Louisiana's State Bond Commission has given the Mercedes-Benz Superdome's governing body the "go-ahead" to sell up to $350M in bonds to "fund its stadium upgrade project." The approval is a "major step" for the venue's $450M makeover. It comes after committee members quizzed Saints President Dennis Lauscha and SMG Exec VP/Stadiums & Arenas Doug Thornton about "why the spending was needed and how much the state of Louisiana would have to contribute." Thornton said that they "had studied alternatives for more than two years, including various renovations as well as building an entirely new stadium" (NOLA.com, 8/15).

Sports betting in Iowa is now legal as of noon CT today, and it will be offered in "any casino that applied for and received a state license to conduct sports betting, and through an online account." As of now, the state "has licensed six casinos to offer sports betting, though more are likely to be licensed by the start of the college and professional football seasons." Daily fantasy sports sites like DraftKings and FanDuel are "working with but not yet licensed by the state," but they are expected to be "licensed and ready in time for the football seasons" (QUAD CITY TIMES, 8/15).

beIN Sports has renewed its LaLiga TV rights in the U.S. through '24, according to sources. beIN "originally acquired the rights" to the Spanish soccer league in '12, then renewed for '15-20. It was "expected that LaLiga would transition to a different TV distributor because of distribution concerns." But because beIN Sports "has the rights to LaLiga in 17 territories around the world, it makes sense for the two partners to continue their relationship for four years" (WORLDSOCCERTALK.com, 8/14).

The Frisco Bowl has agreed to a new multiyear title sponsorship deal with Tropical Smoothie Cafe. The game, owned by ESPN Events and played at Toyota Stadium, will be called the Tropical Smoothie Cafe Frisco Bowl and takes place Dec. 20 on ESPN2. Massachusetts-based apparel chain DXL had been the game's title sponsor (THE DAILY). The bowl's new name drew some snarky reactions on social media this afternoon. Reddit's college football page tweeted: "Kind of want to see it renamed 'Jerry Jones Paid For This' Frisco Bowl." Rivals.com's Radi Nabulsi sarcastically wrote of the name, "That just rolls off the tongue." The Athletic's Chris Vannini: "Come to the tropical suburb of Frisco, Texas."

The NWSL N.C. Courage tonight host the Women's Int'l Champions Cup at 10,000-seat WakeMed Soccer Park, facing Manchester City in the night's second semifinal. The first semifinal features Atletico Madrid-Olympique Lyonnais, with the winners to play Sunday night. More than 30 players on the four teams "competed in the recent" FIFA Women's World Cup (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 8/15). Unlike last year’s inaugural Women's ICC tourney in Miami, "prize money is being paid for the first time, with $100,000 going to the winning team" (WRALSPORTSFAN.com, 8/15).

704games

Jeff Gordon will be on the cover of 704Games' special NASCAR Heat 4 Gold Edition. The video game will release on Sept. 13 (704Games). 

ESPN's Will Cain will be the "new host of the Sunday Fantasy Football Now pregame show with Matthew Berry, Field Yates, and Stephania Bell" (TWITTER.com, 8/15).

YES Network's Michael Kay will "return to the broadcast booth" on Saturday. The Yankees broadcaster has been "out since early July" after undergoing surgery on his vocal cords (N.Y. POST, 8/15).

Bills RB Frank Gore today signed as a brand ambassador for football equipment manufacturer Xenith. Gore will be wearing the company's helmets this season (Xenith).

Bespoke Sports & Entertainment, CPI Security and McMillan Pazdan Smith Architecture have become major partners with the Charlotte Sports Foundation (CSF).

"I’ve done some very tough stories on our business partners and never once has an executive or a boss ever said, 'Back off' or 'We don’t like what you’re doing.' I’ve only seen green lights from the moment I’ve been hired … and that includes (under new president Jimmy) Pitaro" -- Reporter Don Van Natta Jr., on how ESPN handles coverage of its business partners (WASHINGTON POST, 8/15).

“Nate addressed the media at length yesterday after open workouts covering all topics” -- Zach Rosenfield, a spokesperson for Nate Diaz, on the UFC fighter not attending today’s media day ahead of UFC 241 (TWITTER.com, 8/15).

“People thought he was a quack because he was British. I said it would be a shame if he doesn’t make it because he performs a service no one else does by grading every player. And gradually he started to make inroads” -- NBC Sports' Peter King, on how Pro Football Focus Founder Neil Hornsby was originally viewed with skepticism in NFL circles (BIZJOURNALS.com, 8/15).

What makes it odd to me is that Spears was a crucial piece of the draft in Nashville, which couldn’t have rated as any bigger of a success. Great guy who was always all about this franchise.

— Paul Kuharsky (@PaulKuharskyNFL) August 15, 2019

Kansas State won’t open up beer sales around their stadium like other Big 12 schools but have added margaritas to their beer garden for this season.

— Bryan Fischer (@BryanDFischer) August 15, 2019

My thoughts are with those 6 Philly officers who are recovering in the hospital. 🙏🏾

— Malcolm Jenkins (@MalcolmJenkins) August 15, 2019

You never turned your back on me or the people, even when the nfl tried to silence your voice & the movement. You’ve never flinched or wavered. I love you Brother! Let’s get it! @E_Reid35

And to the people - I see you, I hear you and I love you! Thank you for having my back!!!✊🏾 pic.twitter.com/kBJ1SCBYIq

— Colin Kaepernick (@Kaepernick7) August 15, 2019

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

Look what was hanging on my door when I got home last night. Looks like it’s gonna be a good Fall for FS1!! pic.twitter.com/HygLO2Trtu

— Michael Mulvihill (@mulvihill79) August 15, 2019

Jim Delany and Barry Alvarez are out here at @BadgerFootball practice this morning: pic.twitter.com/947ZnWjKAw

— Alex Roux (@arouxBTN) August 15, 2019

In this segment from Bleacher Report, street artist Kai surprises Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr. with a custom pair of Converse All-Stars worth $20,000.

NHL Network will air a live edition of "NHL Tonight: The Social Show" at 6:00pm ET, co-hosted by Jackie Redmond and Mike Johnson.

$251.4M -- New Jersey sports betting handle for July, the "lowest since Sept. 2018" (TWITTER.com, 8/14). Though the handle was down from the June figure of $273M, "revenue soared in July" with bookmakers generating $17.9M, up from $9.7M in June (BETTINGUS.com, 8/15).