Duke AD Kevin White “will retire this August” after 13 years at the school and 47 years in higher education. White’s contract runs through ’22, but he will “call it a career in athletics a year earlier.” He plans to “continue as an adjunct professor at Duke’s Fuqua School of Business.” Duke won eight national championships in four sports while White was AD. He also “played a key role in the ACC Network’s creation in 2016 and airing beginning in 2019.” White, who was named the SBJ AD of the Year in ’14, also served in that role at Notre Dame, Arizona State, Tulane and Maine (DURHAM HERALD-SUN, 1/15).

The Rays are planning to open the '21 season with a "limited number of fans attending games at Tropicana Field." Seating will be "limited to around 7,000 per game, with fans sitting in small pods distanced from other groups." Masks "will be required" under MLB’s rules. The Rays are "hoping conditions are more favorable by April  -- as vaccines become more available and cases stop spiking -- and that they can increase capacity as the season goes on." How close to the field fans "will be able to sit, whether plexiglass barriers will be installed and how many seats will be in a pod are among the issues to be decided" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 1/15).

Meanwhile, Cardinals President Bill DeWitt on whether they will have fans in attendance said, "It’s probably a good bet we’ll start with restrictions and protocols." He added, "We’re certainly hoping to be able to open it up to everyone as soon as possible. We’re sort of budgeting mid-season, but that could come earlier or come later. We’re certainly hoping and I’m cautiously optimistic we’ll be able to be unrestricted at some point in the season" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/15).

The Saints are "bumping up attendance a bit" for this weekend's NFC divisional game against the Buccaneers, as 3,500 people "will be at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome instead of 3,000." The additional 500 will be "vaccinated healthcare workers from Ochsner Health and LCMC Health." Saints Owner Gayle Benson in a statement said, "This is just a small gesture to recognize the incredible work these men and women have completed over the last year." The Saints had 3,000 fans on hand last week for their wild-card round victory over the Bears, and also had 3,000 in the stands for the Weeks 15 and 16 games (New Orleans TIMES-PICAYUNE, 1/15).

Topnotch Management, the tennis agency that reps players including top-ranked U.S. star John Isner, is in the midst of a discovery period during which it is trying to establish a WTA event in Cleveland. The agency has put down a deposit for a WTA tournament sanction, which tourneys lease from the tour for a one-time fee of more than seven figures. The sanction would give Topnotch the right to host a tournament in late August, the week before the U.S. Open. “There are a limited number of (sanctions), they are great assets and they don’t come up for sale often, if at all,” said Topnotch PR Dir Kyle Ross. 

A tournament in Albany, N.Y., sat in that coveted pre-U.S. Open spot on the WTA calendar last season, but it was not held because of the pandemic. Its current status is unclear, which has given Topnotch the chance to bring an event to their home base of Cleveland. The agency has already secured a concert venue in the city’s downtown on the banks of the Cuyahoga River. Repaving work has begun to turn parking lots into tennis courts.

For more on this, please read Friday’s edition of SBJ Unpacks 

Coca Cola confirmed today that it "won’t run an ad" during the broadcast of Super Bowl LV on Feb. 7. Pepsi-Cola previously stated it "would not air a standalone ad for its trademark cola." The last time Coca Cola and Pepsi-Cola both sat out the Super Bowl was in '00, when Coca-Cola "did not run any ads and PepsiCo highlighted Mtn Dew." The absence of standalone spots for the nation’s two largest cola brands is a "significant development, given that Coke and Pepsi often battle for attention during the top-watched TV event of the year." Coke’s decision to "sit out the game comes amid corporate layoffs, a major restructuring of the beverage giant’s business and a global creative and media agency review that is expected to last for months" (ADAGE.com, 1/15).

The World Golf Championships-Mexico Championship "won’t be played in Mexico City in late February due to COVID-19 concerns." Instead, sources said that the tournament will "kick off the Florida Swing of the PGA Tour season a week earlier than anticipated at its temporary home, The Concession Golf Club, in Bradenton, Florida."  A source also confirmed that the tournament "will have a different name this year" (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/15).

