Former NFLer John Lynch is the 49ers’ "stunning choice" as GM, ending a four-week search that "never publicly connected him to the opening." 49ers CEO Jed York said that Lynch "won over the 49ers brass with his leadership and communication skills, as well as his link to former 49ers coach Bill Walsh." Lynch and presumptive coach Kyle Shanahan are each "expected to land six-year contracts despite no previous experience" in those roles. The 49ers today "plan to introduce Lynch on a media conference call" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/30).

Meanwhile, the Colts named Chiefs Dir of Player Personnel Chris Ballard GM. He replaces Ryan Grigson, who earlier this month was "fired after five seasons." The team will "hold a news conference" today (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 1/30).

Yesterday's Pro Bowl drew a crowd of 60,834 at Orlando's Camping World Stadium, the "fifth-largest turnout for the NFL’s annual all-star game" since the '70 season (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/30). The crowd was announced as a sellout "despite chilly conditions, with temperatures hovering in the low 50s at kickoff" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/30). There were a few "hiccups like parking-lot traffic leading to parking lots hours before the game and overly crowded concession stands." The wait at the NFL Shop "looked to be an hour." Otherwise, it was "good times all around" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/30). A "one-day fan appreciation sale of Pro Bowl merchandise" is being held today from 8:00am-6:00pm on Tinker Field. All merchandise will be 50% off (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/30).

Politics will "become part of the conversation" in the week leading up to Super Bowl LI with about 5,000 media members converging on Houston. The "sweeping culture change brought in by the Trump administration" has led to "large-scale demonstrations not seen in this country" since the '60s. This will be a "topic of discussion," and "perhaps a big one" (NEWSDAY, 1/30).

Patriots QB Tom Brady will likely "field at least one Trump question" during tonight's Opening Night media event, given his "friendship" with the President. He "might consider having something substantive planned, if only for the chance to put it past him." Brady would be "well served to arrive with a well-prepared answer" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/30).

Ticket resale prices for Super Bowl LI have fallen steadily in recent days, showing a marked weakness compared to a year ago. The average resale price now stands at $4,697, according to StubHub, down 11% from a comparable point before Super Bowl 50 last year, and down 5% from Friday. Ticket aggregator TicketIQ last night showed similar data, with an average get-in listing price of $2,208 down by a third from last year. StubHub GM for North America Perkins Miller said he does not believe the introduction of On Location Experiences into the market selling Super Bowl travel and hospitality packages has made much of a difference in the overall ticket resale market for the event.

He said, "They’ve occupied a premium position in the market, and we think the idea of selling the event from more a festival weekend type of approach is a good one. But I think we’re appealing to a broader set of fans." The host state of Texas leads all territories with 20% of Super Bowl sales on StubHub. Massachusetts now represents the second-largest territory at 14.7%, while Georgia is third at 13.9%.

Meanwhile, StubHub for the game has introduced  a new virtual view tool that provides a 360-degree panoramic view from each section of NRG Stadium. The virtual view technology has been in development for much of the past year. “It’s the first we’ve used it for the Super Bowl, and it’s gained a lot of traction very quickly,” Miller said.

Nationwide today announced it will remain an official auto, home and life insurance sponsor of the NFL for the next four years. The company will continue as the presenting sponsor of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The new agreement includes associate sponsorship of the NFL Draft and provides additional Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award integrations into the first and third rounds of the NFL Draft. Nationwide also remains a top-tier sponsor of NFL Honors (Nationwide).

The U.S. men's national team's friendly against Serbia at Qualcomm Stadium was a "largely drab affair," and the crowd was "equally ho-hum." Attendance was "announced at 20,079 but, several stadium insiders admitted, was closer to 17,000 despite a Sunday afternoon kickoff, pristine weather and the growing buzz" of an MLS franchise coming to San Diego. U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati noted that the crowd was "larger than most for January friendlies." The "last time the U.S. men had a smaller crowd" at Qualcomm Stadium was 15,253 for Paraguay in '98 (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 1/30). 

Meanwhile, the Bay Area will "host a World Cup Final Round Qualifier" for the first time since '97 when the U.S. faces Honduras at Avaya Stadium on March 24. The match will mark coach Bruce Arena's "first World Cup qualifier since taking over from Jurgen Klinsmann." Due to "high demand and a limited supply of tickets at 18,000-seat Avaya Stadium, U.S. Soccer will use a lottery system to allocate tickets" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 1/30).

The Timbers have signed a multiyear partnership with SeatGeek that will see the N.Y.-based ticket platform become the fan’s marketplace provider for secondary tickets beginning with the ’17 season and its official primary ticketing provider starting in ’19. As part of the deal, the Timbers will utilize SeatGeek’s new open ticket distribution platform, SeatGeek Open. Financial terms were not disclosed. Previously, the Timbers were aligned with StubHub for their official secondary ticketing business. Their current primary ticketing provider is Spectra Ticketing & Fan Engagement. The deal follows a similar one SeatGeek signed last year with Sporting KC.

For more, see today’s edition of THE DAILY.

Virginia-Villanova at Wells Fargo Center yesterday drew a crowd of 20,907 fans, the largest to see a college basketball game in the state of Pennsylvania. It surpasses the 20,890 that saw UConn-Villanova at the same arena in '12 (THE DAILY).

