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Tuesday 9:00am ET....Today's News....Pats' Victory Lap Begins

  • Patriots' Parade Could Draw Up To 1 Million Despite Weather
  • Declines At ESPN Could Cause Concern For Disney Investors
  • Smith, Hill Bring New Energy To 6:00pm "SportsCenter"
  • Mark Teixeira Expected To Join ESPN As Studio Analyst

Start your morning with Buzzcast, a 2-minute podcast on today's top stories.
Today: What the numbers mean around Super Bowl LI; behind the body language in yesterday's MVP presentation and what to look for in Disney's upcoming earnings report.

Patriots' Parade Could Draw Up To 1 Million Despite Weather

The Patriots today host their Super Bowl championship parade starting at 11:00am ET, and "up to 1 million soggy but fired-up" fans are expected along the route in Boston despite forecasts of rain and a high of 36 degrees. Mayor Martin Walsh noted that the parade is "taking place today instead of tomorrow, which has a much better weather forecast, because the players’ season officially ends tomorrow and many have plans for vacation." The procession will feature 22 duck boats (BOSTON HERALD, 2/7). Later today, Patriots Owner Robert Kraft, President Jonathan Kraft and a group of players "will bring the Super Bowl trophy" to Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I., for a free event at 4:00pm (PROVIDENCE JOURNAL, 2/7).

Meanwhile, the front page from an early edition of yesterday's Boston Globe continues to turn heads on social media and elsewhere. The headline for the edition, distributed mostly in Florida, read "Bitter End" and was accompanied by a "large picture of a downtrodden Tom Brady." This was the "product of early deadlines for a big game" in which the Falcons dominated most of the first three quarters (PALMBEACHPOST.com, 2/6).

Belichick, Edelman Talk Super Bowl Win On "The Tonight Show"

Patriots coach Bill Belichick and WR Julian Edelman appeared together on NBC’s “The Tonight Show” last night, receiving an ovation when they walked onto the set. Belichick: “That’s the loudest cheer I’ve ever heard from New York for us.” Host Jimmy Fallon said to Belichick, “Do you mind if I call you coach?” Belichick: “Oh yeah, because I’ve been called a lot worse than that.” Fallon: “You have the best game face out of any coach in the history of the game. ... You intimidate me when I watch you. Right now, I'm a little scared.” Belichick said he was just "really focused on the field."

Edelman said of his memorable catch late in the fourth quarter, “After it all happened, I was kind of disappointed in my route, I'm not going to lie. I should have stuck in a little harder.” Fallon: “I was going to say that. We were all feeling that.” Edelman said after the catch, he told Patriots QB Tom Brady, “Let's get to the ball and snap it so they can't review it. ... You don't know what a catch is nowadays” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 2/6).

Patriots WR Danny Amendola appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night. Amendola said he was “up late with Snoop Dogg” after the game. Host Jimmy Kimmel asked, “Do they drug test in the offseason?” Amendola is from the Houston area, so he had to get 22 Super Bowl tickets. When asked how he acquired so many, he said, “You buy them. The Patriots hire somebody to give them to you so I go through them.” Kimmel asked whether NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell came to the postgame party. Amendola: “I think we invited him. ... I don’t know that he came, though. I was with Snoop” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 2/6).

Declines At ESPN Could Cause Concern For Disney Investors

Disney is scheduled to announce Q1 earnings after the market closes today. A "big drop in Disney's television business, led by ESPN, caused a rare miss for the entertainment giant" for the period ending in October. Investors will "dissect Disney’s results for signs of whether the bad news is abating or accelerating." They will want "more details on the company’s plan to offer some ESPN content 'over the top'" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 2/7).

Smith, Hill Bring New Energy To 6:00pm "SportsCenter"

ESPN last night debuted the revamped 6:00pm ET “SportsCenter,” hosted by Jemele Hill and Michael Smith. The broadcast opened with a recreation of the opening from “The Golden Girls,” with the show’s theme song playing and Smith and Hill being introduced as if they were on a sitcom. Smith said, “Welcome to our new home, Studio X, your new spot for the best 60 minutes of your day.” Hill thanked ESPN for their new set, saying, “This has been a huge, huge deal that you’ve made, and thank you for all the hard work” (“SportsCenter,” ESPN, 2/6).

