The NCAA on Friday announced the Final Four sites for '17-21, and buildings "currently under construction will host" the '19 and '20 Final Fours in Minneapolis and Atlanta, respectively. Phoenix "will host the event for the first time" in '17. The NCAA awarded the '18 event to San Antonio, and '21 to Indianapolis. The other finalists "for this round of Final Fours were New Orleans, North Texas and St. Louis" (ESPN.com, 11/14). Minneapolis officials "wasted little time Friday touting" the new Vikings stadium as "the primary reason for the city’s selection" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 11/15).

NASCAR Chair & CEO Brian France on Friday said that if any changes are going to be made to the Chase for the Sprint Cup in '15, they "will be modest." France: "I would say very modest, modest to zero." This year's Sprint Cup finale takes place today with the Ford EcoBoost 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, featuring four drivers each vying for their first series title. France said the new Chase format has "exceeded what I had hoped for, and it's done precisely what we thought we wanted to do" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/14). France: "It has a chance to be one of the most successful seasons in NASCAR history" (USATODAY.com, 11/14).

ESPN today concludes "28 seasons of televising live NASCAR racing," as Fox Sports and NBC Sports Group pick up the TV rights next year. Today's broadcast marks ESPN's 398th Sprint Cup race (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/16). The 9:00am ET edition of "SportsCenter" today first covered the race 21 minutes into the telecast, with a montage teasing the net's coverage followed by two on-site reports. The show's coverage spanned three minutes and thirty-four seconds. Meanwhile, NBC's "Today" show covered the race 21 minutes into Sunday's telecast, referring to the finale as "NASCAR’s Super Bowl" (THE DAILY).

Subway has rolled out a new spot featuring NASCAR driver Carl Edwards and Fox’ Jay Glazer ahead of today's Sprint Cup Series season finale at Homestead-Miami Speedway. In the spot, Glazer is training Edwards to simulate the loudness inside a stock car during a race. Subway CMO Tony Pace said the on-camera dynamic between Edwards and Glazer has grown since their first spot together in '11. "Jay and Carl have actually become friends because of the interactions with us," Pace said. "They’ll reach out back and forth like any friends would on social media, and some of that stuff is interesting and gets other people talking."

The NFL "has hit a dead end trying to gather court records for its disciplinary review of exiled" Vikings RB Adrian Peterson. The prosecutor in Texas and Peterson's defense team "have declined the league's request to turn over evidence in the misdemeanor assault case connected to the disciplining of his 4-year-old son." Peterson's attorney, Rusty Hardin, said, "Texas law forbids us from providing a third party evidence we receive from the state during discovery" (ST. PAUL PIONEER PRESS, 11/15).

Meanwhile, an anonymous league official said that Peterson "refused to appear Friday at a scheduled disciplinary hearing with the NFL" (ESPN.com, 11/15). However, Peterson today in a statement said, "The report that I backed out of a meeting with the NFL is just not true. ... I consulted with my union and learned that this 'hearing' was something new and inconsistent with the CBA" (ESPN.com, 11/16).

The Packers "will introduce self-service beer vending at Lambeau Field" during today's game against the Eagles, making them "the first NFL team to do so." Fans "can purchase $20 beer cards at a cashier once they show proof of legal drinking age." They can then "swipe the cards at dispensers and pour as much as their money and their cup will allow" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 11/15).

A sellout crowd of 21,000 last night attended UFC's "debut in Latin America," as Fabricio Werdum knocked out Mark Hunt in the interim heavyweight title fight in Mexico City. The crowd for UFC 180 "was as good as the fights, roaring loudly at every turn and helping make it a memorable night." If future crowds are like the "massive, boisterous throng that roared itself hoarse, the UFC will make plenty more trips to Mexico no matter the issues it may encounter" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/16).

NFL agent Ben Dogra has hired attorney Rusty Hardin to represent him after he was fired by CAA Sports. Hardin confirmed Friday evening to SBD that Dogra had retained him "to help him negotiate his severance package that they owe him." Hardin, who represents Dogra’s client, Vikings RB Adrian Peterson, said CAA officials told Dogra he was fired for cause on Thursday, but did not tell him the cause. Hardin: “They are basically trying to figure out what the cause is now, because they didn’t have any.” CAA declined comment. Hardin said Dogra is free to start his own agency or join with another group.

Opening arguments by the NCAA in its appeal of the Ed O'Bannon antitrust ruling "argue heavily that a federal judge erred by not applying" an '84 Supreme Court ruling that the NCAA "believes protects amateurism in college sports." The NCAA yesterday submitted a 72-page filing with the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, that "focuses on what it believes are three flaws" by U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken in the initial trial. For the first time, the body "placed a number on what Wilken's injunction would cost schools," writing in the appeal that the decision "would amount to 'about $30,000 per student-athlete over four years' to football and men's basketball players" (CBSSPORTS.com, 11/15).

ESPN on Friday announced that Gonzaga and Pittsburgh will play in the '15 Armed Forces Classic college basketball game "at the Marine Corps Base Camp Smedley D. Butler in Okinawa, Japan," on Nov. 13. The '16 event "will originate from the Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam in Honolulu a few weeks shy of the 75th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor." It will be a doubleheader on Nov. 11, "with Indiana playing Kansas and Arizona matching up with Michigan State" (ESPN.com, 11/14).

NBC's "SNL" last night tackled the issue of concussions, as host Woody Harrelson played the role of a high school football coach demonstrating the "put your princess to bed" tackling technique.

Sabres play-by-play broadcaster Rick Jeanneret last night called his "first game since being diagnosed with throat cancer in July." Jeanneret "waved from the press box as everyone in the building rose to their feet, including the players on both teams." He did play-by-play "for only the first period" (BUFFALO NEWS, 11/16).

Hornets Owner Michael Jordan "will attend" today's NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Ford 400 at Homestead-Miami Speedway to "show his support" for friend Denny Hamlin as he attempts to capture his first Sprint Cup championship (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 11/16).

Former MLBer Derek Jeter's Simon & Schuster-produced book, "Jeter Unfiltered," debuts at No. 7 on the N.Y. TIMES' Combined Print & E-Book Best Sellers list for nonfiction (N.Y. TIMES, 11/16).

A crowd of 46,084 yesterday attended the MLB Japan All-Star Series game at Tokyo Dome. The Japanese national team earned a "combined no-hitter in a 4-0 win" over the MLB All-Stars (MLB.com, 11/15).

A "capacity crowd of 24,235" on Friday attended the U.S. men's national soccer team's 2-1 loss to Colombia at Craven Cottage in London, a "record for an international game" at the venue (N.Y. TIMES, 11/15).

Former Navy SEAL Rob O'Neill, who claims he fired the shot that killed Osama Bin Laden, spoke last night to the Redskins "during a team meeting" (ESPN.com, 11/16).

The Univ. of Missouri football team last night "played before the largest crowd in program history," as 104,756 fans at Texas A&M's Kyle Field witnessed Mizzou's victory (K.C. STAR, 11/16).

"Well I did try to call Rick. I left him a message. But I have not heard back" – New Cubs manager Joe Maddon, on whether he had reached out to his predecessor, Rick Renteria, who was fired after one season with the team (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 11/15).

"They are putting out a terrible product with no end in sight. A franchise that had Wilt Chamberlain, Paul Arizin and Julius Erving -- they stink and Adam Silver ought to do something about it" – ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser, on the 76ers' on-court product (“PTI,” ESPN, 11/14).

USA TODAY's Brent Schrotenboer writes under the header, "NFL's L.A. Future A High-Stakes Dance For 3 Franchises." He cites a source as saying that the Rams, Chargers and Raiders "are eyeing not only the empty Los Angeles market, but also each other." Each franchise "is driven by concerns that it could be stuck in its current market in an undesirable situation while the other two party up in their new shared palace in L.A."

Elsewhere:

• NFL owners Robert Kraft and Jim Irsay are "very similar where it matters most."
• Bryan Murray's cancer diagnosis reminds us of "the importance of colonoscopies."
• MLS players "are often torn between club and country," even during the playoffs.
• Has Twitter turned being a sports fan into a "jaded and spiteful" exercise?

For #Michigan fans curious about Jim Harbaugh: Booster Stephen Ross is much more interested in him at U-M than with #Dolphins

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) November 16, 2014

In other Kings news, GM @Pdoro was so incensed by Grizzlies game that he blew a blood vessel in his eye right after the controversial finish

— Sam Amick (@sam_amick) November 16, 2014

Google/YouTube's Roland Lange shoots down speculation company will bid 4 live sports rights with biggest leagues. "Not what we do." #ISS2014

— Michael McCarthy (@MMcCarthyREV) November 14, 2014

Message from an Eagles exec: "Lambeau is cool and all, but how did you live here?" There will be layers...

— Andrew Brandt (@adbrandt) November 16, 2014

The ultimate diss. Redskins in Redzone and NFL Redzone couldn't be bothered to cover it.

— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) November 16, 2014

When The Blue is white AD Coyle gets a shovel... pic.twitter.com/eGuXtdV63W

— Bart Hendricks (@BartHendricks) November 14, 2014