In Orlando, Josh Robbins notes the Magic will "play a pair" of regular season games in Mexico City this December. Magic CEO Alex Martins said that NBA officials asked the team three or four months ago if they were "interested in playing in Mexico this upcoming season." He added that playing in Mexico City will "not take the Magic out of the league’s rotation for upcoming games outside North America." The Magic originally "wanted to play preseason games this year in either Japan or China." Martins said that the team has "made a request to the league to play in Japan or China" as soon as the '19 preseason (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 8/8).
SO FAR, SO GOOD: In S.F., Susan Slusser noted the A's last Friday "signed up more new accounts in one day than they had in the entire first month of season-ticket sales last year" for the new A's Access membership. There were numerous reports that fans "couldn’t get through to order online or by phone at times during the day." A's VP/Communications & Community Catherine Aker said that as of Monday, the team had "added 10 times more accounts than compared to the same time-frame last year, and added six times more new revenue in doing so" (S.F. CHRONICLE, 8/7).
WHERE'S THE LOVE? In Toronto, Damien Cox noted the CFL Argonauts have "spoken loudly over and over for two decades that there is simply no measurable interest in this team as a box-office enterprise." The team has "excellent ownership" in MLSE, and the Argos are "reigning Grey Cup champions." They are "regularly featured on one of two Canadian national sports networks." This is a summer when, with the Blue Jays "going nowhere and Toronto FC nothing close to the force they were a season ago, there should theoretically be a little more room for the Argos to get some attention and affection coming off a championship season" (TORONTO STAR, 8/7).
