NBC earned a 12.9 overnight rating for yesterday's Belmont Stakes, up 180% from a 4.6 on the net last year, when no Triple Crown was at stake. This year's rating represents a 36% increase over the '08 race, when the most recent Triple Crown attempt at Belmont earned ABC a 9.5 (THE DAILY). Total handle yesterday was $90.3M, "easily setting" a record for the race by surpassing the $68M mark set in '04. But attendance "on a picture-perfect day" at Belmont Park was 102,199, "far short of the record" of 120,139 set in '04 (DRF.com, 6/7).

Meanwhile, fears that the track would be "overwhelmed by a crowd of more than 100,000 appeared to be confirmed." Nearly 36,000 fans "took the Long Island Rail Road to the track," and following the race, attendees were "stranded for hours in winding, unmoving lines" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).

FIFA World Cup sponsor adidas said that it is "concerned about allegations of corruption" surrounding the governing body regarding the '22 World Cup in Qatar. The company in a statement said, "The negative tenor of the public debate around FIFA at the moment is neither good for football nor for FIFA and its partners" (AP, 6/8). A N.Y. TIMES editorial states no games "are watched as intently as World Cup games," so FIFA "owes it to the world to strengthen its watch so soccer fans can cheer without any doubts" (N.Y. TIMES, 6/8).

Qatar's bid committee today said that it is "confident it will retain the rights to host" the World Cup "following new allegations that an official from the country used his high-level contacts to help win support" for its bid (AP, 6/8).

For more reaction on the state of FIFA, see the Weekend Hot Reads.

Other features include "The Burden Of Being Messi," "The World Cup Soundtrack" and "The World Cup Hairdo Hall Of Fame." Soccer legend Pelé appears in the back-cover ad for Hublot, the official watch of the '14 FIFA World Cup (THE DAILY).

The U.S. men's national soccer team yesterday played its final game prior to the FIFA World Cup, and the crowd at EverBank Field "shattered the record for the highest attendance for a U.S. soccer exhibition in the Southeast." A crowd of 52,033 attended the Nigeria-U.S. friendly, and the fans' "passionate support further bolstered the city’s reputation as a thriving soccer destination" (FLORIDA TIMES-UNION, 6/8). Meanwhile, a crowd of 53,200 attended yesterday's Spain-El Salvador friendly at FedExField (WASHINGTON POST, 6/8).

With the Ed O'Bannon-NCAA case beginning tomorrow in Oakland, a source said that O'Bannon's legal team is "very skeptical of a settlement being reached, but does not rule it out." The source said O'Bannon's team is "open to discussions with the NCAA, even at this late hour." However, the source stresses that there "have been no recent conversations between the two sides and none are scheduled" before tomorrow (SI.com, 6/7).

The N.Y. TIMES' Joe Nocera wrote about the trial under the header, "Day Of Reckoning For NCAA."

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez and the Dolphins are "close to a deal" under which the team would finance a $400M upgrade to Sun Life Stadium, and the county "would pay the franchise a fee for bringing in major sporting events like the Super Bowl." Gimenez was "expected to work on nailing down the agreement over the weekend." The fee "under discussion for each Super Bowl that comes to Sun Life is expected to be" between $3-$5M (MIAMI HERALD, 6/8).

F1 yesterday announced that it has "reached an agreement with the Montreal, Quebec and Canadian governments" to keep the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve "for another 10 years," through '24. The city of Montreal also "agreed to pay" $27.5M to "renovate the track" (AP, 6/7).

The CFL and CFLPA yesterday reached a tentative CBA, "averting a possible players' strike." A joint statement said the deal is pending ratification by players and the league's board of governors, "which will be scheduled as soon as possible." A source said that the two sides came to an agreement "after two days of bargaining with the help of a mediator," and added that the deal calls for a C$5M salary cap (CP, 6/7).

Golf Channel's documentary on late golfer Payne Stewart, titled "Payne," debuts tonight on NBC at 5:00pm ET, in advance of the U.S. Open's return to Pinehurst on the 15th anniversary of his Open victory (GOLFWEEK.com, 6/5). Sports media writer Ed Sherman notes the film starts with "an intense scene" showing Payne's widow, Tracey, "going through a box of Stewart’s items that were recovered from the wreckage" of the '99 plane crash in which he perished (SHERMANREPORT.com, 6/6).

Game 2 of the Rangers-Kings Stanley Cup Final last night earned NBC a 4.6 overnight rating, up 109% from a 2.2. overnight in '12, when the net last aired Game 2 of the Final (THE DAILY).

Sources said that naming rights for the new Vikings stadium "will go to U.S. Bank," and that work on a contract "for a long-term agreement between the Wilf family and U.S. Bancorp is happening" (Minneapolis STAR TRIBUNE, 6/8).

