Last night's Sports Business Awards in N.Y. delivered plenty of big winners and memorable moments. MLS Commissioner Don Garber was named Sports Executive of the Year; the NBA was named Sports League of the Year; and Atlanta United was honored as Sports Team of the Year. Retired PGA Tour Commissioner Tim Finchem received the Lifetime Achievement Award, presented to him by current PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan. Kentucky's Mitch Barnhart won in the always competitive AD of the Year category, and Flyers viral sensation Gritty was named Best in Sports Social Media. More than 850 people attended the dinner and ceremony at the Marriott Marquis at Times Square. A full list of winners is below:

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See more in today's issue of THE DAILY. For photos and hot takes from the event, check out @SBJSBD and the hashtag #SBJawards on Twitter. Read this week's Sports Business Journal for more on the 86 nominees in 17 categories.

The Chargers and Rams will not have to start paying their $645M relocation fees for another year under a measure approved by NFL owners yesterday. The other owners agreed to the delay without objection, sources said. The other 30 teams were due to receive $129M combined from the L.A. teams this December, or $4.3M per team, under the original terms of their relocations. It was to be the first of 10 annual installments.

After yesterday's vote, the payment schedule will instead begin in '20. Rams Exec VP & COO Kevin Demoff said the request was made because the payment “was always designed to match up with the stadium opening.” The new L.A. stadium’s opening was pushed back from '19 to '20 after heavy rains slowed the early phases of construction in '17.

The NFL is extending its partnership with the city of Indianapolis to host the Combine through '21, "adding another year to its standing agreement, with 'a series of annual options' available after that" for the NFL to keep the event in Indiana. Beginning next February, "many of the on-field drills in Lucas Oil Stadium -- traditionally conducted in the morning and afternoon -- will be moved to the afternoon and prime time with the goal of attracting a bigger television audience" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/23).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway President Doug Boles said that he was expecting 300,000 fans for Sunday's Indy 500, "not a sellout," meaning the local TV blackout likely will remain in place. The blackout was lifted in '16 for the "first time in 65 years, thanks to a sold-out crowd of 350,000 for the 100th running of the race." Boles said, "I’d love to have a sellout like we did in 2016. Yeah, then we could talk about (lifting the blackout) again." Live radio coverage of the race will be on SiriusXM and ESPN Radio 1070 Indianapolis (INDYSTAR.com, 5/22).

The NASCAR HOF announced its '20 class, "headlined" by former driver and current team owner Tony Stewart. He will be inducted alongside team owner Joe Gibbs, engine builder and crew chief Waddell Wilson, as well as drivers Buddy Baker and Bobby Labonte. Gibbs' entry will mark his "second in a professional sports Hall of Fame" after he was inducted into the Pro Football HOF in '96. This class represents "something of a sweep" for the Gibbs organization, as "both Stewart and Labonte won their Cup titles while driving for 'Coach'" (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/23).

Coach Gibbs, from everyone at JGR, congrats on being voted into the #NASCAR Hall of Fame. We couldn’t be prouder to represent you and your family! pic.twitter.com/B4n9cFPm96

— Joe Gibbs Racing (@JoeGibbsRacing) May 22, 2019

An afternoon storm in Southern California "caused flooding in the Angel Stadium outfield" and "wreaked havoc" on the Twins-Angels series finale. Field concerns "forced the Angels to postpone the game" until today at 1:00pm PT. The postponement "made it so that the Angels would have to play 20 games in 20 days" (L.A. TIMES, 5/23). Fans "can use their May 22 game tickets to attend the make-up game" today, or "exchange their tickets" for a future regular-season home game (MLB.com, 5/22).

Inter Miami CF has selected Elevate Sports Ventures to serve as its premium sales agency, assisting on season, premium and individual ticket sales strategy. Elevate also will help with servicing and hospitality for the club's inaugural MLS season in '20. Inter Miami is now accepting deposits to reserve priority access to select season tickets ahead of its launch. The club is expected to play in a to-be-constructed venue at the site of former Lockhart Stadium in Ft. Lauderdale before moving to a permanent venue in Miami.

Ford-owned electric scooter operator Spin this morning announced a new sponsorship of Wood Brothers Racing’s esports program, in one of the first new team deals around NASCAR’s esports presence. Terms were not disclosed. Spin will be the primary sponsor of both Wood Brothers cars in the 16-race Heat Pro League, which starts this weekend, in addition to sponsoring Wood Brothers’ cars in the eNASCAR Peak Antifreeze iRacing Series. Spin co-Founder & President Euwyn Poon said that the brand is looking to grow awareness and is intrigued by the idea of doing so via virtual racing and esports more broadly.

Several of the teams competing in the eNASCAR Heat Pro League do have sponsors, but it appears that most if not all -- aside from Wood Brothers -- are using current sponsors of their real cars. Spin’s deal with Wood Brothers is completely new, although Wood Brothers has deep ties to parent company Ford. S.F.-based Spin has given out its scooters to Ford’s NASCAR drivers.

wood brothers racing

Callaway Golf has named Johnny Miller a "brand ambassador" and launched a new podcast featuring the former NBC golf analyst, titled "Real Golf Talk." The podcast will include Chris Harrison, best known as host of ABC's "The Bachelor." It will have "just six episodes" in '19, each one airing after "major events on the golf calendar." It will increase to eight episodes in future seasons. Callaway said this will be one of a "variety of content development projects" with Miller (GOLFDIGEST.com, 5/22).

