YAHOO SPORTS' Greg Wyshynski profiled Predators D P.K. SUBBAN, who recently signed with WME-IMG and now "hopes to work" with Senior VP JILL SMOLLER, who reps athletes like tennis players GENIE BOUCHARD and SERENA WILLIAMS. Subban: "WME is such a successful organization. You look at the athletes they represent, and they’re great. I have a great relationship with MAVERICK CARTER, who represents LEBRON JAMES. He had suggested Jill Smoller to me, and she has a long lost of athletes that she’s worked with in her career ... She knows what she’s doing" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 2/2).
CLEAR BLUE FLAME: NASCAR driver BRENDAN GAUGHAN has started a new moonshine venture called City Lights Shine. Once permits are "received and tacked to the wall," individuals will "be able to sip" City Lights Shine at Las Vegas Motor Speedway during NASCAR weekend and at all SMI tacks during other NASCAR weekends (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/3).
NAMES: Dick's Sporting Goods and Nike are "joining the coming fight over House Republicans' border-adjustment tax." The lobbying group is called Americans for Affordable Products, a "coalition made up of more than 100 companies and groups that's fighting the proposed tax" (POLITICO.com, 2/2)....Rams defensive coordinator WADE PHILLIPS will be releasing a new book titled "SON OF BUM: LESSONS MY DAD TAUGHT ME ABOUT FOOTBALL AND LIFE" on May 2. Buffalo News sports columnist VIC CARUCCI "helped Phillips write the book" (DENVER POST, 2/2)....Charlotte Magazine released its list of "50 Most Powerful People In Charlotte," and several of the city’s sports figures made the cut. MICHAEL JORDAN came in at No. 3, followed by NFL Panthers Owner JERRY RICHARDSON (No. 12), SMI President & CEO MARCUS SMITH (No. 30) and NASCAR team Owner RICK HENDRICK (No. 46) (CHARLOTTE MAGAZINE, February ’17 issue)....UFC fighter PAIGE VANZANT has "signed a deal with Hachette Book Group to release her first book in the near future" (FOXSPORTS.com, 2/1)....Charlotte-based startup MapAnything has completed a $33.1M Series B round of financing, which includes an investment from former NBA Commissioner DAVID STERN. MapAnything "develops a suite of apps that provide a visual-mapping interface to the Salesforce data of any business" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 2/2)....D-backs CF A.J. POLLOCK this week "hiked the notoriously difficult Camelback Mountain" in Phoenix "in just over 27 minutes." The hike "should take 45 minutes one way for fit hikers" (AZCENTRAL.com, 2/2).
