Korean automaker Hyundai today will announce that it has signed sponsorship agreements with 24 universities, giving it on-site activation, media buys and hospitality. The deals were brokered by IMG College from its stable of 80-plus schools, giving Hyundai rights at Florida, Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon and Texas, among others. Hyundai will bring vehicle and information displays to 64 home games this season at 15 schools, and another nine schools will come on board next season. Hyundai’s lead ad agency is Innocean. Jack Morton works with the automaker on event marketing and the IMG College deal.

“Hyundai’s program will allow fans to ‘kick the tires’ at Hyundai vehicle displays and receive brand messages within and outside football stadiums,” said IMG College Chief Sales & Marketing Officer Roger VanDerSnick. Additionally, Hyundai will be the presenting sponsor of ESPN’s Thursday night college football beginning with tomorrow’s LSU-Mississippi State game.

The "next step in the drawn-out sale of the Stars is expected to happen" as early as today. Monarch Alternative Capital, which took control of the team when Hicks Sports Group defaulted on $525M in loans in '09, "has plans to submit a prepackaged bankruptcy proposal" to a Delaware district court. Once the court "deals with the bankruptcy filing, it can allow" the sale of the franchise to Vancouver businessman Tom Gaglardi to proceed (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 9/13). 

NASCAR, ESPN and Turner Sports today will announce plans to show nine of the 10 Chase for the Sprint Cup races "live online." Fans "can view the nine ESPN races via NASCAR.com’s RaceBuddy and ESPN’s WatchESPN.com platform and the free WatchESPN app,” beginning with Sunday’s Geico 400 from Chicagoland Speedway. The "lone Cup race fans won’t be able to view online" will be the Oct. 15 Bank of America 500 at Charlotte Motor Speedway. That race airs on ABC, which "does not air events live online to protect its affiliate stations." Turner manages NASCAR.com.

ESPN’s “NASCAR Now’’ also "will be available for the first time through WatchESPN.com and the WatchESPN app," as will Nationwide Series races on ESPN and ESPN2 (HAMPTONROADS.com, 9/13).

Yahoo Sports has struck a multiyear deal with MLBAM to create "MLB.com Full Count," a nightly online video whiparound show featuring live look-ins to games, highlights, social media integration, scores, statistics and other live content. "MLB.com Full Count," powered by MLBAM and distributed through both Yahoo and MLB.com, will feature roughly six to eight hours of live content each night, and mobile and tablet versions of the product are also under development. The pact revives a rights relationship that had been briefly severed early this year when CBSSports.com gained exclusive in-game player video highlights related to fantasy baseball that were previously held by Yahoo.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but the pact in part likely involves sharing of advertising revenue generated from MLB.com Full Count. Yahoo also gains regular daily video highlights from MLB.com.

Dan Patrick will host Versus' new show "NFL Turning Point," the co-production between NFL Films and NBC Sports Group. The series debuts tomorrow at 10:00pm ET and also will feature Patrick's "Football Night in America" colleagues Tony Dungy and Rodney Harrison in segments that end each show.

"NFL Turning Point" plans to use footage from Sunday night's Jets-Cowboys game when Jets CB Darrelle Revis was miked. It also will use footage from the 49ers-Seahawks game, where the 49ers' Jim Harbaugh was miked during his debut as an NFL head coach. The show also will have an in-depth feature on Eagles QB Michael Vick. The Eagles play the Falcons in the next "Sunday Night Football" game.

Richard Petty Motorsports "has withdrawn its offer" to NASCAR driver Clint Bowyer to compete for the organization in '12. Bowyer, who currently drives Richard Childress Racing's No. 33 Sprint Cup Chevy, "will become a free agent at the end of the year because his representatives and RCR couldn't come to terms on a renewal." Joe Gibbs Racing and Roush Fenway Racing also have "shown interest" in Bowyer. But JGR President J.D. Gibbs said that a "lack of sponsorship made pursuing the driver a non-issue" (FOXSPORTS.com, 9/13).

Georgia-based Crown Sports Management will represent golfer Harris English, who earlier this year became just the third amateur to win a Nationwide Tour event. English, a member of the U.S. Walker Cup team that competed against Great Britain/Ireland last week, will attempt to earn playing privileges on the PGA Tour by competing in the final four Nationwide Tour events this fall. The Univ. of Georgia graduate launches his professional career in this week’s Albertsons Boise Open. Crown also represents Tour stars Davis Love III, Jonathan Byrd, Stewart Cink and Lucas Glover (Michael Smith, SportsBusiness Journal).

Wasserman Media Group has signed Andy Sullivan and Jack Senior, both of whom members of the British Walker Cup team, for representation. Sullivan and Senior are "ranked first and third respectively in the British Amateur rankings." They join Jason Day, Rickie Fowler and Hunter Mahan as part of WMG's golf division (GOLF-MONTHLY.co.uk, 9/12).

Attorneys in the Frank and Jamie McCourt divorce case today will argue over "who should pay their bills." Jamie has asked that Frank "be ordered to pay $9.9 million toward her legal bills." Frank has asked the court to "deny that request and to cut his monthly spousal support payments, which he said totaled $7.76 million over the last year" (LATIMES.com, 9/13).

