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People and Pop Culture

Names In The News

Turner Sports' ERNIE JOHNSON is profiled by the ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH's Dan Caesar, who writes Johnson has a "very public career at which he has become a major success," but his "biggest accomplishments come in his home in suburban Atlanta." Ernie and CHERYL JOHNSON's adult son, MICHAEL, whom they "adopted as a refugee from Eastern Europe when he was a young boy, lives with them and is on life support -- as he has been for two long years." The "joy of having young Michael in the house led them to adopt a healthy 7-month-old girl, CARMEN, from Paraguay" in '93. Then in '11, the "same year Michael’s big challenge arose, the Johnsons brought in two girls -- ALLISON and ASHLEY." Turner Sports VP & Exec Producer TIM KIELY said of Johnson, "He's adopted all these children; he's just an amazing human being without any ego" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 10/16).

GIRL POWER: USA TODAY's Kelly Whiteside writes of "all the hats and helmets" IOC member ANGELA RUGGIERO wears, her involvement with the Women's Sports Foundation is "closest to her heart." Ruggiero joined the foundation's BOD in '09 and became President this year. Tennis HOFer BILLIE JEAN KING, who started the foundation in '74, said of Ruggiero, "She just wants to make a difference in the world. She's very flexible; she's nimble. She can do different things, have different roles in different situations" (USA TODAY, 10/16).

I'LL PLAY YOU FOR IT: Grizzlies Owner ROBERT PERA "took to Twitter late Monday to challenge" Basketball HOFer and Bobcats Owner MICHAEL JORDAN "to a game of one-on-one." Pera said that he will put up $1M "for charity after dismissing a suggestion" that he play Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN (Memphis COMMERCIAL APPEAL, 10/16). Pera's Twitter avatar shows him "in mid-jump shot with a shooting sleeve on his left arm." He has "posted a video of him working out on the Grizzlies practice court, connecting on mid-range jumpers" (AP, 10/15).

NAMES: The Gene and Jerry Jones Family North Texas Youth Education Town opened on Monday, and the $4.75M facility is a "legacy of the 2011 Super Bowl that will help disadvantaged children and their parents." The facility has space "dedicated for educational and recreational activities, including after-school homework help, GED classes and workforce assistance" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/15)....Cavaliers Owner DAN GILBERT's Rock Ventures and its real estate arm have "purchased two more properties" in Detroit, bringing its total holdings in the city's downtown to more than 40 properties. Gilbert now has a total of "about 8 million square feet of commercial and parking space downtown" (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 10/16)....A group of fifth graders from a Bronx after-school enrichment program spent yesterday afternoon with Knicks Fs METTA WORLD PEACE and ANDREA BARGNANI for "a tour of Manhattan atop a double-decker bus," put on by MSG charity Garden of Dreams (N.Y. TIMES, 10/16)....Pearl Jam frontman EDDIE VEDDER "was at Fenway over the weekend" to watch the Red Sox host the Tigers in the ALCS (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/16)....Former U.S. Olympic diver GREG LOUGANIS on Saturday married his partner, JOHNNY CHAILLOT, in Malibu (HOLLYWOODREPORTER.com, 10/15).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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