CHRISTOPHER FRYER

Churchill Downs today will stage the grand opening of its 85,000-square-foot Derby City Gaming facility, where gamers can "test their luck on more than 800 historical-race-wagering machines." Churchill Downs Senior VP & Track President Kevin Flanery said that the facility "will be home to 900 machines" when at full capacity. The venue has been working on the facility "since December at a cost" of $60M. Flanery said that the track "went the extra mile to bring the Derby experience to the facility, from the rose motif on the lobby's ceiling to the Triple Crown winners' names etched into the flooring." The ornate lobby has "iconic Oaks and Derby images and the distinctive white brick found at Churchill Downs." The original Jockey Club logo is "etched into the wall near a Derby trophy display" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 9/13).

A deadline to "appeal a final environmental impact statement" on the $700M KeyArena renovation project "came and went Thursday with nobody doing so, clearing one of the most serious hurdles to beginning construction on time." It "paves the way for a Seattle City Council vote Sept. 24 on ratifying the full renovation deal ahead of an October meeting" of the NHL Exec Committee in N.Y. On Friday, the council’s Select Committee on Civic Arenas is "set for a final review of those documents before a vote on whether to forward them to the full council." Both votes are "expected to pass rather easily."

After that, the NHL Seattle group headed by David Bonderman, Jerry Bruckheimer and CEO Tod Leiweke are to "give a presentation to the league’s executive committee on Oct. 2 along with Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan." If the NHL Exec Committee approves, it would then "likely hold a vote" of the league’s full BOG in Florida in early December on "approving an expansion franchise for this city" in time for the '20-21 season (SEATTLE TIMES, 9/14).

The Braves are "offering free tickets to Hurricane Florence evacuees for the next three games at SunTrust Park." All the proceeds from this weekend’s 50/50 raffle at the ballpark will "benefit Red Cross efforts for the hurricane." Tickets are "available to all residents of North and South Carolina who have been displaced due to mandatory evacuations." Georgia residents who "show a valid driver’s license from a specific coastal zip codes are under a mandatory evacuation are also eligible" (ATLANTA JOURNAL-CONSTITUTION, 9/14).

Other hurricane-related news:

• The NWSL semifinal between the N.C. Courage and Chicago Red Stars has been "moved from North Carolina to Portland, Oregon, because of Hurricane Florence."  Originally set for Sunday, the game will be "played Tuesday night at Providence Park" (AP, 9/13).
• Arthur Blank's Falcons and Atlanta United announced a joint $1M pledge towards storm relief efforts (Falcons).
• The Univ. of Florida "will provide free tickets to Hurricane Florence evacuees from North and South Carolina" for its home game against Colorado State on Saturday (TWITTER.com, 9/13).

Red Sox manager Alex Cora yesterday said that President Trump’s "attempts to downplay how many people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria last year were disrespectful." Cora: "I respect him. He’s the president of the United States. But I don’t agree with a lot of stuff that he says about us." Cora, a Puerto Rico native, said of the debate over the death toll, "I hate that people make it a political issue. This is about human beings. The people that went through this, they know what happened" (BOSTON GLOBE, 9/14). Back in January, Cora and a group from the Red Sox "traveled to Puerto Rico to distribute aid." Last year when Cora was with the Astros during the storm, Owner Jim Crane "led an effort to send relief to the country, something Cora voiced his appreciation for again" (BOSTON HERALD, 9/14).

During a live NFL Network segment ahead of the Ravens-Bengals "TNF" game, Pro Football HOFer Michael Irvin said former NFLer Anquan Boldin, who last played with the Ravens in '12, was the last wideout whom QB Joe Flacco "trusted." On set with Irvin was former NFLer Steve Smith, who joined the Ravens in '14. Smith then said to Irvin, "I got a doctorate in route running. You got an associate’s degree, playa. That’s community college" (BALTIMORESUN.com, 9/14). Irvin then " tried to soften his position, saying that Smith had some injuries in Baltimore that kept him off the field" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 9/14).

