The Buccaneers are rolling out a new beach area in the south entry plaza of Raymond James Stadium for Sunday’s home opener against the Eagles. The Bucs have brought in 1.2 million pounds of sand and outfitted ‘Bucs Beach’ with 120 Adirondack chairs, as well as lifeguard stands, tiki huts, surfboards and hammocks. The area will have live music and food trucks, and the Bucs will close off part of a street by the area on game days. Buccaneers COO Brian Ford said the team spent $250,000 creating the area. “It’s going to be a destination for our fans,” Ford said. The team also is debuting a new 10,000-square-foot restaurant/bar in the revamped East Stadium Club. Bar 76 features 76 different beers, and the name refers to the Bucs' inaugural '76 season.

The new beach plaza comes in addition to $160M in recent renovations to the stadium, which opened in 1998. Upgrades include new video and display boards, as well as new food and beverage and club areas. The Glazer family, which owns the team, has paid for $130M of those upgrades, with the Tampa Sports Authority, city of Tampa and Hillsborough County having paid for $30M.

The USMNT notched a 1-0 victory against Mexico last night in a friendly at Nashville's Nissan Stadium before a crowd of 40,194. That figure "exceeded numbers expected by MLS Commissioner Don Garber," who earlier yesterday projected attendance of about 35,000. The attendance "did fall short of the U.S.-Panama Gold Cup game" in Nashville in '17, "as well as the Manchester City-Tottenham friendly last summer" (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 9/12). The crowd on a "cool Tuesday night in Nashville was rocking" by the 8:10pm CT kickoff (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 9/12). 

U.S. Soccer today will host a partner summit in Nashville, which comes after last night’s USMNT victory over Mexico at Nissan Stadium. The event, which will draw more than 15 corporate partners and 100 guests, will focus on USSF’s plans for the '19 Women’s World Cup, as well as the '26 FIFA World Cup in North America. Country Music Association CEO Sarah Trahern will be the keynote speaker, while execs from ESPN, Fox Sports, Soccer United Marketing and Univision will speak, in addition to U.S. Soccer President Carlos Cordeiro.

Audio brand JBL has signed Bucks F Giannis Antetokounmpo to a new deal, and he will join Warriors G Stephen Curry, Knicks F Kristaps Porzingis and Pistons C Andre Drummond as "JBL endorsers" (TWITTER.com, 9/12). This comes after Apple's Beats brand recently signed a league-wide deal with the NBA, replacing Harman/JBL in the category (THE DAILY).

Mets VP/Media Relations Jay Horwitz is "moving to a new gig" with the club, where he has worked for the past 39 years. The team today will formally announce that Horwitz "will be in charge of alumni relations." Horwitz has been with the Mets since '80. The team's 2:00pm ET press conference to announce the move "will include players past and present, as well as COO Jeff Wilpon" (N.Y. POST, 9/12). Former Mets beat writer Adam Rubin tweeted, "Good luck to Jay Horwitz. He truly bleeds orange and blue. Hope his new role is something he will enjoy. I know he relishes being with the players" (TWITTER.com, 9/11).

Until his replacement or anyone else in the front office is willing to do this, @Jay_HorwitzPR remains the gold standard of old school baseball. https://t.co/AJBnurajYU

— Steve Popper (@StevePopper) September 11, 2018

South Korea "will sound out the North over a possible bid" for the '32 Summer Games and is also "keen to advance the idea of a Northeast Asia bid to host" the '30 FIFA World Cup. South Korea Minister of Culture, Sports & Tourism Do Jong-Hwan made comments to that effect in Tokyo, where he is "meeting with fellow Japanese and Chinese sports ministers." He said that "co-hosting a Summer Games would build on the success" of the Pyeongchang Games, where "North Korea's participation helped ease tensions on the peninsula" (REUTERS, 9/12).

Images began circulating yesterday showing the "arena's Jumbotron on the court" at George Washington Univ.'s Charles E. Smith Center. The venue a day earlier "had hosted a women's international basketball exhibition game" featuring Japan-U.S. GW Associate AD Brian Sereno said, "During regular maintenance to our scoreboard today, it was lowered to approximately 8-10 [feet] above from the floor. A winch gave way, and one side of the scoreboard fell." No one was injured (USATODAY.com, 9/11). A school spokesperson said, "It looks far worse than it actually was" (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 9/11).

Laureus Foundation USA today is enlisting a slew of star athletes to walk the runway during N.Y. Fashion Week to raise awareness and funds for disadvantaged youth. Fox Sports' Michael Strahan and supermodel/philanthropist Karolina Kurkova will kick off the fashion show festivities at Mercedes-Benz Manhattan. Participating athletes include Chris Paul, Marcus Allen, Tony Hawk, Kerri Walsh Jennings, Missy Franklin, Ray Lewis, Allyson Felix, Carl Lewis, Edwin Moses, Nadia Comaneci, Ibtihaj Muhammad, David Robinson and Maia and Alex Shibutani (Laureus Foundation).

SBJ today hosts its 6th annual Game Changers conference at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Manhattan. The one-day event will focus on the multiple ways in which women intersect with sports. Built into the program are ample networking opportunities, as well as a recognition period of our '18 honorees. Speakers will include NHL Exec VP & CMO Heidi Browning, MLS Commissioner Don Garber, WTA President Micky Lawler, WWE Chief Brand Officer Stephanie McMahon, WNBA Sun F Chiney Ogwumike and Coca-Cola Senior VP Bea Perez.

