AEG is "abandoning plans for its Farmers Field football stadium" in downtown L.A., after investing five years and $50M in an attempt to bring an NFL team back to the city. AEG officials said that they are "no longer in discussions with the NFL or any teams about the project." AEG Chief Legal & Development Officer Ted Fikre said that the company "will not seek an extension of its deal with the city, which expires April 17." In recent weeks, competing stadium proposals in Inglewood and Carson "have overshadowed the AEG plan" (L.A. TIMES, 3/10).

Farmers Insurance in '11 signed a 30-year, $600M naming-rights deal for the proposed downtown venue. It would have been among the top naming-rights agreements in all of sports (THE DAILY).

NFL free agency officially begins today at 4:00pm ET and "promises to add to the tectonic shifts that have already occurred this offseason" (USATODAY.com, 3/9). A mixture of factors that includes the league's spending floor has "brought about a new type" of NFL offseason, and it is "totally crazy." It is "clear now that free agency will play an increasingly important role in the NFL" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 3/10).

The Twins and local restaurant Barrio today announced a deal covering naming rights to a new lounge and bar in left field at Target Field. Barrio, the name of the destination inside Gate 6, will serve fresh Latin cuisine and a wide selection of tequilas. The old space held a small retail store and the pre- and post-game set for FS North. The store and RSN setup will be moved elsewhere in the ballpark. The Twins covered the $2M cost of the retrofit.

Driver Jeff Gordon throughout the week will meet with NASCAR officials to "discuss safety initiatives," starting today with Exec VP & Chief Racing Development Officer Steve O'Donnell. Gordon said that he would "like a timetable on additional soft walls being added to tracks." He said, "The one thing I would question was when did SAFER barriers start being put at racetracks, and what was the plan for them to be complete, and where are we in that plan?" (AP, 3/6)

Meanwhile, drivers "apparently won't know until after" Sunday's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series CampingWorld.com 500 if the tires stacked inside Phoenix Int'l Raceway's Turn 4 "will be replaced with a permanent SAFER barrier" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 3/10).

The Int’l Champions Cup today will announce that it is expanding its soccer tournaments to China. Operated by RSE Ventures and Relevant Sports, the ICC will partner with China-based outfits LeTV Sports and Catalyst Media Group. The '15 tourney will be held in late July, with teams to be announced at a later date. The two-year-old soccer event also will hold a previously announced tourney in Australia in July, in addition to North America. RSE Ventures and Relevent Sports are expecting the three events to combine to reach more than one billion households worldwide.

Late ESPN anchor Stuart Scott's memoir, "Every Day I Fight," hits bookshelves today. The book was co-authored by former People Paper editor Larry Platt, who called the work "a labor of love." Platt said, "My hope is that this is a legacy for him." Publisher Penguin Random House is printing 100,000 copies of the book and is "contributing a percentage of sales to the Jimmy V Foundation for Cancer Research" (PHILLY.com, 3/10).

Ken Babby has bought the Double-A Southern League Jacksonville Suns, it was formally announced. Babby now owns both the Marlins farm team and the Double-A Eastern League Akron RubberDucks, an Indians affiliate. Terms of the deal were not unveiled, but a $25M sales figure "has been speculated." Peter Bragan Jr. bought the team in '84 for $330,000. Babby "will formally take over" after the '15 season (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 3/10).

The AKRON BEACON JOURNAL explores how Babby has improved the fortunes of the Ohio franchise and plans to bring the same blueprint to Jacksonville.

The trial over the Super Bowl XLV seating incident heads into "what is expected to be the final day of testimony," and lawyers "plan to question" Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones. The team's "role supervising the temporary seating has been in the forefront throughout the trial." NFL Exec VP/Business Ventures Eric Grubman also is scheduled to testify today in U.S. District Judge Barbara Lynn's court. The attorneys are expected to make their closing arguments tomorrow, "with the case going to the jurors soon after" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/10).

The New York Life ACC Men's Basketball Tournament begins today, "ending an era in Greensboro" before heading to DC, Brooklyn and Charlotte over the next four seasons. There is an "orange cloud hanging over" the tournament in the wake of the punishments against Syracuse, which will be absent from the bracket. The conference "needs Syracuse to buy the house" when the tourney heads to Barclays Center in '17 and '18 "the way the North Carolina schools have always done" in Greensboro (Greensboro NEWS & RECORD, 3/10).

Formula E has secured minority investments from Liberty Global and Discovery Communications (THE DAILY).

L.A. Marathon organizers today announced that the race has “sold out for the third consecutive year and will feature the second-largest field in its 30-year history.” The event, which will be held Sunday, will have a field of 26,000 runners (L.A. TIMES, 3/10).

Time Warner Cable Arena announced that it will become a smoke-free grounds beginning next Wednesday. Designated outdoor smoking areas around the facility will be eliminated (Hornets).

The Univ. of Missouri today will formally introduce Mack Rhoades as its next AD during an event at the MU Student Center (Columbia MISSOURIAN, 3/10).

Portland’s KFXX-AM today will start having “three consecutive local weekday programs.” The station will retain two ESPN national shows, “Mike & Mike” running from 3:00-7:00am PT and “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” going from 7:00-10:00am (OREGONLIVE.com, 3/9).

