Colts Owner Jim Irsay in his first extended interview since his March DUI arrest was asked about the $29,000 he had with him and said that it is "not unusual for him to have that kind of cash." Irsay told the INDIANAPOLIS STAR, "I don't know why that was leaked to the press or what it had to do with anything. You're talking about someone who is extremely generous, and I say that humbly. That's the way I try to live my life and it has nothing to do with the law."

Irsay: "My focus is on making the Colts the best team in the NFL. I'm completely engaged and have always been engaged, even when I was in rehab. Your paper acted like my kids were running the team and I was in some kind of coma and that's just not the truth" (INDYSTAR.com, 6/10).

The annual Texas-Oklahoma football game "is staying at the Cotton Bowl for at least another decade" under an extension through '25 that is expected to be formally announced this afternoon. The previous deal had run through '20, contingent on the city of Dallas "making since-completed upgrades to the stadium." The schools' boards of trustees "must still approve the deal, but both athletic departments have signed off on the agreement." The game has been held at the venue since 1929 (DALLASNEWS.com, 6/10).

California's Yocha Dehe Wintun Nation "has paid for the anti-Redskins advertisement 'Proud to Be' to run in seven major cities during halftime" of tonight's Spurs-Heat NBA Finals Game 3. This will mark the first time the ad, which initially appeared online ahead of the Super Bowl, "has run before such a wide-reaching television audience." The tribe "would not say how much it spent for the coveted advertising slot, only that it was a 'significant investment.'" The ad will air in Chicago, Dallas, L.A., N.Y., Sacramento, S.F. and DC. It ran in Miami during Game 2 on Sunday (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/10).

Spend management solutions firm Concur today formally announced a deal to sponsor golfer Jason Day beginning this week at the U.S. Open at Pinehurst. The Concur logo will be displayed on Day's shirt, and the agreement also will include partner and community engagement initiatives (Concur). Day's "other endorsement deals include Lexus on the sleeve, NetJets on the collar, and TaylorMade on the hat." He also has an adidas apparel deal (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/9 issue).

MapQuest and MLB.com today launched an original online video series called "Key to the City" as part of the map site's customized content pertaining to the ballparks of all 30 MLB teams. The series, hosted by comedian Matt Fisher, consists of five-minute episodes on what to do on game days in select baseball towns. New videos will debut throughout the summer, starting today with a Rockies-themed entry about Denver (MapQuest).

It is still all about the data. That was stressed by top ticketing execs during today's opening discussion in Pittsburgh at the Veritix Sports Facilities & Franchises conference and Ticketing Symposium. AEG President of Digital, Tickets & Media Bryan Perez said, "Our big strategy is, we operate in ticketing, venues and sports teams, and we have touch points all along the ecosystem. Most of our initiatives are about aggregating all those points of contact into getting rich information on the customer." 

Veritix CEO Sam Gerace said all the information consumers provide should help strategy. Gerace: "Fans are busy expressing their preference every day on your device. Consumers can express their preferences even before inventory goes on sale, and that can impact our pricing and strategy."

While sports was a late mover, teams are using predictive analysis more and more to improve the business side of the operations and learn more about the total potential fan base. Cavaliers Senior Dir of Business Intelligence Kevin O’Toole came from the banking world and admitted that sports was late to the party. O'Toole: “It’s about pricing, but there is a lot of opportunity in the sponsorship world and the data we can provide to sponsors to show ROI.” He went on to note that there are real opportunities in analytics. “Segmenting is the opportunity we have,” O’Toole said. “We have the chance to understand the profile of each individual fan, and that should ultimately be the goal.”

The Magic have been a first-mover in this space, and VP/Business Strategy Antony Perez said, “We are focused a lot on trying to personalize predictive analytics. We are looking at likely renewals, new buyers or lapsed buyers. Then we think about how do we turn those into campaigns that are streamlined, so that once a person takes an action, it turns into an individualized message from us."

See updates on the event via our On The Ground blog or using the Twitter hashtag #sbjtix.

United Technologies Corp. today was announced as the presenting sponsor of the WTA event at Yale Univ. that will now become the Connecticut Open, renamed from the New Haven Open (Connecticut Open).

The New Jersey Economic Development Authority today voted unanimously to award an $82M grant to the 76ers "to build a practice facility and offices on Camden's waterfront" (PHILLY.com, 6/10).

TSN and RDS today announced an eight-year extension of their media rights deal with the USGA through '22. The agreement includes Canadian coverage of the U.S. Open, U.S. Women's Open, U.S. Senior Open Championships and national amateur competitions (Bell Media).

ESPN Radio content as of today is available on iTunes Radio, representing the first sports content available on the platform (ESPN).

ESPN today announced that on-air personality Stuart Scott will receive the Jimmy V Perseverance Award at the July 16 ESPYS (ESPN).

The WNBA and My Black Is Beautiful today launched the WNBA Dads & Daughters Changing the Conversation initiative. It will include a four-market panel discussion series featuring WNBA talent alongside 75 girls and their dads (WNBA).

“There will come a point fairly soon where we feel like if we don’t have a conference we have to build an independent schedule for a couple of years” – UMass AD John McCutcheon, on the school having to prepare contingencies in case it does not find a conference to play in following the '15 season. UMass in March decided to end its affiliation with the MAC (DAILY HAMPSHIRE GAZETTE, 6/10).

“I never wanted to road race. There are these two little pesky road races in our schedule and I have to do them” – NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt Jr. (“The Dan Patrick Show,” 6/10).

“We’re going to bring back the golfers who grew up at the old Tuscon Open. It’s going to be a party: a two-day Pro-Am and three days of golf” – Conquistadores Exec Dir Judy McDermott, on Dove Mountain dropping its WGC event in favor of hosting a Champions Tour event (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 6/10).

“FIFA has an executive president and that means you are responsible. People tend not to take you very seriously anymore” – UEFA Exec Committee member Michael van Praag, who urged FIFA President Sepp Blatter not to run for a fifth term next year (AP, 6/10).

CNBC's John Harwood: "On Dan Snyder hiring lobbyist to help with Redskins name problem - he'll get exactly as much for his money as he got from Albert Haynesworth."

SI's Doug Farrar: "This whole Redskins thing could be the rare case where lobbyists walk out of the room feeling dirty."

Newsday's Jim Baumbach: "Fisher is speaking without notes, which is impressive given his inexperience. Says he's more excited for this as anything else he's done."

ESPN's Rick Reilly: "So grateful to @johnelway for introducing me into the #NSSA HofF last night. Still thrilled. Congrats to Marv Albert + all the winners."

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

Giants Senior VP/Communications Pat Hanlon posted this image of Pro Football HOFer Bill Parcells dropping by Giants HQ today to visit with current coach Tom Coughlin.

The Cobb County (Ga.) Commission will discuss the proposed Braves ballpark at a regularly scheduled meeting. Several critics of the project's financing plan are expected to use the public comment portion of the meeting to voice their opposition.

As the FIFA World Cup nears, The Guardian takes a look back at a bit of lesser-known soccer history: how English club Exeter City's visit to South America led to the formation of the Brazilian national team. Watch the full video.

85% – Approximate percentage of water used at the 49ers' new Levi's Stadium that will come from Santa Clara's recycled water system. The 49ers today announced the connection, which makes them the first stadium in California to utilize that water source (49ers).