Spokenote is the new uniform ad patch sponsor for the Pacers. It’s the first pro sports uniform advertising to carry a QR code -- a radical development, since it means a sponsor can now deliver content from within a live game.  

The Spokenote ad patch will debut at tonight’s Bucks-Pacers game in Indianapolis. The code takes users to a Spokenote section within Pacers.com, featuring Pacer players touting their new "smart" jerseys. 

Spokenote, which terms its product a "digital sticky note," offers users a simple way to share videos by linking them to the QR code on the sticker. They can be used for a variety of purposes, from a thank you note, or even a hang tag, on these very jerseys: no app required. A popular holiday item this year were Spokenote To: and From: stickers, allowing gift-givers to attach video messages to their gifts.  

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The Las Vegas families who bought a controlling stake in the Mavericks, the Adelson and Dumont families, have now "gained a prime development site" near downtown Dallas. A company set up by the Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s owners "took the deed to more than a dozen acres," which "includes a building now used as the Mavericks practice facility." Companies set up by Mark Cuban, now the Mavs' minority owner, have owned the properties since 2016, and Cuban "at one time considered using the property for a new arena for the team." The properties are valued for tax purposes at $42.9M. Sands Corp. and Cuban have "floated the idea of building a casino resort that would serve as a tourism draw for North Texas" (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 1/2).

The NFL fined Panthers owner David Tepper $300,000 for throwing the contents of a cup at a fan during the team’s 26-0 loss at Jacksonville on Sunday, notes SBJ's Ben Fischer.

“All NFL personnel are expected to conduct themselves at all times in ways that respect our fans and favorably reflect on their team and the NFL,” reads a league statement distributed by a spokesman. The statement also called Tepper’s conduct “unacceptable.”

Tepper did not apologize in a statement provided by the Panthers, which reads: “I am deeply passionate about this team and regret my behavior on Sunday. I should have let NFL stadium security handle any issues that arose. I respect the NFL’s code of conduct and accept the league’s discipline for my behavior."

Montreal’s 3-2 win over Ottawa last night in the inaugural game for both Professional Women’s Hockey League teams saw 8,318 fans on hand at TD Place, setting "a new record for attendance for professional women’s hockey" (CP, 1/2). The jam-packed arena "felt just like the Civic Centre did 32 years ago for the Senators' first game back in the NHL." The noisy 8,318 fans "did not go home disappointed," as it was "an exciting and entertaining evening." The players showed that "although their teams have no nicknames or logo, they themselves have plenty of game" (OTTAWA SUN, 1/2).

Social media reaction to the record crowd and the atmosphere in Ottawa poured in last night: 

• Tennis great and PWHL board member Billie Jean King: "History was made in Ottawa tonight with a world record crowd for the game between @PWHL_Ottawa and @PWHL_Montreal. Cheers to both teams on a great game, and congratulations to Montreal on the OT win." 

• TSN Sports reporter Claire Hanna: "Goosebumps for how electric this crowd of 8500+ has been, and it’s not even puck drop."

• CBC sports reporter Devin Heroux: "All the thousands of fans are standing. And saluting both sides. What scenes in Ottawa. What a great start for the league."

The CFP semifinals produced two thrilling games. Here are the key viewership takeaways from Michigan-Alabama and Washington-Texas, per my colleague Austin Karp:

• The Wolverines’ win over the Crimson Tide drew 27.2 million viewers across ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU. That’s the best for any CFP semi since Year 1 of the CFP in 2015 (both games that year were just over 28 million). For an NFL equivalent: 27.2 million would be tied for ESPN’s second-best “Monday Night Football” audience all-time (which was Ravens-49ers just a few days ago on Christmas night and had the benefit of an ABC simulcast).

• ESPN2 alone drew 1.4 million viewers for Michigan-Alabama with a Pat McAfee-led Field Pass. That’s the best alternate telecast for any college football game yet and along the lines of what a ManningCast audience gets for “MNF.”

• The nightcap of Washington-Texas drew 18.4 million viewers. Among the 20 CFP semifinal games since 2015, that ranks No. 15 and is the least-watched New Year’s Day semifinal yet. That audience is on par with what the Academy Awards drew in 2023 (18.8 million), but below what Michigan-Ohio State drew on Fox at the end of the regular season (19.1 million). Washington-Texas did top what the SEC Championship (Bama-Georgia) drew on CBS (17.5 million).

