Capital One and MLB today taking the wraps off a corporate sponsorship. As first reported by SBJ in January, Capital One is replacing Bank of America, an MLB corporate sponsor since '04, with official bank and credit-card rights. Packaged in the deal are a presenting sponsorship to the World Series, title sponsorship to MLB’s “Play Ball Park” fan fest at its annual All-Star Game and sponsorship rights for both Minor League Baseball and Little League Baseball. Capital One will activate with reward programs including tickets and special access to MLB jewel events, along with discounts for MLB.TV and at MLBshop.com. As part of its new baseball platform, Capital One is also supporting the Jackie Robinson Foundation, and committing to a minimum donation of $250,000. Endeavor's 160over90 is handling activation for Capital One.

Other MLB sponsors in the increasingly crowded financial services category include CohnReznick, FTX, Mastercard, LoanDepot and NetSpend prepaid debit cards. BofA will continue to sponsor some MLB teams, including the Orioles, Red Sox, Astros, Dodgers, Yankees, Cardinals and Giants. Meanwhile, Capital One has been an NCAA Corporate Champion-level sponsor since '10. The brand has been presenting sponsor for the past two Rose Bowl games and has had title sponsorship of the Orange Bowl since '14. Based in the DC suburb of McLean, Va., the brand has naming rights to the arena that houses the Capitals, Wizards and Mystics, along with the Univ. of Maryland's football field. It is a team sponsor for the Nationals.

This morning's sports section back page in Chicago reflects all-blueblood Final FourChicago Sun-Times

The NCAA Tournament is set up for "one of the bluebloodiest men’s Final Fours" ever: Duke, North Carolina, Kansas and Villanova. The programs headed to New Orleans have a "combined 17 NCAA tournament championships," and this is the first time "every Final Four program came in having already won at least three national titles." One semifinal will feature the "first Duke-North Carolina NCAA tournament meeting in the annals of that unsurpassed rivalry." They also are meeting with the retiring coach Mike Krzyzewski’s "career on the line" (SI.com, 3/27).

This "could be considered one of the greatest Final Four lineups." The 60 combined Final Four appearances "betters the previous record of 50" set in the '08 Final Four that featured North Carolina, UCLA, Kansas and Memphis (USA TODAY, 3/28).

WWE and Fanatics reached a long-term partnership across e-commerce, licensed merchandise, trading cards and NFTs that will provide enhanced retail options for WWE fans. This summer, Fanatics will exclusively re-introduce a new, rapid e-commerce and mobile destination, WWE Shop, giving fans access to merchandise across all categories, including apparel, hard goods such as title belts, headwear and accessories. WWE has handled its online shop in-house for decades. Fanatics will also add rights to design, manufacture and distribute real-time, on-demand merchandise collections to celebrate WWE moments and new and emerging talent. WWE retains its in-venue merchandise business.

Fanatics Collectibles, the company’s trading cards and collectibles division, will become the exclusive provider of licensed WWE physical and digital trading cards, which will once again bear the nostalgic Topps logo. Fanatics earlier this year acquired the 70-year-old Topps brand, which previously held a long-term relationship with WWE. That deal will commence when WWE’s existing trading cards rights with Panini expire. Later this year, Fanatics’ digital collectibles company, Candy Digital, will become one of WWE’s primary NFT partners. Candy’s team will curate and build a range of trading card NFTs featuring WWE’s biggest moments and stars. The length and financial terms of the overall deal were not disclosed.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell in last night's opening remarks at the annual league meetings in Palm Beach, Fla., "celebrated the high the NFL is on -- great competition in 2021 (each of the last seven playoff games decided by six points or less), playing well through the pandemic, with strong points about gains in diversity, equity and inclusion." If observers were "looking for him to say something strong about teams falling all over themselves to trade" for QB Deshaun Watson, they were "disappointed." It went unmentioned as Goodell addressed 700 club owners, coaches and top employees.

Given Watson ending up at the Browns, Owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam were "not the most popular people at the league meetings on Sunday." There has been "grumbling from those who think a) trading six picks for a player who may be found guilty of heinous offenses or b) signing Watson to the richest guaranteed contract in league history and giving him an $80-million raise 'stinks to high heaven,' as one team exec said" (NBCSPORTS.com, 3/28).

