Speed Reads....

A crowd of 31,635 attended the CONCACAF Gold Cup quarterfinal doubleheader yesterday at Lincoln Financial Field, which saw Costa Rica defeat Panama in the first game, followed by the U.S. defeating El Salvador in the second game (CSNPHILLY.com, 7/19). The crowd "split evenly" for El Salvador and the U.S. for their matchup (PHILLY.com, 7/19). 

A billboard went up in Chicago yesterday "one mile northeast" of United Center with the copy, "We're No Longer Seeing Red #FireGarPax." The message, which references Bulls Senior VP/Basketball Operations John Paxson and GM Gar Forman, was "paid for by a GoFundMe campaign" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 7/20).

Liberty Univ. has extended its deal with Nike through '24 for all of the school's D-I programs (Liberty).

Rolex today runs a full-page ad in the N.Y. Times promoting its sponsorship of The Open Championship: "When Your Traditions Give Rise To Champions, You've Made History."