NASCAR driver Danica Patrick today won pole for next weekend's Daytona 500, becoming the first woman to secure the top spot for any Sprint Cup race (THE DAILY).
Sources said that ESPN has "until Thursday" to match NBC Sports' seven-year, $20-23M per year offer for the Big East's media rights (ESPN.com, 2/15).
Thirteen of 33 questions during NBA Commissioner David Stern's State of the League address with media yesterday "concerned the proposed move" of the Kings from Sacramento to Seattle (CHRON.com, 2/16).
Viacom’s decision to enter the MMA business by paying an estimated $50M for a majority stake in Bellator Fighting Championships and going up against the UFC is the focus on an extensive, front-page piece in today’s N.Y. TIMES Business section under the header “The Slugfest In The Executive Suite” (N.Y. TIMES, 2/17).
Penn State Univ.'s bill for "legal fees, consultants, and other costs associated" with the Jerry Sandusky child sex abuse scandal stands at more than $27.6M (AP, 2/16).
In a companion piece to today's "Outside The Lines," MLB officials and equipment manufacturers have "examined possibilities for protective headgear to lessen the risk" of head trauma for pitchers. MLB has "not yet approved padding for the inside of caps worn by pitchers, but it seems just a matter of time before that occurs" (ESPN.com, 2/17).
NASCAR drivers Jimmie Johnson, Michael Waltrip, Kasey Kahne and Aric Almirola were part of 1,400 runners to participate today in the Daytona Beach Half Marathon (NASCAR). The runners got off to a late start due to "near-freezing temperatures and chilling wind" (NEWSJOURNALONLINE.com, 2/17).
