FORBES.com's Christian Sylt writes F1 CEO BERNIE ECCLESTONE has "single-handedly transformed F1 from an amateur past time into the world’s most-watched annual sports series." It is a "phenomenal feat" given that when Ecclestone arrived in the sport almost 40 years ago it "wasn’t even worth" $1M. Ecclestone is "renowned for being outspoken." He possesses a "frankness which is hard to find in a sport where drivers tend to speak from press releases if their managers aren’t doing that for them." However, beyond "being blunt," Ecclestone is "one of the funniest characters in F1 and is also one of the most down to earth despite his formidable fortune." Post-it notes "are used instead of a smartphone and he still swears by fax." E-mails "come in the form of scanned fax page attachments" (FORBES.com, 7/15). Meanwhile, promoter TAVO HELLMUND and financier JAMES CARNEY head a U.S.-based investment group "looking to buy a Formula 1 team." A group of investors headquartered in the U.S. "are actively attempting to buy an existing team in a bid to also join the grid." Hellmund "developed the Circuit of the Americas track" and cut the deal with Ecclestone to bring the series back to the country (MOTORSPORT.com, 7/14).
THE GOOD STUFF: The Earthquakes have stepped up to "help a displaced family and an associated youth soccer team" after house fires in San Jose on Sunday. The team "pledged to donate $5,000 to recoup more than $3,000 in league fees collected from players' families and help the youth team replace some of the destroyed gear" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/15)....NYC FC MF FRANK LAMPARD last weekend “spent $500 of his own money to treat a group of fans to 20 tickets” to NYC FC’s game against Toronto FC (GUARDIAN, 7/15).
NAMES: ESPN analyst and former NFLer JEFF SATURDAY "will be the 12th inductee" into the Colts' Ring of Honor during a Sept. 21 ceremony when the team hosts the Jets for a "MNF" game (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/15)....Baseball HOFer HARMON KILLEBREW “could get his likeness on a U.S. postage stamp,” with Minnesota’s congressional delegation urging the Postal Service to honor his legacy (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 7/15)....Bills coach REX RYAN “will take to the skies Friday morning when he participates in a tandem parachute jump” with the U.S. Army’s Golden Knights parachute team (ESPN.com, 7/14)....Federal prosecutors said that former NFLer WILL ALLEN "committed 23 felonies as he ran a Ponzi scheme” and “could spend decades in prison.” He “was arrested last month on criminal charges of defrauding investors" (PALM BEACH POST, 7/15)....HBO “released a short teaser trailer for ‘FERRELL TAKES THE FIELD,’ which goes behind the scenes” with actor WILL FERRELL during his 10-position, 10-team day across MLB’s Spring Training Cactus League. The special airs Sept. 12 (AZCENTRAL.com, 7/14).