NBA coaches this past weekend wore bowties “out of respect” for longtime National Basketball Coaches Association Exec Dir Michael Goldberg, who died last week of cancer at 73 (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 1/29).

A federal judge has unsealed details about former MLB Cardinals Scouting Dir Chris Correa's hacking of the Astros' email and player evaluation databases, “clearing the way” for MLB to “impose sanctions against the Cardinals as soon as this week” (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 1/29)

Cadillac runs a full-page ad in today's N.Y. Times marking its class win in this weekend's IMSA Rolex 24 at Daytona. It was Cadillac's debut in the series (THE DAILY). 

The estimated attendance for the four-day Winter X Games in Aspen was 105,000 (ASPEN DAILY NEWS, 1/30).

The Brewers, who “do not own any of their farm clubs,” are “in negotiations to buy” the Single-A Carolina League Carolina Mudcats (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 1/30).

"I don’t know if it will ever be the same, but in order to do what is best for the Patriots franchise long term, I believe it is best to compartmentalize and move on" – Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, on his relationship with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in the wake of Deflategate (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 1/30).

"No, no, no, my coaching career is over" – Hockey HOFer Wayne Gretzky, after filling in as coach of the Metropolitan Division team at yesterday's NHL All-Star Game (Torrance DAILY BREEZE, 1/30).

“The sport is dramatically over-commercialized” – Bundesliga CEO Christian Seifert, on the NFL (SPONSORs.de, 1/27).

"For some reason, it hasn't transferred over to women's team sports. I would love for someone to say to me we've done a comprehensive study and here's why women's team sports don't generate the same level of excitement as an individual female athlete. I've thought about it, and I've thought about it, and I can't come to any kind of conclusion” – UConn women’s coach Geno Auriemma, on why women’s team sports are less popular than individual sports (HARTFORD COURANT, 1/29).

"He was as key a voice in making the Fox-NFL deal as anyone (before the 1994 season). That changed the TV landscape and the money involved for not only the NFL but all sports" – Former Fox Sports exec Ed Goren, on whether Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones is worthy of the Pro Football HOF (DALLASNEWS.com, 1/27).

"It’s dangerous to claim that a single outcome is 'good' for a sport -- the best thing about sports is that it’s reliably defiant, ruthless in tearing up the desired script -- but the rush of positive energy and goodwill generated by this match was undeniable" – Wall Street Journal columnist Jason Gay, on the Australian Open final between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/30).

The CHARLOTTE OBSERVER offered an in-depth look at the NFL’s concussion data, which showed a drop in concussions suffered during games in ’16. The OBSERVER wrote the database suggests the NFL “should do more” to protect DBs from head injuries. Also, a concussion expert is concerned about teams potentially underreporting head injuries.

The HOUSTON CHRONICLE noted the NFL's decision to bring Super Bowl LI to Houston "helped prompt wireless providers to upgrade infrastructure at NRG stadium." Meanwhile, USA TODAY reports the market is also "prepared for a steady stream of NFL celebrities to make their way to town, and the anticipated influx has sent prices skyrocketing."

Also: 

• This year's World Baseball Classic could be "the final go-round."
• Bryant Gumbel explores the intersection of street violence and basketball in Chicago.
• Ohio State AD Gene Smith explains decision to join the CFP selection committee.
• Michael Goldberg was a "long-admired advocate for generations of NBA coaches."
• Chargers fans "might take solace" in seeing Tomlinson and Coryell join the HOF.
• Clippers, Verizon facilitate trip for twelve teens to attend game against Warriors.

I know some CBB purists don’t like it, but I think it’s good to have some marquee non-con. games during Super Bowl bye weekend.

— Raphielle Johnson (@raphiellej) January 29, 2017

Please give me more big-time non-conference matchups this time of year. KU-UK and Virginia-Nova this weekend were both tremendous.

— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanESPN) January 29, 2017

I'm hearing #49ers GM John Lynch will give assistant GM Tom Gamble chance through the draft to prove he should remain with the organization.

— Matt Maiocco (@MaioccoCSN) January 30, 2017

Took a break from the news and watched a bit of the NHL all star game(s). Brutal. Where's John Scott when you need him?

— Peter Mansbridge (@petermansbridge) January 29, 2017

The prospective ownership group for a San Diego-based MLS franchise will hold a press conference today on the flight deck of the USS Midway Museum, beginning at 11:30am PT. The group is expected to provide details about its plans to build a soccer stadium on the current Qualcomm Stadium property, and MLS Commissioner Don Garber will attend.

Impact Owner Joey Saputo will address the local business community as the featured speaker at a Canadian Club of Montreal luncheon, beginning at 12:00pm ET.

The founders of a new support group called Faces of CTE will hold a news conference at the Regis Hotel in Houston at 1:00pm CT to announce the launch of their initiative. The group launched its website, FacesOfCTE.com on Saturday.

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Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “African Cities.”

“The coat of arms of this South African city shows two cornucopias, pouring out flowers and water.”

NBC’s “The Tonight Show” on Friday featured the recurring segment, “Thank You Notes.” Host Jimmy Fallon said, “Thank you, classic Patriots logo, or as Kellyanne Conway calls you, 'Dad?'” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/27).

“What is Bloemfontein?”