• Rakuten's New Deal With NBA Includes Broadcast Rights In Japan
• Trump Again Uses Twitter To Weigh In On NFL-Related Controversies
• Jerry Jones Says Cowboys' Policy On Protests In Effect Since '16
• Michael Smith Absent 6:00pm "SportsCenter" After Hill Suspension

Start your morning with Buzzcast, a 3-minute podcast on today's top stories.
Today: The merger of sports and politics continues, while Las Vegas prepares to welcome home the Golden Knights.

The NBA and Rakuten today announced a new partnership making the Japanese tech company the "official broadcasting distributor of NBA games in Japan." The move "could also hasten the return of NBA regular-season games to the country." The length of the contract and financial figures "were not disclosed." Rakuten will "provide fans live coverage of games on its video-on-demand service (Rakuten TV), and NBA League Pass." NBA Commissioner Adam Silver "flew in from Shanghai" to Tokyo for the announcement after attending Sunday’s Warriors-T'Wolves preseason game (JAPANTIMES.com, 10/10). The deal is a "massive multiyear partnership." A source said that the NBA will be paid more than $225M "during the life of the contract" (USATODAY.com, 10/9).

President Trump continues to use his Twitter feed as a platform to weigh in on various controversies in sports, with a particular focus on issues surrounding NFL player protests. Trump last night tweeted, "A big salute to Jerry Jones, owner of the Dallas Cowboys, who will BENCH players who disrespect our Flag. 'Stand for Anthem or sit for game!'" Trump followed that up this morning with, "Why is the NFL getting massive tax breaks while at the same time disrespecting our Anthem, Flag and Country? Change tax law!" Most recently, he weighed in on ESPN suspending Jemele Hill: "With Jemele Hill at the mike, it is no wonder ESPN ratings have 'tanked,' in fact, tanked so badly it is the talk of the industry!" (TWITTER.com, 10/10).

Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones last night elaborated on his stance regarding player protests, saying that the "team policy that prohibits players from playing if they 'disrespect' the flag is not new and has been in effect since last season." He said that "players 'need consequences' to stand up to peer pressure, and that 'it's in the best interests of the Dallas Cowboys, the NFL and the players' to honor the flag." Jones added that "any player who communicated his unwillingness to adhere to the policy would be made inactive for the game, and if a player took action during the anthem, he simply would not play" (ESPN.com, 10/9).

ESPN’s Michael Smith did not appear on the 6:00pm ET version of “SportsCenter” yesterday following the two-week suspension given to co-host Jemele Hill, though he "will be back" for today's broadcast. Hill's suspension came down late yesterday, and a source said that Smith "wanted to take time to 'digest the situation' and it was a mutual decision between him and the network." The net suspended Hill due to what it called a "second violation of our social media guidelines" after she responded to Jerry Jones’ edict that Cowboys players stand for the national anthem by suggesting people boycott the team’s sponsors (MONEY.CNN.com, 10/9).

Several of Hill's ESPN colleagues reacted to her suspension on Twitter, with Lindsay Czarniak calling the discipline "sad and disappointing on a number of levels." Cari Champion: "I feel like the current administration has made sports its focus. We need to be 'clear' -- they TWO co-exist. There's no way around it!" Jalen Rose: "@jemelehill=family."

The Penguins today will visit the White House to celebrate their second consecutive Stanley Cup championship, and their "team leaders continue to say it has nothing to do with politics." Coach Mike Sullivan said, "As I've said all along here, for us, this is not political. ... Nobody's taking a side." Sullivan added that he "doesn't anticipate that any of his players would be individually boycotting the visit" (DKPITTSBURGHSPORTS.com, 10/9).

IdentoGo by Idemia has signed its first sports sponsorship, a multiyear deal with the Jets. The company provides the systems backing the TSA's Precheck expedited security screening program. IdentoGO becomes the NFL team's Official Identity Security and Biometrics Partner. Sponsorship assets include signup tables outside games, team-controlled signage at MetLife Stadium, digital and social media, along with presenting sponsorship of the Jets Fan HOF. Also included are plans to integrate the technology at Jets home games. Kaleidoscope Media engineered the deal for IdentoGO. Previously, IdentoGO sponsored music festivals, including a deal with LiveNation that gave it access to more than 20 events.

Fox Sports promoted Lindsay Amstutz to Senior VP & GM of its southern California RSNs: FS West, Prime Ticket and FS San Diego. Amstutz takes over for Henry Ford, who resigned late last month. With Rebecca Schulte leaving her post running NBC Sports Washington in the coming weeks, Amstutz is one of two women running RSNs -- the other being MSG Networks President & CEO Andrea Greenberg. The RSNs hold the rights to the Angels, Padres, NHL Kings, Ducks and Clippers.

The Mets today are expected to announce that they have "reached an agreement to buy" the Syracuse Chiefs, making the Triple-A Int'l League club their "top minor league affiliate." Sources said that the Mets will "acquire ownership" from the Community Baseball Club of Central New York Inc. in '19, and that the club would "continue to play its games at NBT Bank Stadium." The deal would "end almost six decades of community ownership" of the Chiefs, dating back to '61, and "cut off the team's nine-year affiliation" with the Nationals (SYRACUSE.com, 10/9).

