Nets Owner Mikhail Prokhorov during his visit to Brooklyn yesterday reiterated that he "will not sell a majority share of the franchise." He said, "I never intended to sell the team and have looked at selling only the minority stake. ... For the time being there is nothing on the table. ... If somebody wants to send me any kind of proposal, why not? Just to have a look. But we’re only speaking about minority stakes." Prokhorov noted there have been "approximately" 10 offers for his shares (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 4/9). Prokhorov tried to "answer every question with a smile and a joke" (N.Y. POST, 4/9).

Quicken Loans announced a long-term sponsorship deal with golfer Rickie Fowler, with activation to include the mortgage lender's logo appearing on Fowler's signature orange golf bag. He also will serve as a spokesman for the brand on the PGA Tour. Fowler will debut the partnership today with the start of The Masters. The brand also has a sponsorship deal with the PGA Tour and title sponsors the Quicken Loans National (Quicken Loans).

Fowler came in second in SBD's recent survey on most marketable golfers.

As The Masters gets underway today, Augusta Mayor Hardie Davis will "issue a proclamation naming Thursday Lee Elder Day." In addition, "17 other black golfers will be honored for their efforts in breaking the sport's color barrier." Golf HOFer Gary Player "will share remarks about Elder’s contributions" during the invitation-only event at The Lodge. Politician Herman Cain, musician Darius Rucker and U.S. Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.) also will be present. Comedian Chris Tucker will emcee (AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, 4/8).

Fanatics has officially struck a multiyear trackside merchandise deal with SMI following months of negotiations that will allow the retailer to do business at the promoter's 13 NASCAR events and eight facilities. Terms of deal could not be attained. The pact allows Fanatics to institute its tent-based system at all NASCAR tracks. SMI's deal, which was complicated by the fact that the company itself is a vertically integrated merchandiser on top of being a track promoter, comes after Fanatics landed a 10-year deal with NASCAR and ISC in a move announced in January.

SMI Senior VP/Business Affairs Don Hawk credited the persistence of Fanatics Authentic President Ross Tannenbaum over the last few weeks as being a key factor in getting the deal done.

The Indians yesterday unveiled their new uniforms with "neither pomp nor circumstance." They "just showed up in them" for a game in Houston against the Astros. The new alternate jerseys "feature a darker shade of navy with white trim, as opposed to gray." The Chief Wahoo cap "has been darkened as well" (CLEVELAND.com, 4/8). The Indians tweeted, "We'll wear midnight navy this year when we wear dark, at home and on the road" (TWITTER.com, 4/8).

Paris Deputy Mayor Jean-Francois Martins said that the city is "set to go ahead with a bid to host" the '24 Games. The City Council on Monday will vote to "decide whether to make a bid." Mayor Anne Hidalgo last year had suggested that she "was not in favor of a bid because of 'financial and budgetary' issues but she has since then changed her mind." Paris "would only bid" for '24, and not '28 "should it fail for the former" (REUTERS, 4/9).

Chief marketing officers for several major pro leagues said at the '15 IMG World Congress of Sports that they are spending fast-increasing amounts of time on how to best leverage the power of digital platforms such as online, mobile, social, and over-the-top. As a result, the once-traditional lines between media content and marketing are blurring more than ever. "We know the majority of our fans don't attend games, but watch on TV," said NFL Exec VP & CMO Dawn Hudson. “And the majority of those fans have a digital device with them to further their engagement. And that's just the tip of the iceberg still to come.”

Hudson continued, “People aged 18-34 are avidly sports fans, but you see cracks in TV viewership and engagement because they're used to getting content digitally. Generation Z coming up behind them is not about two screens, but five screens. So it's incumbent upon us to figure out how to leverage all those screens. And we can't make the mistake that content delivery is marketing." MLS CMO Howard Handler added, "We'll create more than 600 hours of non-game programming during the course of the season. Content is the ultimate marketing vehicle as a league today.”

The event continues today with a featured interview with adidas Group North America President Mark King and panels on "The Changing Face of Media and Sports Media," "Turning Sports Properties and Events into Global Entities" and "Cracking the Code on Generation Y."

See more in THE DAILY, and follow the event on Twitter via the hashtag #SBJWCS.

The Lions announced a deal with Fanatics, which will power the team's official online store (Lions).

Big 12 officials are "considering a plan that could bring their conference baseball tournament to the Alamodome" as soon as '17 (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 4/9).

Training equipment brand Powerhandz announced that it has signed Nets G Deron Williams as an endorser. The company's products include a weighted anti-grip glove and slick ball wrap (Powerhandz).

MSG's Garden of Dreams Foundation has launched the Garden of Dreams scholarship program, which each year will award 12 $10,000 renewable college scholarships to high school seniors from the foundation's partner organizations (MSG).

Nike runs a full-page ad in USA Today congratulating UConn women's basketball coach Geno Auriemma for winning the '15 NCAA championship: "Ten And Counting" (THE DAILY).

"We have the players on the field that people have actually heard of. We don't have to spend money to sell the players to the fans because the fans already know these players, have expectations of them" – Padres Exec Chair Ron Fowler (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 4/9).

"To show you how much they listen to me, I was very much in favor of Dave staying. Is that how influential I am?" – Dolphins Owner and major Univ. of Michigan donor Stephen Ross, on his efforts to save former UM AD Dave Brandon's job (DETROIT NEWS, 4/9).

"Guaranteed home run. As long as you have good ownership. It's a great sports town. I don't know how they butchered the NBA, but look at the Mariners, the Seahawks and the corporate money support" – Hurricanes coach Bill Peters, on Seattle as a viable NHL market (ESPN.com, 4/8).

