UFC President Dana White and golfer Natalie Gulbis spoke last night at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland, with White saying, "Donald Trump is a fighter and I know he will fight for this country." White recounted how after Zuffa purchased the company in '01 for $2M, Trump was "supportive of staging UFC fights at his property in Atlantic City." White: "We need somebody who believes in this country, we need somebody who’s proud of this country and who will fight for this country" (L.A. TIMES, 7/20). White joined a lineup of "non-traditional convention speakers," and he "appeared to nod to this when at the beginning of his speech he noted that many people were probably wondering what he was doing there" (USATODAY.com, 7/19).

Gulbis stated that Trump is a "staunch supporter of gender equality – and an inspiration in her professional life." She "credited him with helping her expand her business brand beyond golf" (POLITICO.com, 7/19). Gulbis said that Trump "encouraged her to 'lean in' and think of herself as a businessperson" (USATODAY.com, 7/19).

The Summer X Games appear poised to move to Minneapolis. The action sports property last night tweeted it would announce its new home today for '17 and '18, and separately, U.S. Bank Stadium foreshadowed an announcement about hosting "a major sporting event." ESPN and local officials could not be reached for comment. ESPN has been weighing bids for a new host city since March, when it walked away from the last year of a four-year deal with Circuit of the Americas in Austin, saying it wanted to find cooler weather or an indoor venue that could host the festival in its traditional mid-summer time frame instead of around Memorial Day weekend. ESPN officials visited Minneapolis in June.

RBC is expected to announce a "renewal of its sponsorship" for both the RBC Canadian Open and the RBC Heritage Presented by Boeing during a news conference today at the Canadian Open. PGA Tour sponsorship deals "typically run four or five years, though the Honda Classic this year announced a 10-year extension." RBC has "been the primary sponsor" of the Heritage since '12 (Hilton Head ISLAND PACKET, 7/20).

The NHL Panthers have reached a multiyear extension with WQAM-AM to continue to broadcast all of the team's regular-season and playoff games. Play-by-play announcer Doug Plagens and analyst Bill Lindsay will return. The Panthers as part of the partnership will air a 30-minute pregame show, as well as a 15-minute postgame show. The station also will introduce "Panthers Wednesday," which will feature player interviews throughout the day (CBS Radio).

ReplyBuy has signed a two-year deal with the Spurs that will allow fans to buy tickets via text message. The agreement, financial terms of which were were not disclosed, also covers other Spurs Sports & Entertainment-owned franchises: the NBA D-League Austin Spurs, WNBA San Antonio Stars, AHL San Antonio Rampage and USL San Antonio FC (John Lombardo, Staff Writer).

ReplyBuy also has signed a three-year deal with the Suns and Talking Stick Arena, which, like the Spurs' pact, allows fans to "instantaneously purchase tickets on their mobile devices by simply responding to a text message." The deal also includes the WNBA Phoenix Mercury and AFL Arizona Rattlers. ReplyBuy is based in Scottsdale (BIZJOURNALS.com, 7/18).

Visa today said that it had "signed sponsorship deals with all ten members" of the IOC's refugee team, "essentially becoming their first corporate sponsor." The athletes – six men and four women – will compete in swimming, judo and track & field. The team "includes five athletes from South Sudan, two from Syria, two from Democratic Republic of Congo and one from Ethiopia." The company "can use the refugees in their marketing campaigns if the IOC approves it" (REUTERS, 7/20).

Husqvarna has become the official lawn partner for the '16 season with three Canadian MLS clubs: Toronto FC, the Impact and the Whitecaps. Husqvarna is launching halftime promos at select games in which fans equipped with a leaf blower will be challenged to score goals using the blower to direct an inflated soccer ball. In addition, the Whitecaps and Husqvarna are partnering on a new campaign called Trees for Goals. For every goal the Whitecaps score at home, Husqvarna is planting 100 trees within B.C. (Husqvarna).

The Pirates have partnered with Uber, which becomes the team's official ride-sharing partner (Pirates).

Florida A&M Univ. AD Milton Overton Jr. said that the school's Sept. 3 football season opener against the Univ. of Miami is "still scheduled to be played in Miami" as renovations continue at the Dolphins' stadium (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 7/20).

The NBA Kings will "break in Golden 1 Center against Israeli club Maccabi Haifa on Oct. 10," one of two preseason games the team will play at its new arena (SACRAMENTO BEE, 7/20).

