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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 Los Angeles Lakers Shirts . After a lengthy wait, persistent rain finally forced the postponement of the Nationals game against the Miami Marlins on Saturday night. The teams, and a few thousand fans, waited nearly four hours from the 7:05 scheduled start time before an announcement was made shortly before 11 p. Stitched Lakers Jerseys . It was hard for Luck to pull off another comeback, or even get into the end zone, while standing on the sideline. Rivers threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to rookie Keenan Allen and Nick Novak kicked four field goals to give the Chargers a 19-9 victory against the Colts on Monday night. https://www.lakersjerseycheap.com/ . Team physician Dr. Steve Traina performed the surgery Friday. Robinson was injured in a spill underneath the Nuggets basket during the first quarter of Wednesday nights loss to the Charlotte Bobcats. Lakers Jerseys 2019 . Once again, DeLaet finished tied for second at a PGA Tour stop on the weekend, this time at the Waste Management Phoenix Open. The pride of Weyburn, Sask. Lakers Jerseys 2020 . The third-ranked Ivanovic, who won the event in 2008 and 10, served five aces and broke Wickmayer, also a former winner in 2009, five times. "The result looked easier than it really was," Ivanovic said. MIAMI --?Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall started complaining on Wednesday about?Dolphins?cornerback?Byron Maxwells tactics, and he kept piling it on even after New Yorks 27-23 loss on Sunday to Miami.Hes exactly who I thought he was: Hes a holder, hes a grabber, Marshall said of Maxwell. Thats not how you play football.Maxwell covered Marshall on almost every play, and it was a chippy matchup from the outset. On many plays, they were seen pushing and grabbing each other after the whistle. It was an all-day wrestling match.Maxwell was called for two pass-interference penalties while covering Marshall.I think I did an amazing job of keeping my emotions in check but taking the game to him, said Marshall, who finished with six catches for 45 yards.Marshall started the anti-Maxwell campaign last week by claiming Maxwell held on every play when they faced each other last season. At the time, Maxwell played for the Philadelphia Eagles.Marshall said Maxwells actions on Sunday proved his point.A lot oof those calls put us in very good position and moved us down the field, he said.dddddddddddd But those guys rallied and overcame those penalties, which were huge penalties. I think thats a testament to Coach [Adam] Gase and his competitiveness and what hes doing in that locker room over there.Marshall said there was trash talking throughout the game. He said he repeatedly said, Stop holding.He gets paid way too much money to play like that, Marshall said of Maxwell. He needs to believe in himself, and he needs to practice.It was a heated contest, as the teams combined for 18 penalties.It doesnt matter what he says, Maxwell said of Marshall. He can say what he wants to say, but Im still going to be here. Im still going to do my technique. Im going to still do what the coaches ask of me.You can talk all you want. Youre really just blowing hot air. But whatever, though. ' ' '