Magic co-founder PAT WILLIAMS, who "was a key player" in helping Orlando gain an NBA team alongside the late JIMMY HEWITT in 1987, died at age 84 "due to complications from viral pneumonia," according to Ryan Lynch of the ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL. A "decorated basketball executive" who helped lead the 76ers to the 1983 NBA title, Williams -- an SBJ Champions honoree in 2013-- "spent over 30 years with the Magic, including 51 total years in the NBA," before retiring in 2019. Williams was inducted into the Magic HOF in 2014, and the Basketball HOF "gave him the John W. Bunn Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012." In addition to basketball, Williams "led the pitch" to bring MLB to the region with the Orlando Dreamers (ORLANDO BUSINESS JOURNAL, 7/17).

In Orlando, Jason Beede writes Williams served as Orlando’s first GM from the inaugural season in 1989 until 1996, when he became SVP. He previously served as GM for the 76ers, Bulls and Hawks, "where he had success at each stop." Williams also was the father of 19 children and author of more than 100 books (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/18). 

In Orlando, Mike Bianchi writes Williams "turned a no-horse sports town into a professional sports city." In his last few years, even though he was in his 80s, he "relentlessly attempted to get Orlando politicians, business leaders and media members on board" with pursuing an MLB team and "helping fund" a $1.7B domed baseball stadium project. Because it was Williams, the idea "actually gained some interest in the community before it was rejected" (ORLANDO SENTINEL, 7/18). 

Reaction to the passing of Williams:

• AP’s BRIAN MAHONEY: “The toughest part about interviewing Pat was making sure you caught everything he said while you were laughing through it. Told such great stories you wondered if they could all possibly be true. RIP.”

• Orlando Mayor BUDDY DYER: “Pat Williams was one of a kind, someone who was passionate about everything that he did and a friend to every person he met. He was a champion for Orlando whose impact went well beyond sports. We'll miss Pat, but we’re forever grateful for his many contributions to our community.”

• Magic F JONATHAN ISAAC: “Prayers to Pat Williams and his family!! A truly amazing man with a heart of Gold. May God comfort his loved ones! I know without a doubt he passed knowing Jesus Christ as his lord and Savior! A full life, lived well!!”

• USC men’s basketball coach ERIC MUSSELMAN: “Pat Williams was an incredible mentor in so many areas: basketball, marketing, and advice on fatherhood/marriage. Pat was a true legend in so many areas.”

• ESPN’s DICK VITALE: “OMG so sad to just learn of the passing of PAT WILLIAMS  who was always so so supportive of my Annual Gala. Loved Pat’s energy & passion in everything he did. To me he was always MR ORLANDO MAGIC! May Pat RIP”

The ACC has "agreed to provide redacted copies of the its media contracts" to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody's office, which will "end Moody's lawsuit against the league" just days before a scheduled July 22 court hearing in Leon County. Ultimately, the documents "will be made public but will be redacted to protect what the ACC deems trade secrets." The documents have "been at the heart of disputes" between Florida State, Clemson and the ACC in court cases across three states: Florida, N.C. and S.C. The conference must give Moody's office copies of the agreements with ESPN "no later than Aug. 1." The redacted documents to be provided "are the same as the ones given to Florida State's legal teams." The school "currently has unredacted copies under an interim protective order" (TALLAHASSEE DEMOCRAT, 7/17).

A "key city council vote" at 11am ET today on a major redevelopment project in St. Petersburg "could pave the way" to give the Rays a new ballpark, which would guarantee the team stays in town for at least 30 years. The "linchpin of the project" is the planned $1.3B ballpark with 30,000 seats, scheduled to open for the 2028 season. That would "cap years of uncertainty about the Rays’ future." Rays owner Stu Sternberg said approval of the project -- which "also requires a vote by the Pinellas County Commission" -- will "settle the question of the team’s future location." The financing plan "calls for the city to spend about" $417.5M, including $287.5M for the ballpark itself and $130M "in infrastructure for the larger redevelopment project." Pinellas County, meanwhile, would spend about $312.5M "for its share of the ballpark costs." The rest of the project "would mainly be funded by the Rays and the Houston-based Hines development company." Although the city’s business and political leadership is "mostly behind the deal," there "are detractors." Still, the project "seems to have momentum on its side" (AP, 7/17).

The MLB All-Star Game averaged 7.44 million viewers on Fox on Tuesday night, up 6% from just over 7 million viewers last year, but down from 7.51 million viewers two years ago. This year’s game peaked at 7.9 million viewers in the 9pm ET quarter-hour. Pittsburgh led all markets for the game ( Paul Skeneswas the starting pitcher for the NL). Rounding out the top five markets were Philadelphia, K.C., Cincinnati and Baltimore. 