"I've talked to my oncologist about this, 'How involved should I be and how is stress going to affect my life and all that?' He's all positive. It's good to be part of something like this" – Senators GM Bryan Murray, on the team jockeying for a playoff spot as he battles colon cancer (ESPN.com, 4/8).

"It's a conversation we can have at a later date. The media has done a great job every single year. ... But us players as well, we get to see the guys every single day" – Cavaliers F LeBron James, on whether players should replace the media in voting for NBA awards (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 4/9).

Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with a highlight of Jack Nicklaus hitting a hole-in-one at The Masters par-3 tournament, followed by Padres-Dodgers, Cavaliers-Bucks, Hawks-Nets and Bulls-Magic. FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” led with Bulls-Magic, followed by Cavaliers-Bucks, Pacers F Chris Copeland being stabbed outside a night club and Pacers-Knicks. FS1 aired their first Masters report about 30 minutes into the broadcast.

ESPN’s Keith Olbermann called out his “world’s worst” persons in sports: the security at Tropicana Field for chasing a fan who ran onto the field and who made it back into the stands but was removed from the game later. Olbermann said, “The Rays need every fan they can get.” He also put on notice Thunder G Russell Westbrook and G Dion Waiters because they are “such addicts to clichés that they do not even know what one of those clichés means,” and Syracuse Univ., which “misspelled the name of one of its sophomore football players, at least for its spring game.”

The WASHINGTON POST profiles Sarah Thomas, the NFL's first full-time female referee: "In a good game, when the score is tight and Thomas is making all the right calls, no one has time to give her a close look. That’s the way Thomas likes it."

FIVETHIRTYEIGHT staffers "couldn't contain themselves" after reading a N.Y. Times opinion piece on the use of statistics in baseball. They respond under the header, "Don't Let Op-Eds Ruin Baseball."

Also:

• Writers suggest possible nicknames, logos for Las Vegas NHL team.
• Remembering the impact of late golf writer Herbert Warren Wind.
• Are international soccer friendlies worth the cost to U.S. ticket buyers?
• Trail Blazers seek to change Oregon law to allow for team license plates.

Frank Deford is right & all those fans, sponsors, networks around the world & incredibly business savvy owners are totally wrong about @MLS

— Ben Grossman (@grossman) April 9, 2015

Gave a lecture to Sports Marketing class at University of Southern Maine yesterday. Great questions! I love doing these!

— Matt Powell (@NPDMattPowell) April 9, 2015

Another orchestrated Jim Dolan Q&A where the boss tells you everything is great and the future looks bright. Been hearing that for 15 years.

— Frank Isola (@FisolaNYDN) April 9, 2015

Tampa's just across the bridge:the bullpen phones in The Trop didn't work again last night, so Buck Showalter used walky-talky he bought.

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) April 9, 2015

The Univ. of South Florida Sport & Entertainment Management program hosts its inaugural Sport & Entertainment Analytics Conference at the Tampa Marriott Waterside. Speakers include NBC Sports Group Senior VP/Research Joe Brown, ESPN VP/Digital Media Research & Analytics David Coletti, ESPN Sports Poll Creator Rich Luker and NBA Associate VP/Team Marketing & Business Operations Matt Wolf.

Texas Motor Speedway hosts an all-access day for fans, with autograph sessions, driver Q&As, garages access and a showing of a documentary on the late Dale Earnhardt.

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

“One of the bard’s few plays with children on stage is this one with two brothers who last appear alive in Act III, Scene I.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “NBA Team Names En Espanol.”

For $400: “Los Toros.”
For $800: “El Calor.”
For $1200: “Las Pepitas De Oro.”
For $1600: “Los Caballeros.”
For $2000: “Los Reyes.”

Last night’s edition of NBC’s “The Tonight Show” featured the regular segment “Tonight Show Superlatives” in which various NHL players were given “awards” ahead of the upcoming Stanley Cup Playoffs.

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said, “The NBA is sending representatives to host a basketball clinic in Cuba, making it the first American pro sports organization to visit Cuba since we restored diplomatic relations. Then Major League Baseball was like, ‘Right. You’re the first.’ Speaking of baseball, the National Hot Dog and Sausage Council said that the Cleveland Indians sell the best hotdog in baseball, although ‘National Hotdog and Sausage Council’ sounds more like the way you describe a party where there are too many dudes. Actually baseball might be in a little trouble. In fact, a new report says that most of the people who watch baseball are 55 or older and young people are less interested. You can tell they’re trying to appeal to a younger audience. Listen to the announcers during this game last night.” The broadcast then aired footage from a Cubs’ game with voiceovers by Fallon and Fallon’s “sidekick” Steve Higgins posing as the game’s announcers. The two had a back-and-forth, with Fallon saying, “Well, it's a perfect day for baseball, Jim.” Higgins: “I couldn't agree with you more, Stu. This day is completely on fleek.” Fallon: “On Fleek it is. Hashtag, Blessed.” Higgins: “That reminds me, I have tickets for Ed Sheeran this weekend if you'd like to join me.” Fallon: “Ooh, I love her. OMG, I literally can't even. Sounds epic.” Higgins: “That's about as epic as Zayn rejoining One Direction on the set of ‘Game of Thrones.’ Bae yolo.” Fallon asked, “What the hell are we talking about?” Higgins: “I have no idea” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 4/8).

“What is ‘Richard III?’”

Correct responses to the “NBA Team Names En Espanol” category:

For $400: “Who are the Bulls?”
For $800: “Who are the Heat?”
For $1200: “Who are the Nuggets?”
For $1600: “Who are the Cavaliers?”
For $2000: “Who are the Kings?”