   

Mark Teixeira Expected To Join ESPN As Studio Analyst

Recently retired MLBer Mark Teixeira "will join ESPN as an analyst," with the network expected to announce the hire today. He is "expected to work in the studio and could begin" during Spring Training. Teixeira "previously worked on the radio and was a guest host" on ESPN Radio's "Mike & Mike" in '14. He was "known for his frank insights and sometimes blunt appraisals during his playing career" (N.Y. TIMES, 2/7).

Sun Life Financial To Sponsor Royals, Partner On Diabetes Awareness

By Alex Silverman

The Royals agreed to a partnership with Canada-based Sun Life Financial through the '20 season that focuses on fundraising and community events for diabetes awareness, as well as general health and physical activity. Sponsorship assets include radio spots, in-stadium exposure and IP rights. Sun Life will make donations to a different charity each season for every strikeout Royals pitchers record, beginning with the K.C. chapter of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation in '17. The company also will sponsor Royals Charity events and host the P.L.A.Y. clinic, a four-week youth fitness challenge. The deal, handled in-house on both sides, follows Sun Life’s acquisition of K.C.-based Assurant Employee Benefits last March.

IAAF Extends Russia's Track & Field Ban Through World Championships

Russia "will miss" track & field's World Championships in London this August after the IAAF "voted to extend their suspension from international competition for state-sponsored doping." Some Russians "may be able to compete under a neutral banner." Russia, initially suspended by the IAAF in November '15, is "now not expected to be fully reinstated until November." The decision to extend the suspension came at an IAAF Council meeting yesterday in Monaco (BBC.com, 2/6).

WME-IMG To Rep Olympic Medal-Winning Fencer Chamley-Watson

By Daniel Kaplan

WME-IMG signed U.S. fencer Miles Chamley-Watson for representation. Carlos Fleming, who manages Venus Williams, as well as Cam Newton for marketing, will represent Watson. Watson, the only American to win the World Championships, is currently featured in a Nike ad with Roger Federer and Serena Williams. The son of a former fashion model, he has himself walked runways and been featured in campaigns for VFiles and Ximon Lee. He won the Bronze Medal at the Rio Games.

Speed Reads....

The 49ers yesterday officially named Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan their new head coach. He is "expected to be formally announced at a news conference this week at Levi's Stadium" (SACRAMENTO BEE, 2/7).

E-sports gamer Lee "Faker" Sang-hyeok's first stream on Twitch.tv "saw a peak of 245,100 viewers, which the site says is a record for concurrent viewers for an individual streamer's channel." The stream was part of a new partnership between Twitch and Faker's team, SK Telecom T1 (ESPN.com, 2/7).

Quick Hits....

"My understanding was it was settled quite a while back, so it's not surprising. It's been the better part of a year and half, two years kind of there's been closure in our minds" – Saints coach Sean Payton, on team Owner Tom Benson reaching a settlement in a long-running legal dispute with his heirs (NOLA.com, 2/6).

"You know where his jersey is? I got it. I'm washing it right now with my Tide, right here in the laundry room. I'm going to send it back to him after I get it clean" – Fox' Terry Bradshaw, joking about Tom Brady's missing jersey from Super Bowl LI. Bradshaw starred in an ad for Tide during the game (USA TODAY, 2/7).

"I was excited to hear that he wants in and wants to grind. That’s what we need" – Lakers coach Luke Walton, on Basketball HOFer Magic Johnson joining the team in an advisory role (L.A. TIMES, 2/7).

Morning Hot Reads: Turn And Face The Strange

ESPN.com wrote NASCAR with its recent competition format changes seems "more intent on using market research to attract fans that don't yet exist rather than listening to the ones who have patiently remained with them." The sport's "diminished popularity in America over the last decade might just be a product of the constant tinkering," and the most recent overhaul "smacks of desperation."

