• Dale Jr. Event Among Opening Affairs Of NASCAR Champion's Week
• Bulls Opening New All-Inclusive Courtside Club At United Center
• Judge's Order Could End Roadblock To Scottrade Center Renovation
• U.S. Soccer Presidential Candidates Head To Forum In Chicago

NASCAR Champion's Week begins today in Las Vegas, as the governing body this year "switches to a Tuesday through Thursday format instead of the traditional Wednesday through Friday of years past." The schedule of events also will "be more hectic" this year, culminating with Thursday's NASCAR Awards at Wynn Las Vegas (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 11/27). A driver autograph session at NASCAR Fan HQ at The Park kicks things off, with Ryan Blaney, Austin Dillon, Kyle Larson, Chase Elliott, Kevin Harvick, Kasey Kahne, Rickey Stenhouse Jr. and Cup Series winner Martin Truex Jr. scheduled to sign autographs. Closing out the opening day will be the Dale Earnhardt Jr. "Appreci88ion" event at Rose. Rabbit. Lie. inside The Cosmopolitan (NASCAR).

The Bulls will open a new courtside club for season-ticket holders at United Center prior to tonight's game against the Suns. The 3,815-square-foot Magellan Courtside Club accommodates between 150-190 people, with exclusive access included in the price of the courtside seats. The new all-inclusive food and drink club with private booths is located under the stands at court level near the arena’s VIP east entrance. Magellan Corp. has been a Bulls sponsor since the '10-11 season.

St. Louis Circuit Court Judge Joan Moriarty has ordered city Comptroller Darlene Green to sign a $64M "finance agreement between the city and the Blues' owners for renovating Scottrade Center." The St. Louis Board of Aldermen in February "narrowly approved the agreement," but Green has "refused to sign the document because she says it will hurt the city's credit rating." She now has "five days to sign the agreement" under the judge's order (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 11/28).

U.S. Club Soccer today in Chicago is "hosting a forum for U.S. Soccer presidential candidates," with five of the announced candidates scheduled to attend: Paul Caligiuri, Steve Gans, Kyle Martino, Michael Winograd and Eric Wynalda. The event will be moderated by U.S. Club Soccer CEO & Exec Dir Kevin Payne with participation from Chair Phil Wright and the organization's BOD. Topics will include "player development, national team development and coaching issues" (SOCCERAMERICA.com, 11/28). The candidates are vying to replace embattled incumbent Sunil Gulati (THE DAILY).

The NFL last night announced two-game suspensions for Broncos CB Aqib Talib and Raiders WR Michael Crabtree after their fight Sunday, marking "two of the most severe disciplinary actions for an on-field incident in NFL history," provided the suspensions "hold up under expected appeals." The league "seemed to take into account the prior history between Talib and Crabtree as well as Crabtree's punch of a Broncos player one play before the fight." This is part of an "effort to root out fighting at a time of the season when maximum eyes are on the league and tensions tend to run high" (ESPN.com, 11/28).

SI is among "several Time Inc. titles that could be sold" in early '18 once Meredith Corp. closes on its purchase of Time Inc., according to "widespread speculation." Meredith Chair & CEO Steve ­Lacy yesterday was "playing his cards close to his vest -- not ruling out that some titles may be sold." A "review of each magazine’s ad sales and digital prowess are likely to sway Lacy’s decision" (N.Y. POST, 11/28).

To help kick off the start of V Week, ESPN and Twitch are collaborating to host a 24-hour live streaming marathon on Twitch titled "Don't Ever Give Up Day." The event, which begins at noon PT from downtown L.A., gives esports/video game personalities, ESPN talent and Twitch influencers an opportunity to share how cancer has affected them. ESPN personalities taking part include Arash Markazi, Rachel Nichols, Jorge Sedano and Dominique Foxworth (ESPN).

Announced attendance for the PK80 men's college basketball tournament was 118,659. At Moda Center, the "six sessions averaged 13,282 fans," while the average at Portland Memorial Coliseum was 6,495 (PORTLAND TRIBUNE, 11/28).

The CFL Toronto Argonauts after winning Sunday's Grey Cup game will "celebrate their championship with a city hall rally" this afternoon (TORONTO STAR, 11/28).

The Browns have reached a three-year marketing agreement with FanCompass, a digital destination for sponsored fan engagement (Browns).

"A clear path to MLS is through USL" -- USL expansion club Las Vegas Lights FC Owner Brett Lashbrook (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 11/27).

"That was a setup. He didn’t know what he was saying. ... That was all a script. You could put all the pieces together, all the way back to March. It all fits now" -- Former Louisville AD Tom Jurich, on "Papa John" Schnatter being influenced to make critical comments about the athletic department (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 11/27).

"We’ve been successful losing Div. I athletes to the Ivy Leagues and Stanfords of the world. Those will be the same type of students we will continue to recruit. ... And, let’s face it, it’s San Diego. Do I need to say more?" -- UC-San Diego AD Earl Edwards, on the school moving up from D-II to D-I and playing in the Big West Conference (SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.com, 11/27).

“Fire Currie” -- A chant heard last night during WWE’s “Monday Night Raw” referencing Tennessee AD John Currie. The show took place in Knoxville's Thompson-Boling Arena (USA Network, 11/27).

The Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL goes with the header, "Tom Jurich's Louisville Legacy: Bold Businessman Or Bully? Depends On Who You Ask." The ousted UL AD "inspires devotion and dread," and he has garnered "such polarized perceptions that it suggests a split personality."

The TORONTO STAR goes with, "Support Of Putin Adds Another Layer To Ovechkin's Complex Legacy." After the Capitals LW "publicly initiated" a project in support of the Russian President, there has been "no notable backlash for Ovechkin in Washington or from Caps fans."

Also:

• U.S. sports leagues hedge their bets on increased legal gambling.
• Vikings in Super Bowl LII in Minnesota would "create pandemonium."
• The Tennessee-Greg Schiano saga and "moral outrage in college sports."
• Every NFL game becomes a fashion show for players before, after games.
• Nike's SNKRS app turns shoe shopping into a "Pokemon Go-style game."
• How Kevin Durant came to an epiphany about being black in America.

To concerns that Yanks, Dodgers or Cubs could use sponsors to get Ohtani $10M marketing deal, Commissioner's Ofis insists "marketing dollars would be against the rules and we could penalize the club for doing it." One NL GM:"Bigtime penalties."

— Peter Gammons (@pgammo) November 28, 2017

Got hit with a random BLOOD and URINE test for performance enhancers today. Y'all came to the wrong house. This is wild, free roaming, 100 percent grass fed, antibiotic & hormone free over here.
I ain't mad though, I want a clean sport

— Chris Archer (@ChrisArcher22) November 27, 2017

Rich Battista, Time Inc.'s CEO, could walk away with some $15 million if the company's deal with Meredith closes https://t.co/u4A3ZIjSLZ

— Sydney Ember (@melbournecoal) November 28, 2017

Tiger again calls for rolling back the ball and having all pros use a reduced-distance model. "Quite frankly, some of the older golf courses, we're going to lose them."

— Will Gray (@WillGrayGC) November 28, 2017

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“Of Germany’s 16 states, these two at opposite ends of the country begin with the same letter and are the largest and smallest.”

“What are Bavaria and Bremen?”