NFL Giants President & CEO John Mara has again "strongly denied allegations brought on by a lawsuit from Brian Flores that accused his organization of a 'sham' interview during its head coach search and insisted the team would not be settling out of court." Mara ahead of the NFL owners' meetings in Florida this week said that the organization had "no contact" with Patriots coach Bill Belichick, whom Flores alleged in the lawsuit texted him he would not be getting the job before he was even interviewed. Flores claimed in the suit that the Giants had "made their decision to hire Brian Daboll, a white candidate, before he received his chance in front of the team's brass." Mara yesterday insisted that Flores' allegations are "false." The owner said that he "won't back down and is confident the Giants went through a thorough and fair process" (ESPN.com, 3/27).

The USMNT secured a "crucial 5-1 victory over Panama on Sunday in front of an announced sell-out crowd" of 25,022 at Orlando's Exploria Stadium during the penultimate match of World Cup qualifying. The win "did not secure qualification" to the '22 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, so the U.S. will go into the "final matchday of qualifiers in Costa Rica on Wednesday needing to lock up a berth for this year’s tournament in November." The U.S.-Costa Rica match will stream live on Paramount Plus with a 9:05pm ET kickoff. The U.S. is "three points ahead of fourth-place Costa Rica" and would need to lose to Costa Rica by "at least six goals to be in any trouble of not qualifying" (ORLANSO SENTINEL, 3/28).

It would be hard for a team to "keep the Americans from going to Qatar now." And it would be "nearly impossible to persuade them, or anyone else, that -- at last -- they do not belong back on soccer’s brightest stage" after missing the '18 World Cup (N.Y. TIMES, 3/28).

Meanwhile, the Canadian men’s national team qualified for the World Cup "for only the second time in its history, returning to the grand stage for the first time in 36 years following a 4-0 win over Jamaica at BMO Field in Toronto on Sunday" (SI.com, 3/27). A full capacity crowd of 29,122 was the "largest attendance for a Canadian men’s match at the stadium, where the team has still never lost" (TORONTO STAR, 3/28).

Will Smith won the Oscar for best actor last night for his portrayal of Richard Williams in “King Richard.” In a tearful acceptance speech, Smith thanked Venus and Serena Williams, who were in attendance, for "allowing him to tell their father’s story on the tennis courts of Compton, Calif." Smith also "delivered apologies to the Academy and his fellow nominees, just minutes after he slapped presenter Chris Rock" live on-air. “Art imitates life. I look like the crazy father,” Smith said, chuckling (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 3/28).

Stephen Curry and Shaquille O’Neal "can add an Oscar to their accolades," as “The Queen of Basketball” won for best documentary short. They join the late Kobe Bryant among "basketball players with an Oscar" for being exec producers and "top promoters of the 22-minute documentary that tells the story of Lusia Harris, the woman who scored the first basket in the Olympic category of women’s basketball and was the first woman drafted by an NBA team." Director Ben Proudfoot used the winning Oscar moment call for the release of Brittney Griner from Russia, saying, “Bring Brittney Griner home” (S.F. CHRONICLE, 3/28).

Summer of Soul, produced by Eagles Owner Jeffrey Lurie’s Play/Action Pictures production company, won the Academy Award for best documentary Sunday night, marking the "third Academy Award" for Lurie. He previously won Oscars as exec producer of "Inside Job" in '11 and "Inocente" in '13 (NBCSPORTSPHILADELPHIA.com, 3/27).

Last night's Hornets-Nets game at Barclays Center was presented by Xbox and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. In the arena, Xbox and the Nets featured a Millennium Falcon, which was built with over 200,000 LEGO bricks and took more than 700 hours to complete (Nets).

“I was very disappointed that ‘Space Jam 2’ did not get nominated in that ‘Special Effects’ category for that hairline they gave LeBron James” -- Actress and Oscars co-host Regina Hall, during the opening monologue, on the many smaller Oscar categories (“The Oscars,” ABC, 3/28).

“Thank you, Oscar pools, for giving me a chance to win back some of the money I lost in my March Madness bracket. … Thank you March Madness, for going from ‘I hope I win my office pool’ to ‘I’ll just be happy if Chad from HR loses’” -- NBC’s Jimmy Fallon, in his recurring “Thank You Notes” segment (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 3/25).

