• Disney’s Big Play: Increases Stake In BAMTech In $1.58B Deal
• DC Venue Is Now Capital One Arena Under Naming-Rights Deal
• Circuit Of The Americas To House USL Austin Aztex Starting In '19
• Heat, Nets, Thunder Headed To Mexico City For '17-18 Season

Disney is buying a majority stake in the MLBAM-founded BAMTech in a $1.58B deal, paving the way for the long-delayed debut of an ESPN-branded video streaming network early next year, followed by a Disney-branded OTT service in ’19. Both services will be supported by BAMTech technology. The deal follows Disney acquiring a third of BAMTech for $1B, which included an option for Disney to acquire majority control. Disney has now boosted its equity stake from 33% to 75%. MLBAM will retain a stake of slightly more than 15% of BAMTech, while the NHL has slightly less than 10%. The ESPN multisport OTT network will have more than 10,000 live events per year, and will include MLB, NHL, MLS, Grand Slam tennis and college events, and in turn represents the return of NHL hockey to ESPN after departing in '04 (THE DAILY).

Disney CEO Bob Iger said the "model of the multi-channel ecosystem" is still "very robust in terms of its profitability to the company and to ESPN." Iger: "We don't have right now a need to necessarily break it out from that, but this certainly gives us the optionality if we get to a point where that business model is no longer serving the needs or the interest of the company and the shareholders and ESPN. This gives us the ability to go direct with what is the ESPN linear service, but this is not an announcement in that direction right now (CNBC, "Closing Bell," 8/8).

Disney just became the "biggest cord-cutter Hollywood has ever seen" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 8/9). It is one of the "boldest moves by an entertainment company to address the changing media landscape" (L.A. TIMES, 8/9).

Capital One starting today "will officially become the naming rights sponsor" for the downtown DC venue most recently named Verizon Center, home to the Wizards and Capitals. The change to Capital One Arena will "take effect immediately." Monumental Sports & Entertainment said that "full signage and branding will follow in the fall." Monumental also announced a $40M investment to "upgrade the venue's technology and facilities, including moving to a new point-of-sale system and adding payment options for fans" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/9). Sources pegged the value of the deal at $100M "over 10 years" (TWITTER.com, 8/9).

USL officials announced that a team in Austin will play its home matches at Circuit of the Americas starting in '19. COTA Chair Bobby Epstein has purchased a majority stake in the Austin Aztex, and the team will compete at a small portable stadium at the F1 track using the same grandstands used for race events. The Aztex have not played since '15 after flooding severely damaged their old high school venue. This will mark the first time a pro soccer team in North America has played at a major motorsports facility for its home games, according to team officials.

The NBA today will release its Global Games schedule, and the Heat will reportedly play their "first international regular season game in franchise history" with a Dec. 9 contest in Mexico City against the Nets. This will come after the Nets host the Thunder in Mexico City Dec. 7. Both games "will count toward Brooklyn's home schedule." Last season, the Suns hosted the Spurs and Mavericks in Mexico and "drew more than 20,000 fans at Mexico City Arena for each game." It was the first time the city "had hosted regular season games" (MIAMI HERALD, 8/9).

SI this week will release its annual college football preview issue, featuring an augmented reality component sponsored by Holiday Inn Express. Through use of the mobile app from fellow Time Inc. entity Life VR, each of the four specially designed SI covers will unlock exclusive video content previewing the college football season. Additional augmented reality content inside the issue contains links to 360-degree video. The effort follows a prior experiment with the technology in May for a special feature chronicling a climb of Mt. Everest.

The new season of HBO's "Hard Knocks" debuted last night, with the network and the Buccaneers hosting a "Hollywood-style red-carpet premiere" in downtown Tampa. About 400 people gathered at the Tampa Theatre, but "one group that decidedly wasn't among them: the Bucs themselves, with players and coaches instead getting ready" for this morning's practice. Team COO Brian Ford said, "I can't wait for the nation to be introduced to Tampa." It is "clear" that the relationship between coach Dirk Koetter and QB Jameis Winston will be a "central theme of the show" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 8/9). See THE DAILY for highlights from the first episode.

Esports outfit Team EnVyUs has obtained a $35M investment from Hersh Family Investments and its "interactive group," according to sources. The deal is "one of the largest reported esports team acquisitions in the history of the industry." Sources said that other teams "have sold for roughly" $15-25M over the past year. Team EnVyUs reportedly will "relocate to Dallas and assume" an Overwatch League spot. This is Kenneth Hersh's second esports team investment, as his company in April were "minority investors" in a $7M funding round for London-based Fnatic (ESPN.com, 8/8).

Spartan Race and Life Time Fitness today will launch a new series of classes built around the Spartan brand. The obstacle course-inspired workout is designed for people who do not necessarily intend to participate in a race but want to learn some of the skills needed. This is part of Spartan’s attempt to build a lifestyle brand around its core events. Officials hope to have the classes available at 100 locations within a year. The initial launch markets are Chestnut Hill, Mass.; Laguna Niguel, Calif.; Chanhassen, Minn; and Burr Ridge, Ill.

Miami property owners, residents and clergy today in the neighborhoods bordering David Beckham’s proposed MLS stadium site will "gather at St. John Institutional Missionary Baptist Church to rally against" bringing pro soccer to the city. It is the "first sign of organized opposition" to Beckham’s plans (MIAMI HERALD, 8/9).

MLS expansion club LAFC yesterday "laid the cornerstone of its foundation" by agreeing to contract terms with Mexican national team F Carlos Vela. The deal is "expected to be finalized" this morning, and Vela will be "introduced as LAFC’s first designated-player signing Friday" (L.A. TIMES, 8/9). 