DAGENHAM & REDBRIDGE FC

Trinity Sports Holdings, who owns the Triple-A PCL Memphis Redbirds and USL expansion club Memphis 901 FC, among others, has taken over ownership of Dagenham & Redbridge FC, a East London-based club that currently plays in England’s fifth division. The group, led by Peter Freund, includes Craig Unger and Rapids G Tim Howard. Trinity Sports Holdings also has stakes in the Yankees, Single-A New York-Penn League Williamsport Crosscutters and Single-A South Atlantic League Charleston RiverDogs. The group was advised by Inner Circle Sports on the English soccer club deal. Financial terms were not disclosed.

Nike's share price closed yesterday "at an all-time high" at $83.47, meaning the company is valued at $133.6B and showing the recent ad featuring Colin Kaepernick has "not proved an obstacle" for the brand (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/14).

Univ. of Oklahoma President James Gallogly said that he "plans on making a recommendation at a later date to regents about beer sales at athletic events (NORMANTRANSCRIPT.com, 9/13).

The Greenbrier "became the second casino in West Virginia to offer sports betting when the sportsbook operated by FanDuel opened Thursday" (WVMETRONEWS.com, 9/13).

"It would be a bonus for the sport to have the betting interest in. I think it would create more excitement, bring more attention, more people in attendance. I can see it having a ton of positives" -- Dale Earnhardt Jr., on possibly bringing gambling to NASCAR tracks around the country (USA TODAY, 9/14).

"We’re probably done expanding in the southeast for a little while, but we’re feeling pretty good about it" -- MLS Commissioner Don Garber, on the league's expansion plans going forward (PROSOCCERUSA.com, 9/13). 

"I applaud the ITF for making this move. My hope is that they eventually find a format that can also include the Fed Cup being played alongside the Davis Cup during the same time and location to make it a festival for national team competition" -- U.S. Davis Cup captain Jim Courier, on still wanting more reform to the event's format after the ITF approved a shorter-form version set to launch next year (N.Y. TIMES, 9/14).

"We’re flying into a state of emergency with rain in the forecast. It’s just kind of a joke, so why not keep joking around about it and keep having fun?” -- Cubs 1B Anthony Rizzo, on wearing his full uniform on yesterday's flight to DC while facing Hurricane Florence’s imminent arrival on the Atlantic Coast (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 9/14).

YAHOO SPORTS writes under the header, "From Fab Five To Colin Kaepernick, This Is How Nike Grabs The Audience That Embraces Rebels." In the early '90s, to "youngsters across America, especially kids who looked like them, the Fab Five was cool as hell." And at some point in Nike’s history, the company "realized that there’s big money to be made by associating its brand with any sports figure or institution that can tap into that."

Also:

• With tobacco revenue now forbidden, F1 "turns to high-tech."
• SEATTLE TIMES: "Let's Get To Work Raising WNBA Salaries."
• Colleges fear cheating when it comes to increased sports betting.

Well I mean I guess WE’RE on 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥. 🤣🤣🤣🤣 #JokesOnYou #NikeLifer✔️ https://t.co/OVPP54a3hz

— LeBron James (@KingJames) September 14, 2018

Doesn't seem like a great look for the NFL for Martavis Bryant to play with an impending suspension & even worse Mychal Kendricks playing on Monday Night Football while awaiting sentencing on federal charges.

Would you want your team to sign & play these guys?

— Ross Tucker (@RossTuckerNFL) September 14, 2018

Saw the Colin Kaepernick ad for first time. Not getting into a debate about him or his actions but I will say the guy should go into acting. He's quite mesmerizing.

— Joe Flint (@JBFlint) September 14, 2018

ESPN is a destination sports media job & a dream job for many. But it’s always been interesting to me to see the people who left — from @janesports to @KatieJStrang to @RoFlo— find great professional satisfaction elsewhere. Predict same for Jemele Hill. Last ESPN day is today. https://t.co/aobHFA9Gig

— Richard Deitsch (@richarddeitsch) September 14, 2018

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N.C. State will host an on-campus luncheon honoring the 35th anniversary of the school's '83 NCAA championship men's basketball team and the 25th anniversary of the V Foundation for Cancer Research.

 Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “Before They Were President.”

“On October 4, 1940, for the premiere of what’s been called his most famous movie role, Ronald Reagan was in this city."

“What is South Bend, Indiana?”