NHL, Prime Video Plan Hard Knocks-Style Docuseries
NBCUniversal is teaming with Sesame Street to bring Elmo and his friends to Paris as part of its comprehensive coverage of the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Elmo, Cookie Monster, Abby Cadabby, and Tango will be featured in activations across Sesame Street’s social media platforms leading into and during the Games, including the U.S. Olympic Team Trials and the Opening Ceremonies of the Olympic and Paralympic Games.
“Sesame Street, the Olympics, and NBC are all cultural touchstones and we are excited to join NBC Sports’ exemplary coverage of the Olympics,” Samantha Maltin, evp, chief marketing and brand officer, Sesame Workshop, said via the company.
“The Olympics celebrates the best in sportsmanship and promotes kindness and respect, traits that are central to our mission to help children grow smarter, stronger, and kinder to build a better world.”
• Phase 1 of the balloting presented by BuildSubmarines.com for the 2024 MLB All-Star Game presented by MasterCard in Globe Life Field in Arlington is underway, allowing people to vote for the starting position players in both leagues.
The player with the most votes per league will automatically win the starting spot at their position. Ends June 27 12:00 PM ET.
Phase 2 voting for the starters is June 30-July 3.
• Tennis Channel: Novak Djokovic underwent a procedure to address the medial meniscus injury to his right knee, the 24-time Grand Slam champion confirmed on his official Instagram page.
“In the past day, I had to make some tough decisions after sustaining a meniscus tear during my last match,” Djokovic wrote. “I’m still processing it all but I am happy to update you that the surgery went well.
The typical recovery period for a surgery of this magnitude can range from three to six weeks, putting a return in time for next month’s Wimbledon Championships in serious doubt. Djokovic will also be looking to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris, which will take place starting July 27.
“I’m going to do my best to be healthy and fit to return to the court as soon as possible.” (Full story here.) Muhammad Ali
• AP Sports: The pink house where Muhammad Ali grew up dreaming of boxing fame — and where hundreds of fans gathered for an emotional send-off as his funeral procession passed by decades later — is up for sale.
The two-bedroom, one-bathroom house in Louisville was converted into a museum that offered a glimpse into the formative years of the boxing champion and humanitarian known worldwide as The Greatest.
The house went on the market Tuesday along with two neighboring homes — one was turned into a welcome center-gift shop and the other was meant to become a short-term rental.(Full story here.)
• The NFL has signed Brazilian bank XP as presenting partner for the Sept. 6, 2024 regular-season international game in São Paulo between the Green Bay Packers and the Philadelphia Eagles at Corinthians Arena.
“We have over 35 million fans in Brazil and are looking forward to kicking off our 2024 slate of international games in South America with XP as our lead partner in market,” Michelle Webb, NFL vp-commercial international said via the league.
• Stewart-Haas Racing said it would cease operations at the end of this Nascar season. Co-owners Tony Stewart and Gene Haas said the team will sell off its assets, including the four Cup Series charters it holds, and all of its drivers and crew members will become free agents. Stewart-Haas Racing began with the 2009 season.
• AP Sports: Toyota is set to end its massive sponsorship deal with the International Olympic Committee after this year’s Paris Olympics. Toyota has a contract through the 2024 Paris Games, which was reported to be valued at $835 million when it was announced in 2015. (Full story here.)
• NBA Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade has launched the Translatable Project, funded by the Wade Family Foundation, an online community designed to support LGBTQIA+ youth and their families.
Wade officially unveiled the platform during a ceremony ini which he was named the Elevate Prize Foundation Catalyst Award winner “in recognition of his advocacy for the transgender community,” for which he received $250,000 in unrestricted funding, which Wade said would go toward supporting Translatable.
"I am honored to accept the Elevate Prize Catalyst Award and share this honor with my daughter, Zaya (16, who publicly came out as transgender in 2020), who has served as the catalyzing force behind Translatable," said Wade during the event.
• The National Women’s Soccer League, in partnership with Nationwide, said the Nationwide Community Impact Award has been renamed The Lauren Holiday Impact Award, presented by Nationwide,
The award, recognizing a NWSL player for outstanding service and character off the pitch, now also “honors the ongoing example of excellence and commitment set by the two-time Olympic gold medalist, FIFA Women’s World Cup champion, National Soccer Hall of Fame inductee, and recipient of the Muhammad Ali Sports Humanitarian ESPY Award.”
• Robert Kraft, owner of the New England Patriots, has launched through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism “Stand Up to Jewish Hate,” a $25 million multi-media campaign to “raise awareness nationwide about soaring incidents of antisemitism online and in person.” • AP: Attempted book bans and restrictions at school and public libraries continue to surge, setting a record in 2023, according to a new report from the American Library Assn. Full story here.
