Menu
People and Pop Culture

Names In The News

Speaking for the "first time since a lifesaving liver transplant" on May 19, Senators Owner EUGENE MELNYK last night said that his health issues "really started with a stroke in January and by early April he learned he needed the transplant in order to live." He received treatment and then "moved to a rehabilitation centre in Toronto where he remained until late-March." While he was "supposed to be getting better, his health continued to decline." During a meeting with the medical team at the hospital, Melnyk "learned his liver wasn’t functioning properly and if a new one wasn’t found soon he wasn’t going to make it." Melnyk admitted that the "most difficult part was talking to his two children about the situation" (OTTAWA SUN, 10/12). 

COURT DATES: NASCAR driver KURT BUSCH is "being sued by the people behind the Panic Switch clothing line -- who say they struck a deal with Busch" in '13. Business "seemed to be moving in the right direction -- but things came to a screeching halt when Busch was accused" of domestic violence. Panic Switch said that Busch's reputation "became toxic and it dragged down the company." An attorney for Busch said, "The complaint makes reckless allegations which are totally without merit" (TMZ.com, 10/10)....A lawsuit “has been dropped” against Basketball HOFer SCOTTIE PIPPEN alleging assault (CHICAGOTRIBUNE.com, 10/10).

CHARLES IN CHARGE: The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER's Jonathan Jones profiled Panthers DE CHARLES JOHNSON, noting his eponymous foundation has "helped put eight young adults through college, sent high schoolers to college expos, and sent young black women to conferences on how to be more active in their community." Johnson put up $45,000 for an "investment in the janitorial business JanPro, and in two years it became the master franchise" in the Columbia, S.C. area. Johnson also owns Once Upon a Child clothing store franchises in Charlotte and a Supercuts hair salon. All the businesses "offer affordable products, and also place workers in jobs that do not require a four-year college degree." Johnson also has begun a $20M housing development project in Columbia that "will be 124 units, with most of them being single-family heads of household." They will "house the first group of families -- about 20 units -- by the first of January, and the entire project should be done" by the end of '16 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/10). 

AWARDS & HONORS: Basketball HOFer DIKEMBE MUTOMBO "will receive a Caring Award from the Caring Institute for his community service," especially in his native Democratic Republic of the Congo, "where he has contributed to the construction of a hospital" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/11)....Univ. of Nebraska-Omaha AD TREV ALBERTS was honored at halftime of Saturday's Wisconsin-Nebraska football game for his induction into the College Football HOF (LINCOLN JOURNAL STAR, 10/11)....Booker T. Washington High School in Dallas plans to build a statue to honor late Baseball HOFer ERNIE BANKS, who "was a sports star" there in the '40s (DALLASNEWS.com, 10/12).

NAMES: The Baseball HOF took ESPN analyst JESSICA MENDOZA’s signed scorecard from the AL Wild Card game and “will feature it in Cooperstown” (ESPNW.com, 10/9)....Pasadena police “reported fewer than three dozen arrests at Saturday’s U.S.-Mexico soccer game despite the throngs of fans who attended the nail-biting matchup at the Rose Bowl.” About 34 people “were arrested for mostly minor offenses” (LATIMES.com, 10/11)....The Hamels Foundation, co-founded by Rangers P COLE HAMELS, is merging its existing offices in Bryn Mawr, Pa., into its current HQ in Springfield, Mo. (Hamels Foundation)....The PGA Tour Waste Management Phoenix Open in ’15 “raised a record” $9M for Arizona charities (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 10/10)....Rock & Brews, a restaurant chain “partly owned by PAUL STANLEY and GENE SIMMONS of rock band KISS, is moving into the AT&T Center” with work “set to finish up in November" (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 10/10)....Giants WR VICTOR CRUZ gives “the play-by-play” on his wardrobe as part of the Wall Street Journal’s "Style Role Model" feature (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 10/11)....The AHL began its season Friday, with the league having its first-ever California division. Attending Friday's Grand Rapids Griffins-Bakersfield Condors game at Rabobank Arena was AHL President & CEO DAVID ANDREWS, as well as several execs from the parent-club Oilers Entertainment Group, including Vice Chair & CEO BOB NICHOLSON, Vice Chair & Alternate Governor KEVIN LOWE and Senior VP/Hockey Operations CRAIG MACTAVISH (BAKERSFIELD.com, 10/9).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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.

Shareable URL copied to clipboard!

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/10/12/People-and-Pop-Culture/Names.aspx

Sorry, something went wrong with the copy but here is the link for you.

https://www.sportsbusinessjournal.com/Daily/Issues/2015/10/12/People-and-Pop-Culture/Names.aspx

CLOSE