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Nike usually donates between $1,000 to $2,000 to both parties, so the gift to Brown is unusualGETTY IMAGES

Nike has contributed $25,000 to Oregon Gov. KATE BROWN's re-election campaign. The company "typically keeps its donations to key lawmakers of both parties in the $1,000 to $2,000 range," so the gift to Brown is "unusual." In '17, Nike co-Founder & Chair Emeritus PHIL KNIGHT "made his largest campaign contribution ever: $500,000 to Brown's Republican opponent," Oregon state Rep. KNUTE BUEHLER (OREGONLIVE.com, 8/27).

CAN'T ESCAPE THE PAST: ESPN's ALEX RODRIGUEZ will be featured in a BILLY CORBEN-directed documentary "SCREWBALL," which will "premiere and re-explore the performance enhancing drugs scandal known as Biogenesis that will challenge" Rodriguez' attempts to make the Baseball HOF. Wrapped up in the documentary is a "real discussion of the Biogenesis health clinic, including details of mob connections, financial chicanery" and Rodriguez' "eccentric behavior" (DEADLINE.com, 8/28). Meanwhile, "rumors were swirling this week" that Rodriguez is also "in the hunt" to buy SI. He will "most likely be heading a coalition of backers." Sources said that the "protracted negotiations" over the magazine's sale "mean one thing: The price is dropping." One source said former NBAer JUNIOR BRIDGEMAN is "still on the table" as a buyer, but is "having trouble coming up with the financing" (N.Y. POST, 8/29).

NAMES: Atlanta Dream GM CHRIS SIENKO has been named the '18 WNBA Basketball Exec of the Year. Sienko earned the honor in his first year as GM (NBA)....FIFA President GIANNI INFANTINO and USSF President CARLOS CORDEIRO “visited the White House” yesterday to discuss the ’26 World Cup, which the U.S. will be hosting alongside Canada and Mexico. Infantino gave PRESIDENT TRUMP “several tokens, including a referee’s book with red and yellow cards.” After listening to an explanation of how red cards are used to eject players from games, Trump “picked it up and waved it at the journalists in the room” in a joking manner (ESPN.com, 8/28)....Patriots Owner ROBERT KRAFT on Saturday “brunched” at the Gather restaurant in Boston. After a pair of fans seated nearby "approached him for a picture, Kraft decided to make a phone call and get them VIP tickets to the KENNY CHESNEY show at Gillette Stadium that night.” One of the people “happened to be the brother” of NESN’s ZACK COX (BOSTONHERALD.com, 8/28)....The Boston Bruins Foundation will donate $1M over the course of the next three years to Special Olympics Massachusetts. This marks the largest donation to date by the foundation (Bruins).

SBJ Morning Buzzcast: March 25, 2024

NFL meeting preview; MLB's opening week ad effort and remembering Peter Angelos.

Big Get Jay Wright, March Madness is upon us and ESPN locks up CFP

On this week’s pod, our Big Get is CBS Sports college basketball analyst Jay Wright. The NCAA Championship-winning coach shares his insight with SBJ’s Austin Karp on key hoops issues and why being well dressed is an important part of his success. Also on the show, Poynter Institute senior writer Tom Jones shares who he has up and who is down in sports media. Later, SBJ’s Ben Portnoy talks the latest on ESPN’s CFP extension and who CBS, TNT Sports and ESPN need to make deep runs in the men’s and women's NCAA basketball tournaments.

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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