IMG's Miami Open tournament this morning formally announced plans to play at a new tennis complex at Hard Rock Stadium beginning in ’19. The 30-year agreement will see the Dolphins and IMG collectively spend $60M to build a tennis center outside the stadium. The main court will reside inside the venue. All 30 courts, except for the stadium one, are permanent. There are 21 courts at the tournament’s current home on Key Biscayne, which will host the ’18 tournament. The event has been on Key Biscayne since ‘87 and grew into a top WTA and ATP stop, before slipping in recent years.

The Marlins last night held the "first of several town hall meetings at Marlins Park," and CEO Derek Jeter "asked fans for patience." Jeter declined to say when the team would "have a sizable payroll again and repeatedly cited failure under the previous regime when asked why the team didn’t keep all its key offensive players and sign pitching instead of dismantling." Several fans told Jeter that they were "angry over the new regime’s payroll slashing." Jeter answered questions for "nearly 90 minutes," and made it clear that "finances matter." Jeter "declined to say" if payroll would be increased (MIAMI HERALD, 12/20).

The Coyotes will "play at least one more season at Gila River Arena," with the announcement coming nine months after NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman "threatened to move the franchise unless it got a new arena." The team has "backed away from such demands and focused on community outreach despite a horrid start on the ice." The one-year extension in Glendale may "quell concerns in the short term about the team moving to Seattle or Houston." The Coyotes had until Dec. 31 to notify arena manager AEG whether the team "plans to play elsewhere" for the '18-19 season (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 12/20).

The newly approved Republican tax bill "protects the ability of states and localities to sell tax-free municipal bonds to fund sports stadiums," something President Trump had taken issues with earlier this year. The measure "was in the House Republican version of the tax bill, but failed to make it into the final version." The NFL had "opposed the legislation." Such subsidies "cost the federal government" $3.7B in lost revenue from '00-16, according to the Brookings Institution, a liberal public policy group (Newark STAR-LEDGER, 12/20).

The first-ever early signing period for D-I football recruits begins today, and while the traditional Feb. 4 signing day "isn’t going away," it will be "less significant now." While it is "too early to evaluate the effect it might have on college football’s recruiting landscape," some coaches already have "mixed opinions on this accelerated recruiting cycle" (SEATTLE TIMES, 12/20).

The new three-day early signing period "does not affect players who decide to enroll early to college, which has been a common practice in past years." If players "sign their letter-of-intent during the early signing period, they do not have to enroll early, and vice versa" (WASHINGTON POST, 12/20).

FIFA said that dairy producer Mengniu Group has signed on for the '18 World Cup, joining Chinese brands Hisense and Vivo in the "second-tier sponsor category." FIFA said Mengniu becomes the "official drinkable yogurt and pre-packaged ice-cream of the FIFA World Cup and the official milk and powdered milk of the FIFA World Cup for Greater China.” FIFA still has 21 "vacant slots in its 34-sponsor World Cup program less than six months from the opening game in Moscow" (AP, 12/20).

Barstool Sports today will formally name Deirdre Lester Chief Revenue Officer, a newly created position in which she will oversee advertising, revenue and brand partnerships for the digital outlet. Lester previously held senior positions with Whistle Sports, MLBAM, Yahoo Sports, Rivals.com and ESPN.

“What has really impressed me about Deirdre is how she thinks about working with partners, and her commitment to best practices and how she’s taken those best practices from established properties and applied them to emerging ones,” said Barstool Sports CEO Erika Nardini. “This is a big step toward continuing to diversify our revenue streams.” Lester will be based in N.Y. beginning Jan. 2 and report to Nardini.

Championship League club Barnsley has been "taken over by a consortium led by Chinese investor Chien Lee," with A's Exec VP/Baseball Operations Billy Beane also investing in the club (PA SPORT, 12/19).

FAU's win over Akron in the fourth Cheribundi Tart Cherry Boca Raton Bowl last night drew an "announced crowd of 25,912" (South Florida SUN-SENTINEL, 12/20). That figure is up from 24,726 for Western Kentucky-Memphis last year at FAU Stadium (THE DAILY).

