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Names In The News

Speedway Motorsports Inc. Exec Chair BRUTON SMITH said that he "'honestly gave up' on being inducted" into the NASCAR HOF a couple of years ago, which is "why his selection last week came as such a surprise." Smith said, "It's amazing the reaction to this. It finally happened. It seems like all the family and all our employees are happy about it." Asked what he believed his biggest contribution was to NASCAR over his career, Smith said, “I don’t know. Maybe the $4 billion I’ve invested over the years in this sport. We’ve invested an awful lot of money building these speedways, re-doing them, tearing them down and re-doing them. It takes a huge financial effort to do all that" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/24).

BRICK BY BRICK: Recently retired "Late Show" host DAVID LETTERMAN "was all grins Sunday" as his IndyCar team paid tribute to him by "putting a gap-toothed, smiling caricature of his face and #thanksdave on driver ORIOL SERVIA's yellow car" for the Indianapolis 500. Letterman was "dressed in a red shirt with a race sponsor Steak 'n Shake logo" (AP, 5/24)....Colts QB ANDREW LUCK, singer PERRY FARRELL, actor PATRICK DEMPSEY, WWE entertainer DIVA CAMERON and TV host ADAM CAROLLA were also in attendance at the race. NASCAR driver JEFF GORDON drove the pace car (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/25). 

NAMES: Former MLBer TIM WAKEFIELD on June 5 "will be honored" with the Robert F. Kennedy Award. He is the "first Red Sox player to ever win" both the Kennedy award and the Roberto Clemente Award, which he received in '10 (FLORIDA TODAY, 5/26)....MLB Giants TV broadcaster MIKE KRUKOW "has been selected for induction" into the California Collegiate Athletic Association HOF (CSNBAYAREA.com, 5/24)....Funeral services were held yesterday for former Univ. of North Carolina men's basketball coach BILL GUTHRIDGE at the Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church in Chapel Hill (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 5/26)....Thunder coach BILLY DONOVAN on Sunday took out a full-page ad in the Gainesville Sun expressing his “great appreciation for his 19-year run” with the Univ. of Florida (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/24)....The Galaxy took out a full page-ad in yesterday’s Liverpool Echo paying tribute to new MF STEVEN GERRARD, who left EPL club Liverpool after 17 years (MIRROR.co.uk, 5/25)....Patriots coach BILL BELICHICK attended Saturday’s NCAA men’s lacrosse Final Four at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (ESPNBOSTON.com, 5/25).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 18, 2024

Sports Business Awards nominees unveiled; NWSL's historic opening weekend and takeaways from CFP deal

ESPN’s Jay Bilas, BTN’s Meghan McKeown, and a deep dive into AppleTV+’s The Dynasty

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast from the New York Post and Sports Business Journal, ESPN’s Jay Bilas talks all things NCAA. Big Ten Network’s Meghan McKeown shares her insight into the Caitlin Clark craze. The Boston Globe’s Chad Finn chats all things Bean Town. And SBJ’s Xavier Hunter drops in to share his findings on how the NWSL is making a social media push.

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SBJ I Factor: Nana-Yaw Asamoah

SBJ I Factor features an interview with AMB Sports and Entertainment Chief Commercial Office Nana-Yaw Asamoah. Asamoah, who moved over to AMBSE last year after 14 years at the NFL, talks with SBJ’s Ben Fischer about how his role model parents and older sisters pushed him to shrive, how the power of lifelong learning fuels successful people, and why AMBSE was an opportunity he could not pass up. Asamoah is 2021 SBJ Forty Under 40 honoree. SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.

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