In San Jose, Julia Prodis in a front-page piece writes Oracle Founder & CEO LARRY ELLISON has "been to the brink" when it comes to sailing. His journey through sailing's hierarchy "has been marked by daring and defiance." Along the way, Ellison has "remade the very nature" of the 162-year-old America's Cup "from a graceful highbrow sport to a death-defying drag race." The "vision to transform the sport is pure Ellison" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 9/6).
POWER PLAYER: In N.Y., Mary Pilon writes Association of National Olympic Committees head and Kuwaiti royal family member SHEIK AHMAD AL-FAHAD AL-SABAH has "quietly become one of the most powerful and controversial people in global sports while remaining largely overlooked by many outside the tightly knit Olympic political circles." IOC members said that al-Sabah since becoming a member of the ANOC in '92 has "built a coalition that can sway votes and appoint executives." He "played a key role in a recent vote to award" the '18 Youth Olympic Games to Buenos Aires (N.Y. TIMES, 9/6).
SHOW HIM THE MONEY: Boxer FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. will make at least $41.5M from his Sept. 14 fight against CANELO ALVAREZ, and SI's Chris Mannix said it "makes every other athlete pale in comparison." Not only will Mayweather "get this guaranteed money, if the pay-per-view is a huge success, he gets even more." Mannix: "He also controls virtually every stream of revenue that comes into this fight" ("The Crossover," NBCSN, 9/5). ESPN's Tony Kornheiser said, "Nobody's going to give someone $41 million if they don't think they're going to make more than that." ESPN's Michael Wilbon noted Mayweather is the "last headliner out there in professional boxing" ("PTI," ESPN, 9/5).
THE ARTFUL DODGERS: Dodgers P CLAYTON KERSHAW is "being recognized for his work off the field" as he has been named the '14 Branch Rickey Award winner. The award, created by the Rotary Club of Denver in '91, "honors individuals in baseball who contribute to their communities and are strong role models for young people." Kershaw at 25 is the "youngest person to receive the award" (AP, 9/5). Meanwhile, Dodgers broadcaster VIN SCULLY on Thursday was named Grand Marshal for the '14 Tournament of Roses (Dodgers).
NAMES: Nets and Barclays Center CEO BRETT YORMARK, Nets F KEVIN GARNETT and Barclays Center Senior VP/Corporate Sponsorship MIKE ZAVODSKY on Wednesday hosted a dinner for 20 CEOs at Morton's Steakhouse in Beijing. They met with companies from the tech, automotive and sports-performance industries to discuss new business opportunities (THE DAILY)....Regal Entertainment Group is showing a 30-second Pat Summitt Foundation PSA in its theaters throughout September. The ad is designed to bring awareness to the fight against Alzheimer's disease and seek support for the foundation (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 9/6)....Spurs F MATT BONNER "swapped jobs" with GY&K Marketing President TRAVIS YORK on Tuesday. York "attempted to follow Bonner's strict, off-season training regimen," and did so "with predictable results" (ADAGE.com, 9/4)....Red Wings C PAVEL DATSYUK "had some stuff stolen from him last month in Russia." About $45,000 worth of items were taken from his apartment in the city of Yekaterinberg (FREEP.com, 9/5).
IN MEMORY: Longtime IMG publicist and editor BEV NORWOOD died on Wednesday in Cleveland at the age of 66 after a short battle with cancer. He "spent the majority of his career in Cleveland" at IMG HQs. Norwood started specializing in producing programs for IMG's golf tournaments in '79 (GOLFWEEK.com, 9/5).
