The 33rd annual Allen & Co. conference kicked off last night in Sun Valley, Idaho, and will "wrap up next weekend." Topics "expected to be covered this year during closed-door sessions include the recent 'Brexit' vote by the U.K. to leave the European Union, advances in the high-tech industry and military actions against Islamic extremism" (IDAHO MOUNTAIN EXPRESS, 7/6). Titans of industry who are "scheduled to appear" include Disney Chair & CEO Bob Iger and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 7/6).

Commissioners from the NBA, NHL and "even the head of the World Surf League" are expected to show. There are also a "number of team owners in attendance," including the Patriots' Robert Kraft. This year one of the conversations "will be about artificial intelligence" (CNBC.com, 7/5). Comcast Chair & CEO Brian Roberts and Time Warner Chair & CEO Jeff Bewkes "will listen to presentations on national security and the global economy" (VARIETY.com, 7/5).

Twitter today started its live streaming of Wimbledon with the men' quarterfinal matches. The setup for now "appears to leave the video stream pinned to the top of a dedicated 'Live' page on Twitter, with a scrollable list of Wimbledon-related tweets below." A company spokesperson referred to the Wimbledon stream as an “extremely early and incomplete test experience.” Twitter wants to "get the kinks out now before its more prominent NFL streams arrive – which is probably a good thing because Twitter’s Wimbledon stream is about as basic as it gets" (RECODE.net, 7/6).

The Vikings have signed Mystic Lake Casino Hotel as their seventh founding partner at U.S. Bank Stadium. Financial terms were not disclosed, but founding partnerships in the NFL are typically valued in the seven figures annually. The multiyear deal covers naming rights for Mystic Lake's Club Purple, an all-inclusive premium space on the club level with lounge-style seating that can hold more than 1,000 people. Mystic Lake is a gaming destination 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis. The $1.1B stadium opens Aug. 3 with an AC Milan-Chelsea match.

The announced crowd of 14,110 for yesterday’s Padres-D-backs game "was the smallest in Chase Field history." The previous low was 15,509 against the Reds on Aug. 18, 2010. This season "has also seen the third-smallest crowd in the ballpark’s history" when "only 15,556 showed up on May 31 for a game" against the Astros. D-backs manager Chip Hale said, "It’s the day after the Fourth of July and we had a great weekend of crowds. ... It’s tough. It’s a ticket that costs money and people didn’t come" (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 7/6).

The crowd of 29,477 at Citi Field last night welcomed Jose Reyes back to the Mets "with open arms, cheering him at every turn" during a 5-2 loss to the Marlins. Reyes, who recently completed a 52-game domestic violence suspension, said, "I didn't know what to expect when I came here, to see the crowd react like that was good. They showed me a lot of love" (N.Y. POST, 7/6).

When Reyes walked to the plate for his first at-bat, he was "greeted with thunderous applause and chants of 'Jose! Jose!'" (USA TODAY, 7/6). The ovation "wasn't just warm, it turned into a monsoon that lasted nearly a half-minute." Reyes "stepped out of the batter's box and tipped his helmet" (Bergen RECORD, 7/6). There were "no protesters outside the stadium," and for the "majority of Mets fans inside Citi Field it was all about baseball" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 7/6).

Reyes' return made the back page sports covers for several N.Y. tabloids:

 N.Y. Post 

MLB All-Star vote totals were down significantly from last year in the second year of all-online balloting. The league, which last night revealed the rosters for next week's game in San Diego, did not disclose a total cumulative All-Star vote figure for this year. But the published vote totals for the top five finishers in each infield and DH position and the top 15 outfielders in each league amounted to more than 145 million, significantly less than the record total of 620 million votes recorded last year. The marked reductions are largely the result of new All-Star voting rules imposed this year that kept the overall per-person voting limit at 35 but created a new daily limit of five votes.

Golfer Sergio Garcia "has committed to representing" Spain at the Rio Games, "despite a host of his fellow professionals withdrawing from the Games citing fears concerning the Zika virus." Garcia tweeted, "I know there r some dangers but representing Spain, trying to make golf grow & becoming an Olympian r too important so I'll be at @Olympics" (REUTERS, 7/6).

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe's Brendon de Jonge "became the 13th player to withdraw his name from consideration for this year’s Olympics." He said, "The reason for my decision is not my concern about the Zika virus. It is truly a business decision." De Jonge is currently 160th on the FedEx Cup points list, and missing events for Rio "could keep him from finishing in the top 125 and maintaining his PGA Tour card" (GOLFCHANNEL.com, 7/5).

A Barcelona court has found FC Barcelona F Lionel Messi and his father, Jorge Horacio Messi, "guilty of three counts of tax fraud and has sentenced them to 21 months in prison – although neither are likely to serve any jail time." The sentence "can be appealed through the Spanish supreme court." The court also ordered Messi "to pay a fine" of about US$2.21M, while his father was dealt a US$1.66M fine (ESPNFC.com, 7/6).

