NBC won the Dale Earnhardt Jr. sweepstakes, as the popular NASCAR driver signed a multiyear on-air deal with the net that takes effect in January, sources said. NBC is expected to make a formal announcement on the hire later this morning. Earnhardt will become a mainstay on NBC’s NASCAR coverage; the net carries the second half of NASCAR’s Monster Energy and Xfinity series seasons through ‘24. Earnhardt also will contribute to other parts of NBC’s programming outside of racing. It is possible that Earnhardt, a noted Redskins fan, could be worked into the net’s NFL or even Olympics coverage.

It is notable that Earnhardt signed his deal with NBCUniversal, not just NBC Sports. NBCUniversal Broadcasting & Sports Chair Mark Lazarus and NBC Sports Exec Producer Sam Flood cut the deal for NBC.

NBC has not decided how it will use Earnhardt in ’18. The net’s first NASCAR race is around a year away, and execs feel they have time to figure out the best way to insert him into its telecasts. Earnhardt also will be a big part of NBC’s coverage for the rest of this season, something NBC had planned well before the driver signed with the company. Earnhardt signed to WME for representation right around the time he announced his retirement, and the agency was able to assist on the broadcast talks alongside Earnhardt’s in-house team.

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A record-breaking English crowd of 235,000 attended the Open Championship at Royal Birkdale, setting the attendance record for a Championship staged outside of St. Andrews. This year surpassed the 230,000 mark set at Royal Liverpool in '06, making it the largest ever Championship held in England and reflects a 17% increase since the Open Championship last visited Royal Birkdale in '08. The overall Open Championship attendance record is 239,000 at St. Andrews in '00, followed by 237,000 at the same course in '15 (The Open Championship).

AT&T runs a full-page ad in USA Today congratulating Jordan Spieth on winning the Open Championship: "Another Stellar Performance, Another Major Championship." Coca-Cola also runs a full-page ad in USA Today: "Cheers To You, Jordan" (THE DAILY).

The announced attendance at yesterday's Manchester United-Real Madrid Int'l Champions Cup match at Levi's Stadium was 65,109 and it was "pretty real." The stands -- save for the "usual swaths of empty club seats on the sunbaked side -- appeared quite a bit fuller" than most 49ers games last season (S.F. CHRONICLE, 7/24). Fans "marched into Levi's wearing red jerseys for United, white for Madrid." This was their "moment to enjoy a European soccer experience" (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 7/24).

Meanwhile, hundreds of fans yesterday "flocked to" East L.A., as Manchester City "made a stop" to host the Manchester City Soccer Festival. Manchester City D Vincent Kompany said that he was "impressed by the crowd," noting that when he came to L.A. for the inaugural edition of the ICC five years ago, many people "knew little about the club" (L.A. TIMES, 7/24).

Packers shareholders will meet today at 11:00am CT at Lambeau Field, a “break from past schedules” because the Packers' first preseason game is on Aug. 10, a Thursday, instead of a Saturday. The shareholders meeting “traditionally is a day or two before players are scheduled to report for training camp and they report earlier this year because of the Thursday game.” The Packers are the only fan-owned team in the NFL and the only one to publicly report its finances. The team “has 363,948 shareholders,” and “between 8,000 and 12,000 normally attend annual meetings.” The meeting will include remarks by Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy, who is “expected to talk about the Titletown District and team plans for celebration” of its 100th year of football in ’18 (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 7/21).

Calgary’s Olympic bid exploration committee today will give the city council a progress update that “unequivocally concludes that making a bid for the 2026 Olympics is indeed feasible, pointing to fourteen key factors in coming to that conclusion.” The update is the last before the committee’s “final recommendation expected later this month.” The committee also “listed six unresolved issues that need answering before they’re ready to make their pitch.” These include “questions of funding, net benefit to Calgary and alignment into the city’s future vision, construction of new infrastructure and if a bid would have a reasonable chance of being successful” (CALGARY HERALD, 7/23).

Jamaica defeated Mexico 1-0 last night in a Gold Cup semifinal at the Rose Bowl. The match drew a crowd of crowd of 42,393, “believed to be the smallest to see El Tri at the Rose Bowl in 20 years.” Jamaica will face the USMNT on Wednesday at Levi’s Stadium (L.A. TIMES, 7/24).

A “sellout crowd of 9,044” at UIC Pavilion in Chicago attended the fifth weekend stop of the BIG3 basketball league. Basketball HOFer Allen Iverson and former NBAers Kendall Gill and Brian Scalabrine “drew some of the loudest cheers from the engaged crowd that featured big Chicago names” as diverse as Chance the Rapper, former NBAer Craig Hodges and Minister Louis Farrakhan (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/24).

