Team Great Britain apparel provider adidas today unveiled the designs for the uniforms that will be worn by U.K. athletes in the London Games. The Stella McCartney design was revealed at the Tower of London by athletes including heptathlete Jessica Ennis, triple-jumper Phillips Idowu and Paralympic swimmer Ellie Simmonds. adidas will supply more than 900 British athletes with a total of approximately 175,000 items of clothing during the Games (LOCOG).

McCartney: "The first place to start on a project like this is to look at the Union flag. For me it's one of the most beautiful flags in the world and it was important for me to stay true to that iconic design but also to modernise it and present it in a contemporary way" (Mult., 3/22).

Procter & Gamble brand Duracell today announced its "Rely on Copper to Go for the Gold" campaign tied to the London Games. The effort will feature U.S. Olympic athletes Dwight Howard, Hunter Kemper (triathlon) and siblings Mark and Diana Lopez (taekwondo), as well as former U.S. swimmer Summer Sanders. Duracell's Virtual Stadium will allow consumers to support athletes with video, text and photo messages. Fans submitting messages will be eligible to win a trip to the '14 Sochi Games (Duracell).

MLB and the MLBPA today announced the locales and participants of the new qualifying round of the World Baseball Classic, the international baseball tournament the two entities jointly own and operate. The new qualifying round will be played this fall as the '13 version of the event, set to commence in full early next year, expands from 16 to 28 teams. The six-game, double-elimination qualifying pools are as follows:

Lincoln Financial has reached an agreement with PGA Tour golfer David Toms to put its marks on Toms' shirt collar and golf bag. Toms, a 13-time winner, will make appearances for Lincoln Financial throughout the year. Financial terms were not released. Lincoln Financial joins a corporate sponsor lineup with Toms that includes Humana, Cleveland Golf, Citation Air and Oxford Golf. Lincoln Financial makes its debut with Toms today at the Arnold Palmer Invitational, presented by MasterCard.

Two senior NFL team executives speaking at SBJ/SBD's IMG World Congress of Sports strongly supported NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s decision to levy punitive fines and suspensions on the Saints. Packers President & CEO Mark Murphy said he was not surprised by Goodell’s decision. “Roger is very sincere that he’s not going to tolerate anything that puts at risk player health and safety,” Murphy said. “I know it was a difficult decision for him. But I knew he would act quickly.” Murphy expressed sympathy for Saints Owner Tom Benson, but reinforced his opinion that the punishment was justified. "I know Tom Benson is very disappointed," Murphy said, "but it was a very serious violation." Texans President Jamey Rootes agreed. “You have to step up when things like this happen,” he said, “regardless of the circumstance and to protect player safety” (THE DAILY).

For more from the conference, see today's issue of THE DAILY. Also, see a full agenda, follow the event on our blog and get updates via the SBJ/SBD Twitter feed.

Meanwhile, the NFLPA today issued a statement saying the union "looks forward to meeting with the Commissioner to discuss the League's 'Bounty' investigation. To date, neither the League, nor the Saints, have helped us facilitate interviews with members of management or the coaching staff. We expect the League to provide all information so that we can ensure a fair process for all who were involved" (NFLPA). NFL Senior VP/PR Greg Aiello said in an email, "We told the union that Saints coaches and other personnel are free to speak to the union if they choose. The commissioner has stated that he asked the union several weeks ago for its recommendation on player discipline" (Liz Mullen, SportsBusiness Journal).

Speedway Motorsports Inc. officials today unveiled $4M in upgrades to Charlotte Motor Speedway. Among the improvements are “The Hub,” a new private infield compound, and Champions Pavilion, a premium, all-inclusive indoor/outdoor ticket package. "The Hub" encompasses individual sites for motor coaches, tents and other mobile units with a private entrance, concierge service, pre-race pit access and 24-hour security.

The cost per 2,500-square-foot space is $7,500 per race weekend and $20,000 for the year. Race tickets are not included. Champions Pavilion is a new 12,000-square-foot building inside Turn 4 overlooking pit road. For the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series Coca-Cola 600 on May 27, pavilion tickets are $1,000 a person. The cost covers catering, unlimited beverages including beer and wine, and access to a roof top observation deck to watch the race. Separately, SMI announced that children under age 13 will be admitted free to most events this year at the speedway, including Nationwide Series races. Sprint Cup races are excluded.

Aspen Skiing Co. tonight will ask elected officials from Aspen, Snowmass Village and Pitkin County to "double the three governments' contribution to transportation costs associated with staging ESPN's Winter X Games." The Elected Officials Transportation Committee has provided $50,000 annually to assist in transportation. The SkiCo, which is in negotiations to host the event at Buttermilk Mountain for two more years, is "seeking a commitment for $100,000 in each of the next two years to help pay for the buses" (ASPEN TIMES, 3/21).

Warriors C Andrew Bogut "has moved into sport management" by buying into his agent Bruce Kaider's company One Management Group & Consulting. Bogut during the lockout was working on a deal to buy into OMGC, and he said that he "isn't just [a] deep-pocketed figurehead" with the firm. Bogut: "I can get access to people, being an NBA player, that I won't get when I retire. I understand how that works" (AAP, 3/22).

Celtics and Bruins championship banners and retired numbers "have been removed from the rafters" at TD Garden for this week's NCAA men's basketball tournament games. The NHL and NBA team "complied and tried to make the best" of the NCAA policy, using it "as a chance to involve fans in social media." Fans can "suggest a place for the most recent banner from each team to hang on Friday" via the venue's Facebook page and Twitter feed (BOSTON.com, 3/21).

The banners were on display at Norwood High School yesterday (BOSTON GLOBE, 3/22).

U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) is "setting up a Judiciary Committee hearing about bounties in the NFL and other major sports." Durbin said that "he wants to examine whether federal law should make such bounty systems a crime" (ESPN.com, 3/22).

Li-Ning today officially rolled out its brand in the U.S. and announced its U.S. division will be based out of Chicago (Li-Ning).

Gulf Oil today announced that it has become the official electricity supplier to Fenway Park (Gulf Oil).

Aaron's has signed a three-year sponsorship deal with Towson Univ. Athletics (Aaron's).

"We're running it a little bit like a formal investment group would to make sure our investors are informed and we don't go haywire financially" – Astros Owner Jim Crane, on setting up a board of directors for his ownership group that features more than 40 investors (CHRON.com, 3/21).

"The whole issue is that it is no longer the start of the season, it is going to be five events or however many into the year already, so, in my mind, that begs for restructuring the eligibility" – NBC's Mark Rolfing, on the Hyundai Tournament of Champions no longer being the PGA Tour's season-opening event after the '13 season (Honolulu STAR ADVERTISER, 3/22). 

“Richard has dedicated his life to serving the players of the NFL, and we will never be able to adequately thank him for all he has done to improve the lives of our members, past, present and future” – NFLPA Player President Kevin Mawae said, on the retirement of NFLPA General Counsel Richard Berthelsen (THE DAILY).

“Since ’08, their popularity has been on the rise (in Japan). They had Hideki Matsui last year, which increased their broadcasts dramatically” – MLB Senior VP/Int’l Business Operations Paul Archey, on the A’s opening their season in Japan for the second time in five years (SAN JOSE MERCURY NEWS, 3/22).

SI's Richard Deitsch: "Heard back from @Poynter on Bob Knight/Kentucky/and notion of an ESPN analyst dictating Qs. The official word is they 'are working on it.'"

"The Dan Patrick Show" producer Paulie Pabst: "The new NFL is like the new Times Square. It's safer and cleaner...but the old version was much more fun."

The N.Y. Daily News' Ralph Vacchiano: "The Giants officially announce the re-signing of backup QB David Carr, who will not be on the back page of @NYDNsports tomorrow. Sorry. #NYG."

Tulane Sports Law Program Dir Gabe Feldman: "Congress has looked at sports violence in past.Leg introduced in '80 to provide fines&jail time for'excessive physical force'in pro sports."

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

MLB.com Braves reporter Mark Bowman takes us inside the dugout for this embrace between Braves 3B Chipper Jones and C Brian McCann following the announcement that Jones will retire after this season.

Actor Samuel L. Jackson is slated to read player introductions prior to the 7:00pm CT Hornets-Clippers game. Jackson has been in New Orleans shooting a film.

Red Sox 2B Dustin Pedroia gets a chance to chat with the NESN booth during a Spring Training game and gives Red Sox TV announcer Don Orsillo quite a ribbing from the dugout.

NASCAR driver Jimmie Johnson will appear on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” at midnight ET.

74 – Number of Izod IndyCar Series races won by either the Penske or Ganassi teams since IndyCar became a spec series in '06. There have been 99 total races in that time frame (ESPN.com, 3/22).