We are kicking off the 2018 Game Changers conference with a breakfast round table. Follow #sbjgc today for more from the event! pic.twitter.com/ZsAwcSpPml

— SBJ/SBD (@sbjsbd) September 12, 2018

See a full agenda, and read more about this year's class of Game Changers in the latest issue of SBJ.

Amid the threat of Hurricane Florence, the Triple-A Int'l League will play the "entire series" of its Governors' Cup finals at PNC Field in Moosic, Pa. The Durham Bulls were originally scheduled to host Games 3-5 starting tomorrow against the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders (BUFFALO NEWS, 9/12).

The Sun Belt Conference "has retained" Parker Executive Search to "conduct the conference's vetting process for a new commissioner" to replace the outgoing Karl Benson (ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE, 9/12).

The Players' Tribune and Hennessy have partnered on a four-part video series, "The Art of Mastery," featuring Basketball HOFer Gary Payton, former NBAer Penny Hardaway, surfer Albee Layer and BMX athlete Nigel Sylvester. The series debuts today (Liz Mullen, Staff Writer).

India-based Hero MotoCorp has extended its title sponsorship of the Hero World Challenge golf tournament (TGR Live). 

UFC announced a multiyear licensing agreement with UFC HOFer Bas Rutten to launch the UFC/BAS Body Action System, an MMA training device that will be available online and at select retailers globally (UFC).

Cowboys Exec VP & Chief Brand Officer Charlotte Jones Anderson appears in a print ad from the Frisco Economic Development Corp. in today's Wall Street Journal: "See Yourself In Frisco" (THE DAILY). 

"If Arnold (Schwarzenegger) can be governor, if (Donald) Trump can be President, then why can’t a Mexican-American who won an Olympic gold medal, who’s over 35 and a U.S. citizen, run for presidency?” -- Golden Boy CEO Oscar De La Hoya, on running for President in '20 (USATODAY.com, 9/11).

"Right now, the terms sheet is incredibly detailed, so things are going to make some pretty good progress in September. But it will be done when it's done" -- Austin Media Relations Manager David Green, on progress made toward a stadium contract for the Crew (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/11).

“Jets fans were so excited, they took the paper bags off their heads and started breathing in them” -- NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, on the Jets' “MNF” victory over the Lions (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 9/11).

The S.F. CHRONICLE takes a deep dive on college football's so-called "revenue games" under the header, "A Mismatch For Money." These games "have always been controversial -- producing boring games, injured players and disappointed fans -- but revenue games remain a scheduling regularity that’s seemingly ingrained in the sport." Also in the CHRONICLE: "College Football Should Be Ashamed Of ‘Revenue Games.’"

Also:

• A look at how ESPN is marketing its ESPN+ product.
• Lee Corso pens remembrance of his friend, Burt Reynolds.

A lot has changed in 7 seasons. @TwitterSports and @NASCAR being great partners is not one of them. Excited for tomorrow as our next big activation becomes known to the sports world and our millions of fans. #NASCARPlayoffs pic.twitter.com/F5f4vljNw8

— Scott Warfield (@warfieldscott) September 11, 2018

If an umpire or game official "speaks out" over disputed call in NBA, NHL, NFL, NBA, our reaction is what? Yes, that was a trick question. Because that never happens. Which is why it's awfully fishy to hear the tennis ump who bungled the US Open defend his actions.

— Michael DeCourcy (@tsnmike) September 12, 2018

If you want to tweet from burner accounts and not get caught (Dez Bryant, Kevin Durant), just buy ten burner phones for like $700 and tweet from them so you don't risk not logging out on your own phone and getting caught.

— Jason Smith (@howaboutafresca) September 12, 2018

Took a few days off twitter to discover a majority of the time people were arguing about bagels.

— Ron Wechsler (@RonWechsler) September 12, 2018

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

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The two-day Beyond Sport United and Global Awards begin in N.Y.

Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Design.”

“Switching the syllables in the German word for building of a home gave this design and architecture school its name.”

Actor Keegan-Michael Key appeared on last night’s episode of ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live.” Host Jimmy Kimmel noted Key is “a big Detroit Lions fan” and asked Key if he will watch the team again after their “MNF” loss. Key: “I will. Hope springs eternal. Here’s the only thing that keeps me alive as a sports fan. The Chicago Cubs. If they could have gone that long without a championship and then win the World Series, there is always hope for my Detroit Lions.” Kimmel: “But not this year there’s not. There’s future hope for the Detroit Lions.” Key: “We’re in a rebuilding year -- since 1967.” Key recently got married and said his wife is “also an avid sports fan.” Key: “We all know who Aaron Rodgers is from commercials. My mom knows who Peyton Manning is. My wife goes, ‘Saquon Barkley? You mean the second pick in the Draft last year out of Penn State, your alma mater?’ I’m in love” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 9/11).

NBC's “Late Night” featured the recurring segment “Bad Sponsors.” Host Seth Meyers said, “In order to cover the cost of the show, I will admit we’ve had to take on some pretty terrible sponsors, ones that we’re not proud of … but because we did, I now have to mention them on the air.” Meyers: “‘Late Night’ tonight is brought to you by Nike Air Gates, the only basketball shoes worn by the one, the only Microsoft Founder Bill Gates, a man who has played basketball twice in his life, once by accident. Nike Air Gates, the only shoes that are NSFB -- Not Safe for Basketball” (“Late Night,” NBC, 9/12).

“What is Bauhaus?”