• Both semifinal games were well above last season’s Georgia-TCU CFP National Championship (17.5 million viewers).

• Michigan-Alabama helped carry the semifinal doubleheader to an average audience of 22.6 million viewers, which is the best for the CFP semis since the 2017 season (when the games also aired on New Year’s Day). That season saw Georgia-Oklahoma and Alabama-Clemson average 24.6 million. This season is the third-best semifinal average yet.

Baylor officially opened its $213M basketball arena, Foster Pavilion, last night with a big win over Cornell, and fans all agreed that "the arena lived up to the four years of hype." While small parts of the arena complex "remained unfinished" for the debut game, fans said they were "impressed with the arena’s field house design, which stacked seats and put fans closer to the court, creating a louder atmosphere and tougher home court advantage." Sound levels during the game "frequently exceeded 100 decibels after big plays" (WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 1/2).

Foster Pavilion was "crazy loud, packed to the rafters and pulsating with excitement" for the opening game. The unveiling of Foster Pavilion was "a well-deserved reward" for the national championship winning Baylor men’s and women’s basketball programs that "will provide a welcome avenue for future success." And while Foster Pavilion is "almost 3,000 seats smaller" than their former home at the Ferrell Center, Baylor's debut showed "it will provide a much greater homecourt advantage" (WACO TRIBUNE-HERALD, 1/2).

On this week's Marchand and Ourand podcast, Joe Buck is the guest co-host with Andrew Marchand. John Ourand is off to Puck. Marchand and Buck both give their Who's Up and Who's Down of the week. The duo discuss Buck's reunion with his Fox family at Jimmy Johnson's Ring of Honor ceremony in Dallas, what Tom Brady will be facing, what Buck and Troy Aikman have that is hard to replace, how Al Michaelshas been treated by NBC, Buck's father, Jack,  being fired in an airport by CBS Radio, Buck's feelings on baseball and what makes a great final call.

WTA Tour player Beatriz Haddad Maiais "unveiling a new partnership with Asics" in a "head-to-toe deal." Haddad Maia joins the ranks of fellow players Alex de Minaur, Belinda Bencic and Jennifer Brady in wearing Asics during competition (TENNIS, 1/2).

WWE is heading back to Detroit on April 12 for a live edition of "Friday Night SmackDown" at Little Caesars Arena (DETROIT NEWS, 1/2).

"I love Jay. He’s been an excellent commissioner. But the way it’s transpired, I struggle even as a friend to see how he continues to lead the Tour. They certainly at least have to explore other possibilities. If they don’t do that, I think the membership is going to be pretty upset" -- Former PGA Tour player and current golf analyst David Duval, on whether PGA Tour Commissioner Jay Monahan should continue to be the person leading the Tour (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 1/2).

"People never go, 'You did a great job of breaking down the Cover 2.' It’s, 'I love it when you guys bust each other’s chops'" -- "Fox NFL Sunday" host Curt Menefee, on the dynamic among the cast in his 18 years hosting the show (THE ATHLETIC, 1/2).

As the College Football Playoff gets set to expand to 12 teams next year, the AP goes with the header, "CFP 1.0 changed college football, not all for better, and was necessary step in postseason evolution." College Football Playoff 1.0, which wraps up a 10-year run Monday night, "created a new standard for success -- and failure -- for teams and conferences." It "helped the rich and powerful become more rich and powerful, further nationalized a sport with regional roots and was an imperfect but necessary step in the evolution of the postseason." But "not without unintended consequences." A four-team playoff "made sense" for college football when it was conceived in 2012. The BCS "gave only two teams a chance to win a national championship in the postseason" and "often produced unsatisfying results." The four-team playoff "fixed that." But the negative is that "it hurt conference brands" -- "none more than the Pac-12, among the Power Five conferences."

Also:

• What went wrong for Ron Rivera in Washington?

• Six years in, WFAN's Boomer Esiason and Gregg Giannotti remain at the top.

• As Mikaela Shiffrin considers how to top herself, she studies Taylor Swift.

"During Pope John Paul II’s 1987 visit to Los Angeles, pranksters covered up this letter in a local landmark."

"What is the 'L' on the Hollywood sign?"