Toshiba has renewed its contract with the Steelers to continue as the team's preferred copier and service provider. The deal extends the 10-year partnership for a minimum of five more years (Toshiba).

Organizers of the Montreal Formula E ePrix said that they will "take legal action against the city" for cancelling the upcoming race (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 12/20).

"Our fans are all over it. Every game here is like a playoff game. Our players tell me that when we are on the ice, this is like no other arena in the league. There is so much noise, so much excitement. It’s terrific" -- Golden Knights Owner Bill Foley, following last night's home win over the NHL-leading Lightning (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 12/20).

"On the brand side of it, it may have gotten dinged, but it's far from terminal. It's a very strong brand" -- Univ. of Louisville interim AD Vince Tyra, on UL's brand following the scandal that led to the firing of basketball coach Rick Pitino and AD Tom Jurich (BIZJOURNALS.com, 12/20).

"The Worcester, Mass., deal is real and make no mistake about it" -- Pawtucket Mayor Donald Grebien, on a potential new ballpark site in Worcester for the Triple-A Int'l League Pawtucket Red Sox (Worcester TELEGRAM & GAZETTE, 12/20).

The CHICAGO TRIBUNE writes under the header, "In Need Of Complete Culture Change, Bears Must Find Their John McDonough." The Blackhawks have won three Stanley Cups under McDonough's watch, while the Bears and their current leaders are "pretty much irrelevant." Fan hostility and "contempt has given way to apathy and indifference." 

YAHOO SPORTS goes with, "Rebooted XFL Might Be A Direct Response To NFL Anthem Protests." The league was a "massive, flaming failure," but a new venture "could easily be made into a 'Make America Great Again' league that caters to Trump supporters."

Also:

Marlins Man is the No. 1 overall seed in the Tired Act Bracket. It takes a lot to make Derek Jeter a sympathetic character these days. A guy whose claim to fame is wearing an ugly jersey at sporting events dropping a “Do you know who I am?” on Jeter certainly qualifies.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) December 20, 2017

Been cool to watch how the field at the Waste Management has transitioned over the years. Went from fun/silly event to biggest names in the game. '18 commits so far; Spieth, JT, Fowler, Hideki, Koepka, Noren, Bubba and it isn't even Jan 1.

— Shane Bacon (@shanebacon) December 19, 2017

That was as insane a crowd as there has been @TMobileArena for a VGK game this year. By far. Probably has a lot to do with not many TB fans being here and the game being completely insane, but good job Las Vegas

— Adam Hill (@AdamHillLVRJ) December 20, 2017

Tough break if you had Akron +46.5 in Boca Raton Bowl

— Brett McMurphy (@Brett_McMurphy) December 20, 2017

On the eve of Belmont being put in the books, a Twitter-less Howie Rose wanted to share his emotions with #Isles fans. pic.twitter.com/OIsODvFggn

— Chris Botta (@ChrisBottaNHL) December 20, 2017

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo is "expected to be on hand" for a news conference this morning at Belmont Park to announce the Islanders' winning bid to build a new arena on the site of the racetrack (NEWSDAY, 12/20).

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “World War II.”

“The book ‘From the Volcano to the Gorge’ tells the story of this World War II battle.”

On last night’s “The Tonight Show,” NBC’s Jimmy Fallon noted that Disney World has added President Trump to its Hall of Presidents. Fallon: “A lot of people are speaking out about the new robot, including Trump himself. He said, ‘I am honored to be in the Hall of Presidents, believe me.’ Then his robot spoke up and said, 'Yer, I'm hernerred to ber in da Herl of Prersidernts, berlerv mer!' Then the old statue of Cristiano Ronaldo spoke up and said, 'Can stertues ber in da herl ter?' Finally, the courtroom sketch of Tom Brady said, 'Er'd rerther ber in da Fertberl Herl of Ferm!’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 12/19).

“What is the Battle of Iwo Jima?”