MLS Commissioner DON GARBER during his induction into the new National Soccer HOF on Saturday was "emotional on stage when talking about his relationship" with league President & Deputy Commissioner MARK ABBOTT and his family, "thanking them for the sacrifices they have given." Garber said, "I never expected how emotional I would be. In 20 years of working in this sport and going through a lot of the challenges that we went through. It all kind of hit me at once. How important this was for me, my family. I never expected to be in a Hall of Fame growing up" (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 10/21).
SILK SCREEN: Lightning Owner JEFF VINIK is the "lead investor" in a $30M round of fundraising for Silk, a "Boston-based company with a line of skin care products, Silk Therapeutics, made with non-synthetic chemicals and minimal ingredients." The size of Vinik’s investment "was not disclosed." However, Vinik said that it is among his "largest personal investments." Vinik was "joined in this round" by the Kraft Group (TAMPABAY.com, 10/19).
CHANGING THE GAME: In N.Y., Kirsten Fleming profiled Barstool Sports CEO ERIKA NARDINI, the "most controversial woman in sports media." Nardini is the "mama bear of a wildly popular comedy and sports Web site that prides itself on aggressively bucking political correctness." Nardini: "There are people who say I’m just here because I’m female -- and I think that’s the most sexist thing of all." She added, "There's a very strong PC culture (that believes) anything outside of it should be silenced and should not exist." Since Nardini has taken the helm, Barstool has "ballooned from around 12 employees to 122 (23 of whom are female)." Revenue has increased by 795% and the brand is now valued at $100M by Bloomberg (NYPOST.com, 10/20).
NEED A HAND? Celtics F JAYLEN BROWN has gone "without an agent for the first two years of his career" and now he is eligible for a "contract extension this season" that could exceed $70M. Brown has "hired consultants to work on his shoe contracts and other endorsements, but it may take an agent to help negotiate his next contract." Look for him "to be intrigued" by Klutch Sports' RICH PAUL (BOSTONGLOBE.com, 10/20).
McNair said he was stunned by the '15 tragedy in Charleston at Mother Emanuel AME ChurchGETTY IMAGES
GOOD DEEDS: Texans Owner BOB MCNAIR talked about paying the funeral expenses for the nine victims of the '15 shooting at Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, S.C. McNair: “When I first heard about it and saw the reaction of the people here, I guess I was stunned. Their willingness to forgive something that was such a horrible tragedy is just unbelievable.” Texans CB JOHNATHAN JOSEPH said, "With everything that’s going around in football and on social media, he could have easily ... said, ‘I sent this, and I did that,’ but he didn’t. He does a lot and he never wants to take much credit for it. He just does it because he has a generous heart. He’s always been that way" ("Sunday NFL Countdown," ESPN, 10/21).....In the 11 years since Steelers QB BEN ROETHLISBERGER "bought a police dog" for his hometown of Findlay, Ohio, his foundation has "purchased and paid to train 130 German shepherds and Belgian malinois for police departments in Western Pennsylvania, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland and many other communities" (POST-GAZETTE.com, 10/19)....The Pistons on Friday held a ribbon-cutting for a refurbished basketball court at Littlefield Park in Detroit, the “first of 60” the team is redoing across the city for $2.5M. Pistons Vice Chair ARN TELLEM said that the team is also “starting a ‘Basketball for All’ program that, beginning next spring and summer, will offer clinics, camps and fitness programs on the refurbished courts and provide basketballs to Detroit youth.” Tellum said that the team is “speaking with other corporate partners about other investments into city parks” (DETROIT NEWS, 10/20).
NAMES: DALE EARNHARDT JR.'s new book, "RACING TO THE FINISH," is as much "medical journal as memoir, providing a detailed discussion of a sport whose dangers have not drawn nearly as much public attention as those of football." It is "not his intent to criticize NASCAR, which has taken safety seriously, in his view." Earnhardt said, "My purpose is not to wake up the sport, create new protocol or wave a red flag." Rather, he wants to "encourage sufferers to come forward and get treatment." Earnhardt: "A lot of people don’t tell anyone what they’re going through" (WSJ.com, 10/19)....WAYNE GRETZKY’s the Great One’s Studio 99 restaurant opened in Rogers Place (EDMONTONJOURNAL.com, 10/21)....CONOR MCGREGOR visited Boston Fire Department Engine 33 Ladder 15 on Friday and gave firefighters “bottles of his Proper No. 12 whiskey and World Series tickets” (BOSTONHERALD.com, 10/21)....Former LPGAer JAN STEPHENSON, a World Golf HOFer-elect, said she has “talked about doing a movie” about her career. Stephenson added actress MARGOT ROBBIE “wants to play me” (GOLF.com, 10/20).
