The "worst-kept secret" at Indianapolis Motor Speedway this week is that Vice President MIKE PENCE is "set to make an appearance" at the Indianapolis 500's 101st running. The news "prompted an immediate wave of speculation that the 57-year-old Hoosier could drive the pace car to start the race," but as of yesterday, that position "remained unannounced." Most track goers "seemed convinced" that Pence or former IndyCar champion TONY STEWART would "get the honor" (USA TODAY, 5/25).
POPULAR SPOT: The National Museum of African American History and Culture -- which opened in DC last September to "great fanfare and critical acclaim -- has quickly become a must-see attraction for visiting players and teams." The D-backs were the "first professional team to visit." Baseball HOFer HANK AARON "has toured it." Other athletes who have visited include Pro Football HOFer EMMITT SMITH and former NBAer KOBE BRYANT. College basketball teams have "included the museum as an educational stop." According to museum officials, "nearly half" of the NBA's 30 teams have had "members tour the museum." NBA Commissioner ADAM SILVER and NBPA Exec Dir MICHELE ROBERTS "both have visited." MICHAEL JORDAN pledged a $5M donation "before the museum opened." A hall in the sports exhibit is "now named for him" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/25).
WELCOME ON BOARD: Online poll-taking service SurveyMonkey yesterday announced SERENA WILLIAMS' "appointment to its board." Williams "didn't offer specifics about her goals as a corporate director." She "implied that her very presence can help push the company -- and, by extension, the industry as a whole -- in a more diverse direction." Individual board members "don't usually exert great influence over the companies they oversee," although they are "often compensated handsomely in cash and stock for their part-time work." SurveyMonkey "didn't say how much Williams will be compensated" (AP, 5/24).
NAMES: Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO KEVIN PLANK has been "inducted into the Sporting Goods Industry Hall of Fame." He was "one of two members of the hall's Class of 2017," joined by Universal Athletic President LARRY AASHEIM (BALTIMORESUN.com, 5/24)....Steelers RB LE’VEON BELL donated $750,000 to his alma mater, Groveport Madison High School in Ohio, to "install turf on the team’s football field"(BLEACHERREPORT.com, 5/24)....Patriots TE ROB GRONKOWSKI appeared in the music video for electronic dance music producer 3LAU’s song “On My Mind” (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/25).
IN MEMORY: Event promoter and former Univision Chair JERRY PERENCHIO, 86, died Tuesday at his Bel-Air home. He was diagnosed with lung cancer five months ago. Perenchio was behind the promotion of the fight between MUHAMMAD ALI and JOE FRAZIER in ’71. Perenchio “drummed another media event, the ‘Battle of the Sexes,’ by pitting BOBBY RIGGS, an aging male tennis champion, with feminist BILLIE JEAN KING, who was at the top of her game” (L.A. TIMES, 5/25).