After a ten-year run, David Feherty's eponymous program on Golf Channel has "not been renewed." He remains on the NBC/Golf Channel tournament broadcast team after "agreeing to a three-year deal in December." Feherty said that he "learned in the spring that his show was ending" (GOLFDIGEST.com, 1/15).

Former ESPN analyst Trey Wingo will join PGA Tour Live and "call the action from the first two rounds of the Farmers Insurance Open at Torrey Pines, January 28 and 29." Wingo will call "featured groups from the first two rounds at Torrey Pines alongside PGA Tour veteran Billy Kratzert" (GOLFWEEK.com, 1/15).

After calling the Saints-Bears wild-card game remotely in Dallas because of COVID-19 protocols, Tony Romo "will be on-site in Kansas City on Sunday for CBS’s NFL playoff broadcast of Chiefs-Browns" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).

Sources said that '21 will be MLB Cardinals radio broadcaster Mike Shannon's "last year." Shannon began his career with the team in '72 and is heading into his 50th season in that role (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 1/15).

MLSPA announced today three new players to serve on its nine-person Executive Board. Those elected players, who will all serve three-year terms, include Jalil Anibaba (Nashville SC), Mark-Anthony Kaye (LAFC) and Victor Ulloa (Inter Miami CF). With Inter Miami GK Luis Robles retiring, there’s still one open board seat (Mark J. Burns, THE DAILY).

The Nets placed an ad Friday in N.Y. papers thanking the four players -- C Jarrett Allen, F Taurean Prince, G Caris LeVert and F Rodions Kurucs -- traded for James Harden earlier this week (THE DAILY).

LaLiga North America, together with global sports agency ISL, is launching LaLiga Next: a platform that will provide young American soccer players, between the ages of 14 to 18, the opportunity to showcase their talent and start a professional soccer career in a LaLiga youth club (LaLiga North America).

The Reese’s brand signed a deal to become the official candy sponsor of the ARCA Menards Series (ARCA).

"It means a lot more to have that empowerment because (the Wilfs) are involved with the decisions. It hasn't really just been a check that's been written. You know, 'Here, do what you guys want with it.' It's been a collaborative effort through the entire Vikings organization" -- Vikings LB Eric Kendricks, on athletes using their platform to discuss issues that are important to them (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 1/15).

"Marshawn actually had his agent call and offer to do public service announcements for us, which we didn’t do because we didn’t have enough experience filming and scripting that kind of thing. He was very nice about it. We regretted that for years" -- Former Pacific Northwest Seismic Network Dir John Vidale, on former NFLer Marshawn Lynch's 67-yard run in the '11 playoffs, which also registered as an earthquake because of the reaction of the fans in the stadium (SEATTLE TIMES, 1/15).

The Washington Wizards are promoting Amber Nichols to GM of the franchise’s G-League affiliate, the Capital City Go-Go, sources tell ESPN. Nichols was assistant GM, and now becomes second female GM in G League.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) January 15, 2021

Rick Hahn has to be one of the only jovial GMs in baseball right now. He's been smiling and cracking jokes throughout this Hendriks call.

— jon greenberg (@jon_greenberg) January 15, 2021

Padres announce Ted Leitner transitioning to an ambassador role after 41 years as team's primary radio play-by-play man.
Jesse Agler moves to lead play-by-play with Tony Gwynn Jr. as fulltime color analyst.

— Kevin Acee (@sdutKevinAcee) January 15, 2021

Pitbull on becoming a co-owner of Trackhouse Racing: “As soon as I met Justin, Ty Norris and Daniel, we were on the same page. They welcomed me aboard, and now we’re going to show the world NASCAR is not only a sport but it’s a culture." #nascar @NASCARONFOX

— Bob Pockrass (@bobpockrass) January 15, 2021

Jeff Passan, sandwich settle at $6.95.

— Jeff Passan (@JeffPassan) January 15, 2021

28% -- The rise in the Buccaneers local television ratings this season after the arrival of Tom Brady. Meanwhile, local viewership of Patriots broadcasts dropped 26% this season (BOSTON GLOBE, 1/15).