Wayne Gretzky and the NHL are launching a second season of their interview series, “The Great One on 1.” The multiplatform series will return Monday with a series of four podcast episodes that feature conversations with past Stanley Cup winners Mark Messier, Luc Robitaille, T.J. Oshie and Martin St. Louis. It will be made available on the NHL’s Podcasts landing page, as well as on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Google Podcasts and TuneIn Radio, among other podcast apps.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell at the conclusion of the spring meetings said that the league "will take no disciplinary action" against Patriots Owner Robert Kraft until his solicitation of prostitution legal case is "resolved" (NBCSPORTS.com, 5/22).

The Univ. of Michigan named Juwan Howard its new men's basketball coach. The former NBAer and UM alum "received a five-year deal" starting at $2M annually. Howard replaces John Beilein, who left last week to join the Cavaliers (ESPN.com, 5/22).

YES Network has agreed to become the official regional TV partner of the WNBA Liberty this season, televising 16 home games. The contests also will be streamed on the Fox Sports Go app (YES).

The Green Sports Alliance named the USTA the winner of its Environmental Leadership Award for '19. The award will be formally presented on June 19 (USTA).

"The league, speaking plainly, knows damn well what they're doing. If you're serious about the players not smoking, you'd be testing more often" -- Newly retired NFLer Chris Long, saying the league keeps its marijuana ban on the books but does not strictly enforce it (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/23). 

"I do. He will work tirelessly. This is not just coming to New York and celebrate a welcome home" -- NHL Rangers broadcaster Sam Rosen, when asked if he believes his former on-air partner John Davidson will bring the team a Stanley Cup as President of Hockey Operations (N.Y. POST, 5/23).

"I am sick and tired of being sick and tired of what I'm hearing people refer to Danny Ferry as if he's a racist. That is the biggest bunch of bullcrap ... I have ever heard" -- Former Georgetown coach John Thompson Jr., on Ferry, one of the remaining candidates for the Wizards' president of basketball operations role (WASHINGTONPOST.com, 5/22).

The DETROIT NEWS goes under the header, "District Detroit: Inside The Ilitches' Land Of Unfulfilled Promises." Despite "promises that the district would transform a forgotten area of Detroit by 2017, more than a dozen of its 50 blocks are now more vacant than when the plan was launched" in '14. The accounting shows "just how dependent the area is upon the Ilitch organization for its development as the long-awaited tie between two of Detroit's high-demand neighborhoods."

Also:

• The WNBA is "having trouble catching on, but men’s pro sports had problems, too."
• Examining why college ADs hire search firms to hire coaches.
• Gold Medal-winning U.S. Olympian Allyson Felix shares her Nike pregnancy story.

FIFA bid to expand 2022 World Cup in Gulf scuppered in part by issue that’s been so damaging for Qatar: human/worker rights. Qatar forced to raise standards over years (not far enough say some activists). Another country wouldn’t be able to commit to reforms to prepare for WC

— Rob Harris (@RobHarris) May 23, 2019

Thank goodness FIFA have kept the next World Cup to 32 teams. They should forget 48 completely. It’s the World Cup , not a village tombola where everyone gets a go.

— Ian Darke (@IanDarke) May 23, 2019

Any woman I see in sports making good stuff and trying to make a difference I support 1000% bc it’s hard af out here and we’re all just doing our best.

— Meredith Minkow (@murrminks) May 23, 2019

Here's an idea to spice up baseball: Baltimore's pitching staff faces Miami's hitters for a week straight.

— Ray Ratto (@RattoIndy) May 23, 2019

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

Roush Fenway Racing, driver Ryan Newman, Oscar Meyer and Rise Against Hunger are packaging meals for those in need at RFR's Concord, N.C., HQ.

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Last night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “19th Century American History.”

“In 1832, by a narrow margin, this state’s legislature rejected considering abolition; a split was completed in 1863.”

CBS’ Stephen Colbert said, “If you’re an NBA fan, here's a very bold opinion from the Wall Street Journal about the Golden State Warriors: ‘The Warriors would not be a dynasty without Steph Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Andre Iguodala and Kevin Durant.’ That is a hot take. Bold. They also offered the penetrating insight that the Beatles might not be as popular without John, Paul, George and Ringo." Colbert said of last weekend's Preakness Stakes, "This year's race was wild, thanks to a horse by the name of Bodexpress.” The broadcast aired footage of the horse leaving the starting gate and throwing his jockey. Colbert: "Now, the horse just has to whip him a few hundred times and they're even. ... Bodexpress successfully completed the race by himself! I guess we know who the Garfunkel is in that relationship" (“The Late Show,” CBS, 5/22).

Comedy Central’s Trevor Noah, citing a new climate report, said, "Sea levels could rise by six feet by the end of the century, which means cities like New York and Miami could be under water. It's really bad news. Statistically, the only person that will survive that is Shaq. That's it, just him by himself. He'll be like, ‘I know the whole world died, but the fact that Charles Barkley is gone made it all worth it’” (“The Daily Show,” Comedy Central, 5/22).

“What is Virginia?”

Spoiler alert: reigning champion James Holzhauer rolled through another match last night, earning $71,885 for a 25-day total of $1,939,027.