20-point first-half lead cut to nine early in the second, Barry had three baskets and hit a pair of free throws during a 16-0 run that put Florida ahead 59-34 with 12 minutes to play.I really just tried to be aggressive, said Barry, who came off the bench to play 21 minutes. My confidence kind of increased when I was able to knockdown some shots.Barry had 16 points in Thursdays 73-66 victory over St. Bonaventure.Hes a quick thinker, Florida coach Mike White said. Hes in a good rhythm right now.Florida (4-0) also got 12 points from John Egbunu, while Devin Robinson chipped in with 11.Evan Bradds scored 17 points for Belmont (1-2), which went 3 for 11 in the first half and 7 for 27 overall from 3-point range. The Bruins had made 25 of 75 from beyond the arc in their first two games.Florida scored the first 15 points and took a 38-26 halftime lead. The Gators held Belmont without a 3 for the initial 12 minutes but the Bruins hit three from long range to close out the half and cut into a 24-4 deficit.We got into a really good defensive rhythm against a tremendous offensive team early on, White said. Not that it maintained at that level for 40 minutes but we had enough of it that was at that level during the next 35 or so minutes.BIG PICTUREBelmont: The Bruins shot 22 percent (9 for 41) in their 80-66 loss to Vanderbilt, while shooting 47.dddddddddddd percent (16 for 34) in a 90-69 win over Western Kentucky.Florida: Whites squad continued its successful swing around Florida with the OConnell Center in Gainesville nearing completion of a $64.5 million renovation. The Gators previously won a pair of games in Jacksonville and another in Lakeland.LIMITING DAMAGEBradds took nine shots after averaging 16 in the Bruins first two games. He was the focal point of the scouting report, White said. We threw a bunch of different bodies at him and gave much different looks, and he goes 7 of 9. Evan Bradds is one of the best offensive players in the country regardless of level.NUMBERS GAMEFlorida: The Gators made 5 of 21 from 3-point range.Belmont: After going 11 for 17 from the free-throw line in their first two games combined, the Bruins made 14 of 22 Monday night.UP NEXTBelmont: The Bruins will see how they matchup against a Top-25 team Friday night at No. 23 Rhode Island.Florida: The Gators have a chance to further impress the AP Top-25 voters this week at the AdvoCare Invitational in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. In matchup of teams receiving votes in this week poll, Florida opens play Thursday night against Seton Hall. With a victory, the Gators could meet No. 11 Gonzaga in the semifinals Friday night. ' ' '