THE ATHLETIC examines the pros and cons of U.S.-based owners in the EPL, as it is "not hard to foresee a situation where the US influence on English football only becomes more profound in the coming years." By the end of the Chelsea sale process, nine EPL clubs "will be wholly or partly owned by Americans." But the response from English fans has been "one of heavy caution when it comes to American owners." The prospect of an Arsenal or Manchester United-style leadership is a "scary thought for a Chelsea fanbase that has enjoyed handouts from their Russian owner for almost 20 years."

Also:

• Why hope is brewing for the growth of women's hockey.
• New York Gov. Kathy Hochul weighs $1.4B stadium for Bills, her hometown team.
• How the Dolphins acquired WR Tyreek Hill in historic week.
• L.A. Times asks if "Winning Time" got Claire Rothman and Jeanie Buss "right"?

USMNT need to win, draw, or lose by 5-0 or less to advance directly to the World Cup.

A forfeit is a 3-0 loss. Just sayin'!

— Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) March 28, 2022

Some of you don’t watch enough pro wrestling and it shows

— Bunkie Perkins (@BunkiePerkins) March 28, 2022

All @F1 & @IndyCar fans watching @NASCAR on the @COTA circuit are like… what about track limit rules!? 🤠

— Jimmie Johnson (@JimmieJohnson) March 27, 2022

Fewest pro starts needed to reach No. 1 in the world:

Tiger Woods, 21
Jordan Spieth, 77
Scottie Scheffler, 92

— Sean Martin (@PGATOURSMartin) March 27, 2022

TUESDAY

• Lululemon, Academy Sports & Outdoors report earnings

WEDNESDAY

• SBJ ALL IN conference begins with virtual format (2 days)
• NFL Annual League Meeting concludes in Palm Beach, Fla.
• National Intramural Recreational Sports Association conference in Portland, Ore. (4 days)
• Motorsport Games reports earnings

THURSDAY

• 72nd FIFA Congress meeting begins in Doha, Qatar
• 3-2-1 Qatar Olympic & Sports Museum opens to the public in Doha

FRIDAY

• IOC Exec Board meeting (remote)
• '22 FIFA World Cup final draw in Doha

Have an event we should feature? Send an email to pbounds@sportsbusinessjournal.com.

Some of the top news items from yesterday's edition of Weekend Rap.

• Bills take next step in securing stadium financing
• Blue Jays planning major Rogers Centre renovation
• St. Peter's unlikely to get big share of tourney bonus
• MLS Next Pro kicks off with St. Louis sellout crowd

This week's In-Depth is on Diversity, equity & inclusion ahead of SBJ's ALL IN event. Look for upcoming sections on: 

• April 4: Sustainability
• April 11: Champions profile: Joe Gibbs
• April 18: Sports tourism

Also, see this week's SBJ for stories on ...

• Star Power fuels Underdog Venture Team startup
• Collective models mean more guaranteed NIL money to college athletes
• Padres could challenge Petco Park attendance record

Friday night’s “Final Jeopardy!” category was “U.S. City Names.”

"Adopted in 1845, the name of this state capital is a feminized form of a big body of water."

NBC’s Jimmy Fallon said "every year we pick a team to root for" in the NCAA Tournament, "and this year we picked Gonzaga.” But Gonzaga lost to Arkansas in the Sweet 16, so “now I would like to take a minute to speak to my Bulldogs, because right now, I know you’re probably feeling pretty low, but let me tell you, you got a lot to be proud of." Fallon: "Gonzaga, you lost, but here’s the good news: You played well, you’re a good team and hopefully someday you’re going to go all the way. But look at the bright side: You still have spring break. Get out of Spokane and go to Cancun and you got those ‘Rowdy Rags,’ you already got your towel. We just want to say that we’re proud of you. You got to respect how far you came, and besides, ‘Sweet 16’ is a much cooler name than ‘Elite 8.’ Who cares about being elite when you can be sweet? Go 'Zags, and (Gonzaga F Drew) Timme, time to shave that mustache” (“The Tonight Show,” NBC, 3/25).

"What is Atlanta?"