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Sunday, Sept. 10, 3:30pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Houston Strong

Texans Return After Hurricane Harvey To Emotional Pregame Ceremony

The Texans opened their season against the Jaguars today at NRG Stadium, a game that "should be part of the much-needed healing process after the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Harvey" (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 9/9). Before the game, the Texans honored first responders who helped the city during Hurricane Harvey. First responders held the U.S. flag during the national anthem. The Texans also wore a “Houston Strong” decal on their helmets, and DE J.J. Watt during pregame warmups, wore Texas flag-themed cleats. Watt, who spearheaded hurricane relief fundraising efforts that have surpassed $30M, was introduced last during pregame festivities. CBS’ Steve Tasker during the net’s broadcast said, “This place was full of emotion. There was not a dry eye” (THE DAILY). Houston-based KHOU-CBS reporter Daniel Gotera tweeted, “This place was shaking when J.J. Watt came out. Goosebumps” (TWITTER.com, 9/10).

Watt said of his fundraising efforts, "Everybody wanted to help. Everybody from all over the country and the world wanted to help. They just needed a way to help. I’m not a hero. I’m not a hero at all. The heroes are the policeman, the people that literally save people’s lives, the firefighters, all of the community members and all the neighbors. The heroes are people that donated millions of dollars. I’m just a coordinator of people" (“The NFL Today,” CBS, 9/10).

Judge Grants Elliott Preliminary Injunction, Blocking NFL's Suspension

A federal judge granted Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott a "preliminary injunction on Friday that blocks the NFL from enforcing a six-game suspension and could keep" him on the field for the entire '17 season. Judge Amos Mazzant III "ruled that the NFL withheld crucial witnesses and evidence that prevented Elliott from receiving a fair appeal hearing." The NFL will "likely protest the decision in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals." It could "seek an immediate stay of Mazzant's order, which could be argued as early" as this week. If the NFL "doesn't seek or win a stay, it's likely Elliott will remain eligible for the rest of this season" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/8). 

Cowboys To House Displaced Dolphins In Oxnard After Irma Hits Florida

With Hurricane Irma hitting Florida, the Dolphins, who "evacuated South Florida Friday night on a plane" chartered by Owner Stephen Ross, will "stay and practice next week in Oxnard, Calif., as guests" of the Cowboys. The Cowboys hold training camp in Oxnard and "offered the Dolphins use of it as they prepare for next Sunday’s game against the Chargers." Ross "'spared no expense' flying players, coaches, staff and their families out of South Florida as Hurricane Irma closed in on South Florida." The team will "stay in L.A. all week." Irma's "new western path should pose little risk to Hard Rock Stadium" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/10). Meanwhile, the Glazer family, which owns the Buccaneers, "scrambled to secure five small planes to fly 130 players, football and business staff members and their immediate families to Charlotte" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 9/10).

NHL Panthers House Irma Clean-Up Crews At BB&T Center

In preparation for Hurricane Irma, the NHL Panthers have "2,500 cots set up" throughout their concourses and concession areas at BB&T Center for clean-up workers, with Florida Power & Light providing food. The emergency crews have come from all over the U.S. to "help Floridians once Irma blows through." Panthers President & CEO Matthew Caldwell is "staying at the arena with some of his staff and has been spending time walking around greeting tired workers." Caldwell said that the arena, owned by Broward County but run by the team, "would do whatever it can to help" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/10).

Meanwhile, the Red Sox' Spring Training facility JetBlue Park in Ft. Myers is also "being used as a headquarters for first responders" (ESPN.com, 9/10).

Atlanta United Plays First MLS Game At New Mercedes-Benz Stadium

Mercedes-Benz Stadium "becomes a soccer venue" today as Atlanta United "plays there for the first time," facing FC Dallas at 3:30pm ET. Construction delays on the $1.5B stadium "forced the MLS expansion team to play its previous nine home matches at Georgia Tech’s Bobby Dodd Stadium." Team President Darren Eales said, "It will feel like a different stadium when you come for an Atlanta United game than when you come for a Falcons game." The stadium features a "mechanized curtain system that can conceal the 31,000 upper-deck seats with 14 retractable fabric panels," which is designed to "reduce the volume of the massive building and create a more intimate environment" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/8).

