Take-Two Interactive and the NBA have reached a new licensing deal, allowing the software company's 2K studio to "continue making its NBA 2K video game franchise and other NBA-branded games, including smartphone apps." A source said that the deal, expected to be announced today, will see Take-Two pay the NBA and NBPA up to $1.1B "over seven years." The source added that the "value of the deal, based on a percentage of sales of Take-Two’s NBA games, is more than double the organizations’ prior licensing tie-up" in '11 (WSJ.com, 1/15).

ESPN has signed video game accessories brand HyperX as the presenting sponsor of its Saturday night NBA telecasts on ABC and ESPN. The group’s “We’re All Gamers” spots will break Jan. 19 and run through the NBA Finals. As part of the deal, “SportsCenter” will use HyperX virtual set integrations, and ESPN will use HyperX branding in-game during timeouts. HyperX’s ads star athletes and pop culture figures like Post Malone, Joel Embiid, Shroud, Gordon Hayward, Pokimane, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Daigo, De’Aaron Fox and Cloud9’s Rush. HyperX is owned by Kingston Technology. 

FS Detroit today is expected to announce that Matt Shepard will be the net's "next television play-by-play broadcaster," sharing the booth with rotating analysts Kirk Gibson and Jack Morris. Though a "set number of games for each have yet to be determined, it is expected Gibson will continue his workload from previous seasons, meaning Morris will be more the consistent voice in the color analyst chair." Shepard, who joined FS Detroit in '99, has "filled play-by-play, studio hosting and sideline reporting roles." The former duo of Mario Impemba and Rod Allen was "removed from the airwaves following a physical altercation" last season (DETROIT FREE PRESS, 1/15).

MLB today will unveil a new partnership with Discovery Education to incorporate baseball content into the company’s science “techbooks” and further promote STEM instruction. Content integrations will include videos featuring STEM-oriented careers in baseball such as groundskeeping and data analysis; curricula using MLB’s StatCast data; problem solving for middle/high school students using data such as ballpark field conditions; and use of MLB archival footage. The alignment will be showcased today at a Baltimore middle school.

The effort builds upon several prior education initiatives MLB has undertaken based around bullying prevention, character development and physical development. “This high-quality digital media learning tool will offer educators an opportunity to drive greater understanding of science and STEM, particularly in their application to careers within our sport,” said MLB Senior VP/Marketing Barbara McHugh. Discovery Education was spun off from Discovery Inc.

Monumental Sports & Entertainment today is kicking off a slew of activities across London in advance of tomorrow's Knicks-Wizards game at The O2. Throughout the week, players from the Wizards, WNBA Mystics and esports team Wizards District Gaming will engage with fans at clinics, appearances and receptions (MS&E).

Meanwhile, the Wizards "experienced a travel nightmare" on their way to the U.K. After Sunday's double-OT home loss to the Raptors, they spent "over five hours on the tarmac" at Dulles Int'l Airport without taking off. The organization was "scheduled to be wheels up" by 6:00pm ET last night (NBCSPORTSWASHINGTON.com, 1/14).

President Trump yesterday evening hosted the Clemson football team at the White House, serving the CFP champions "McDonald's, Wendy's, Burger King and Domino's Pizza." Trump "personally paid for the catering because much of the residence staff has been furloughed due to the partial government shutdown." Players "cheered as they entered the room" where the food was served (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 1/15). Trump said of freshman QB Trevor Lawrence, "I want to be the agent of that tall handsome quarterback." He told other players that "they're likely to become 'wealthy as hell'" (N.Y. POST, 1/15).

The Cleveland City Council has "approved legislation that will assist Destination Cleveland and other promotional organizations in bringing events such as the MLB All-Star Game" to the city. The ordinance grants Mayor Frank Jackson’s administration "broader powers to approve event-related requests without first securing approval from City Council." Those powers include "granting use of city facilities such as Public Auditorium for events, the hanging of promotional banners along streets, acceptance of gifts to the city from the events and approval of permits" (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 1/15).

Terence Crawford and Amir Khan will face off in the inaugural PPV fight under the Top Rank on ESPN banner April 20 at 9:00pm ET (ESPN).

Hornets G Tony Parker "received a standing ovation from the AT&T Center crowd" last night during pre-game introductions. The Spurs "showed a two-minute video highlight package" and introduced Parker "before either team's starters." The Hornets beat the Spurs 108-93 (MYSANANTONIO.com, 1/14).

The Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority will meet Friday to "get an update on the possibility of whether the Raiders could stay in Oakland another year" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 1/15).

Tennis Channel runs a half-page ad in the Wall Street Journal touting its coverage of the Australian Open: "One Sport. One Destination. Worldwide" (THE DAILY).

“It'll be essentially our own little World Cup. I think it’ll be exciting" -- Real Salt Lake D Tony Beltran, on the truncated schedule of the MLS Playoffs (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 1/15).

“Gambling information won’t have a negative impact on ratings. People who want to watch, whether they’re betting or not, won’t go away, but it makes sense that some will stay tuned longer because of it" -- NBC's Al Michaels, on discussing gambling during broadcasts (L.A. TIMES, 1/15).

