eBay launched another "hub" portal page yesterday, this time in the sports category. eBay portal pages focus on a particular area and are useful starting pages for interested buyers and collectors. eBay has portal pages in various categories, including aviation,introduced last summer, and vintage toys (http://pages.ebay.com/catindex/catvintagetoys.html), introduced last fall.

eBay's latest portal page brings together four core eBay Sports businesses: memorabilia, event tickets and experiences, licensed merchandise, and sporting goods. eBay said nearly one billion dollars of gross merchandise sales is expected to be transacted on eBay Sports this year. Last year, sports-related sellers on eBay listed more than 37 million items, generating $750 million in gross merchandise sales.

Unique to eBay Sports are charity auctions that offer sports fans a chance to purchase one-of-a-kind experiences and extraordinary items to bring them closer to their favorite athletes and games. To celebrate the launch of eBay Sports, the most extensive group of athlete-inspired experiences yet will be available for bidding on the site until October 11. Proceeds from the majority of these experiences will be donated to a variety of charities. For a complete listing of these experiences, including the chance to play basketball with Magic Johnson or play golf with Jack Nicklaus, visit http://www.eBaySports.com/experiences.

In related news, eBay said it will sell its Kruse International business, which sells collector cars offline. eBay acquired Kruse in 1999. eBay recently sold another of its "offline" businesses, Butterfields auction house, in August to Bonhams.