Comcast CEO Brian Roberts believes that the delayed Summer Games "will take place as planned in Tokyo this summer," as a variety of Olympic stakeholders have been issuing reassurances about the event. Roberts on the NBC parent company's Q4 earnings call today said, "Sitting here today, I believe there will be an Olympics. I hope there will be an Olympics. I think that’s our best intelligence at this time. And we’re excited about that.” He indicated that the Games "could be held with limited spectators or no spectators" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 1/28).

NBC’s Savannah Guthrie noted Olympic organizers are “said to be looking to Washington for an important vote of confidence.” NBC’s Keir Simmons noted the first-ever “artistic swimming qualification event that was due to be held in Tokyo in March has now been moved to May, underscoring the challenge Olympic organizers face as Tokyo sees 1,000 cases a day.” Simmons: “Staging the Olympics during a pandemic will need strong support, especially from the U.S.” But “so far, President Biden not weighing in, not even, officials say, during a call to Japan’s prime minister.” Meanwhile, IOC President Thomas Bach is “accepting there might not be spectators.” Guthrie said of logistics and planning for the Games, “It's a complicated problem” (“Today,” NBC, 1/28).

The first seven rows of seats at Super Bowl LV will be covered by LED message boards instead of the much-maligned monochromatic tarps from the NFL’s regular season, and the NFL sees a big opportunity there to make good on existing sponsors’ lost value from the pandemic. The league values the board inventory at between $1.5-2M, sources said. The NFL confirmed it was looking to secure about six brands with exposure time varying between 8-12 minutes, though all of that is negotiable.

Like in the regular season, there is still no firm guarantee of on-camera time for message boards. But CBS is closely involved in the initiative, having received ample inventory on the boards to use (but not sell) themselves. Sources say Verizon and Pespi have committed, but the NFL would not confirm that, and sales efforts continued this week. Freeman is the vendor for the LED covers. In addition to gaining camera-visible signage for TV, buyers will have their messages integrated into the rest of Raymond James Stadium’s LED signage.

Read more in SBJ Football.

ESPN is "trying to sell its X Games extreme sports franchise," according to sources. The sale is reportedly "part of a broader review of ESPN’s assets as the company tries to decide which businesses are essential to maintaining its cable TV audience or could be helpful in adding subscribers to its streaming service, ESPN+," the people said. ESPN "has explored selling its Latin American networks in the past," but those are "not expected to be unloaded as part of the current process." This comes as the pandemic "has accelerated" the "shift of people away from cable toward streaming" (THEINFORMATION.com, 1/28).

ESPN Images

HOF tennis announcer Cliff Drysdale, who has been at ESPN since the network debuted over 40 years ago, will remain so for at least one more after ESPN extended an option on his contract. Drysdale has represented himself in contract negotiations for the last decade, including on the preceding deal, which was for two years. He will for the first time in his 40-plus-year career commentate on a tennis tournament -- the upcoming Australian Open -- from his home outside Austin. ESPN’s match commentators will be working from Bristol. "It’s unusual for me," said Drysdale. "I kind of look forward to telling a few stories that you don’t usually tell when you’re doing play-by-play." He said of his career arc, "My longevity amazes me when I think back on it, actually."

The Heat will begin using their much-publicized COVID-sniffing dogs for tonight's game against the Clippers at AmericanAirlines Arena. The four dogs -- Abby, Tina, Happy and Magni -- are for now "limited to the breed of Belgian Malinois." But as the team scales up, German Shepherds and Jack Russell Terriers "have also been utilized in such roles" (South Florida SUN SENTINEL, 1/28). The current plan is to "ramp up to 10 dogs when the amount of fans allowed to attend home games eventually increases to about 3,000 by the end of February" (MIAMI HERALD, 1/28).

Monumental Sports & Entertainment today named Verizon its exclusive 5G provider and the latest partner of the Capitals and Wizards. Verizon will support numerous integrations for each team across in-game, social and digital media platforms. Those will include opportunities to win tickets and behind-the-scenes experiences. Verizon will work with MS&E, which also serves as parent company of Capital One Arena, to further integrate a 5G network at the venue. Verizon was the arena's prior naming-rights partner (THE DAILY).

The NWHL Metropolitan Riveters are out of the ‘21 season due to several members of the team testing positive for COVID-19, the league revealed this afternoon. According to the NWHL, the team and health officials will work together to "bring every member of the team home in a way that ensures the safety of all parties." Games at Herb Brooks Arena in Lake Placid, N.Y., will resume for the remaining five teams on Saturday following today’s postponements.

Journalist Kelley Carter has signed a new contract to remain with ESPN’s The Undefeated as Senior Entertainment Writer. She joined the multiplatform content initiative in its inaugural year in '16 (ESPN).

USA Hockey reached a multiyear partnership with Clear2Play, which becomes its official athlete safety software partner. Clear2Play also will sponsor the USA Hockey Youth National Championships, the '21 IIHF U18 Men’s World Championship, and all Rivalry Series games played in the U.S. (USA Hockey).

CBS Sports Network is lining up special Black History Month programming in February, including the documentary "Big House, The Pearl & The Triumph of Winston-Salem State," which will debut Feb. 11. The doc centers on Basketball HOFer Earl “The Pearl” Monroe and is voiced by Suns G Chris Paul (CBS Sports).

“Order a pizza, you’ll enjoy it. That’s a sure bet” -- Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban, when asked for a “sure bet” about who would cover the spread among tonight's slate of NBA games (“Squawk Box,” CNBC, 1/28).

The #Texans and David Culley have agreed to terms on a five-year contract, source said. Houston has its new head coach.

— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) January 28, 2021

Steve Cohen has agreed to a public interview on Twitter with Dave Portnoy.

Hmmm, who has the advantage there?

— Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) January 28, 2021

Tom Brady said when he was drafted by the Patriots, he didn't know where New England was. "I landed in Providence," he said, "and that really screwed me up." #Patriots #GoBucs

— Joey Knight (@TBTimes_Bulls) January 28, 2021

Art Rooney II made it clear he does not blame Coach Mike Tomlin for the way the season ended and gave him a resounding vote of confidence. “I feel comfortable in saying he'll be our coach into the future."

— Gerry Dulac (@gerrydulac) January 28, 2021

Patrick Mahomes on checking social media: "I've seen a lot of stock prices going up recently." #Chiefs

— Harold R. Kuntz (@HaroldRKuntz3) January 28, 2021

Spurs coach Gregg Popovich appears in a new PSA receiving his COVID-19 vaccine. The spot will make its TV debut tonight during TNT's NBA doubleheader.

Steelers LB Ryan Shazier will appear on NBC's "Late Night."

13.9% -- Increase in rounds of golf played in the U.S. in '20 compared to '19, according to a report from Golf Datatech. In addition, equipment sales were up 10.1% year-over-year, with these increases primarily attributable to golf being playable as a socially distanced sport (Golf Datatech).