Six cities have "submitted bids" to host the '16 Democratic National Convention: N.Y., Birmingham, Cleveland, Columbus, Philadelphia and Phoenix (POLITICO.com, 6/7). N.Y. Mayor Bill de Blasio called the "spectacular" Barclays Center a "perfect venue" for the event (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 6/7).

Seahawks CB Richard Sherman on Friday "shut out" Panthers QB Cam Newton in EA Sports' "Madden '15" cover vote, garnering 56% of 661,412 votes cast in the past week (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 6/7).

The Padres yesterday selected Browns QB Johnny Manziel in the 28th round of the MLB Draft. Padres GM Josh Byrnes: "His football career is certainly the priority, but you never know" (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE, 6/8).

Friends and family of the late Don Zimmer yesterday gathered at Tropicana Field for a "most fitting farewell, a brief and touching onfield ceremony" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 6/8).

Boxer Miguel Cotto last night defeated Sergio Martinez before a crowd of 21,090 at Madison Square Garden (ESPN.com, 6/7).

The Hornets run a full-page ad in today's Charlotte Observer congratulating C Al Jefferson on being voted to the '13-14 All-NBA Team (THE DAILY).

"This is a coward’s way out, in my opinion. ... If you’ve got a horse, run him in all three. Those 20 horses that start in the Kentucky Derby are the only 20 eligible to run in all three races" – California Chrome co-Owner Steve Coburn, on his horse running against well-rested competition in his failed bid to capture the Triple Crown ("Belmont Stakes," NBC, 6/7).

"A common answer I seem to get is a six to eight game suspension, a million-dollar fine, possibly even that owners have to submit to drug testing" – ESPN's Adam Schefter, on disciplinary action the NFL is considering taking against Colts OwnerJim Irsay following his March DUI arrest ("SportsCenter," ESPN, 6/6).

"I don’t think that we’re up to speed here on the use of analytics. This is something that I’ve gotten used to over the last few years. The analytics, if used properly, are great to really check everybody’s opinion" – New Penguins GM Jim Rutherford, on why he intends to hire an analytics specialist in the near future (GLOBE & MAIL, 6/8).

"I don't believe in curses. I believe in God" – Seahawks CB Richard Sherman, on whether he is concerned about the so-called curse associated with being on the cover of a "Madden" videogame (ESPN.com, 6/6).

"The hardest thing is you just keep asking, ‘what if?’" – Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, on the death of her friend, former Nets and Devils Owner Lewis Katz, in a plane crash last weekend following a party she hosted (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/8).

"They respect me as a human being. And as a football player" – Rams DE Michael Sam, on how he has been received thus far by his NFL teammates (AP, 6/6).

"With the opening game on Thursday, in a city of 30 million people, they are having a transit strike in its fourth day. That’s become a real concern" – ESPN analyst and former U.S. soccer player Julie Foudy, on World Cup protests in Sao Paulo, Brazil, related to the country’s expenditures ("This Week With George Stephanopoulos," ABC, 6/8).

In a special to the N.Y. TIMES, The Nation's Dave Zirin writes on the heels of more corruption allegations, the world is finally "seeing FIFA for what it is: a stateless conglomerate that takes bribes while acting as a battering ram for world leaders who want to use the majesty of the World Cup to push through their development agendas at great human cost." It is "past time to abolish FIFA."

In a special to the BOSTON GLOBE, economist Andrew Zimbalist writes under the header, "IOC And FIFA: Monopoly Power Makes Pricey Games."

The GLOBE & MAIL's Jeff Gray writes the "mess at FIFA," which expects to generate $4.5B in revenue from the '14 World Cup alone, "comes as corporations and governments around the world shift their attitudes toward bribery, a practice that until recently was quietly tolerated as the cost of doing business in certain parts of the world."

Elsewhere:

• Now a billionaire, Steve Ballmer was once just an earnest football manager at Harvard.
• Jim Dolan could learn a thing or two from the Spurs' Peter Holt, Heat's Micky Arison.

ESPN’s Darren Cahill: “If beating Nadal @rolandgarros is not the most mentally & physically difficult thing to do in sport, then I'm not sure what is. A true great"

Miami Herald's David Neal: "Love ya, Kenny Albert, but thank goodness, Doc Emrick is back for this one...#NHL"

SI's Grant Wahl: "To journo friends arriving in Brazil: Nobody wants to read our complaints about being in Brazil for World Cup."

Newsday's Jim Baumbach: "Follow Belmont blue parking lot is a disaster. Hundreds of idling cars. No rhyme or reason to where people are going. People can't find their cars. ... I walked around with some women employees trying to find their car. They've been at it nearly two hours. ... Worst part: no lights, no employees, no security, no police, no concrete. You're on your own. Unacceptable for a major event."

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