Apparel

• Under Armour CEO Kevin Plank announced that he will hand over the reins to Patrik Frisk, the apparel company’s chief operating officer, at the start of the new year. Plank, who founded Under Armour in 1996 and oversaw its rise to a $9.1 billion market valuation, will become executive chairman of the company’s board and brand chief, and Frisk will also join the board. 

• Former eBay Inc. chief executive John Donahoe will replace longtime CEO Mark Parker at Nike Inc. in January, with Parker set to become executive chairman of the apparel giant’s board, the company announced. The move follows a string of negative press for Nike, which has seen one of its running coaches banned for alleged doping efforts, complaints from female employees of inappropriate workplace behavior and turnover at the senior executive level.

• LaVar Ball said his Big Baller Brand — which has essentially been obsolete in recent months following a financial and legal dispute between Ball and his former business partner, Alan Foster — is restructuring and will soon launch a new website. Foster has accused Ball of embezzling more than $2.6 million from BBB and other brands associated with the Ball family name, and Ball has accused Foster of conspiring to embezzle millions for personal use.

Baseball

• The Houston Astros fired assistant general manager Brandon Taubman after a joint investigation with MLB corroborated allegations that the team executive profanely ranted at female reporters about Roberto Osuna, the team’s closer who was acquired while serving a 75-game suspension due to accusations of domestic violence. In an about-face, the Astros apologized to the female reporters involved in the incident — including the Sports Illustrated scribe who broke the story, Stephanie Apstein — days after initially issuing a statement that referred to her reporting as “misleading and irresponsible” and a “fabrication.”

• MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred said he and the players’ association hoped to soon reach a deal to allow testing without cause for opioids such as fentanyl and oxycodone. The talks come after Los Angeles Angels pitcher Tyler Skaggs was found dead in his hotel room in Texas in July with both drugs in his system.

Basketball

• China’s state TV broadcaster CCTV continued its blackout with the opening games of the NBA’s new season, two weeks after Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey caused an uproar with a tweet backing anti-government protests in Hong Kong. Chinese streaming giant Tencent Holdings Ltd. also refrained from airing 6 of the 11 opening games, instead posting imageless live scores and uploading video to the site hours after the game was over. 

• NBA Commissioner Adam Silver said in an interview that despite calls for him to do so, he does not plan on disengaging from China following Morey’s tweet. Silver said the NBA became “collateral damage” in the Trump administration’s ongoing trade war with China — the league’s most important foreign market — and that he was hopeful that the NBA can re-establish relationships with its partners in the East soon.

• Silver also announced All-Star weekend will be held in Salt Lake City in 2023, the first time Utah has hosted the midseason confab in 30 years. The decision follows a recent $125 million renovation of Vivint Smart Home Arena and comes ahead of several planned hotel projects in the city and a renovation to Salt Lake City International Airport that is scheduled to be completed in time for the hosting.

• The NBA is allowing teams this season to partner with up to two sponsors on advertising campaigns outside of the United States and Canada. The loosened restrictions are partly inspired by the league’s success with its jersey patch sponsorship program, many of which include international partners, and teams with an international jersey patch sponsor are permitted to build on that partnership with the new international advertising policy.

• New Orleans rookie and top NBA Draft pick Zion Williamson underwent surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his right knee, sidelining him for an expected six to eight weeks. The one-and-done Duke star is set to miss the team’s Nov. 27 matchup at home against former Pelicans center Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers, but is expected to be cleared in time for the team’s Christmas Day game in Denver against the Nuggets.

Golf

• Jay Monahan, PGA Tour commissioner, said on-site betting at golf tournaments will begin cropping up next year in the United States. The commissioner said the tour hopes that allowing on-site gambling will help engage its currents fans, understand key demographics and create new followers of the game.

Soccer

• FIFA’s governing council awarded the inaugural version of its expanded, 24-team Club World Cup tournament to China in 2021. Human rights advocates criticized the decision, which was announced with little fanfare one year after the global governing body dinged the United States and Canada for a lack of specific commitments to human rights.

• With the World Series knotted up at two games apiece, the Washington Nationals host the Houston Astros in a pivotal Game 5 tonight at 7:07 p.m. ET on Fox. President Donald Trump is expected to be in attendance.

• The NFL trade deadline closes at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.

• Formula 1 will hold a fan festival in Hollywood on Wednesday, featuring drivers Max Verstappen, Daniel Ricciardo and Valtteri Bottas.

• The NFL London Series continues Nov. 3 with the Houston Texans and the Jacksonville Jaguars at Wembley Stadium.

• Weekly College Football Playoff rankings releases begin Nov. 5, as does the start of the 2019-20 Division 1 men’s basketball season.

• The MLS Cup kicks off Nov. 10. 

• The NFL league meeting will be held Dec. 12 in Las Colinas, Texas.

• The NBA Mexico City Games tip off in December, with the Dallas Mavericks and Detroit Pistons matching up on the 12th and the San Antonio Spurs and Phoenix Suns facing off on the 14th.

1) How Popular Is Baseball, Really?
Juliette Love, The New York Times

2) The World’s Most Valuable Sports Agencies 2019: CAA Expands Its Business, And Its Lead
Jason Belzer, Forbes

3) Under Armour CEO and founder Kevin Plank stepping down, replaced by COO Patrik Frisk
Courtney Reagan, CNBC

4) Transgender cyclist Rachel McKinnon dominates as competitors cry foul
Mollie Walker, New York Post

5) Meet the Sneaker Collectors Who Intentionally Buy Fake Shoes
Jacob Gallagher, The Wall Street Journal

6) Burlington girls soccer team stands for #equalpay — and gets carded
Austin Danforth, Burlington Free Press

7) NBA Lets Teams Take Sponsors Abroad as International Push Continues
Sahil Patel, The Wall Street Journal

8) N.F.L. Playoff Picture: Every Team’s Playoff Chances
Josh Katz et al., The New York Times

9) Yankees Are Left to Wonder How to Clear That Final Hurdle
James Wagner, The New York Times

10) The Best NBA Players Of The Last 6 Seasons
Neil Paine, FiveThirtyEight