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Monday 9:00am ET....Today's News....A Political Football Move

  • President Trump Tweets Support Of Pence's Walkout From 49ers-Colts
  • Jerry Jones Says Players "Disrespectful" Of Flag Will Not Play
  • Extra Security Apparent At Fenway Park For ALDS Game 3
  • Michael Jordan Donating Millions To Open Charlotte Medical Clinics

Start your morning with Buzzcast, a 3-minute podcast on today's top stories.
Today: Heavy distraction of anthem issue weighs on teams and Minnesota United finishes inaugural MLS season with some mo’.

 
Also, get a jump on the big stories in this week's SBJ in the First Look podcast.

President Trump Tweets Support Of Pence's Walkout From 49ers-Colts

President Trump this morning again weighed in on NFL protests, responding on Twitter to yesterday's incident in Indianapolis involving Vice President Pence. Trump tweeted, "The trip by @VP Pence was long planned. He is receiving great praise for leaving game after the players showed such disrespect for country!" (TWITTER.com, 10/9). Pence's walkout from the 49ers-Colts game "kept the faceoff between the White House and the NFL going for the third week in a row," and it "turned yet another Sunday game into a political clash between the players and the Trump administration" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 10/9).

With the Colts honoring Peyton Manning at halftime, Pence "trumped a day that belonged to the greatest football hero the state of Indiana has ever seen, and he did it for political purposes." He "stole Manning's last great day as a Colt" (SI.com, 10/8). For 49ers S Eric Reid, who knelt for the anthem yesterday, Pence's move was "one of the best examples to date of one of the issues he's trying to highlight." Reid said Pence's walkout was a "PR stunt" and a "case in point for systematic oppression" (San Jose MERCURY NEWS, 10/9).

The Indianapolis Star features the story on its front page: "Pence Leaves Game, Decries 'Disrespect.'" This morning’s editions of ABC’s “GMA” and NBC’s “Today” reported on Pence's walkout in the first eight minutes of the broadcast, with reports from their national political correspondents. “CBS This Morning” aired a short news brief on Pence about 50 minutes into the broadcast (THE DAILY).

Jerry Jones Says Players "Disrespectful" Of Flag Will Not Play

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones yesterday said that "any of his players who disrespect the flag during the national anthem won't play in games." He becomes the "first NFL owner to publicly make a stand about disciplining players who kneel during the anthem." Jones "didn't specify what kind of other demonstration he would consider disrespectful." After yesterday's home loss to the Packers, Jones said, "If there is anything that is disrespectful to the flag then we will not play. ... We cannot in the NFL in any way give the implication that we tolerate disrespecting the flag." Pregame, Cowboys DE Damontre' Moore and DT David Irving had "stood alongside teammates during the national anthem" then "raised their fists" at the conclusion of the song. No Cowboys player has "knelt during the anthem during the last month" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/9).

The NFLPA last night released a statement in "support of their players' right to peacefully protest during the national anthem" (FT. WORTH STAR-TELEGRAM, 10/9).

Extra Security Apparent At Fenway Park For ALDS Game 3

Increased security measures were "evident" at Fenway Park last night for Astros-Red Sox ALDS Game 3, with "SWAT team members stationed on the roof and extra police presence inside." The Red Sox and the city of Boston "called for heightened security measures at the ballpark following the revelation last week that the gunman who killed 58 people at a Las Vegas concert may have scouted Boston locations online." The added security was "reminiscent of the precautions taken" during the '13 season "following the bombings at the Boston Marathon" (BOSTON GLOBE, 10/9).

Michael Jordan Donating Millions To Open Charlotte Medical Clinics

Hornets Owner Michael Jordan is donating $7M to "launch two medical clinics in troubled Charlotte communities." Novant Health, a Hornets sponsor, today is expected to announce the gift, which will "fund Novant Health Michael Jordan Family Clinics to be built in north and northwest Charlotte." Those areas are "home to some of the city’s densest concentrations of poverty." The opening of the clinics is projected for late '20 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 10/9).

Blackhawks Crowd Salutes Olczyk As Cancer Treatment Continues

NBC and Blackhawks broadcaster Ed Olczyk on Saturday "received a loud standing ovation from the sold-out United Center and later appeared with broadcast partner Pat Foley during the first intermission" of the Blackhawks' home win over the Blue Jackets. Olczyk is "undergoing treatment for colon cancer and is scheduled to have his third round of chemotherapy at Northwestern Memorial Hospital" today. He said, "I'm battling, And hopefully I'll be back sooner than later." Olczyk "hopes to join Foley in the booth at some point during the second half of the season" (Chicago DAILY HERALD, 10/9).

Big Day For Chicago Sports: Cubs In NLDS, Trubisky's NFL Debut

Today is shaping up as a "day for the ages" for Chicago sports, "the best one yet in 2017 -- and hard to top in any year." The Nationals-Cubs NLDS moves to Wrigley Field for Game 3. Also, the Bears host the Vikings in an "MNF" game that will mark the "first NFL start" for rookie Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky. With the buildup to both these games, the Bears and Cubs are "conspiring to make Monday the least productive work day of the year." Both contests "carry marquee value and will command the nation's gaze as well as Chicago's" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 10/9).