"Post-Brexit we will be open to the world -- we get to set our own rules. Our own tariffs and our own quotas would allow us to open up to a pool of global talent and massively reduce our transfer spend. Currently we have a huge payments deficit to Europe, effectively UK TV money being redistributed to European leagues" -- EPL club Crystal Palace Chair Steve Parish, on the Brexit proposal that is "likely to be voted down" today (TELEGRAPH.co.uk, 1/14).

"We get to see Adam Levine at a football game, but somehow he’ll still have the tightest pants" -- NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, on Maroon 5 playing the Super Bowl halftime show (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/14).

The AP goes with the header, "NBA Coaches Put Priority On Their Health To Cope With Grind." Coaches around the league are "taking preventive measures to help deal with the grind and stresses of a long NBA season." That "hasn’t always been the case," but now, the NBA Coaches Association "provides guidance to its members on everything from diet and exercise to sleep and mental health." The coaches association is "providing support and guidance like never before, and many coaches are making a point to openly discuss wellness strategies and share ideas."

Also: 

• THE RINGER wonders if "anything short of a strike" can fix baseball.
• The "legacy and lessons of Dr. Bernice Sandler, the godmother of Title IX."

As A's expected, Kyler Murray declares for NFL draft. From a baseball standpoint, this is procedural only and doesn't change anything unless he puts out a statement or announces he is choosing one sport over the other. A's/MLB issue would be if he left camp for the combine.

— Susan Slusser (@susanslusser) January 14, 2019

Christopher Johnson says he understands backlash from fans, adding that he still hasn't earned trust of fan base. CJ: "I think they will see, if not right now, they'll see pretty soon this is a great hire. I'm not trying to win Twitter. I'm trying to win football games." #Jets

— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) January 14, 2019

#Browns search committee included VP Football Administration Chris Cooper. (Others besides Haslams were Dorsey, JW Johnson, DePodesta, Berry, Wolf, Highsmith)

— Mary Kay Cabot (@MaryKayCabot) January 14, 2019

NBC feels like it can get about $5/person/month in ad revenue with this service and can scale it to tens of millions of people quickly. That's the preferred strategy over starting from zero and charging $10/month to everyone. https://t.co/IY8mgTmyna

— Alex Sherman (@sherman4949) January 14, 2019

This White House thing is like when you go to your grandma’s house for her always incredible Thanksgiving meal except she’s like “sorry sweetie but this year we’re having Arby’s”

— Greg Wyshynski (@wyshynski) January 15, 2019

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

Was Rams CB Aqib Talib making a "Heaven Can Wait" reference when he said nobody was taking Jared Goff's soul while cursing on live TV?
Kinda spooky, isn't it? pic.twitter.com/x9hNg4wjkL

— Tom Hoffarth (@tomhoffarth) January 14, 2019

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IndyCar is holding a "major announcement" at the North American Int'l Auto Show in Detroit at 12:15pm ET. The series has been in talks with NTT Corp. about title sponsorship. 

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

“Originally a folk term for a chronic rash, this phrase got a new meaning as a title for a 1952 stage comedy and later a movie.”

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “Olympians.”

$200: “The origins of the signature move locals call ‘To Di World’ by this Gold Medal sprinter can be traced to his love of a Jamaican dance move popular in 2008.”
$400: “Isabell Werth has won six Olympic Gold Medals in dressage, even though this, at times, was using illegal substances.”
$600: “Before being a foil in Italian politics, Valentina Vezzali used her foil to win several medals in this seven-letter event.”
$800: “Andras Balczo medaled five times in the ‘modern’ this; seems like he should get 25 of something.”
$1000: “Apolo Ohno has the most medals of male U.S. Winter Olympians with eight; this speed skater leads the female ones, with six.”

Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah said Bears fans are still “stuck in the past” after the team lost its NFC Wild Card game on K Cody Parkey's 43-yard missed field goal. The broadcast then aired a Chicago-area news broadcast about a local brewery sponsoring The Cody Parkey Challenge, in which fans could attempt a 43-yarder. Most fans fell and slipped on snow and ice during their attempts. Noah: “Sports fans always act like they could have won the game, right, when they’re barely winning in life. People sitting at home like, ‘You idiot, you should have passed the ball earlier, goddam it. Mom, my hand is stuck in the Pringles can again!’” (“The Daily Show,” Comedy Central, 1/14). NBC’s "The Tonight Show" also aired footage of the 100 fans who attempted the field goal. While all 100 missed the kick, one fan’s attempt went completely awry, hitting a security guard in the groin. NBC's Fallon: “Technically, that last one spilt the uprights. Even Charlie Brown was like, ‘You guys are terrible at kicking footballs’” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 1/14).

“What is ‘The Seven Year Itch’?”

Correct responses to the “Olympians” category:

$200: “Who is Usain Bolt?”
$400: “What is her horse?”
$600: “What is fencing?”
$800: “What is the pentathlon?”
$1000: “Who is Bonnie Blair?”