The Great West League, an amateur wood-bat league, today is expected to announce that “it’s expanding into Portland,” and the team of unpaid collegiate athletes will play at Walker Stadium in Lents Park (OREGONIAN, 3/10).

“He expects it to be a much better team. There’s no doubt about that. He told me two weeks ago, ‘Look, I’m going to be here a lot – a lot” – Mets manager Terry Collins, on team Owner Fred Wilpon (NYTIMES.com, 3/9).

“ESPN has never, ever, ever, ever said anything to me about age. ESPN has treated me like royalty” – ESPN’s Dick Vitale, who is 75 years old, on his busy work schedule (USA TODAY, 3/10).

“NEVER let the teams have control of the seat plans – EVER. All of us have been afraid of offending the Cowboys, but they should have been fully responsible for all elements associated with the seats” – Populous architect Todd Barnes, a Super Bowl contractor, in an e-mail to the head of NFL ticketing about the chain of command (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 3/10).

“I’m not a big fan. But this place is a different animal. (UK fans) come to the tournament, they spend their rent money, mortgage money, their car money. They get money, take loans, and they go to the tournament because they can’t get in (Rupp Arena)” – Kentucky basketball coach John Calipari, on the SEC tournament (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 3/10).

Last night’s 1:00am ET editions of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” and FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” both led with Furman-Wofford men's basketball. ESPN followed with Manhattan-Iona, Northeastern-William & Mary and Grizzlies-Bulls. The first non-basketball report was NFL free agency at 18 minutes into the broadcast. FS1 followed with Northeastern-William & Mary, Manhattan-Iona and Warriors-Suns. The first non-basketball report was ManU-Arsenal at 14 minutes into their telecast.

ESPN’s Keith Olbermann called out his “world’s worst” persons in sports: Syracuse Chancellor Kent Syverud, who “released a very strange public letter protesting the sanctions against the school’s basketball program and coach Jim Boeheim.” Olbermann also critiqued D-Backs Ps Trevor Cahill and Josh Collmenter, “who totally destroyed the journalistic sanctity of the in-game Spring Training interview” with a “comedy” routine, and Mexican soccer coach Ricardo Ferretti for being ejected and hiding in the players’ dugout to continue watching the match.

The WASHINGTON POST's Sally Jenkins writes, "There is a common theme to the scandal stories plaguing college athletics this week: the enabling, if not outright collusion, by some of the supposedly highest-minded people on campus."

BLOOMBERG NEWS on the reinvention of the Reebok brand: "Reebok made its name selling shoes to people working out in groups, got lost in the sneaker wars, and is now returning to where it started – even if the workouts have morphed over the decades from Jane Fonda and leg warmers into burpees and mud races."

Also:

• Charter airplane shortage could wreak havoc for March Madness.
• Mark Cuban's lawyer Robert Hart has a fun but challenging job.
• Greensboro will miss ACC Tournament's impact over next four years. 
• What issues must a Las Vegas NHL ownership group address?
• Fox Sports' Chris Neville eager to cover NASCAR race in Phoenix.

It's okay to say no to woman beaters, NFL teams. You'll be alright. Team won't fold. Promise.

— mike freeman (@mikefreemanNFL) March 10, 2015

This debate about analytics vs sporting talent promises to be as boring as the 10,000 hours vs sporting gene one. The answer is both.

— Owen Gibson (@owen_g) March 10, 2015

Goal of Farmers Field was to be the LA stadium project in place when a team decided to move. Time allowed teams to seek own stadium plans.

— Brian Finkel (@thefinktank) March 10, 2015

Location of Farmers Field was always the best option in LA if everything came together. But w/o a team it was always a long shot.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) March 10, 2015

The Univ. of Oklahoma Board of Regents could approve the first phase of the $370M Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium renovation. The renovation to the south end zone portion of the project is estimated to cost $160M.

The Palm Beach County Commission will be asked to commit the first $5M of public money to a Spring Training ballpark that would lure the Astros and Nationals to West Palm Beach. The funds would be used for design work and other initial expenses.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Literary Characters.”

“The first story in which he appeared began, ‘The scent and smoke and sweat of a casino are nauseating at 3 in the morning.’”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “NCAA Champs.” The first round of “Jeopardy” featured an NCAA Tournament theme, including “March Madness,” “Fill Out Your Bracket,” “The Sweet 16,” “The Elite Ate” and “The Final 4.”

For $400: “1984 was the year of the Hoyas and this seven-footer who ended up with the Knicks but should’ve played for ‘Dallas.’”

For $600: “This man, ‘Coach K,’ led Duke to the top in 1991 and ’92 and don’t worry, we won’t make you spell his last name…today.”

For $800: “Each year from 2011 to 2014, at least one team from this state made the Final Four, winning it all twice.”

For $1000: “He ‘conjured up’ the 1979 title for his Spartans, beating Larry Bird and being named Most Outstanding Player.”

“Who is James Bond?”

Correct responses to the “NCAA Champs” category:.

For $400: “Who is Patrick Ewing?”

For $600: “Who is Mike Krzyzewski?”

For $800: “What is Kentucky?”

For $1000: “Who is Magic Johnson?”

The $200 answer was not revealed.