In the summer of 2021, MLB executives Jeremiah Yokult and Rob Field visited Rickwood Field for the first time.

“We both walked in and we looked at each other and said, we’ve got to play here,” said Yokult, MLB’s VP for global events. “It was immediate. Even if you’re not a baseball fan it just feels like the place to be. It has this immediate story that it’s telling you as you walk in. It just feels authentic and real.”

Tonight, following three years of preparation and a week-long buildup, that game will finally become a reality. The S.F. Giants will take on the Cardinals at Rickwood, the oldest ballpark in the country.

Yokult and Field, the senior manager for global events and the day-to-day lead for the game, were part of an MLB delegation to Alabama that includes commissioner Rob Manfred, chief operations and strategy officer Chris Marinak, deputy commissioner, business and media Noah Garden and executive vice president, chief marketing officer Karin Timpone, as well as Bill Morningstar, the executive vice president of sponsorship sales and the president of MLB Network.

Morningstar said there are about 20 sponsors at the game in Birmingham. “We treated this as a special event and treated it very carefully not to overcommercrialize it because it really is a celebration of the Negro Leagues and Willie Mays.”

One of those sponsors is Chevrolet. It has an activation titled, “Past, Present and Future” that includes lining up three of its vehicles outside the ballpark -- including a 1924 Superior and an electric vehicle -- as well as 60-second and 30-second spots that will air during the game on Fox that feature Black employees at GM and how the Negro Leagues inspired them.
Yokult said several groups from other cities are also in Birmingham hoping to court MLB to bring a game to their locales. He wouldn’t get into specifics, but he did say that special events games will be a part of MLB’s 2025 schedule; this year’s schedule was released in mid-July last year.

Rickwood Field joins other games in non-MLB venues that the league has visited in recent years, including holding games in Fort Bragg, N.C., at the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., and most notably, at the site of the movie “Field of Dreams” in Iowa in both 2021 and 2022.

The L.A. Kings unveiled their new logo today, "returning to a similar look to that which the franchise wore in the 1990s." The new logo is "most similar to the crest the Kings had from 1988-1998," which included Hockey HOFer Wayne Gretzky's years with the franchise. The Kings "had used similar variations of their most recent crest since 2011," using a crown logo prior to that which launched in 2002 (TSN.ca, 6/20). Additionally, the club introduced "new word marks, brand font and updated color palette," which features "a new 'enhanced silver,' which will be showcased on the club’s new jerseys that will be introduced next week." All marks "go into effect immediately." The development of the rebrand was "two years in the making" (NHL.com, 6/20).

The Lakers are hiring former NBAer JJ Redick as their next head coach, "ending a prolonged search with an aim widely believed to end at the original target." After first offering the job to UConn coach Dan Hurley, who turned down a six-year, $70M deal, the team "hosted Redick for an interview" Saturday. Redick "has no formal coaching experience" (L.A. TIMES, 6/20). Redick has had a busy media career since retiring from the NBA in 2021, hosting several podcasts -- including one with Lakers F LeBron James -- and joining ABC/ESPN's top broadcast crew back in February (SBJ).

Redick met with Lakers VP & GM Rob Pelinka and owner Jeanie Buss over the weekend, and "conversations on the vacancy continued throughout the week," according to sources. Pelinka "offered Redick the job" this morning (ESPN.com, 6/20).

DirecTV will be the title sponsor of the Soccer Champions Tour, the U.S. summer soccer series created by investment firm Sixth Street and featuring clubs Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Manchester City and Chelsea, for the second annual event in 2024. As part of the new, enhanced sponsorship, DirecTV will continue to be the Tour's leading sponsor -- which will include integration throughout broadcast, digital and in-stadium signage and exposure. DirecTV will also host a 38-day-long fan experience and brand takeover of soccer bar Legends in N.Y. from July 5-Aug. 12. The 2024 event features six matches that will take place between July 27 and August 6 at venues including Yankee Stadium, MetLife Stadium and Soldier Field. Legends represented Soccer Champions Tour in securing the title partnership with DirecTV (DirecTV).

OC Sports + Entertainment unveiled the leadership team that will lead OCVIBE -- a new entertainment district at the heart of Anaheim -- into its initial phase of development and beyond. The exec team will be led by CEO Bill Foltz, who is being elevated from the role of President & COO. Prior to that, Foltz was CFO of the Ducks. Morell Marean takes the role of COO, while Tracee Larocca moves into the role of CMO. Russ Borrows has been named CFO, while Graham Siderius will be in the role of Chief Partnerships Officer.

Other members of the exec team include:

• Gina Galasso, Chief Human Resources Officer
• Katie Rodin, Chief Legal Officer
• Aaron Teats, President, Ducks
• Kevin Starkey, Chief Venue Management Officer 
• Julie Sokol, Chief Technology Officer 
• Joseph O’Toole, EVP/Real Estate Development

OCVIBE’s development is currently underway, with the first parking structure expected to open in 2025 and restaurants, a 5,700-capacity venue, and a public park expected to be complete by the end of 2026 (OCSE).