FIFA President Sepp Blatter today denied a report that he may consider stepping down two years into his new four-year term. Blatter wrote on Twitter, "The existence of a reported 'deal' between me and Michel Platini for the FIFA Presidency is pure nonsense. ... The suggestion that I intend to stop my four-year mandate before its end is simply ridiculous" (TWITTER.com, 9/14).

Maryland football coach Randy Edsall today will reveal which Under Armour uniform design his team will wear for Saturday's game against West Virginia. Edsall will "reveal the choice for each game every Wednesday throughout the season on his Twitter account" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/13).

Organizers of the Jordan Brand Classic have announced that next year's high school basketball all-star game, slated for April 14, will "return to Time Warner Cable Arena" in Charlotte (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/14).

Luxury watchmaker Audemars Piguet runs a full-page ad in today's N.Y. Times congratulating Novak Djokovic for winning this year's U.S. Open (THE DAILY).

"If I loved absolutely everything about IndyCar, I wouldn't be leaving. There are things I'm not going to miss" – Driver Danica Patrick, on her decision to join NASCAR full-time after racing IndyCar the past seven seasons (USA TODAY, 9/14).

"Sex sells in advertising, and home runs sell in baseball. But I've got a pitcher's mind-set, and I love the big field" – Mets P Dillon Gee, on the dimensions of Citi Field (N.Y. TIMES, 9/14).

"I'd rather a late start than no start. That's one thing you don't want to do, is lose a full season" – Wizards F Rashard Lewis, on the lockout possibly affecting the start of the NBA season (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/14).

“My ex-wife” – Fox Sports’ Michael Strahan, when asked by ESPN’s Dan Le Batard about going back and having a “do-over” in terms of “something dumb you bought with pro money” (“Dan Le Batard Is Highly Questionable,” ESPN2, 9/12).

Clippers C DeAndre Jordan: “How come WE aren't asking for anything, but offering THEM everything!!?!! That's our strategy?”

Magic G Jason Richardson: “Well I guess it's time for me to start looking @ my overseas options...... Smh.”

London Daily Mail’s Charlie Sale: “Adidas had to choose between Djokovic and Murray for their lead tennis endorsement and went for Murray. Wrong call.”

Former BYU 1B Ryan Bernal: “Crazy--Schools using the Nike bats last season hit 20% fewer HRs and slugged 44% lower than national average. … I've been talking about how the Nike bats underperformed last yr.”

ESPN CWS analyst Kyle Peterson: “Nike story is really interesting, had been frustrating coaches for the past 4-5 years.”

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com. 

The PGA Tour is in Chicago this week for the BMW Championship, and Dustin Johnson helped kick off the week yesterday at Wrigley Field. The Cubs passed along this shot of Johnson, watching his wedge land closest to the pin:

NFL Network today will put Patriots hoodies, similar to the one worn by Patriots coach Bill Belichick, on five iconic statues in Boston. The promotion is "timed to the debut tomorrow night" of the net's "Bill Belichick: A Football Life" series. The statues wearing the hoodie are of Mayor James Michael Curley, Christopher Columbus, John Singleton Copley and the tortoise and hare statues in Copley Square (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/14).

MLB will release the '12 season schedule.

Speedway Children's Charities National Exec Dir and Retired U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. Tom Sadler will be given the Distinguished Veteran Airman Award during the Armed Services Council's annual Air Force Birthday luncheon at The Union League of Philadelphia.

Pistons radio broadcaster Rick Mahorn will represent the team at a groundbreaking for a basketball court renovation at Highland Park High as part of the Sprite Spark Parks Project for Schools campaign.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “U.S. Cities.”

“Its largest airport is named for a World War II hero; its second largest for a World War II battle.”

CBS' "Late Show" is airing reruns this week.

NBC’s Jay Leno: “According to a new study out of Notre Dame, disagreeable men earn 18% more than agreeable men. In fact, you know where you end up if you try to get along with everybody? President of the United States. … Over the weekend, threatening messages were posted on the White House Facebook page. The secret service takes these threats very seriously and they're warning whoever is responsible runs the risk of being unfriended. In fact, as a precaution all of the White House Farmville animals have been taken away and put in a secure location. … There was another Republican debate last night on CNN. The big winner: ‘Monday Night Football’ on ESPN. … I don't know who took more hits last night, the Dolphins, the Patriots or Rick Perry. … The economy is so bad, paramedics can't afford defibrillators anymore. Now they tell heart attack victims to rub their feet in the carpets and touch the doorknobs. … The economy is so bad, the only thing meth chefs are cooking in Barstow now are Top Ramen noodles. … The economy is so bad, last night Mitt Romney had to style his hair with butter packets he took from a Denny’s. … According to a new study, one third of American children are obese by the time they're nine months old. In fact, when you buy a baby stroller now, it beeps when you back up. … A former officer at the Philadelphia Mint has pled guilty to stealing $2.4 million in coins. He's been released on $50,000 bond, and you know he's guilty. He paid the whole thing in nickels. … According to the New York Daily News, Justin Timberlake says he has no desire to become a serious actor. You know what that means? He could be the next governor of California” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 9/13).

“What is Chicago?”

Last night’s episode was a rebroadcast of the “IBM Challenge” featuring the IBM supercomputer Watson competing against “Jeopardy” champions Ken Jennings and Brad Rutter.