Faces & Places

NHRA sponsors gather at the summit
NHRA held its Sponsor Summit on July 15 at the headquarters of league sponsor Copart before the 20th annual FRAM Autolite Nationals event in Sonoma, Calif. Many of the league’s official sponsors participated in the annual event, which concluded with a special dinner reception hosted by Copart CEO Jay Adair. Among those in attendance included representatives from series sponsors Coca-Cola and Lucas Oil, broadcast partner ESPN, IMG and others including Automobile Club of Southern California, Brand Source, Ford, Goodyear, Harley-Davidson, Honeywell (FRAM, Autolite, Prestone) and the U.S. Army.

Cutting FanFest ribbon
At the opening ceremonies for the MLB All-Star Game FanFest on July 9, from left: Anaheim Mayor Curt Pringle; Carole and Arte Moreno, owner of the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim; Baseball Hall of Fame member Rod Carew, FanFest spokesman; Angels Chairman Dennis Kuhl; Allen Staff, senior vice president, regional executive, Bank of America; and Tim Brosnan, MLB executive vice president, business.

Fort Worth’s Sundance will be ESPN’s Super Bowl home
ESPN announced July 21 that it will base its production headquarters for Super Bowl XLV out of Sundance Square, a 35-block commercial, residential, entertainment and retail district in downtown Fort Worth, Texas. From left: John Goff, CEO of Fort Worth-based Crescent Real Estate Holdings; Fort Worth Mayor Mike Moncrief; Stephanie Druley, ESPN senior coordinating producer, NFL studio production; and Ed Bass, Sundance Square developer.

Charities in All-Star spotlight
MLB executives and participants lined up for the MLB All-Star Game Charity 5K & Fun Run presented by Sports Authority and Nike on July 11. The event featured more than 9,000 participants and raised more than $200,000 for four charities: Stand Up To Cancer, Susan G. Komen for the Cure, Prostate Cancer Foundation and City of Hope.

McEnroe academy students
The seven girls scholarship winners for the John McEnroe Tennis Academy were introduced by McEnroe, New York City Council President Christine Quinn and NYC Parks and Recreation Chair Melissa Mark-Vivorito. The seven were selected from an open tryout of more than 150 girls on July 19. The academy opens in September at the Randall’s Island Tennis Center.

Community leader
Chamique Holdsclaw received the Dawn Staley Community Leadership Award from WNBA President Donna Orender on July 20. Holdsclaw, of the San Antonio Silver Stars, was honored for her community work in Atlanta. The WNBA will donate $10,000 to the charity of Holdsclaw’s choosing.

All-Star performance
Amber Riley of the Fox television series “Glee” performed “Beautiful” during the All-Stars Among Us tribute and the national anthem before the 81st annual MLB All-Star Game on July 13 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Select Artists Association produced the on-field musical entertainment for the All-Star Game for the eighth consecutive year. Riley is shown with MLB’s Joe Fitzgerald; Ed Jones, SAA vice president of production; Dante DiLoreto, “Glee” executive producer;
and SAA President Charles Johnston.