The Lakers are "looking forward to reconvening a post-championship tradition of visiting the White House at some point during the 2020-21 season after President-elect Joe Biden is sworn into office as the 46th President," according to sources. But reconvening the tradition this season "shall depend on logistics," the sources said. That includes waiting to see if Biden’s schedule "will be freed up" for the Lakers' lone trip to take on the Wizards, and "gathering information on what the White House COVID-19 protocols will look like are all determining factors." No NBA team has visited the White House during the Trump administration (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 1/7).

Meanwhile, reactions continued last night to Wednesday's events in DC. Below is a sampling:

• "It’s unfair to try to get people to understand. But we want people to listen" -- LeBron James (USA TODAY, 1/8).
• “There can’t be a better, obvious example of a system that is not fair as far as justice and equal rights is concerned and protection of citizens" -- Spurs coach Gregg Popovich (SAN ANTONIO EXPRESS-NEWS, 1/8).
• "We all have a platform and we all have the chance to stand for the right thing" -- Mavericks F Maxi Kleber (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/8).
• “We see the two different USAs that we live in. We came to the conclusion to hoop. But we know what it is" -- Heat F Jimmy Butler (USA TODAY, 1/8).
• "These situations are a reminder that it’s just a game and there’s so many inequities in our society and the world that are so much bigger than the game we play" -- Nets coach Steve Nash (N.Y. POST, 1/8).

The NCAA’s long-awaited vote on NIL legislation is scheduled for Monday, but sources say there is ongoing conversation about tabling the vote. The NCAA’s Division I Council sent its members a 125-page agenda for Monday’s meeting that included the NIL proposal. However, some members of the council have questioned whether they should move forward with a vote, given the legal challenges the NCAA already faces.

It would be a bad look if the vote is delayed, as the perception will be that the NCAA is kicking the can down the road again on athlete compensation. However, there also could simply be too many external forces at work to follow through on a vote Monday. Between the NCAA’s upcoming appointment with the U.S. Supreme Court, the College Athletes Bill of Rights and the five states that already have signed NIL laws, there’s too much that can change between now and implementation in August. If the D-I Council vote passes, the Division I Board of Directors would have to make it official next Thursday.

For more news from the collegiate space, please see our SBJ College newsletter.

MLS is providing its clubs a make-good sponsorship opportunity heading into the '21 season by letting them place a brand on the left sleeve of players’ jerseys, sources have confirmed. Clubs were originally informed of the news in late December and were formally notified during a leaguewide sponsorship call on Wednesday. It is unclear if teams will have a chance to sell the left sleeve beyond the upcoming season, which is scheduled to start in March. The new piece of inventory is designed primarily as a revenue retention opportunity for teams and current sponsors, sources said, due to the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

Clubs originally could sell the right jersey sleeve as part of a four-year pilot program that was announced in October '18 and started in '20. Now, that program has been extended two years through '25, according to a source. Selling the right sleeve has been a commercial opportunity available to teams that already have a primary kit sponsor.

For the full story, click here.

MLS today will "take over the sales process of the holding company that includes Real Salt Lake, the Real Monarchs, Rio Tinto Stadium, and the training complex" in Herriman, Utah. The league had given Owner Dell Loy Hansen until today to "find a buyer for RSL." But since he announced his intentions to sell, Hansen "has had trouble finding a buyer." It is "reasonable to think that once MLS takes over, selling Utah Soccer Holdings will move more quickly" (SALT LAKE TRIBUNE, 1/8).

More than 6,000 fans "will be allowed to attend the Packers first playoff game" next weekend. Tickets will be "sold only to season ticket holders who said they'd be willing to buy them despite the coronavirus pandemic, and the tickets will not be transferable, which means no sales on the secondary market." The decision on fans is "for Jan. 16-17 only." A decision would be "made later" on fans for the NFC Championship were the Packers to win their Divisional round game. So far, the Packers "have had 1,000 or fewer employees and front-line workers and their families in the stands for recent home games" (GREEN BAY PRESS-GAZETTE, 1/8).

DraftKings Sportsbook will accept wagers on Saturday’s Drone Racing League event in the five states in which regulators allow it as the result of a deal that makes it the official sports betting operator of the DRL. The deal gives DraftKings brand integration in the event, including logos on custom gates, as well as promotion on “Pre-Flight Shows” scheduled to air on Twitter beginning at 7:00pm ET on Friday. The sportsbook plans to offer both pre-race and in-play wagering.

DraftKings cites consumer research showing drone racing fans are three times more likely to bet than fans of the major pro leagues and 90% more likely to be interested in sports betting than the “average global sports fan.” It said its daily free-to-play DRL game has taken in more than 150,000 entries. Regulators allow betting on drone racing in Colorado, New Jersey, Tennessee, West Virginia and New Hampshire.

A federal judge "admonished Washington Football Team owner Daniel Snyder and his three limited partners Thursday for the 'scorched earth' tactics that have marked their months’ long dispute over the minority owners’ attempts to sell their shares of the team." U.S. District Judge Peter Messitte "warned the four men that continued disparagement of each other through media leaks, in violation of his Nov. 19 court order, would result in sanctions from the court and could jeopardize the minority partners’ efforts to sell their collective 40 percent stake." The "focus of the hearing was narrow, addressing only who leaked confidential information that appeared in a Dec. 20 New York Times story about Snyder potentially buying all the shares himself" (WASHINGTON POST, 1/8).

Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp., the new SPAC from Falcons investor Alan Kestenbaum and Inner Circle Sports Founder Rob Tilliss, debuted yesterday and closed its first day of trading up over 5%. The company, trading on the Nasdaq under the ticker AKICU, raised $230M in an over-subscribed IPO. Shares were priced at the standard $10, and units included one-third of a redeemable warrant; whole warrants can be exercised to purchase shares at a price of $11.50. Per the SPAC’s S-1 filing, Sports Ventures Acquisition will search for “opportunities to create value in the sectors where we have leading edge expertise, specifically in the sports, media and entertainment sectors, including traditional and emerging sports as well as film and television production and infrastructure.”

The company now has two years to acquire a business, or else its raised capital must be returned to investors. At last month’s SBJ Dealmakers in Sports conference, Kestenbaum specifically called sports content distribution a sector that could greatly benefit by going public via SPAC. “These businesses generally don't belong in private equity just yet because a lot of them are not making money,” said Kestenbaum. “And so the founders of these companies very often are forced to take very significant dilution to their own ownership stakes."

A super-majority of the Jacksonville City Council endorsed the current deal between the city and Jaguars Owner Shad Khan for the Lot J development and “defeated several attempts to include more financially favorable terms for taxpayers.” The council approved the bill 15-4 in a vote “that will allow a final vote on Tuesday” (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 1/8).

The Hawaii Tourism Authority will be a “presenting sponsor for three Big West Conference championship events,” including bringing the men’s volleyball tournament to SimpliFi Arena the next two years (HONOLULU STAR-ADVERTISER, 1/8).

ECU is "reinstating its women’s swimming and diving and tennis teams after cutting them last spring for budget problems made worse by COVID-19." The announcement Thursday "comes on the heels of players threatening a gender discrimination lawsuit" (Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER, 1/8).

Bob Costas will contribute to MLB Network's "Top 10 Right Now!" series for the first time beginning Monday at 7:00pm ET (THE DAILY).

“I would love to see it happen and I think it’s going to happen, but I think the more people that are talking about it now gives us some momentum and, in my opinion, we can’t get there quick enough" -- UCF AD Danny White, on expanding the CFP beyond four teams (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/8).

“I think there would have been some probably, I don’t know, difficult management issues if we would have moved the game back" -- Alabama coach Nick Saban, on if Monday's title game had been moved due to COVID-19 issues (BIRMINGHAM NEWS, 1/8).

GOLFWEEK goes with the header, "Mike Whan Is Leaving The LPGA, But The Mission To Cultivate Allies For Women's Golf Will Never Leave Him." It "wasn’t just that Whan saved the LPGA from utter collapse; it’s how he did it." During his tenure, Whan "fell in love." And he "didn’t just fall in love with the tour and its people." He "fell in love with the mission." Whan "had his eyes opened in a massive way when he took on the role of commissioner." GOLF.com looks at the "secret" to Whan's success.

Also:

• Steelers coach Mike Tomlin reaches another postseason "with fewer Black peers."
• Is a four-team playoff in the best interest of college football as a whole?

Source tells The Athletic Michigan and Jim Harbaugh are close to finalizing a five-year deal -- expected base salary is $4 million. With incentives, he could get it back to $8 million. Buyout is expected to be low.

Harbaugh hasn't signed. Is expected to soon.

— Nick Baumgardner (@nickbaumgardner) January 8, 2021

Very excited for @Mets fans. This off season has the same energy as ‘98, ‘99. Putting a Great team together is very important, but you still have to prove it on the field. Work is just starting. #LGM

— Mike Piazza (@mikepiazza31) January 7, 2021

I know this trade seems to creating excitement but let’s get back to what matters - the black jerseys

— Steven Cohen (@StevenACohen2) January 7, 2021

We all need Kapalua tonight. Lift our spirits, Maui. And welcome @Johnwould to the NBC / GC golf family.

— Molly Solomon (@mollysolomon_gc) January 7, 2021

During this crisis impacting the sports business, we want everyone to be up-to-date on the latest news and information. Here are the top headlines from last night's SBJ Unpacks: Bill Hancock On CFP Title Game, Possible Expansion: 

• Hancock "Confident" CFP Title Game Goes Off As Scheduled
• Barstool Sports Not Bills' Mystery Naming-Rights Partner
• Oak View Group, Elevate Partner On New Manchester Arena

More from SBJ College: Should NCAA Go Ahead With NIL Vote?

• NCAA's Vote On NIL Could Be Tabled
• Levy, Centerplate Could Be March Madness Winners ... With Fans
• Dyehard Providing Partners With Private Label

More from SBJ Football: New Relationships Key To NFL's Wild Card Weekend:

• NFL Hopes To Meet New Advertisers, Future Sponsors With New Channels
• Ravens, Bills Plan Rare In-Person Activations
• Executives Not Worried Over NFL Viewership Numbers

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

"4 songs from this 1968 musical made the Billboard Top 10, including one with an astrological theme that was No. 1 for 6 weeks."

Last night’s edition of “Jeopardy!” featured the category “Jocks.”
$200: “Captain of the U.S. team in the last two Olympics, Aly Raisman has won three Gold Medals in this sport.”
$400: “Nothing fishy about Mike Trout, a standout slugger and outfielder for this California MLB team.”
$600: “This first woman to win an IndyCar Series race wrote a book called ‘Pretty Intense’.”
$800: “This Milwaukee Bucks star was born in Greece to Nigerian parents (don’t worry, we’ll take just his first name).”
$1000: “The unconventional methods of this long-hitting 2020 U.S. Open champ include using a protractor on the putting green.”

Another humbling moment. Nobody on Jeopardy had a clue pic.twitter.com/u2k23i5XuB

— Cris Collinsworth (@CollinsworthPFF) January 8, 2021

"What is 'Hair'?"

Correct responses to the “Jocks” category:
$200: “What is gymnastics?”
$400: “Who are the Angels?”
$600: “Who is Danica Patrick?”
$800: “Who is Giannis?”
$1000: “Who is Bryson DeChambeau?”