The top three board members at USA Gymnastics have resigned amid growing calls for a total overhaul of the NGB in the wake of the Larry Nassar sex abuse trial. Chair Paul Parilla, Vice Chair Jay Binder and Treasurer Bitsy Kelley all stepped down yesterday, following former CEO Steve Penny as a casualty of the scandal. Ten days earlier, Parilla had been summoned to USOC HQ in Colorado Springs, where Chair Larry Probst and CEO Scott Blackmun suggested he resign, according to sources.

“Since October of last year, we have been engaged in discussions with leadership of USA Gymnastics about the primary recommendation of the Daniels Report -- changing the culture of USA Gymnastics,” Blackmun said in a statement. “Those discussions accelerated over the holidays and today you have seen three board resignations.” Since the Jan. 11 meeting, dozens of former gymnasts, including three-time Olympian Aly Raisman, have criticized USAG and the USOC for failing to prevent Nassar’s crimes. The USOC cannot remove members of an NGB BOD, and it is not known if the USOC threatened to de-fund or de-certify if Parilla refused.

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Danica Patrick is "teaming with Premium Motorsports for next month’s Daytona 500, the final race of her NASCAR career." The one-race deal will "put Patrick in the seat of the No. 7 GoDaddy Chevrolet, the same number she drove when she entered stock-car racing" in '10 (AP, 1/22). GoDaddy last week announced that it would sponsor Patrick for her farewell tour, which includes the Daytona and Indy 500 (THE DAILY).

FIFA Chief Commercial Officer Philippe Le Floc'h today said that "video replays will be used at the World Cup for the first time" at this year's event in Russia, and "talks are underway with potential sponsor branding." Global soccer's rule-making panel met today in London to "assess recent trials ahead of video assistant referees (VAR) being officially approved by FIFA later this season for use in Russia in June and July." Replays "could lead to delays in games," presenting an "opportunity for FIFA to brand up the segment on the global broadcast feed" (AP, 1/22).

Sponsor turnover continues for X Games Aspen, which is adding online financial firm SoFi for the first time at the “official sponsor” level in '18, but has lost veteran backers U.S. Navy, AT&T, Coors Light and GoPro. SoFi joins returning official sponsors Harley-Davidson, Jeep, electronics accessory brand LifeProof, Monster Energy and The Real Cost, the FDA’s anti-smoking campaign. Geico is back for a second year as the music sponsor of the festival, slated for Jan. 25-28 at Aspen’s Buttermilk Mountain.

Other lower-tier sponsors scheduled to be on site include Polaris, cultivation products firm Botanicare, Great Clips, fashion brand Nobis, digital payments network Zelle and Netflix, which is promoting its new “Altered Carbon” series. All sponsors receive packages that include original content creation, on-site signage and activation space, as well as media time on the ABC/ESPN broadcasts and social channels.

Epix is set to launch a new version of "The Contender," the Mark Burnett-produced boxing reality show that formerly ran on NBC, ESPN and Versus from '05-09. A new 12-episode season "will start production in 2018 with an anticipated debut later in the year." MGM Television is producing, alongside Paramount Television. The upcoming series "will feature 16 fighters in an elimination competition" (DEADLINE.com, 1/22).

Raycom Sports has partnered with Tespa, Blizzard Entertainment's college esports network, for coverage of the game "Heroes of the Dorm." The game will have a dedicated, nationally syndicated program during a five-week competition period from Feb. 17-March 15. Raycom will produce the weekly, one-hour programs, which will feature schools competing in the tournament's Atlantic Coast Region (Raycom Sports).

For more coverage of the business of esports, visit our partners, esportsobserver.com.

The NFL today announced Rush2Recycle, an initiative to recover more than 90% of the 40 tons of projected waste at Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium. The league partnered with PepsiCo, Aramark and the Minnesota Sports Facilities Authority on the project (NFL).

The Australian Open on Sunday saw 63,737 fans come through the gates, a record for the middle Sunday of the tournament ("Tennis Channel Live," 1/21).

TicketGuardian officially announced its sponsorship with ISM Raceway to title sponsor the March 11 Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series race (TicketGuardian).

Billy Joel is "set to play Wrigley Field for the fifth consecutive year" on Sept. 7 (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 1/22).

The LPGA today named NEC as an official technology partner, and the company will present statistics-related features throughout the season on a number of LPGA platforms (LPGA).

Former NBAer Ben Gordon will launch a namesake brand and product line this year ahead of an upcoming book. The brand includes a singature men's cologne and a line of home interior products (THE DAILY).

"I try to go into any event thinking about what to say, not words to avoid! This is live television for 18 straight nights and we operate with a blank canvas ... so no promises" -- NBC broadcaster Mike Tirico, on his approach to the Pyeongchang Games (BROADCASTING & CABLE, 1/22 issue).

"The NFL has the greatest farm system in the world. We pay those coaches $10 million to be our farm system. Nick Saban is our farm system. Urban Meyer is our farm system" -- New Titans coach Mike Vrabel, on player development (TWITTER.com, 1/22).

"The optics here do lend to some speculation and some talk. It’s not something that the rest of the league wants to see” -- ESPN’s Louis Riddick, on referee Clete Blakeman congratulating Tom Brady on the field immediately after the Patriots won the AFC Championship (“OTL,” ESPN, 1/22).

Kicking off #RAW25thanniversary at the #NYSE ringing the bell with the champs! pic.twitter.com/F7s7weLl81

— Charlotte Flair (@MsCharlotteWWE) January 22, 2018

Can't wait for PBR to be the official beer of NASCAR now that MillerCoors is out. Get it for like $100k a year.

— CCM Sr. (@ClemsTweets) January 22, 2018

U.S. Supreme Court issues three decisions today, but sports gambling case not among them. The next scheduled date for the release of SCOTUS decisions is March 5, 2018.

— Ryan M. Rodenberg (@SportsLawProf) January 22, 2018

Many of America’s greatest leaders attribute their lifetime achievements to lessons learned from playing sports. Kids that participate in sports have up to 40% higher test scores, are 15% more likely to go to college, and have up to 8% higher annual earnings. #YouthSports

— Ivanka Trump (@IvankaTrump) January 22, 2018

#Patriots & #Eagles in #SuperBowlLII Players will pay state tax to #Minnesota based on ratio of "duty days" spent in MN to total # of duty days worked in year multiplied by total wages from team.

Tom Brady will pay approx. $43,000 of state tax to MN whether Pats win or lose.

— Robert Raiola, CPA (@SportsTaxMan) January 22, 2018

NBC says it is NOT using Bob Costas and instead using Liam McHugh as its other host on Super Bowl (besides deserving Dan Patrick) because McHugh worked NFL this season & Costas didn't. Hard for me to believe this is not related to Costas saying football "destroys peoples' brains"

— Barry Jackson (@flasportsbuzz) January 22, 2018

In her postgame interview after last night's win against Denmark, USWNT MF Julie Ertz talks about how she found out that her husband, Eagles TE Zach Ertz, is headed to Super Bowl LII.

61 -- Years since the Knicks and NHL Rangers had "played in the same road building." The gap spanned from '57 to yesterday, when both teams suffered losses at Staples Center (TWITTER.com, 1/21).