Sport & Story Daily July 19, 2024

Expansions for the Books

July 19, 2024

Good morning! From Athlete to Entrepreneur

Orlando Magic co-founder Pat Williams dies at 84
Pat Williams was the basketball executive who helped bring the NBA’s Orlando Magic to Florida. Williams used to be the general manager of the Philadelphia 76ers and then met Orlando businessman Jim Hewitt. Williams later became the co-leader of the effort to bring an NBA expansion team to Orlando, succeeding to do so in 1987, with the team playing its first season in 1989.
^{Yahoo Sports}

National Football Foundation to Partner with Sport & Story and Playfly Sports to Launch 'Good in the Game' Newsletter and Podcast
The National Football Foundation partnered with Sport & Story and Playfly Sports to produce a weekly newsletter and podcast series focused on highlighting the positive impact of football on communities across the country. The newsletter will be called “Good in the Game.” The “Good in the Game Podcast” will be hosted by the 2022 College Football Hall of Fame inductee Lavar Arrington from Penn State.
^{Football Foundation}

Los Angeles Lakers bring in Wasserman for international sponsorships
The National Basketball Association’s Los Angeles Lakers have brought in sports and entertainment agency Wasserman to secure international sponsorships for the franchise. Wasserman has negotiated contracts in basketball worth more than $3 million and more than $1 billion in shoe contracts. They represent NBA players Klay Thompson, Derrick Rose and Brook Lopez.
^{SportsPro Media}

Personalized Baseball Development App Raises $3M Seed Round
Pelotero is a youth baseball video-based assessment and digital training platform. It has raised $3 million to democratize access to player development support with an app-based model. Pelotero has been used by more than 10,000 players and has relationships with more than 40 organizations.
^Sportico

MLB All-Star Game viewers up 6% to 7.44 million after falling to record low last year
The MLB All-Star game had its second-lowest amount of viewers, with a total of 7,433,000. The number is a 6% increase from last season, where the National League’s 3-2 win had 7,006,000 viewers. The Home Run Derby also saw a decrease in viewers, with only 5.45 million, down 11% from 6.11 million last year.
^{AP Sports}

Randall Cobb joining SEC Network as analyst, still open to resuming NFL career
NFL wide receiver Randall Cobb joined the SEC Network as a college football studio analyst. Cobb has played for the Green Bay Packers, Dallas Cowboys, Houston Texans and New York Jets. Although, this is not a retirement announcement for the 33-year-old. If a team needs a receiver, Cobb is still ready to play.
^{Yahoo Sports}

City council vote could enable a new Tampa Bay Rays ballpark — and the old site’s transformation
A $6.5 billion project would transform the 86-acre tract in the city’s downtown where Tropicana Field, home of the Tampa Bay Rays, sits. A city council vote on the major redevelopment project could pave the way to give the Rays a new ballpark, which would guarantee the team stays for at least 30 years. Not only would this benefit the MLB team, but it would also correct some of the past wrongs caused by the construction of the Historic Gas Plant District.
^{AP Sports}

Northwestern’s Ex-AD Earned $1.2M After Fraught 9-Day Stint
In Northwestern’s latest IRS return, it disclosed giving Mike Polisky $1.2 million. He got $476,190 in separation pay and a $750,000 severance in 2022. Polisky was athletic director for only nine days before resigning on May 12, 2021, amid campus protest and national fury. He was named as a co-defendant in a sex trafficking lawsuit by former cheerleader Hayden Richardson. Richardson told the court that Polisky and other officials accused her of “fabricating the evidence.”
^Sportico

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