The ASG this year easily topped the Home Run Derby, drawing an audience 37% higher than ESPN/ESPN’s audience on Monday night (7.44 million vs. 5.45 million). The gap of 1.991 million viewers was the biggest between the two tentpole events since 2019. The past two years, the gap had gotten to just 893,000 and 630,000 viewers, respectively. The Derby on Monday had to contend with the first night of the Republican National Convention (for the first time) -- which featured Donald Trumpappearing for the first time since the attempt on his life over the weekend (plus his appearing with his VP pick for the first time) -- which drew around 18 million viewers. Tuesday night’s RNC coverage had a smaller audience (a little under 15 million). 

The MLB All-Star Game continues to have the largest audience among All-Star games for the Big Four sports in North America. The Pro Bowl earlier this year averaged 5.75 million on ABC/ESPN/DisneyXD, the NBA All-Star Game on TNT/TBS/truTV back in February drew 5.29 million and the NHL All-Star Game on ABC drew 1.4 million viewers this year.

World Wide Technology Chair David Steward has sold his minority interest in the Blues to QRM Capital Managing Dir Michael Riney. Steward was an original member of Blues majority owner Tom Stillman’s group that purchased the club in 2012. The stake is believed to be less than 5% of total equity in the franchise. The valuation at which Riney purcahsed the small stake was sold was not disclosed. 

In addition to Stillman and now Riney, the club’s all-St. Louis ownership group includes Donn Lux, Jerald Kent, James Cooper, Jo Ann Taylor Kindle, Steve Maritz, Edward Potter, Andrew Taylor, James Kavanaugh, John Danforth, Christopher Danforth, Jim Johnson III, Scott McCuaig, John Ross Jr. and Tom Schlafly. 

The Chicago Fire's new training facility, which is set to open in January 2025, "will be named the Endeavor Health Performance Center" following a deal with the Illinois-based healthcare provider. The center will include "five turf/grass fields, a performance space, hydro pools and an area for the sports medicine team." The naming rights agreement "goes through 2029." The Fire reserve and youth teams "will also train at the facility and will receive support from Endeavor Health professionals." Endeavor Health became the official health system, sports medicine and orthopedic provider of the Fire in 2023. The Fire's training facility "has been mired in controversy from its inception." The City Council "initially blocked the deal" to lease 23 acres of vacant CHA land for its construction, "then reversed course" in September 2022 (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 7/18).

The Utah Royals unveiled the team’s multimillion-dollar performance center at the Zions Bank Real Academy. The facility expanded the academy’s footprint by over 11,000 square feet and puts the Royals as one of three NWSL clubs with their own dedicated training centers. The SharkNinja Performance Center in Herriman, Utah gives the Royals a state-of-the-art facility featuring a weight and training room, hydrotherapy room, childcare, players’ lounge and fueling station.

The Royals worked with Utah-based Dallas Nelson Architecture to design the facility, and Utah-based Will Group was the general contractor. The Royals consulted with Christina Perry, who runs an interior design firm in Utah, while Kathy Kennedy, Real Salt Lake senior director of facility management, also consulted on the interior construction. Hope Taitz, Royals minority owner and ELY Capital CEO, said the club and all parties involved spoke to female athletes both at the club and across soccer to develop the facility to fit their needs.

SharkNinja not only signed a deal for the facility’s naming rights, but will be the front-of-kit sponsor for the club’s training gear. The partnership will include further integrations and content creation between the sides. Financial terms of the multi-year partnership were not disclosed. Royals VP/Strategy Sarah Benedict said the club did not use an agency to find the partnership. She noted the relationship was formed through the club’s ownership group. Benedict conducted the negotiations for the Royals while SharkNinja CEO Mark Barrocas and CMO Adam Petrickworked on the deal from the other side.  

The facility puts the Royals in unique company as both the K.C. Current and Racing Louisville FC have dedicated facilities while the Houston Dash and Orlando Pride have dedicated spaces with their MLS affiliated counterparts. “Culture matters to us and it sets a tone for the other teams in the league to elevate the experience for female athletes,” Taitz said. “We have to start to set the standard that women’s sports are not just a sidebar conversation. They are important and we are delivering what they need.”  

USWNT D Naomi Girmawill co-host a series of promotional events with Austin-based Siete Foods as part of an expanded partnership ahead of the Summer Olympics in Paris. The financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed. The Mexican American food brand is also a sponsor of Girma’s NWSL club, San Diego Wave FC.  

The partnership kick offs with a Local Legends watch party for Girma’s teammates, friends, family and fans in San Diego on July 25 when the U.S. opens its Olympic schedule against Zambia. Girma will also lead a Sweat with Siete fitness event in collaboration with the Wave, and Siete will support Girma’s mental health advocacy with nonprofit Common Goal. 

In addition to the Wave, Siete is a sponsor of Austin FC. The brand, which is represented by L.A.-based marketing agency Skylark, has worked with fellow USWNT players Sofia Huerta and Ashley Sanchez, as well as the Galaxy. Girma, who is making her Olympic debut after being named the 2023 U.S. Soccer Female Player of the Year, is represented by Wasserman's Spencer Wadsworthand has additional endorsement deals with Nike and Kaiser Permanente. 

