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The WNBA's first All-Star Game in Las Vegas yesterday drew an announced crowd of 9,157 that included Kobe Bryant, USWNT F Megan Rapinoe and Thunder G Chris Paul. Players and coaches "touted the presentation" that MGM Resorts Int'l and the Aces provided and "relished the atmosphere" at last night's game (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 7/28). Aces F A'ja Wilson's team beat Washington Mystics F Elena Delle Donne's team 129-126. The WNBA "experimented with two new rules" during the game -- having a 20-second "shot clock and allowing both teams to substitute one player on offense without checking in at the scorer's table in each quarter." The shot clock "barely made a difference as neither team came close to seeing it reach single digits" (AP, 7/27).

The host Aces "put on quite a party" and "showed themselves to be a model franchise." There was "universal agreement" that Las Vegas, in its second season with the Aces, was a "top-notch WNBA All-Star Game venue." From the "ever-present signage promoting the game, to the pregame and in-game entertainment, to the fan fest, everything was done in a big way" (ESPN.com, 7/27).

The U.S. Women's National basketball team is "expanding its training leading up to" the '20 Tokyo Games, and "paying a group of star players to participate." Eight players will be "paid $2,000 a day at each of five training camps and games leading up to the Olympics, with a chance to earn bonuses." In the past, players were "given a daily stipend for coming to training camps." Players now can "earn roughly $100,000 for participating in all the training sessions" (AP, 7/27).

The new plan will "compensate the participating players financially with a guaranteed amount of money, keep players at home during the WNBA offseason, and give some of the best women's basketball players in the world more visibility" ahead of the '20 Games. WNBA Commissioner Cathy Engelbert said that "tackling the league's revenue model is one of her priorities when it comes to finding ways to keep players from having to play overseas" (St. George SPECTRUM & DAILY NEWS, 7/28).

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Fortnite developer Epic Games "announced a sellout" for yesterday's Fortnite World Cup duos, although the lower bowl and upper-deck sections of the 23,000-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium were "sparse with fans." Families arrived at the grounds of the tennis stadium to "partake in the outdoor festivities and watch the duos final" (ESPN.com, 7/27). The World Cup was "trending No. 1 on YouTube Friday, drawing some 150,000 live viewers" for the pregame event (ADAGE.com, 7/26).

Epic Games "transformed [Arthur Ashe Stadium] into a triple-decker set of displays" so attendees could "see their favorite players compete." An additional 400,000 people were "watching online." Epic Games "set up multiple activities for attendees to try including a meet and greet with the game characters, face painting and an obstacle course" (CNN.com, 7/27).

Redskins President Bruce Allen "continues to work behind the scenes toward a much bigger decision that will affect the franchise for decades to come: where to build the Redskins’ next stadium." Allen said an announcement on a new stadium could come "within a year, that is the timetable we’re looking at." Allen: "Our deadline for making a decision is really 2022, because our lease in Maryland ends in 2026.” Redskins Owner Daniel Snyder is "eager to abandon" 22-year-old FedExField in Landover, Md., and "build a stadium on the federally owned RFK Stadium site" in DC, where the Redskins played from '61-96 (WASHINGTON POST, 7/27).

IndyCar driver Alexander Rossi has "reached a multi-year agreement" to remain with Andretti Autosport through '20 and beyond. AA also announced it has "renewed its contract with Honda." Rossi returns to the No. 27 Honda with "primary sponsorship divided between long-time Andretti partners NAPA and AutoNation." NAPA will "sponsor nine of his races next year -- including the Indianapolis 500, while AutoNation will sponsor the remaining seven" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/28).

Tennis player Coco Gauff won a first-round qualifying match at the Citi Open yesterday "in front of a crowd of about 3,000." The crowd was the "largest in memory for the tournament's qualifying rounds, which rarely feature players familiar to casual tennis fans." The fans "vocally supported Gauff," and "gave her a standing ovation upon her victory." The turnout in DC was "particularly impressive given the short notice." Gauff learned that she would play at the Citi Open "only a day earlier" (N.Y. TIMES, 7/28). At Gauff's match, there were "empty seats here and there -- particularly in the beaming sun -- but it was an impressive show of support" (USA TODAY, 7/28). When Wimbledon began earlier this month, Gauff had 30,000 Instagram followers. She now has 386,000 (WASHINGTON POST, 7/28).

Officials said that a balcony inside a nightclub in South Korea "collapsed" yesterday, "killing two people and injuring 16," including three Americans and other athletes at the FINA World Championships. USA Water Polo CEO Chris Ramsey said, "This is an awful tragedy. Players from our men's and women's teams were celebrating the women's world championship victory when the collapse occurred at a public club" (AP, 7/27).

The Blackhawks are holding their 12th annual convention at the Hilton Chicago this weekend, and there were a few key takeaways from the first two days. Attendees "erupted" when RW Andrew Shaw was introduced, "reclaiming his role as a fan favorite" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/27). In one of the more "memorable moments," the team held a "kids-only press conference on Day 2." Elsewhere, one of the Hilton Chicago's ballrooms was "packed" for RW Patrick Kane's conversation with Blackhawks historian Bob Verdi. A panel commemorating the team's '10 Stanley Cup title "flew by," with members of that team "swapping memories." During another panel, Blackhawks Senior VP/Hockey Operations Al MacIsaac "took a question about how the team uses analytics." He said, "If your team is really an analytics-based team, you're not talking about your analytics" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/28).

