American Airlines will pay $90M over 10 years to sponsor a plaza at the Rams' and Chargers' new Inglewood stadium, becoming the "first official partner" for the facility. A source said that American Airlines "agreed to sponsor the 2.5-acre space that serves as main entrance" to the stadium. The American Airlines Plaza will stand 10 stories high and has a "capacity of about 15,000." It will be "open to the public year-round, along with event days." As part of the deal, American Airlines also will become the "official airline of the Rams and Chargers, and have prominent branding during games" (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 8/6).

L.A. STADIUM

The Blue Jays will "extend protective netting" at both Rogers Centre and their Spring Training home in Dunedin, Fla., ahead of the '20 season. The exact configuration is still being determined, but the Blue Jays are "committed to a plan that will see the netting extended further down the baselines at both ballparks next year." The netting at the Rogers Centre currently "extends to the end of each dugout" (TORONTO STAR, 8/6). The Blue Jays have been "working on plans" since a late May incident in which a young girl was struck by a foul ball during an Cubs-Astros game at Minute Maid Park (SPORTSNET.ca, 8/6).

NBC Sports released its '19-20 NHL broadcast schedule today, and it appears the Avalanche, Stars and Devils have "become better entertainment options." The Avalanche "will be featured 12 times, compared with six times last season." The Stars will appear six times, "compared with once last season." The Devils, after adding D P.K. Subban, Russian LW Nikita Gusev and No. 1 draft pick Jack Hughes, "have gone from one appearance to four." Meanwhile, the Senators are the "only team not on the television schedule" (USA TODAY, 8/6).

TCU AD Jeremiah Donati announced today that the school will "begin selling beer" at Amon G. Carter Stadium this upcoming football season. A variety of MillerCoors brands "will be available for purchase across the stadium." Beer will cost $7, with sales "beginning two hours before kickoff and concluding at the start of the fourth quarter." With the decision also comes the "elimination of the stadium's in-and-out policy, meaning fans will need to show a new ticket for re-entry into the stadium" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 8/6).

HBO's "Hard Knocks" debuts tonight at 10:00pm ET featuring the Raiders, and this year's edition may "more closely resemble a daytime drama than a gritty reality series." There will be "a lot to unpack over four hour-long episodes of the show's 14th season" (WASHINGTON POST, 8/6). A 32-person NFL Films crew has "shot video and recorded audio of every practice and other team functions in or around the Raiders’ summer headquarters." There "figures to be plenty" of QB Derek Carr and WR Antonio Brown, who has "missed substantial practice time because of blistered feet" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 8/6).

The first "Hard Knocks" episode generally "focuses on the days before camp begins, the first few practices and the interactions between younger players and the coaches." However, this year "figures to be different" (AP, 8/5).

TickPick has secured a $40M "investment from PWP Growth Equity." TickPick started out as a "secondary marketplace for ticket resellers, but it’s started to sell tickets directly from partners" like the Big South and Western Athletic Conferences. The company said that it is "on-track" to facilitate $200M worth of transactions in '19, up 60% year-over-year. TickPick plans to use the new funding to "make some key hires" like a CFO and CMO, and to "build a data team that can help TickPick use artificial intelligence and machine learning to improve the customer experience" (TECHCRUNCH.com, 8/6).

Basketball HOFer Steve Nash is joining Turner Sports' NBA coverage as a contributor and will continue to evolve his presence on B/R Football's UEFA Champions League coverage. Nash will appear on TNT's Tuesday night NBA coverage, providing standalone studio segments encompassing off-the-court features, player profiles and more (Turner Sports).

Former SEC referee Matt Austin has joined ESPN and SEC Network as an officiating analyst for college football. He will contribute weekly analysis to SEC games and studio shows from SEC Network’s studios in Charlotte (ESPN).

The NBA signed a multiyear partnership with Twitch, in which the social video service will exclusively stream select Jr. NBA Global Championships (NBA).

"Sometimes I’ve been a little too abrupt and to the point. And I think it’s because I’ve never been a pussyfooter. I’ve never dallied around" -- NFL Giants Senior VP & GM Dave Gettleman, on his reputation with releasing players (SI.com, 8/6).

"It's our responsibility to not only be the best team we can be, but also conduct ourselves with the USA on our shirt, we're representing a lot of people. We have a huge responsibility, not only for the country, to do this in a classy manner, but to continue the success that USA basketball has had over the last 12 years" -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, on coaching Team USA in the upcoming FIBA World Cup (ESPN.com, 8/5).

At @AlbanyGLC Saratoga Institute, Pat Brown, noted attorney and lobbyist, says that Gov. Cuomo threw out Constitutionality of mobile sports gambling as NY to forestall conversation on how to address tribal gaming issues it raises.

— Rob Rosborough (@NYSAppeals) August 6, 2019

News that could make Bill Bowlen's lawsuit vs. the trustees of the Patrick D. Bowlen Trust in Arapahoe County a bit more complicated: the 18th Judicial District announced last month that the judge assigned to the case, Judge Charles M. Pratt, is retiring. https://t.co/CfrRlZ2o4B pic.twitter.com/conZ6vIvR5

— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 6, 2019

Official: Miami Heat sharpshooter Tyler Herro has signed a multi-year shoe deal with Nike. pic.twitter.com/ezBe1sWV2Q

— Nick DePaula (@NickDePaula) August 6, 2019

Sources tell @TheAthletic that United Arab Emirates remains under consideration to host the Andy Ruiz-Anthony Joshua heavyweight championship rematch. Organizers there made a lucrative offer to host the fight

— Mike Coppinger (@MikeCoppinger) August 6, 2019

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

The Nashville Metro Council will hold a public meeting at 6:30pm CT to further discuss the possibility of bringing NASCAR back to the Fairgrounds.

The Red Sox will celebrate the life of late Grateful Dead singer Jerry Garcia at Fenway Park during tonight's game against the Royals. A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit the Rex Foundation.

"I think we should have strobe lights or something in here." 😅

We brought @jkdobbins22 onto the BTN Bus, and the @OhioStateFB running back shared some thoughts on our crib on wheels: pic.twitter.com/6VpTJCmB8i

— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) August 6, 2019

19.2% -- Increase in the number of households that cut the cord with traditional pay TV subscribers so far this year (DEADLINE.com, 8/6).