World Wide Technology Raceway (WWTR) announced today that’s it partnered with Tixr to handle its ticketing needs. The racetrack outside St. Louis, which is the only American track that annually hosts NASCAR, INDYCAR and NHRA racing, will deploy Tixr technologies and offerings in its fans’ ticket-buying experience, including Tixr Waitlist -- a credit card pre-authorization and bot-thwarting system for high-demand tickets -- and Tixr rewards, a program that incentivizes fans for referring ticket sales. 

WWTR is developing new ticketing offers for its events, like the NASCAR Cup Series Enjoy Illinois 300, with Tixr, including camping packages, VIP and suite hospitality, and merchandise -- all incorporated in the ticketing buying flow -- as well as managing series passes, group sales, and single tickets. 

Tixr, founded in 2013, continues to make small market share gains in live sports ticketing. In the last year, it’s added clients as diverse as the International Tennis HOF and its Infosys HOF Open ATP Tour tournament, Major League Pickleball, Thrill One’s Nitrocross, a handful of pro golf events, and the Trail Blazers’ Rip City Remix G League team. The WWTR deal provides a chance to demonstrate the company’s large-volume capabilities; more than 100,000 fans were at the track for last month’s running of the Enjoy Illinois 300.

AI-powered hitting training app Pelotero has raised a $3M seed round, introduced a new CEO and reached a major partnership with Perfect Game to give free month trials to all players who attend a showcase.

Co-founded by independent hitting instructor Bobby Tewksbaryand former MLBer Chris Colabello, Pelotero assesses players’ functional movements and hitting technique and then customizes practice programs with drills and content. The goal is to provide this intelligence from a player-centric perspective.

The company first became available in 2021, partnered with HitTrax and started serving more than 10,000 players across 40 baseball organizations. It has reorganized its executive structure to raise this capital and scale their B2B2C reach.

“We can build this intelligence layer to actually take all of that data and help parents coaches kids understand what to do with it and how to maximize their development,” new CEO Bennett Fisher said, adding that the app can “personalize the development for every kid, everywhere, always, and that's what we're trying to evangelize.”

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The 152nd Open Championship teed off this morning from Royal Troon in Scotland (Peacock began coverage at 1:30am ET, while USA Network began coverage at 4am and will now go through 3pm). NBC Sports’ Dan Hicks is back again on play-by-play, and said he enjoys having the Open Championship as the final major after golf’s calendar adjustments made a few years back. “There's like 17 LIV players in this event, and the majors I think have become even more of a focus because you've got all the LIV players here,” said Hicks. “We want to have all of these guys back playing together. So considering it's a major, considering it's the last one, I do like the rotation that we're in. It gives you that one big championship every month, including The Players Championship, which I'll put in there with the other four. It's given golf I think a nice rhythm to the seasons and all the big championships.”

Hicks also spoke to SBJ about why the Open Championship, particularly from Royal Troon, is a special event to call.

Union MF Cavan Sullivan became the "youngest player in MLS history, and the youngest to debut in any major professional U.S. sports league," after subbing in in the 85th minute in the Union's 5-1 win against the Revolution last night. Sullivan made his debut at 14 years and 293 days old (USA TODAY, 7/17).

The Billie Jean King Cup "will switch venue from Sevilla to Malaga" for this year’s finals. The tournament will be "played alongside the men’s Davis Cup Final 8" at the Palacio de Deportes Jose Maria Martin Carpena Arena in November (AP, 7/17).

Sports Illustrated Tickets and the Big 12 Conference are unveiling this morning “Big 12 Ticket Central Powered by Sports Illustrated Tickets,” a one-stop platform for buying tickets to Big 12 men’s and women’s athletic events that provides equal visibility to all of the conference’s sports. The platform has launched ahead of the 2024-25 school year (Bret McCormick, SBJ).

YAHOO SPORTS goes with the header, "From scummy to (maybe) swimmable, the Seine River cleanup is a symbol of the Paris Olympics’ ambitions ... and its challenges." For all of the Seine’s "well-deserved accolades as a beautiful, evocative river," only the "truly foolish would actually venture into its waters." Because "until very recently, the Seine was so toxic that the city didn’t even permit swimming." Too "filthy to support much marine life," it’s "largely been, in effect, a picturesque garbage dump." Now, with the Olympics just days away, Paris officials are "reaching the end of a years-long plan" to clean the river, which will host the Opening Ceremony and, later, several Olympic swimming events. Like most Olympic plans, the cleanup of the Seine is a "brash, audacious, expensive endeavor ... and like so many Olympic plans, it might well collapse under the weight of its own vast ambitions."

Also:

• Years into efforts to attract more Black players, MLB sees signs of hope.

• Carlos Alcaraz’s rout of Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon is a watershed moment for tennis.

• Groups are working to bring MLB to Austin. How realistic is it?

"In a 1980 National Book Award Winner, we learn this title character gets his name from the rank of his late Dad -- Technical Sergeant."

"Who is ( T.S) Garp?"