A fan was "struck in the face by a foul ball" during last night's Indians-Royals while she was "sitting beyond the netting at Kauffman Stadium." The Royals "announced plans to extend the netting around Kauffman Stadium earlier this month, though did not reveal a timeline for the project." The incident "marks the second [fan] this month to be hit by a foul ball during a Royals game" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 7/27).

The Red Sox said that David Ortiz has been "released from Massachusetts General Hospital, almost seven weeks after he suffered a life-threatening gunshot wound in his back that required three surgeries" (BOSTON GLOBE, 7/28). A source said that Ortiz will be "assisted by full-time nurses and visited regularly by his personal physician" (ESPN.com, 7/27).

A total of 21,234 fans attended Broncos' training camp yesterday at Broncos Stadium at Mile High. The team’s free stadium showcase saw the lower bowl "nearly filled." The Broncos last "hosted a public stadium practice" in '14 (DENVER POST, 7/28).

USL club Nashville SC saw 13,047 fans attend its game against Indy Eleven at Nissan Stadium yesterday. Nashville's new MLS team will play its first two seasons at the 70,000-seat Nissan Stadium beginning next season (Nashville TENNESSEAN, 7/28).

Almost 15,000 fans attended last night's bout between Gervonta Davis and Ricardo Nunez at Royal Farms Arena. Davis' second round TKO in his hometown "brought an abrupt but satisfying conclusion" to the match (BALTIMORE SUN, 7/28). Last night marked Showtime's first broadcast of a fight from Baltimore in 33 years of carrying boxing (BALTIMORE SUN, 7/28).

The Univ. of Arizona will name its new outdoor football practice fields after the school's all-time winningest coach, Dick Tomey, who passed away in May (ARIZONA DAILY STAR, 7/27).

Indianapolis Motor Speedway will host the Intercontinental GT Challenge between October 2-4, 2020 for the "inaugural Indianapolis 8 Hours." The race will be the "fourth competition in the five-race series spanning five continents." The North American leg of the race was previously hosted in Monterey, Calif. (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/27).

"This team is one of the best teams that I’ve had the privilege to bring to our fans" -- Colts Owner Jim Irsay, on his optimism for the upcoming season (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/28). 

"We all know that this is an iconic franchise. It’s won four Super Bowls and other World Championships. That’s the brand. That’s the brand" -- Giants Senior VP & GM Dave Gettleman, responding to criticism from Browns WR Odell Beckham Jr., who said he was carrying the Giants' brand when he was with the team (NEWSDAY, 7/27). 

The AP's Tim Dahlberg examines the "dark side" of boxing after last week's deaths of boxers Maxim Dadashev and Hugo Santillan.Both fighters died from head injuries suffered during their fights. Dahlberg writes no one "disputes that boxing is an inherently brutal sport that can not only kill but cause long-term brain damage." Dahlberg: "Still, we watch. Still, we celebrate the violence." Medical regulations "need to be standardized," and fighters "need to have baseline brain scans and annual scans if they are to be allowed to fight." Meanwhile, boxing promoter Lou DiBella wants reform after second boxer death in a week.

Elsewhere:

• The HOUSTON CHRONICLE gives a look at how the Rockets landed Russell Westbrook.
• Will Megan Rapinoe, USWNT boost NWSL, women's sports?
• K.C. STAR guest columnist says MLB is letting retired players down.
• What does equal pay look like in Minnesota sports?
• AT&T could sell RSN home of Pirates, Penguins.

there's already nearly 2 million concurrent viewers watching Fortnite esports for the first game of the Fortnite World Cup with co-streaming from the pros competing and big streamer watch parties #FortniteWorldCup

Twitch: 955,000
YouTube: 875,000
Facebook: ~10,000
Mixer: ~10,000 pic.twitter.com/DIDch7zwUy

— Rod Breslau (@Slasher) July 27, 2019

So! All the major wireless carriers have TV stuff going on:
AT&T owns WarnerMedia and DirecTV
T-Mobile / Sprint owns Layer3 / TVision Home
Dish Network owns... Dish Network
Verizon has its NFL deal and owns, uh, whatever is left of Oath

— nilay patel (@reckless) July 26, 2019

Cyborg: I don’t have the best relationship with Dana White. He has bullied me and has never said he’s sorry. And it continues. It’s not finished. #UFC240

— Marc Raimondi (@marc_raimondi) July 28, 2019

Tyreek Hill won’t say what Chiefs owner Clark Hunt told him, but “I have to work on my life skills.”

— Andrew Siciliano (@AndrewSiciliano) July 28, 2019

Here’s part of the video tribute the Padres had for Bruce Bochy pic.twitter.com/YiD34sQuOk

— Kerry Crowley (@KO_Crowley) July 27, 2019

There’s cool, and then there’s @TheCUTCH22 in these throwbacks COOL. 😎 pic.twitter.com/7tETKTZnBy

— Philadelphia Phillies (@Phillies) July 27, 2019

Former NFLer Marshawn Lynch's documentary "Lynch: A History," releases today on iTunes and Amazon. The film will also be shown at Oakland's New Parkway Theater on Aug. 7. 

A sneak preview of Sports Business Journal's weekly editorial cartoon: