The Falcons today announced that they will be the featured team for HBO's '14 iteration of "Hard Knocks." The new season of the training camp-centered reality series debuts Aug. 5. The Falcons "turned down an offer from HBO a few years ago." Falcons coach Mike Smith is "not a big fan of the show," and as a member of the Ravens he "went to great lengths to avoid the cameras." But "that will be nearly impossible as the head coach" (AJC.com, 6/12).

Protests “erupted on the streets” of Sao Paulo prior to today’s Croatia-Brazil match to kick off the FIFA World Cup. Police used tear gas and rubber bullets near the Itaquerão stadium to disperse the crowd. Several protesters and journalists were “injured in the tumult,” including CNN producer Barbara Arvanitidis. Another small protest against the World Cup unfolded in Rio de Janeiro, “with the police dispersing hundreds of protesters by firing rubber bullets” (NYTIMES.com, 6/12).

Meanwhile, the condition of Itaquerão was "vastly improved from a day earlier, with most signs of construction gone." The plywood boards that "littered the first-floor concourse were gone, as well as the big pallets" that were outside the suites entrance (USATODAY.com, 6/12).

NCAA sponsor Allstate Insurance today announced activation plans around the College World Series in Omaha, which include a program to reward fans for their "Good Hands in the Stands." During the four games taking place Saturday and Sunday at TD Ameritrade Park Omaha, Allstate will reward each fan who catches the first foul ball of every half inning with a keepsake trophy. Also, ESPN analyst Aaron Boone tomorrow will meet with fans at the Allstate Fan Zone within the CWS Fan Fest (Allstate).

The program is part of the insurance company's near-decade of sponsoring NCAA athletics, with the most recognizable activation being the nets behind goal posts at football games.

Penguins President & CEO David Morehouse today sat for a one-on-one interview to close out the '14 Veritix Sports Facilities & Franchises conference in Pittsburgh. With the team essentially maxed out on traditional revenue lines, the club under Morehouse is eagerly seeking out alternate income streams, such as a planned mixed use development near Consol Energy Center. The club is aiming to begin construction on the site early next year. Morehouse: "In a market the size of Pittsburgh, we have to make more money (in other ways) because we can't just raise ticket prices."

Morehouse also discussed the development and refinement of the Penguins brand, and how it differs from the Steelers, even as he expressed deep reverence for the Rooney family and the Steelers' accomplishments. He said, "We've embraced being different. The Penguins are the future of Pittsburgh, and we've built our whole business plan around it."

See more content from the event on our On The Ground blog or using the Twitter hashtag #sbjsff.

Sources said that Heat F LeBron James turned a profit of more than $30M in cash and stock as part of Apple's recent $3B purchase of Beats Electronics, marking the "biggest equity cash payout for a professional athlete in history." James "struck a deal to get a small stake in the company at its inception in 2008 in exchange for promoting its high-end headphones" (ESPN.com, 6/12). If the report is accurate, he would get $11M "more than he makes per year" in salary from the Heat (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 6/12).

Mondogoal launched today as a global fantasy sports platform for soccer. It was founded by former AS Roma Head of Digital Shergul Arshad (Mondogoal).

American Media and NBC Sports Group today announced a deal to televise the '14 Mr. Olympia contest on NBCSN. The agreement calls for two 90-minute specials covering the bodybuilding competition on Oct. 18 and Oct. 25 (NBC Sports).

Queens Univ. of Charlotte today said that it has "completed its football feasibility study kicked off last fall, and the school has decided not to move forward with the program." Queens competes in the Division II SAC (BIZJOURNALS.com, 6/12).

“I’m with Brendon de Jonge and Kevin Stadler for the first two rounds. … What they did is making a mockery of the three of us” – Golfer Shane Lowry, who admits he has "a bit of extra weight," on the USGA pairing him with two other heavy golfers for the first two rounds of the U.S. Open (IRISH TIMES, 6/12).

"I've got a lot to say, I just can't say it right now" – Phil Mickelson, immediately following his first round at the U.S. Open, when asked for comment about today's N.Y. Times story regarding his insider-trading probe (CBSSPORTS.com, 6/12).

"It’s not hard to bring U.S. players together, because I think it’s in their blood. U.S. players are so proud of representing their country that when they go to a big tournament, they stick together like not many countries do" – David Beckham, who is cautiously optimistic of the U.S. soccer team's chances of advancing out of the group stage at the World Cup (USATODAY.com, 6/12).

Octagon First Call Senior VP & Managing Dir David Schwab: "I believe only 1 of USA's top 3 marketable (& marketed) soccer players is in Brazil - Clint Dempsey. Other two: Landon D. & Alex Morgan."

ESPN's Danny Kanell: "Not sure how I feel about the ears tucked in the hat but I love the tribute to Payne Stewart from @RickieFowlerPGA #styleswag"

The Hockey News' Ken Campbell: "Am told Bob Nicholson has offers from Washington, Edmonton and Vancouver to be CEO. Washington offering the most money."

Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban‏: "So the media got It wrong on Phil Mickelson. I'm shocked. Will ESPN rerun all those crawls with corrections?"

Fox Sports Ohio's Joe Reedy: "The Falcons got a mini preview of Hard Knocks last year. The cameras were there for four days last year during workouts with Bengals"

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

Twitter today announced that Ali Rowghani resigned as COO and that the micro-blogging site “did not intend to hire a replacement.” Rowghani’s responsibilities “would be assumed by others in the management.” Rowghani will remain with the company as a strategic adviser (REUTERS, 6/12).

In reality, Landon Donovan will be watching much of the World Cup from ESPN's studios in L.A. But that does not diminish the humor of this video from the Galaxy, which shows him manning the office at the club's HQ while the rest of the staff skips out to view the tournament action from Brazil.

Former U.S. figure skater Rachael Flatt will appear on Fox' "Hell's Kitchen" at 8:00pm ET.

Bears TE Martellus Bennett will appear on TBS' "The Pete Homes Show" at 12:00am ET.

$2,500 – The average amount of money spent by a foreign tourist while visiting Brazil. The country is expecting 600,000 tourists from abroad for the FIFA World Cup (ARIZONA REPUBLIC, 6/12).