Sloane Stephens Wins U.S. Open, Becomes "Media Darling" Of Tennis

Sloane Stephens on Saturday defeated Madison Keys in straight sets to win the U.S. Open, capping a "remarkably rapid rise after sitting out 11 months because of foot surgery." Stephens is "only the second unseeded woman to win the tournament in the Open era," which began in '68 (AP, 9/9).

The N.Y. TIMES' Christopher Clarey writes, "Even tennis, a sport where comebacks are the coin of the realm, has rarely seen a revival quite like this" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/10). USA TODAY's Sandra Harwitt wrote Stephens has become the "new media darling of tennis" (USATODAY.com, 9/9). The L.A. TIMES' Helene Elliott writes Stephens' win came at the right time for the "suddenly bright future of American women's tennis" (L.A. TIMES, 9/10). Meanwhile, TLA Worldwide, which reps Stephens, sent an email congratulating her on the win and listed her marketing reps (THE DAILY).

Yankees-Rays Series Moved To Citi Field Due To Hurricane Irma

MLB on Friday took the "pre-emptive step" of moving the three-game Yankees-Rays series beginning tomorrow in St. Petersburg to Citi Field due to Hurricane Irma. The Mets announced that field-level seats "will be sold for $25, that there will be no fees on ticket purchases" and that ballpark parking will be "sharply limited." There were several other American League sites that were "considered for the relocated series -- Detroit, Baltimore and Chicago among them -- but hotels that could accommodate both teams were hard to come by" (N.Y. TIMES, 9/9). Meanwhile, Montreal "renewed its offer" to MLB to "help out in the wake of hurricane Irma, but was politely refused." A source said that the city "made an offer to host" the Yankees-Rays series (CP, 9/8).

Cubs' First Friday Night Regular-Season Game Likely A One-Time Deal

The Brewers-Cubs game on Friday was the "first Friday regular-season night game in the 101-year history of Wrigley Field" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 9/9). In spite of concerns the night game would "affect the neighborhood businesses, nearby bars and restaurants seemingly were doing brisk business." The game time was changed from 1:20pm CT to 7:10pm so the Cubs' players could "sleep in after an early morning flight from Pittsburgh, a one-time exemption from the city ordinance" courtesy of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the City Council (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/9). While the city has indicated Friday's game will be a "one-time only exemption to accommodate the Cubs' rough travel schedule," it is "not likely to stop the team from asking for more" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 9/10).

Beckham Makes First Payment On Land For Miami Soccer Stadium

David Beckham’s organization made its "first payment on county land for a Miami stadium," which had been "delayed to secure backing" by MLS. The $450,000 payment on Friday "represents a small portion" of the $9M purchase price that Miami-Dade granted Beckham in June. The deal with Miami-Dade gave the Beckham group the summer to "make the first payment on the county land" (MIAMI HERALD, 9/9). Most of the money for the three acres of county land in Overtown will be paid "in the next year" (ESPN.com, 9/9).

IOC's Patrick Hickey Resigns From Board After Ticket Scalping Arrest

The IOC said that Exec Board member Patrick Hickey "resigned," more than one year after he was "arrested at the Rio de Janeiro Olympics in a ticket scalping investigation." The IOC "announced Hickey’s resignation ahead of the board’s two-day meeting opening Monday in Lima, Peru." The IOC board seat "representing the Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) will be elected" at an annual meeting beginning Wednesday (AP, 9/10). 

Speed Reads....

UFC last night "made its Edmonton debut" at Rogers Place with UFC 215, headlined by Amanda Nunes-Valentina Shevchenko. The event "drew 16,232 fans for a sold out crowd," accounting for a $2.03M gate. Rogers Place "still hosted 11 fights" despite a flyweight title fight being cancelled 48 hours prior to fight time (MMAWEEKLY.com, 9/10).

