ILX Resorts Incorporated engages in the acquisition, development, marketing, and operation of timeshare resorts in the western United States. The company also markets and sells vacation ownership interests in the timeshare resorts, which entitle the buyers to the ownership of a furnished unit for a one-week period on either an annual or an alternate year basis. In addition, it provides purchase money financing to the buyers of vacation ownership interests at its resorts. Further, the company rents the unused or unsold units at its resorts; and sells food, beverages, and other services at its resorts. As of December 31, 2009, it operated 10 resorts consisting of 577 units and held 8,135.5 unsold vacation ownership interests in its resorts, including unsold interests in Premiere vacation club. The company was founded in 1985 and is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. On March 2, 2009, ILX Resorts Incorporated, along with its affiliates, filed a voluntary petition for reorganization under Chapter 11 in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Arizona, Phoenix.

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) oversees the Thoroughbred horseracing industry, acting as governing body, promoter, and trade association. It sets rules, regulates membership, and organizes races, and it helps promote the sport through negotiating broadcasting rights and marketing sponsorships. In addition, NTRA lobbies on behalf of pari-mutuel wagering (handicapping), licenses thoroughbred breeders, and sells racing merchandise. Along with sister company Breeders' Cup Limited, it hosts the ten Breeders' Cup races, including the Breeders' Cup Classic. NTRA was formed by a consortium of horseracing bodies in 1998.

MLB oversees the game of professional baseball in North America that includes 30 franchises in 28 cities across the US and in Canada. The teams operate as a separate business but each is regulated and governed by MLB. The league sets official rules, regulates team ownership, and collects licensing fees for merchandise. It also sells national broadcasting rights and distributes fees to the teams. (Regional broadcast rights are held by each franchise.) MLB was formed when the rival National and American Leagues joined together in 1903.

The Detroit Lions is one of the older franchises in the National Football League, being founded in 1930 as the Portsmouth (Ohio) Spartans. The team moved to Detroit and changed its name in 1934 and went on to win four championship titles, its last in 1957. More recently, however, Detroit fans have been disappointed most seasons by losing records and failed attempts to reach the post-season. The team plays host at Detroit's Ford Field. William Clay Ford Sr., descendant of automobile pioneer Henry Ford, has controlled the Lions since 1964.

Over 25 years ago we opened a little restaurant in St. Paul Minnesota named Concourse 7. It quickly became apparent that burgers, beer, and sports were never going out of style. We shifted our focus a little, invested in a bunch of big screen TV's and renamed the restaurant, Champps.At the time when everyone else in America was coming up with ways to downsize and think small, we were thinking bigger and better. Our philosophy is simple. Make burgers from scratch and pile them high. Fill our bar with TV's and turn the volume up for games. Bring in a DJ and have a party every night. It wasn't like anything else and the people loved it. That slightly irreverent attitude has become our calling card over the years, doing things the way we always have regardless of convention. We're still making fresh hand-crafted burgers, roasting our own turkey and chicken, slow-basting our falling-off-the-bone-tender ribs, and hiring the friendliest people to be part of our team.The party is still going strong today. The burgers are still huge, the beer is still cold and we're the best place to watch the game. No matter what part of the country you're in, you are sure to find a neighborhood Champps nearby.

Curves International is turning heads with its successful women's gym franchise. With more than 4 million members, the company operates one of the nation's fastest-growing franchise systems by targeting busy women with limited time for exercise. It franchises some 10,000 Curves for Women fitness centers worldwide (in the US and more than 70 additional countries). The centers offer 30-minute fitness work-out sessions featuring strength and cardio training. Curves International, Inc. was founded in 1992 when husband-and-wife Gary (CEO) and Diane Heavin opened a center in Harlingen, Texas. Curves International began franchise operations in 1995.

HoJo no longer runs ice cream parlors, but it does offer sweet relief to tired travelers. Howard Johnson International is a leading franchisor of hotels with more than 490 Howard Johnson locations in the US, China, Mexico, and other international locations. In North America, the chain offers affordable lodging to families and budget-conscious business travelers along with such amenities as continental breakfast, in-room coffee makers, complimentary newspaper service, and free long distance access. While the domestic brand operates in the midscale and economy segments, the company's international locations include midscale and upscale hotels. Howard Johnson is a subsidiary of Wyndham Worldwide.

If you're holding too much weight, 24 Hour Fitness Worldwide has the solution. It owns and operates more than 400 fitness centers that offer aerobic, cardiovascular, and weight lifting activities to the company's more than 3.5 million members. Some facilities also feature squash, racquetball, and basketball courts; swimming pools; steam and sauna rooms; tanning rooms; and whirlpools. It is one of the only fitness chains open 24 hours a day. The centers are located in more than 15 states in the US, as well as throughout Asia. (It has some 15 clubs in Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, and Taiwan). Forstmann Little & Co owns 24 Hour Fitness, which was founded in 1983.

After many dark and dreary seasons, the Ravens no longer just ponder a Super Bowl victory. Named in honor of the Edgar Allan Poe poem, the Baltimore Ravens Limited Partnership owns and operates Baltimore's National Football League franchise, which won its first Super Bowl following the 2000 season. The team was created in 1996 when former Cleveland Browns owner Art Modell relocated his franchise to Maryland. As part of the deal, Modell agreed to give up all rights to the Browns' name, colors, and history. The team plays host at M&T Bank Stadium. Stephen Bisciotti, a local businessman who founded staffing firm Allegis Group, acquired control of the team from Modell in 2004.

The New Jersey Devils professional hockey team entered the National Hockey League in 1974 as the Kansas City Scouts and relocated to Colorado until it settled in the Garden State in 1982. One last relocation saw the Devils take up residence at the Prudential Center in Newark in 2007 after several years playing host at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford. A regular contender for the playoffs, the hockey franchise boasts three Stanley Cup championships, its last in 2003. An investment group led by Jeffrey Vanderbeek has owned the team since 2004.

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