A Nitro Circus official said that 22,000 people came out for the show yesterday at Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, the “largest attendance at a North American show in the tour's seven-year history” (Annapolis CAPITAL GAZETTE, 7/24).

UFC today announced it has entered a new, multiyear global licensing agreement with Dyaco Int'l that will begin in '18. The partnership, negotiated by IMG, grants the rights to manufacture and distribute UFC branded combat and fitness equipment in both professional and retail markets worldwide, excluding China. The UFC branded equipment will include the official UFC fight gloves used by all UFC athletes during competition. Dyaco will also develop products for gym/fitness training and weight/strength training accessories (UFC).

The Chiefs today will introduce new GM Brett Veach, who along with team Chair Clark Hunt has been "off-limits to reporters during the traditional dead period between the team's mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp, so it will not only be Veach's first chance to make an impression but the first opportunity for Hunt" to explain former GM John Dorsey's departure (AP, 7/24).

Japan has "begun its three-year countdown" to the '20 Tokyo Games with "relays, concerns and dancing events meant to help drum up public enthusiasm for the Olympics (AP, 7/24).

"How would you feel about bringing an NFL team to Las Vegas?" -- Dwayne Johnson's character Spencer Strasmore, to Steve Guttenberg's casino tycoon character in last night's "Ballers" premiere episode, setting up a major plot line for Season 3 ("Ballers," HBO, 7/23).

"I just saw that USA Today just did a feature on what different presidents did for exercise. For instance, George W. Bush liked to go for a jog, Obama liked to play basketball with his friends and Trump likes to go to yoga classes and watch" -- NBC's Jimmy Fallon ("The Tonight Show," NBC, 7/21).

The Baton Rouge ADVOCATE wrote under the header, "Better Facilities League-Wide Keep Driving NFL Teams Like The Saints Home For Training Camp." As recently as '00, only 10 of 31 NFL teams "trained at their home facility." Fast forward 17 years, and 21 of the 32 NFL teams "will practice at their home base." The Vikings fit "right into that trend," as this is their last camp in Mankato because they are "less than a year away from finishing their own state-of-the-art construction project" at their HQ in Eagan, Minn.

The MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL wrote when former MLB Commissioner Bud Selig speaks at his Baseball HOF induction Sunday, there will be "many familiar faces" in the crowd. One group of men will be "viewed with particular fondness by Selig, linked by a unique bond that has endured for more than half a century" as members of Pi Lambda Phi fraternity at the Univ. of Wisconsin.

Also:

• Elite Development Invitational part MLB's grassroots diversity movement.
• New Knicks GM Scott Perry sits for wide-ranging Q&A.
• Univ. of Utah athletics rallied behind an 8-year-old boy battling leukemia.
• A reporter experienced a flyover at Target Field during a Twins game.
• The Jazz want to show small-market NBA teams can contend.
• Bucks President Peter Feigin in control over team's transformation.

Hopefully networks are realizing that split-screen advertising works during live sporting events - super-effective during the Open today.

— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) July 23, 2017

For those in U.S., please pick one and feel free to send along a comment to this query. I'd rather watch a major broadcast on:📺

— Steve Elling (@EllingYelling) July 23, 2017

Imagine David Copperfield doing the Phelps vs. Shark thing, and ending the show by putting a blue screen in front of the Statue of Liberty.

— Eric Wilbur (@GlobeEricWilbur) July 24, 2017

When the Red Sox players hear Eck's sometimes obtuse bluntness, they should know: That's how he has always self-assessed, as well.

— Buster Olney (@Buster_ESPN) July 24, 2017

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

“This official U.S. government song traces its roots to a song about Roderick Dhu, the leader of a Highland clan.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “College Stadiums & Arenas.”
$200: “This Los Angeles venue has seen many events in its 94-year history, including two Olympic games.”
$400: “In 1990, after a $5 million donation, this school's indoor sports facility was renamed Coors Events Center.”
$600: “San Diego State's Aztecs play this sport in Tony Gwynn Stadium.”
$800: “Opened in 1976, this university's basketball arena is named for legendary coach Adolph Rupp.”
$1000: “This school's basketball, gymnastics and volleyball teams perform in the Pete Maravich Assembly Center.”

“What is ‘Hail to the Chief?’”

Correct responses to the “College Stadiums & Arenas” category:
$200: “What is the L.A. Coliseum?”
$400: “What is the Univ. of Colorado?”
$600: “What is baseball?”
$800: “What is the Univ. of Kentucky?”
$1000: “What is LSU?”