Little Caesars Arena "expected 20,000 people" yesterday for its "ticketed open house tour for the public." Many of the attendees were "stunned upon arriving inside and seeing natural light flowing from the ceiling and many photo opportunities with jerseys and memorabilia" (DETROIT NEWS, 9/10).

Last night's Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Federated Auto Parts 400 at Richmond Raceway drew a "bigger crowd than recent races" at the track (RICHMOND.com, 9/9).

Dale Earnhardt Jr. was "officially eliminated" from the Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series playoffs with a 13th-place finish yesterday. He is "retiring at the end of the season and has never won a Cup title" (AP, 9/9).

Quick Hits....

"Every time we have this conversation, I say, 'it sure seems to be,' and then it goes lower" -- CBS Sports Network's Amy Trask, on the NFLPA's relationship with the league being at "an all-time low" ("That Other Pregame Show," CBSSN, 9/10).

"I don't think there is any doubt the NFL will work in Las Vegas" -- Former Titans GM Floyd Reese, on the Raiders' potential for success in Las Vegas (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 9/10).

"The Cowboys provide a green room strictly for the sideline reporters. It is the only place in the NFL that does it. It's really cool. It has a bathroom, shower and a mirror. There are a number of buildings around the league where it's hard to find a place to go to the bathroom, but AT&T provides that everything you need" -- NBC sideline reporter Michele Tafoya, on AT&T Stadium (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/9).

"It was a mistake. I think it was a mistake by the athletic director to say winning eight games wasn't enough" -- Former Texas A&M football player, coach and Board of Regents member Gene Stallings criticizing AD Scott Woodward's comments regarding mediocrity (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/9).

Twitter Me This....

Weekend Hot Reads....

The N.Y. TIMES wrote under the header, "The Awakening Of Colin Kaepernick." Kaepernick at the Univ. of Nevada "began a journey that led him to his position as one of the most prominent, if divisive, social activists in sports." Outside of politics, there may be "nobody in popular culture at this complex moment so divisive and so galvanizing, so scorned and so appreciated." Meanwhile, author Dave Zirin, who is working on Seahawks DE Michael Bennett's autobiography, pens an op-ed in the L.A. TIMES under the header, "The NFL Wants You To Think Colin Kaepernick Isn't Being Sidelined By Politics. The NFL Is Wrong -- Again." The NFL "seems to believe that shutting out Kaepernick will be like a crack of the whip across the backs of its players, stamping out dissent, keeping everyone in line." But the "opposite has been the case."

Elsewhere:

Today's Back Pages....

The Weekend Rap 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-Times

Sunday Comic....

A sneak preview of SportsBusiness Journal's weekly editorial cartoon:

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead: Sept. 11-17

MONDAY
• WTA Coupe Banque Nationale begins (Quebec City, Canada)
• WTA Japan Women’s Open begins (Tokyo, Japan)

TUESDAY
• Konami’s “Pro Evolution Soccer 2018” releases

THURSDAY
• PGA Tour BMW Championship begins (Conway Farms Golf Club, Lake Forest, Ill.)
• LPGA Evian Championship begins (Evian Resort Golf Club, France)
• SportsBusiness Journal's '17 Game Changers Conference (N.Y.)

FRIDAY
• ITF Davis Cup semifinals begin: Australia-Belgium (Brussels, Belgium) and Serbia-France (Lille, France)
• NHRA Mello Yello Drag Racing Series Carolina Nationals begin (zMAX Dragway, Concord, N.C.)
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Chicagoland 225 (Chicagoland Speedway)

SATURDAY
• NASCAR Xfinity Series Chicagoland 300 (Chicagoland Speedway)
• UFC Fight Night 116: Luke Rockhold vs. David Branch (PPG Paints Arena, Pittsburgh)

SUNDAY
• F1 Singapore Grand Prix (Marina Bay Street Circuit)
• Monster Energy NASCAR Cup Series Tales of the Turtles 400 (Chicagoland Speedway)
• UCI Road World Championships begin (Bergen, Norway)
• Verizon IndyCar Series Grand Prix of Sonoma (Sonoma Raceway)(season finale)

If you know of any events that should be in our calendar, send them to us at mmiceli@sportsbusinessdaily.com.