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Thursday 9:00am ET....Today's News....Costas Takes A Step Back

  • Costas Stepping Down As NBC Olympic Host; Tirico To Fill Role
  • NBA, Take-Two Launching E-Sports Venture Around "NBA 2K"
  • Las Vegas Stadium Authority Meeting As Funding Questions Loom
  • Goodyear To Sponsor Cavs Uniforms In NBA's Fifth Jersey Deal

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Today: A new voice for NBC’s Olympics coverage is coming in '18, while the NBA dives head-first into e-sports and a Splash Brother gets political.

Costas Stepping Down As NBC Olympic Host; Tirico To Fill Role

By John Ourand

Bob Costas is stepping down as primetime host of NBC Sports Group’s Olympic coverage, ending a record-setting run that saw him host 11 Games for the network since '92. Mike Tirico will replace Costas as the net’s full-time primetime host starting with next year’s PyeongChang Games. “This is a great way to pass the torch from one iconic figure to someone who’s on his way to becoming an iconic figure in the sports broadcasting world,” said NBC Broadcasting & Sports Chair Mark Lazarus.

The change means Costas is unlikely to travel to future Olympics, though he may produce some pieces and provide voice-overs for some stories. Costas also will stop hosting “Sunday Night Football,” which he has been doing from the stadium. He still will be part of NBC Sports Group’s Triple Crown coverage and will be used around bigger NFL events like the playoffs and Super Bowl. “He’ll have an on-going role around our big and iconic events,” Lazarus said. “But in terms of day-to-day, he’s taking a step back as he heads towards slowing down his trajectory with us.”

Read the full story.

NBA, Take-Two Launching E-Sports Venture Around "NBA 2K"

By Ben Fischer and John Lombardo

The NBA will launch the NBA 2K eLeague in early '18, becoming the first U.S. pro sports league to establish a virtual gaming offshoot. The new entity is a joint venture with longtime NBA licensee Take-Two Interactive Software. NBA VP/Global Partnerships Matt Holt said that about half the league’s 30 franchises are expected to participate at launch.

Team execs see the deal as a way to enter the growing e-sports market at a time when there is a shortage of viable e-sports franchises for sale. Holt said that with interest soaring, the league felt it best to commit its energy to basketball simulations. Holt: “We’ve had obviously a lot of activity in the space with our ownership groups, we’ve talked to a lot of different players in the gaming world about ways we could potentially participate in the e-sports world. ... This is the place where it makes sense.”

See today's issue of THE DAILY for more.

Las Vegas Stadium Authority Meeting As Funding Questions Loom

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority today is scheduled to meet publicly for the first time since Las Vegas Sands Chair & CEO Sheldon Adelson "pulled out of the deal" to help fund a stadium for the Raiders. The meeting comes as "questions remain over the funding for the facility" (AP, 2/9).

The current stadium plan calls for UNLV football to share the venue, but if the Raiders' move to Las Vegas falls through, UNLV still would have "some options" under legislation passed last October. If the Stadium Authority is "unsuccessful in wooing a team and getting the 65,000 seat facility built," UNLV President Len Jessup has "three months from the time that effort ends to determine if he wants a facility just for the Rebels" (SBNATION.com, 2/7).

Ace Hardware Signs Jim Furyk To Multiyear Endorsement Deal

By John Lombardo

Ace Hardware has signed a multiyear endorsement deal with golfer Jim Furyk that puts the company’s logo on Furyk’s right sleeve during tournament competition. The deal begins this weekend at the AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am. Intersport represented Ace on the deal, while Furyk is repped by The Legacy Agency. Ace already is a PGA Tour official marketing partner, but the Furyk agreement is the only PGA Tour player deal with Ace. The company previously was endorsed by Hunter Mahan.

Charles Oakley Arrested After Scuffle In Stands At Knicks Game

Former NBAer Charles Oakley was "hauled out" of MSG by security during last night's Clippers-Knicks game, then "handcuffed and taken to jail in front of a stunned star-studded crowd just a few feet" from Knicks Owner James Dolan. Oakley "vehemently denied that he yelled" at Dolan, and he said that MSG security "asked him to leave because Dolan did not want him there." It was the "ugliest chapter yet in a rapidly deteriorating Knicks season, all on full display in front of a nationally televised audience" and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 2/9).

Mizzou Eyes Funding For Design Of Memorial Stadium Addition

Mizzou athletics today will propose "funding for an architect to design the south end zone facility for Memorial Stadium." While the Univ. of Missouri Board of Curators are voting only on whether to approve the architect, the measure is "expected to generate more dialogue than typical for an athletics funding project." The total project budget is $96.7M, with $4.31M committed to "cover the design costs through private gifts" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 2/8).