Investment Bank Upgrades Disney Stock But Calls ESPN "Troubled"

By John Ourand

A well-known investment bank upgraded Disney stock to a “Top Pick” designation, based in part on ESPN’s lessening influence on the company’s financials. RBC Capital Markets called Disney “the best positioned stock in the Media market” based on the promise of non-media assets like the studio and theme parks. “Somewhat ironically, its story is also now the least Media of the Media stocks,” says a report that was released early this morning. The report was bearish on the cable bundle overall, predicting that subscriber losses would accelerate and calling it “a fool’s errand to try to convince investors that ESPN is not in a troubled place.”

Based on Disney’s precedent-setting Altice deal, RBC concluded that cable affiliate revenue will grow at the same rate as ESPN’s sports rights payouts. But it said that ESPN’s growth prospects were limited. While the rest of Disney grows, ESPN will become less important to the company’s earnings, RBC said. The report suggested that Disney held an option to spin or sell ESPN if it “hamstrings the valuation,” the report said. “Subscriber declines aren't going to vanish, but we view the risks as manageable especially as we think ESPN will soon be <20% of company earnings.”

Speed Reads....

The USL last night surpassed the 2 million mark in total attendance for '17, a record for the league (USL).

A decision on Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott's domestic violence suspension "regarding the NFL's attempt to lift the injunction that is allowing" him to play is "likely to come this week" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 10/9).

Cavaliers G Isaiah Thomas has "hired Aaron Goodwin" as his new agent after parting ways with Excel Sports' Sam Goldfeder (CLEVELAND.com, 10/8).

Cadillac Racing runs a full-page ad in the N.Y. TIMES celebrating their '17 IMSA Manufacturer's Championship (Cadillac).

Quick Hits....

"I love my country, but that doesn't mean I cannot acknowledge that it is not perfect" -- Lightning LW J.T. Brown, on raising his fist during the national anthem ahead of Saturday's game against the Panthers (TWITTER.com, 10/8).

"I was a big fan of the old one. It was just so much personality. You swallow a little asbestos, that’s not the end of the world, is it?" -- Indians manager Terry Francona, on his preference for the old Yankee Stadium (N.Y. POST, 10/9).

"I’m sorry, but f--- cancer. I’m so sorry to say the F wood, but I’m so sick of people losing people to cancer" -- Golfer Cristie Kerr, on winning the Ladies European Tour's LaCoste Ladies Open de France, which pledges a large amount of proceeds to cancer charities (GOLFDIGEST.com, 10/8).

"I saw that the Red Sox spent over $15,000 on alcohol after making the playoffs, $15,000 worth of booze, or as people of Boston call that, pregaming" -- NBC’s Jimmy Fallon (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/6).

Morning Hot Reads: Double-Edged Sword

The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER wrote under the header, "Why Cam Newton's Sexism Isn't The Only Problem For Many Women Who Cover Sports." Sports writers "have two workplaces: The locker room. And the newsroom." And for "some women who cover sports, dealing with life in the office can be harder than out in the field."

The WASHINGTON TIMES goes with, "Why Sports And Politics Do Not Mix." The "shameful and unpatriotic antics by NFL players" in '17 have been met with "near-universal approval by sports journalists." But those opinions "belong on the op-ed page, not the sports page."

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-TimesPhiladelphia
Daily News

In Case You Missed It....

Some of the top news items from yesterday's edition of Weekend Rap:
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This Week In SportsBusiness Journal....

This week's In-Depth examines the increasingly important role social media plays across the sports industry.
Also, get a jump on the big stories in this week's SBJ in the First Look podcast.

Spanning The Global....

The most-read Global stories today on SportsBusiness Daily:

1) League Championship Side Bolton Wanderers Owner Reportedly Ready To Sell For £25M
2) Chinese Government May Pull AC Milan Owner's Investment In Club
3) Police Raise Millwall's Terror Threat Level Over Fears Of Plot To Attack The Den
4) Premier League's 'Big Six' Upset By Secret Ballot For Overseas TV Share
5) Cricket South Africa Expects Massive Loss From Inaugural T20 Global League

Final Jeopardy!

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Countries of the World.”

“They begin with the same three letters: the most densely populated country in Europe and the least densely populated in Asia.”

Laugh Track: Up Close & Personal

Last night’s edition of Fox’ “Family Guy” featured one of the show’s regular “cutaways.” Peter Griffin and his wife, Lois, daughter Meg, sons Chris and Stewie and the family dog, Brian, were sitting courtside at an NBA game. After the ball was knocked out of bounds and a player landed on the family trying to save it, the player asked, “You guys okay?” The family nodded, but when the player got up and ran back into the game, Meg and Lois were inexplicably pregnant. Neither noticed their pregnancy, with Meg saying, “Great seats.” Lois: “It’s a whole different game when you sit down here.”

  

Later in the broadcast, several members of the Griffin family are watching the Olympics on TV. Brian said, “It’s so annoying. They always use football announcers for events they know nothing about.” The announcer said of an Olympic swim meet, “The players are ready to take the swimming field. And they’re swimming! They appear to be doing the forward stroke. My neighbor has a pool. I’ll take a dip if I know they’re on vacation. It’s neck and neck, and it looks like Canada won! Uh, no they’re going back the other way” (“Family Guy,” Fox, 10/8).