GOLF.com profiles Pebble Beach Exec VP/Golf & Retail R.J. Harper, who has been the "key guy" at the course for 32 years. His ability to "befriend everyone from resort guests to PGA Tour stars, greenskeepers to captains of industry" makes him "one of the most-connected men on the planet." Meanwhile, Pebble Beach's preparation for the '19 U.S. Open is already under way.

Also

Twitter Me This....

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

Today's Back Pages....

The Morning Buzz offers today's back page sports covers from some of North America's major metropolitan tabloids:

 N.Y. Post  N.Y. Daily News Newsday   Boston HeraldChicago Sun-Times

Spanning The Global....

The most-read Global stories today on SportsBusiness Daily:

1) Real Madrid Lashes Out At La Liga Over Postponed Game, Threatens To Break Away
2) NHL Targets China As Next Big Business Opportunity Ahead Of 2022 Beijing Games
3) BMW Says Return To Formula 1 Does Not 'Tally' With Long-Term Strategy
4) Russia Increases Budget For 2018 World Cup By $325M To $10.8B
5) Donald Trump-Owned U.K. Golf Courses Feared To Be Targets Of Terrorists

Final Jeopardy!

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

“With depths of up to 30,000 feet, ocean trenches make up a zone named for this brother of Poseidon and his domain.”

Laugh Track: Big Game Hunting

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said of Super Bowl LI, "Is anyone else having strangely erotic feelings about Mr. Clean? Just me?" Kimmel on Tom Brady: "Just like the election: A rich white guy married to a model from another country who seemingly had no chance of winning actually did win. The Falcons were up 21-3 at halftime and then Lady Gaga got the Patriots all fired up. … I am now 100% convinced that Tom Brady is one of those ‘Westworld’ robots. More than 111 million Americans watched the game, the fourth most-watched television broadcast of all time. Advertisers paid more than $5 million for a 30-second commercial, which seems like too much money to remind us that avocados exist. Isn't running an ad for avocados on Super Bowl Sunday too late? It's the one day of the year we're already eating avocados, like running a commercial for turkey during Thanksgiving dinner” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 2/6).

CBS’ Stephen Colbert: “Atlanta hasn't been burned this badly since 1864. The Falcons were running away with it. I almost turned it off. It was 28-3. Then in the third quarter, FBI Director James Comey announced he was opening an investigation into Matt Ryan's emails. … The play of the game had to be Julian Edelman somehow reeling in this pass without the ball touching the ground. It is a play being re-enacted all over the Boston area today by hungover dads with their babies.” Colbert noted halftime performer Lady Gaga “stayed away from anything political, instead opting for a unifying message” with her recital of the Pledge of Allegiance and then jumping off the roof of NRG Stadium. Colbert: “She really captured the national mood of wanting to hurl yourself off a building” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 2/6).

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon on the Patriots: “You can tell that they've won a lot because when the commissioner presented the trophy, they just said, ‘Just throw it in the car.’ … (It) was also the first Super Bowl to ever go into overtime. Millions of Americans were like, ‘Great, more awkward small talk with my brother-in-law.’ … Tom Brady won his fifth Super Bowl and his fourth Super Bowl MVP award, or as he put it, ‘Maybe I will go to my high school reunion this year. I mean, I feel pretty good’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 2/6).

Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah: “I don't think I've ever seen football that insane. It is a comeback I will never forget and on top of that, they won their fifth championship! Wow! Congratulations Cameroon, the world champions of Africa! … That really happened last night, so (EXPLETIVE) y'all. While we’re talking about sports, we may as well congratulate the New England Patriots. … It was an amazing victory. It was like David and Goliath if Goliath got back up and tore off David's head. It's nice to see things work out finally for Tom Brady. ... I think the only downside for Tom Brady was that after the game, Roger Goodell gave him a four-game suspension for overinflating Atlanta's hopes.” Noah said Lady Gaga gave an “amazing performance” and apparently, “Trump's immigration ban doesn't apply to women from outer space” (“The Daily Show,” Comedy Central, 2/6).