Speed Reads....

Time Inc. is "once again being pursued by potential buyers," but this time, the SI parent company "appears to be listening." The suitors include Des Moines-based Meredith Corp., an investment group that includes Accretive LLC (USA TODAY, 2/9).

Papa John's was named the official pizza partner of the NHRA. The pizza chain's involvement in the sport began last season with its sponsorship of Don Schumacher Racing and driver Leah Pritchett (Papa John's).

Cubs 3B Kris Bryant's likeness will be featured on Glu Mobile's "Tap Sports Baseball" for the second year in a row. The mobile game features all 30 teams and select former players under multiyear deals with MLB, the MLBPA, the MLB Players Alumni Association and Bryant himself (Glu Mobile).

A crowd of 30,617 was on hand for last night's Iceland-Mexico men's soccer friendly at Sam Boyd Stadium, the "largest attendance for a Las Vegas soccer match" on record. The previous record was 29,152 for Real Madrid-Santos Laguna in '12 at the same venue (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/9).

Vintage Senior Living co-Founder Eric Davidson "has purchased" the World TeamTennis Orange County Breakers (OCREGISTER.com, 2/8).

Quick Hits....

"It could happen as early as 2018 or it could take longer, but when we announced a partnership with the LPGA, this is one of many things that we've identified to really lift both tours" – PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan, on the possibility for a mixed men's/women's tournament at Kapalua (GOLF.com, 2/8).

"I don't think there were major problems with this athletic department. ... No need to come in and say you're going to clean house. That would be kind of a waste. You lose your institutional knowledge" – Lynn Swann, who took over as USC AD in July (L.A. DAILY NEWS, 2/9).

"I'm playing so bad right now, Tiger Woods could beat me" – Singer Huey Lewis, who took part in yesterday's 3M Celebrity Challenge, a warm-up for today's AT&T Pebble Beach Pro-Am (MONTEREY COUNTY HERALD, 2/9).

"I've had them, too ... but hitting mine was never that bad. He's got a lot of career, opportunities in front of him" – NASCAR team co-Owner Richard Petty, who believes Dale Earnhardt Jr. should have taken more time off from racing after suffering multiple concussions (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 2/9).

Morning Hot Reads: Immigrant's Song

The WASHINGTON POST writes in light of the recent efforts to ban people from seven predominately Muslim nations, UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma is reminded of his experience immigrating to the U.S. when he was 7. Auriemma said his struggles were “a little bit easier” because “he looked like the kid who lived next door.”

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) Pepsi Max Signs Agüero, Kompany, Sánchez For Champions League Campaign
2) Bill Gates Received Offer To Purchase Liverpool From Tom Hicks, George Gillett
3) NRL Side Parramatta Eels Likely To Start Season Without Major Shirt Sponsor
4) Allianz To Sponsor Drone Racing League In Deal Worth Reported $10M
5) WIN TV Owner Supporting Wollongong-Based A-League Expansion Team 

Final Jeopardy!

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

“In her memoirs Queen Liliuokalani tells us that before Hawaii had its own national anthem, it used this one.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “NBA Greats.”

$200: “Alphabetically first on the NBA’s list of its 50 greatest players is this Bucks, Lakers and Celebrity ‘Jeopardy!’ star.”
$400: “Sports Jeopardy” host Dan Patrick said, “In the 1998-99 season, this center led the Knicks as the team became the first ever to reach the Finals as an 8th seed.”
$600: “OKC fans were thunderstruck when this star announced he was leaving for Golden State.”
$800: “At the Beijing Olympics, the Chinese called this Laker Xiao Fei Xia or Peter Pan, due to his ‘flying’ ability.”
$1000: “This Houston ‘Dream’ added an ‘H’ to his first name midway through his pro career.”

Laugh Track: Mini Vacation

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said, “The snowstorm is hitting the entire northeast. In fact, Boston public schools have already announced that they'll be closed tomorrow. Kids in Boston are like, ‘Are you kidding? We haven't been in school since the Patriots won the Super Bowl’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 2/8).

TBS’ “Conan” aired a segment called “What am I watching?” in which host Conan O’Brien changes the program information on cable channels. Conan said, “I was watching C-SPAN for a bit. Watched it for a while and then I hit the button and it said, ‘What to watch when the nonstop excitement of The Golf Channel leaves you a physical and emotional wreck’” (“Conan,” TBS, 2/8).

Final Jeopardy....

“What is ‘God Save the Queen’?”

Correct responses to the “NBA Greats” category:

$200: “Who is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar?”
$400: “Who is Patrick Ewing?”
$600: “Who is Kevin Durant?”
$800: “Who is Kobe Bryant?”
$1000: “Who is Hakeem Olajuwon?”