FC Barcelona President JOSEP MARIA BARTOMEU met with PRESIDENT OBAMA at halftime of the club's Int'l Champions Cup game against Manchester United yesterday at FedExField. Barcelona U.S. Strategic Advisor JAMES COSTOS, who previously served as the U.S. Ambassador to Spain and Andorra from '13-17, organized the meeting (ESPNFC.com, 7/27).
BIG MAN ON CAMPUS: In Oklahoma, Jim Ellis profiles Kansas-based Bond, Schoeneck & King Managing Member MIKE GLAZIER, one of the "preeminent college sports lawyers" in the U.S. He was Founder & Chair of the firm's college sports practice and has "authored several published articles on collegiate sports law and the NCAA." He has been "involved in some high profile cases over the years," working with Oklahoma and Oklahoma State as well as Miami (Fla.), Washington, Syracuse and others. He said that he "normally won’t represent individual coaches, but there was one exception." Oklahoma AD JOE CASTIGLIONE asked him if he would work with then-OU basketball coach KELVIN SAMPSON. Glazier: "Usually I don’t represent coaches, but in that case, Joe had been a friend for a long time. I did it" (MIAMIOK.com, 7/24).
NAMES: Saints and Pelicans Owner TOM BENSON is "bringing Dixie Beer back to New Orleans with plans to build a local brewery after buying the 110-year-old iconic brand" for an undisclosed price (NOLA.com, 7/26)....Bucks President PETER FEIGIN yesterday was in attendance at the White House for PRESIDENT TRUMP's announcement that Taiwan-based Foxconn will be building a facility in Wisconsin (AP, 7/26)....G STEPHEN CURRY surprised Warriors fan TIMOTHY BIRCKHEAD "just after the disabled veteran received his newly renovated home," as shown on yesterday's episode of ABC's "THE VIEW." The home was built in New Jersey by nonprofit Homes For Our Troops (MERCURYNEWS.com, 7/26)....ESPN’s “PTI” co-hosts TONY KORNHEISER and MICHAEL WILBON will be the “first joint recipients of the National Press Club’s fourth Estate Award” (CABLEFAX.com, 7/26)....Jaguars WR ALLEN ROBINSON on Tuesday night hosted his Back To School community outreach initiative. Robinson provided 50 Jacksonville-area kids from the Boy & Girls Club of Northeast Florida with a shopping spree in partnership with Academy Sports + Outdoors (Jaguars)....Mavericks Owner MARK CUBAN last Friday attended N.Y. nightclub (Le) Poisson Rouge “for its weekly ’90s night” and “rocked out like everyone else.” Cuban “met with the ’90s cover band ‘THE FRESH KIDS OF BEL-AIR’ before the show" (NYPOST.com, 7/26).
