PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem today "will hold his last end-of-the-season news conference" at East Lake Golf Club, where he will "pitch for one final time what a great season it has been and how brilliant the future appears." Observers should "not expect the final Finchem wrap-up at the Tour Championship to be a comprehensive fault-finding mission," because it "never is." The retiring Finchem is "expected to hand over the keys" to Deputy Commissioner Jay Monahan "as early as the beginning of the year" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/20).

ESPN today will start soliciting bids to host the '19 and '20 Summer X Games, with a deadline to notify the network by Nov. 1. Earlier this year, Minneapolis won rights to '17 and '18 after the action sports property cut ties with Circuit of the Americas in Austin. ESPN is starting the search now to build the franchise in other cities, a spokesperson said. Minneapolis will be free to pursue an extension via this RFP. Sports Minneapolis Exec Dir Scott Romane said local organizers will evaluate the RFP, but have made no decisions yet about pursuing the second contract. More info can be found at xgames.com/bid.

PBR today named Real Time Pain Relief the title sponsor of its second-tier Velocity Tour, which began in '14 as the BlueDEF Velocity Tour. The series will consist of 31 events in '17, with expansion planned to include up to 60 events by '19. The tour, which currently visits 26 cities in 20 states, will continue for the remainder of this season under BlueDEF's title sponsorship, concluding Oct. 29-31 in Las Vegas. PBR and Real Time Pain Relief negotiated the deal directly (THE DAILY).

Clark cited the recent incident in Tulsa where a police officer shot and killed an unarmed black man and said, “It was just an opportunity to show support and show people that this is still going on” (“Mike & Mike,” ESPN Radio, 9/20).

Athletes First yesterday said that it had hired coaches' agent and former NFLer Trace Armstrong as VP & Dir of Coaching, but CAA said Armstrong is still employed at CAA Sports. A CAA spokesperson wrote via email, "While we do not comment on personnel matters, I can confirm that Trace Armstrong remains an employee of CAA Sports." Attorney Jeffrey Kessler is representing Armstrong and disputed the agency's contention that Armstrong still works at CAA Sports. "He has resigned and is working for A-1," Kessler emailed. "CAA has been sent a resignation letter. If CAA is contending something else, it is incorrect."

See today's issue of THE DAILY for more.

MLS "has backtracked on awarding Toronto FC a playoff berth." The league had said that the club "booked its ticket to the postseason" with Sunday's 3-3 draw against the Red Bulls, making it the "first team" into the '16 playoffs. But MLS "subsequently discovered a mathematical error had occurred when calculating" playoff scenarios (CP, 9/19). MLS Communications last night tweeted, "Upon further analysis, @FCDallas are the first team to secure a playoff spot. @torontofc has not clinched yet" (TWITTER.com, 9/19).

A Brazilian justice has "blocked assets" of Spain-based OBS, which "serves as the host broadcaster organization for the Olympic Games." The decision announced today "impacts any financial resources, trucks, equipment and furniture used in Brazil" by the company. The ruling states the objective is to assure "compensation for possible damages to workers hired by OBS." Investigators claim that OBS "has to pay damages to overworked employees" for the Rio Olympic and Paralympic Games. OBS was created by the IOC in '01 (AP, 9/19).

The '16 Motorsports Marketing Forum will be held Nov. 30-Dec. 1 at Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas. For more information, visit www.motorsportsmarketingforum.com.

Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins, CB Ron Brooks and DEs Marcus Smith and Steven Means last night "held their right fists in the air while the national anthem played" prior to the "MNF" game against the Bears in Chicago (PENNLIVE.com, 9/19).

The Baltimore City Council yesterday gave its "final approval" to a $660M public funding package for Under Armour Founder, Chair & CEO Kevin Plank's planned Port Covington development (Baltimore SUN, 9/20).

The Univ. of Houston's Nov. 17 home football game against Louisville at TDECU Stadium is "officially a sellout," and a "limited number of standing-room-only tickets remain" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/20).

Chevrolet runs a full-page ad in USA Today congratulating IndyCar driver Simon Pagenaud and Team Penske for winning the '16 Verizon IndyCar Series championship: "Most Drivers Are Pushed By An Engine. One Was Pushed By An Entire Company" (THE DAILY).

"Status quo" – NHL Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly's comment after a meeting yesterday among the league, NHLPA and IIHF regarding future Olympic participation (TSN.ca, 9/19).

“They say from the restaurant that you can see things like the players go by and sometimes you have to see the whole franchise” – ESPN’s Bomani Jones, on whether U.S. Bank Stadium has a “flawed design” after Vikings staff had to carry injured RB Adrian Peterson back to the locker room through a premium club area (“Highly Questionable,” ESPN, 9/19).

SI examines how NBA Commissioner Adam Silver may handle player protests during the National Anthem this season. Though the league has "come a long way socially, no NBA player has had a message as pinpointed" as 49ers QB Colin Kaepernick’s. What "remains to be seen is how the NBA would deal with its players if they began to specifically call out the police or other institutions with a visible protest."

Also: 

• Parking costs for Rams games have brought "sticker shock to new heights."
• WNBA Fever F Tamika Catchings' retirement will leave void with players union.
• Dutch FA goes high-tech to handle soccer hooligans.
• Dodgers' Vin Scully sits for NPR "Morning Edition" interview.

PGA Tour season wraps up this week. Followed by whopping 18 days before next $eason begins.

— Brian Wacker (@brianwacker1) September 20, 2016

Trend worth keeping an eye on: Total college football viewing up +12% in first two weeks across 8 national networks.

— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) September 19, 2016

ESPN is thoroughly covering pending political demonstration by @Eagles players on @NFL_MNF. Big difference from network coverage Sunday.

— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) September 20, 2016

NBC should have been fighting like hell to keep the Bears (@Dallas) out of prime time next Sunday even BEFORE this prime time disaster...

— Michael Wilbon (@RealMikeWilbon) September 20, 2016

Enjoying the World Cup games (after the moslty zzz pre-tourney games), but ESPN drooling getting to me. They didnt like hockey 3 weeks ago

— Steve Zipay (@stevezipay) September 20, 2016

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

“In 1948 he wrote he had an idea for a novel in which two guys hitchhike to California 'in search of something they don’t really find.'"

“Who is Jack Kerouac?” Kerouac’s novel was “On the Road.”