The Univ. of Tennessee "has reached a settlement in a lawsuit about sexual assaults involving student-athletes, ending a dispute that pitted eight young women against" the football program. UT "will pay the plaintiffs" $2.48M, a sum that also "includes fees for their attorneys" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/6).

The announced attendance for last night's friendly between EPL club West Ham United and the Sounders was 38,585, a number "boosted by the game’s inclusion in Sounders season-ticket packages." There were "chunks of empty blue seats in all corners" of CenturyLink Field (SEATTLE TIMES, 7/6).

Sacramento "will host" the '17 U.S Track & Field Outdoor Championships at Hornet Stadium from June 22-25. It "will be the seventh time Sacramento has hosted" the event (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/6).

Bob Harris, the play-by-play radio announcer of Duke football and men’s basketball since '76, "will retire" following the '16-17 basketball season. He will "hold a press conference" at noon ET today to "officially announce his upcoming retirement" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 7/6).

Bravo Sports has acquired Sector 9, a global provider of skateboards, from Billabong (Bravo Sports). 

Rolex runs a full-page ad in the N.Y. Times touting its sponsorship of Wimbledon under the tagline, "When Your Traditions Are Known To All, You've Made History" (THE DAILY).

“I’m very pleased with where the farm system is. It’s produced not just players, but premier players. ... Look at the great Giants organization. Look at the Cubs. They’re home-grown. They had to do five losing seasons to get there, but now they’re there, and they’re spectacular” – Dodgers President & CEO Stan Kasten (L.A. TIMES, 7/6).

"People love their Bills and Sabres, and I get that. If this is going to be a  great sports town ... college sports should be a part of it. It doesn't need to carry the day, but we're better than we've ever been before" – Univ. at Buffalo AD Allen Greene, on the school's need for more regional support (BUFFALO NEWS, 7/5).

WASHINGTON POST goes with the header, "Venus And Serena Williams May Be The Greatest Story In American Sports." Even as "arguably the greatest American sports story ... it still has found a lavish new chapter at this Wimbledon."

Also:

• Breakdown of the MLB Rangers' ballpark deal with Arlington.
• Chargers' quest for new stadium filled with twists and turns.
• NHL, NHLPA make "scads of money" from World Cup of Hockey.

Quite a scene this morning watching Federer practice on Court 19. Even more a scene watching him leave with a phalanx of 8 security guards

— Christopher Clarey (@christophclarey) July 6, 2016

.@7tennis using their own graphics for certain shots, but depending on @BBCSport feed and graphics for main shots. pic.twitter.com/ewmkFHtdKI

— Ken Fang (@fangsbites) July 6, 2016

Montreal's Olympics: an incredible party & brilliant sports left a few great facilities and a very nasty hangover https://t.co/34JJ6J3F3u

— Dave Stubbs (@Dave_Stubbs) July 6, 2016

Am I the only one who thinks promotion for UFC 200 has been underwhelming? It's three days away and not a lot of mainstream talk about it.

— Michael David Smith (@MichaelDavSmith) July 6, 2016

MLB has 6 div. leaders, 12 others w/in 2 1/2 games of wild card. Good for game, good for revenue-sharing, bad for trade market

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) July 6, 2016

U.S. Olympic #boxing team already disappointing. Only qualified in 6 of 10 divisions. No U.S. welter, light heavy, heavy or super heavy.

— Dan Rafael (@danrafaelespn) July 6, 2016

I was challenged to find way to promote #NFL sponsor while white-water rafting in TN's Ocoee River. #justdoit pic.twitter.com/q5itO99tYn

— Greg Aiello (@gregaiello) July 5, 2016

A group of UFC fighters will be sent around the Las Vegas Valley to make appearances with five different local charities as part of Int'l Fight Week.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Famous Americans.”

“In 1902, 25 years after his death, a New York Times article about a family reunion listed his direct descendants at more than 1,000.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “We’re Talking Baseball.”

For $200: “A single, double, triple and homer in one game is known as hitting for this.”
For $400: “Make an ‘okay’ (hand symbol) then center the ball between your three other fingers and use the same mechanics as a fast ball to toss the circle this type of off-speed pitch.”
For $600: “Throw a quick pitch and an ump may call this; if the bases are empty, a ball is called.”

The $800 and $1,000 answers were not revealed.

Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah said of Joey Chestnut winning the annual Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest on July 4, “Seventy hot dogs! Do you know how many hot dogs the winner ate in 1980? Nine! Nine was enough to win you the title. Today, that's the average customer order, my friends. What has changed? Not the human body, but man's will and determination. That's what makes America so great, an appetite for innovation in every realm. I'm jealous. We don't have eating contests in Africa. If you have food, you've already won” (“The Daily Show With Trevor Noah,” Comedy Central, 7/5).

“Who was Brigham Young?”

Correct responses to the “We’re Talking Baseball” category:

$200: “What is the cycle?”
$400: “What is a changeup?”
$600: “What is a balk?”