The USGA today will announce it is "bringing its newest championship – the U.S. Amateur Four-Ball" – to Chambers Bay in '19 from May 25-29 (Tacoma NEWS TRIBUNE, 7/20).

“We are the state that gave LeBron James his first two championships” – Florida Republican Party Chair Blaise Ingoglia, when announcing the state’s delegate vote tally at the RNC. The comment drew some playful jeers at Quicken Loans Arena, home of the Cavaliers (Mult., 7/19).

“This is the NCAA trying to make some basketball news in July” – Dallas Morning News columnist Tim Cowlishaw, on the NCAA Tournament possibly allowing No. 1 seeds to submit their site preferences (“Around The Horn,” ESPN, 7/19).

"If Bill would have been alive, I probably would have asked Bill to do it" – Former 49ers Owner Eddie DeBartolo Jr., on his desire to have late coach Bill Walsh present him for induction into the Pro Football HOF this August. DeBartolo's oldest daughter, Lisa, will do the honors instead (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/20).

"Russia Has Earned An Olympic Ban" – Headline for a N.Y. POST editorial on how the IOC should respond to Monday's report from WADA of Russia's state-sponsored doping program (N.Y. POST, 7/20).

The MMQB notes, "Joe Lockhart once helped successfully steer Bill Clinton through impeachment. Now, as the NFL’s top PR official, the former White House press secretary takes on an equally daunting task: repairing the image of the league and its embattled commissioner."

The L.A. TIMES goes with the header, "Another Vestige Of Olympic Purity Falls Away With Las Vegas Sports Books Taking Bets On Games."
 
Also:

• Columnist feels MLB should have more Latino GMs, managers.
• After court ruling, should opponents of Warriors' arena give up?
• Carmelo Anthony felt compelled to speak out on rash of violence.
• Tracing John Wildhack's unlikely journey to become Syracuse AD.

We are about to see more spin on Big 12 expansion candidates than at either convention https://t.co/KYnbDpk58V

— Dan Wolken (@DanWolken) July 19, 2016

All the B12 candidates have some positive and some/many weaknesses. There's a reason none have been taken yet. Not much of a beauty pageant.

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) July 20, 2016

Dana White's case for Trump: He's my friend and he's nice to me. And the PBS crew seems ... bemused? By his mere presence? Strange times.

— Ben Fowlkes (@benfowlkesMMA) July 20, 2016

The ticket sales team for #RNCinCLE must be sweating. Looking sparse in there.

— Anton Wimmer (@unton13) July 20, 2016

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com

Court 18 done #renovation pic.twitter.com/Xl67lOZMSA

— Wimbledon Groundsman (@AELTCGroundsman) July 20, 2016

New York State officials, MLB, the MLBPA and Harlem RBI will announce a project at Roberto Clemente State Park in the Bronx. MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, MLBPA Senior Adviser Omar Minaya and Yankees DH Alex Rodriguez will be on hand.

The Paley Center for Media in N.Y. will host a panel discussion featuring MLB's Manfred and NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman, moderated by SBD/SBJ Exec Editor Abe Madkour.

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

“Before he headed up the Supreme Court, he argued only one case before it – a 1796 case he ironically argued on states’ rights grounds.”

Fox’ Michael Strahan appeared on NBC’s “Late Night” last night and talked about his fashion line, Collection by Michael Strahan. He said of typical NFL locker-room fashion: “It looks like a bag of Skittles broke open. You had like yellow suits, blue suits, purple suits, you had it all, man. I’m like, ‘Where do they even sell this fabric?’ ... You have to be fashion-forward and you have to keep up with all this stuff, because if not, they talk bad about you. So I’ve always been into it.” Strahan also discussed the new film “Ice Age: Collision Course,” in which he voices an animated bunny character: “I’m sure when they looked at the list of who they could get to do this voice they said, ‘Who has the teeth of a bunny?’” (“Late Night,” NBC, 7/19).

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said of the Republican National Convention during the “Pros and Cons” segment, “Pro: Hearing Trump tell the crowd, ‘I do not condone violence or fighting.’ Con: ‘And now please welcome our next speaker, the president of the Ultimate Fighting Championship.’ … Pro: Tim Tebow was asked to speak but he passed. Con: And then got intercepted.” During a skit in which Fallon impersonated Trump and addressed the RNC, Fallon said of a viral picture of Paul Ryan with his almost entirely white group of interns, “It’s fantastic to be here, home of Cleveland’s great football team, the Cleveland Browns, and home of Paul Ryan’s great intern team, the Cleveland Whites” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 7/19).

“Who was John Marshall?”