Odell Beckham Jr. has been named the "new face" of Procter & Gamble's Head & Shoulders brand, succeeding former NFLer Troy Polamalu and continuing the "lucrative offseason" for the Giants WR. The shampoo brand this morning released a spot featuring Beckham's "career highlights." It finishes with the tagline, "Shoulders were made for greatness. Not for dandruff." This comes after Beckham this offseason "scored an exclusive autograph deal" with Steiner Sports, landed the "Madden NFL 16" cover, acquired an equity stake in sports drink Roar and agreed to endorse supplement brand Exos. He previously had deals with Nike and appeared in ads for Foot Locker and Lenovo (ESPN.com, 8/28).

Another ad posted by H&S today features Polamalu welcoming Beckham as an endorser:

The L.A. City Council today will hold its "first meetings to discuss" the city's potential bid for the '24 Games, and a report issued last night "raises concerns" about Mayor Eric Garcetti's Olympic plans. The report by City Administrative Officer Miguel Santana and Chief Legislative Analyst Sharon Tso "urges further study of the plan and states analysts 'cannot verify, validate or further explain' the proposal's budgetary projections." It also questions the "feasibility and cost of building a downtown Olympic village for 17,000 athletes" (L.A. TIMES, 8/28).

Garcetti in an editorial board meeting with the L.A. DAILY NEWS last night said that if the Games return to L.A. in '24, "it could make money for the city, not lose it" (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 8/28). The L.A. TIMES editorial board writes, "Public enthusiasm should not dissuade council members from fully vetting every Olympics-related proposal, starting with the so-called Joinder Agreement." This is "no time for blind boosterism" (L.A. TIMES, 8/26).

'20 Tokyo Games organizers today said that they "would stick with a logo hit by plagiarism claims and had no plans to change what they described as an original work." Belgian designer Olivier Debie claimed that the logo, which was unveiled in July, "copied work he had done for a theatre company." The IOC "has rejected the claims," and Japanese officials today said that "local artist Kenjiro Sano's work was an original and they had no plans to change it" (AFP, 8/28).

Meanwhile, Japan has “agreed to slash the costs for a new national stadium” by 42% with construction of the ’20 Games venue “aimed to be completed” by a January ‘20 deadline. The budget for the arena today was set at US$1.3B, below the US$2.2B “price tag for the Tokyo venue that was scrapped in July” (REUTERS, 8/28).

The Univ. of Louisville "will pursue" a $55M expansion of Papa John's Cardinal Stadium. UL AD Tom Jurich made the initial announcement last night at a dinner for athletic donors and has scheduled a press conference for today with football coach Bobby Petrino to discuss a "major athletics project." The school "has been conducting a feasibility study on stadium expansion" since '13. An addition to the 55,000-seat venue "would presumably involve closing in the north end zone and adding to the Howard Schnellenberger Football Complex" (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 8/28).

adidas today is releasing "shoes inspired by the U.S. Open" ahead of the start of the tournament Monday. The brand's U.S. Open pack "features three pairs of shoes – a Stan Smith and two colorways of the ZX Flux." The footwear is available at retail starting today for $100 a pair. adidas' sponsored athletes at the Open include No. 1-ranked Novak Djokovic (FOOTWEARNEWS.com, 8/26).

The WTA Connecticut Open wraps up tomorrow, and legends exhibitions are "expected to be the biggest draws" of the week-long tournament, which is part of the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series. Attendance "should top 5,000" for today's Jim Courier-John McEnroe exhibition, and last night's James Blake-Andy Roddick contest drew a crowd of "over 4,000" (NEW HAVEN REGISTER, 8/28).

Donald Trump is "looking to buy Argentina’s Club Atletico San Lorenzo di Almagro, best known for running the San Lorenzo soccer team that Pope Francis is an avid fan of” (N.Y. POST, 8/28).

Baseball arbitrator Frederic Horowitz has "ruled in favor of MLB in the case" in which Barry Bonds "claimed he couldn't get a playing job following the 2007 season due to a concerted effort by MLB to keep him out of the game" (CBSSPORTS.com, 8/27).

FIFA yesterday “disowned comments” made by its reform committee Chair Francois Carrard, who had “questioned why American authorities were investigating corruption in soccer, which he described as ‘just an ethnic sport for girls in schools’ in the U.S.” (REUTERS, 8/27).

“They went with Austin last time and we were close (to getting the games). We learned a lot in the process and, given another opportunity, I think we can put together a winning bid” – Charlotte Motor Speedway President Marcus Smith, on trying to lure the X Games to Charlotte (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/27).

“I suspect we would adopt industry guidelines. But there are going to be some individual decision-making here because of the design of ballparks. The designs are so different” – MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, on whether netting decisions would be made by clubs or the league (NJ.com, 8/27).

“He could be incredibly positive for our sport. He’s got a chance to be top five, win Grand Slams. But he’s rubbed people the wrong way and he’s going to get railroaded out of town if he doesn’t watch out” – John McEnroe, on Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios (N.Y. TIMES, 8/28).

“I’ve hardly talked to the president and board members about it. We’re in the ‘cleaning the porch’ mode right now” – Minnesota Board of Regents Chair Dean Johnson, on the hiring process to find a new AD following the resignation of Norwood Teague (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 8/28).

Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of ESPN’s “SportsCenter” led with LLWS highlights, followed by Mets-Phillies, Cardinals-D’Backs and Pirates-Marlins. The first non-baseball report was the passing of former NBAer Darryl Dawkins 11 minutes into the broadcast. Last night’s 1:00am ET edition of FS1’s “Fox Sports Live” led with Mets-Phillies, followed by Blue Jays-Rangers, Orioles-Royals and Angels-Tigers. The first non-baseball report was a preview of The Barclays tournament 13 minutes into the telecast.

The INDIANAPOLIS STAR notes, "Image-conscious universities love the money, exposure and bonding that sports create." But when "publicity from sports turns against a school, as in the recent spate of incidents involving Indiana University football and men's basketball players, it will reverberate nationally." Also, why Virginia Tech AD Whit Babcock acted appropriately to quash the football program's efforts to fine players.

The Albany TIMES UNION profiles NBC Sports horse racing reporter Donna Barton Brothers, who has the "unique job of interviewing jockeys while both are on horseback."

Also:

• How Doug Thornton helped the Superdome recover after Katrina.
• IndyCar tries to tastefully finish season while mourning Justin Wilson.
• Maple Leafs finally spend wisely by hiring coach Mike Babcock.
• Ever-expanding sports betting business is no longer a taboo issue.
• Writer explores 10 ways to make baseball TV coverage better.
• Portland, Ore., could be candidate for future MLB expansion.
• Marco Andretti lives in estate that once belonged to father Michael.

Who in their right mind thought it was a good idea to allow umpire challenges in the Little League World Series? Sets a horrible example.

— Jeff Bradley (@JeffreyPBradley) August 28, 2015

I don't get why major entities like ESPN don't link back to original sources when using them in stories.

— Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) August 28, 2015

Once again: ZERO word about the potential victims from this percentage of angry 49ers fans. They just don't care. Bow to Jed.

— Tim Kawakami (@timkawakami) August 28, 2015

@miklasz I know you're a radio guy, but I wonder if you've given any thought to writing? Seems to suit you as well.

— Howard Megdal (@howardmegdal) August 28, 2015

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Bestselling Books.”

“In 2014 a collection of her columns became the first bestseller entirely by this woman who championed many other bestsellers.”

“Who is Oprah Winfrey?”