The damage by Hurricane Maria "will force Puerto Rico to move" its FIBA World Cup basketball qualifier next month against the U.S. Talks between the Puerto Rican national basketball federation and USA Basketball to move the game to Orlando were "continuing as of Monday afternoon." The game had been scheduled for Roberto Clemente Coliseum in San Juan on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 23, but "that facility is now being used as a command center for volunteer and municipality relief efforts." The game will be the first for both the U.S. And Puerto Rico "under the sport’s new World Cup qualifying format" (N.Y. TIMES, 10/10).

The Univ. of Vermont yesterday announced the "renaming of Patrick Gymnasium's center court" after longtime basketball coach Tom Brennan (BURLINGTONFREEPRESS.com, 10/9).

Aberdeen (Md.) Mayor Patrick McGrady yesterday said “there is no deal” in place for the city to sell Ripken Stadium to the organization that manages business affairs for the Single-A New York-Penn League Aberdeen IronBirds (Baltimore SUN, 10/10).

Former NBAer Derek Fisher last night was eliminated from ABC’s “Dancing With The Stars" (THE DAILY).

The Coyotes and Arizona-based SanTan Brewing yesterday announced that Yotes Pale Ale is now available in craft cans (Coyotes).

Patron runs a full-page ad in the N.Y. Times congratulating its team for a victory in last weekend's IMSA Motul Petit Le Mans with the caption: "Simply Perfect Finish" (THE DAILY).

"If [Jeffrey Lurie] were to put out such a statement I'd continue my demonstration because my demonstration is in no way disrespectful to our flag, our country or our service members. Neither is anybody in the league who is kneeling" -- Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins, on Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones saying players on his team who disrespect the flag will not play (NBCSPORTS.com, 10/9).

"There has been no oppression in the last 100 years that I know of. Now maybe I’m not watching it as carefully as other people" -- Pro Football HOFer Mike Ditka, on societal issues that have led to protests during the national anthem during the NFL season (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 10/10).

"That’s the NFL, man. It’s a league of distractions. You move on" -- Dolphins coach Adam Gase, on the team's former offensive line coach Chris Foerster resigning after a video surfaced of him snorting a line of powdered white substance (PALM BEACH POST, 10/10).

The ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION writes under the header, "Embroiled In Scandal, Braves Must Make Right Moves." With former GM John Coppolella "forced to resign" amid an ongoing MLB investigation into Braves’ misdeeds on several fronts, there is a "great deal of anxiety and uneasiness" in the front office.

The SEATTLE TIMES goes with, "Last Thing Chris Petersen And UW Need Is A Feud With ESPN." After Petersen lamented the Huskies’ "series of evening games," it "would be naïve to think ESPN doesn’t exert extreme influence" over the College Football Playoff committee.

Also:

• A look back at the "game that changed everything" for U.S. soccer.
• Fire fans "throw 20th anniversary party" for MLS team.
• Are "blockbuster arrests" not shocking to college hoops followers?

As of now, no one in the Warriors organization has been affected by the Wine Country fires.

— Connor Letourneau (@Con_Chron) October 10, 2017

Let's space these games a little better next year, @mlb. The overlap has been killing me.

— Ryan M. Spaeder (@theaceofspaeder) October 10, 2017

I'm assuming this @Nationals vs. @Cubs game starts at 4:30 CT on @TBSNetwork for full shadow effect and to save time for Seinfeld.

— rickbozich (@rickbozich) October 10, 2017

It’s been a weird year in the @NFL... but I feel like the celebrations have been a highlight. Bobsledding, the ducks... it’s been great.

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2017

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com

The D-backs made sure the #Dodgers didn't jump into the pool at Chase Field. pic.twitter.com/HVAfL1KsCj

— Joshua Thornton (@JoshuaThornton_) October 10, 2017

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

The NYU School of Professional Studies Tisch Institute for Sports Management hosts its one-day "The Business of Global Sports: The Truth About Consumers" conference at Barclays Center.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Historical Areas.”

“An ancient quote mentions this area and three population groups, the Belgae, Aquitani and Celts.”

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said Vice President Pence left the Colts game on Sunday “after some of the 49ers kneeled during the national anthem. Also because he heard the phrase ‘man on man’ and got really uncomfortable. ... He left before the game even started. Then Giants fans were like, ‘So? We've been doing that all year.’ I read that the cost of Pence's trip to the game was $200,000, if you factor in the flying, security and hotel rooms, plus the ice cream in the helmet Trump asked him to bring back” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 10/9).

ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel also addressed Pence's Sunday incident, saying the VP "flew all the way to Indianapolis to see them retire Peyton Manning's jersey at halftime but ... left before the game even started." Kimmel: "He protested a protest: very meta. Then after he did it, he got a lot of praise from those who agree with him. So of course, his boss jumped in to take credit for that. ... He can't let Mike Pence have credit for anything. 'I am so proud of Mike Pence for doing the awesome thing I told him to do.' Mike Pence flew all the way to Indiana to a game where he knew almost for certain the players were going to kneel, pretended to be surprised by that and stormed out in a huff. For someone who seems to disapprove of gay people so much, Mike Pence is a bit of a drama queen” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 10/9).

“What is Gaul?”