USL club FC Cincinnati's "previously-crashed system for buying tickets was back online" last night, "although the club cautioned 'there's no guarantee the site will remain up.'" The Glitnir Ticketing system "went down" yesterday afternoon (CINCINNATI.com, 8/8).

"There are certain issues that go along with Colin Kaepernick, and that may have scared some teams away. But there is absolutely no blackball going on here. I just don’t see that at all" -- Giants President & CEO John Mara, on the perception the anthem protest is keeping Kaepernick off NFL rosters (ESPN.com, 8/8). 

"They have betrayed their fan base, their global fan base, and they’ve betrayed the players that would like to have this unique chance to represent their country in the Olympics. I think that ultimately translates into bad business because there’s a price for ignoring your players and your fans and they’ve got to think about that" -- Canadian IOC member Dick Pound, on the NHL not sending its players to the '18 PyeongChang Games (“Prime Time Sports,” Sportsnet, 8/8). 

"The International Football Betting Conference is somewhere between -- I would imagine -- the AVN Awards and High Times’ Cannabis Cup on terrible places to announce that you want to mold the minds of young college students" -- ESPN’s Pablo Torre, on former NFLer Johnny Manziel stating he wants to coach football in the future while attending a gambling conference in Costa Rica (“PTI,” ESPN, 8/8).

The Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL writes, "If only football could be played free of catastrophic consequences." In wake of the most recent CTE study, parents and players "must work harder to rationalize football’s risks." Still, "many young athletes believe -- or at least behave -- as if they are bulletproof."

ESPN.com wrote Cleveland Clinic Lou Ruvo Center for Brain Health researchers have "identified two biomarkers that might greatly assist in assessing a patient's risk for accumulative brain damage." The findings have "drawn funding from the top boxing and MMA promotions in the U.S." 

Also:

• Video boards assisting athletes at IAAF World Championships. 
• "NBA 2K18" raises the graphics bar again for sports video games. 
• New William & Mary AD has full support of campus. 
• Penguins radio broadcaster Mike Lange still going strong.

Beltre said he thought suspension of Joe West was unnecessary. Says West told him he was kidding when he worked series in early July.

— Evan Grant (@Evan_P_Grant) August 9, 2017

Unbelievable news: just got word that NBC Sports will obtain steel from the old Bay Bridge to make & award a "Battle of the Bay" trophy! pic.twitter.com/59Kq6K456K

— Brodie Brazil (@BrodieNBCS) August 8, 2017

I've gotten some questions re. golf app. Use search function on App Store app. Type "PGA Championship." Comes right up on my iPhone.

— Rick Bonnell (@rick_bonnell) August 9, 2017

I've never understood ppl so hell bent on collegiate athletes not being compensated for generating MASSIVE amounts of money

— Damien Woody (@damienwoody) August 9, 2017

The Colorado Classic will hold a news conference at 2:00pm MT to kick off the race, and Gov. John Hickenlooper is expected to be among those gathered at USA Cycling's HQ. 

MLB Network's Brian Kenny will lead a roundtable game presentation of Cubs-Giants at 3:30pm ET with Mark DeRosa, Joel Sherman, and Mike Petriello. In-depth analysis featuring advanced metrics, statcast and pitchcast technology will be featured throughout.

A 3-minute hit on the stories you need to know ... Subscribe on iTunes ... Check out our podcast home.

As the second inning of White Sox-Red Sox came to an end Saturday at Fenway Park, fans Eric Osleger and his fiancée, Elizabeth held a "hastily organized wedding that caught both fans and the baseball organization by surprise." Osleger wore a Tom Brady jersey and a white tie as he tied the knot by kissing his wife, who "didn’t have a veil or a white dress." Red Sox Senior Dir of Corporate Communications Zineb Curran said that the team was "not involved with orchestrating the special occasion, which took place just behind home plate" (BOSTON GLOBE, 8/9).

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Famous Buildings.”

“Completed in 1943, this ‘city within a city’ has outer walls over 900 feet long.”

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel said President Trump is making “this crazy threat from a golf course” to North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un after that country’s nuclear threats. Kimmel: “There’s probably a little shop that sells range balls in the next room.” Kimmel: “Kim Jong-Un's issues with Donald Trump go back to something that happened in 2009, when the now president did something that the North Korean leader can never forgive.” Footage was shown of Trump on NBC’s “Celebrity Apprentice” telling Dennis Rodman, “Dennis, you're fired” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 8/8).

CBS’ Stephen Colbert: “I don't want to be an alarmist. But we're all going to die. Because U.S. Intelligence now believes that North Korea is now making missile-ready nuclear weapons. My God, Dennis Rodman, did you do nothing!?” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 8/8).

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon: “I saw that this week Chris Christie signed a bill that makes ‘Garden State’ the official state slogan of New Jersey. But it turns out that wasn't the only slogan they considered.” Fallon noted another slogan was, “New Jersey! Two NFL Teams Won’t Admit They Play Here” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 8/8).

Actor Chris O’Dowd appeared on CBS’ “The Late Show” where he talked about his hometown of Boyle, County Roscommon, in Ireland and how “we have the best football team in Ireland.” Host Stephen Colbert asked, “You mean soccer, right?” O’Dowd: “I mean Gaelic football, which is a sport for strong men. … I played a bit because I was tall.” Colbert: “Does that help?” O’Dowd: “Big advantage” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 8/8).

“What is the Pentagon?”