Australia's National Rugby League is close to finalizing the four teams that will play in Las Vegas in 2025, with the Panthers, Warriors, Sharks and Raiders "near certainties to be the four men’s teams featuring" at Allegiant Stadium for the season kickoff. Having long been touted as a likely contender for rugby league’s historic foray into the U.S. earlier this year, Melbourne "has backed out of applying for a spot in 2025." Sources said the Storm "were not comfortable travelling to Las Vegas next year" and "made the decision this week they would be highly unlikely to further pursue the opportunity" (SYDNEY MORNING HERALD, 6/20).

RELATED: NRL's opening weekend in the U.S. shows potential abroad

RELATED: NRL debuts in U.S. with crowd of 40,746 in Vegas

CFL broadcasts on TSN+ will "be available as augmented live streams" beginning tonight. Viewers will "see locators to help them find the ball carrier and a timer that will indicate the length of time it takes a quarterback to get a pass off" as well as calculations for "how fast a player ran on a play." The innovations are a result of the partnerships the CFL has "with TSN, Wilson and Genius Sports, a data, technology and commercial company that connects sports, betting and media." The CFL Players' Association is also part of the collaboration. The broadcast will also include "enhancements" to the CFL's game tracker (CP, 6/20).

PLL co-founder & President Paul Rabil sits down with Leaders in Sport’s James Emmett at Cannes to discuss Rabil’s transition from player to league executive. Rabil describes why he feels live sports are so valuable to advertisers and how the PLL looks to maximize those opportunities. Finally, Rabil outlines his role in pitching lacrosse’s return to the Olympics and explains his experience with the Olympic torch in Cannes. SBJ and our sister company Leaders in Sport are in Cannes this week bringing you insights from sports business leaders, athletes, and celebrities.

The Broncos are hiring former Stanford football coach David Shaw as a senior personnel exec. Shaw will assist the Broncos and GM George Paton "in the evaluation of both college and pro personnel" (THE ATHLETIC, 6/20).

Prime Video will stream the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup Championship Game presented by Coinbase Tuesday night at 8pm ET. Play-by-play voice Lisa Byington will call all the action alongside LaChina Robinson and Basketball HOFer Tamika Catchings as analysts. Jess Sims will report from the sidelines (Prime Video).

Sports hydration drink Recover 180 has signed a sponsorship deal with Yankees SS Anthony Volpe (Recover 180).

PrizePicks has inked a partnership with State Farm Arena that will see PrizePicks receive in-arena signage in State Farm Arena for every concert, hip hop show, comedy show and other sporting events. PrizePicks will also have rotating, full-day exposure in the heart of Atlanta’s Sports and Entertainment District (PrizePicks).

The NWSL and sponsor UKG have introduced "Beyond the Field" -- the league’s first-ever professional development program -- which offers resources to support, educate and empower NWSL players to fuel career growth (NWSL).

Serbia has "threatened to quit" Euro 2024 after accusing Croatia and Albania fans of "chanting 'Kill, kill, kill the Serb'" during the latter countries' match in Hamburg yesterday. Jovan Surbatovic, the Football Association of Serbia general secretary, told his nation's state broadcaster, RTS, that the team "would refuse to remain at the tournament unless the Croatian and Albanian FAs were punished" (London TELEGRAPH, 6/20). Meanwhile, after Serbia F Luka Jovic scored against Slovenia in the 95th minute to bring the score to 1-1 today, Serbia fans "pelted Slovenia players with plastic drinks containers" (London TIMES, 6/20).

The Hall of Fame brought Willie Mays’ plaque to Rickwood Field. It’s the first time it has been outside of Cooperstown since he was inducted in 1979. pic.twitter.com/I3cvthdMYV

— Alex Pavlovic (@PavlovicNBCS) June 19, 2024

"Rickwood Field must be Heaven.”

On June 20, baseball’s best return to Rickwood Field, America’s oldest ballpark and a living monument to the game’s greats. @MLB @Cardinals @SFGiants @roywoodjr @Jomboy_ @MLBcathedrals @ESPNMcGee @MLBONFOX @inbirmingham @BhamBarons… pic.twitter.com/qiFx3AIO9f

— Rickwood Field (@RickwoodField) June 13, 2024

Confirming this (and more!) WILL be available for purchase at our second @WeAreAllKings Summer Sale in a couple months 👀

Stay tuned. https://t.co/d8yinYiWTO

— LA Kings (@LAKings) June 20, 2024

.@LeidosInc brought @BubbaWallace to Washington, D.C. to speak on behalf of their initiative to make space a place for everyone. Space4All 💜 pic.twitter.com/RNtXUXdZoB

— 23XI Racing (@23XIRacing) June 20, 2024

Al Horford is working as an honorary server at Raising Cane’s on Boylston today. Here’s the (very, very long) line of fans waiting to see him: pic.twitter.com/dOt3ANo5FX

— Zack Cox (@zm_cox) June 20, 2024

We salute you and your efforts, Grimace 🫡 pic.twitter.com/DjyZTdTijr

— MLB Store (@mlbstorenyc) June 20, 2024

EA Sports today unveiled the official reveal trailer for EA Sports Madden 25.

 

1,000,160 -- Attendance at Florida Panthers home games this season "reached a new record" of 1,000,160, breaking the one-million mark for the first time with a sellout in Game 5 on Tuesday night (AP, 6/20).