A New Jersey Little League organization is giving new meaning to "walk a mile in someone else's shoes." Only this time, the walking is replaced with standing behind the batter's box to call balls and strikes in front of a jury of parental peers. That's right: Any parent or other spectator who harasses the (volunteer) umpires will have to do the job.

This is a first, and it's something event owners need to know, particularly those whose athletes have developmental challenges. The Special Olympics has added Topgolf as an official sanctioned event beginning in 2024. This makes it the first branded sport and broadens golf's accessibility for Special Olympics athletes whose mobility may be limited.

Back in the day, star players in the Negro Leagues played in as many as three games per day - and earned $400 each month, tops. Many did not have parks to call their own and played in stadiums used by white teams - but only when those teams were on the road. Now, the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum has announced plans for a $25M home in Kansas City.

Because of the sheer scale of operations at sports venues, green initiatives are not only imperatives, they are opportunities. Here are some best practices (including innovative waste diversion, energy efficiency and water conservation programs) that enable them to reduce harm to the environment and promote sustainability in their communities.

Thoughtful planning, quality workmanship, good fiscal management and smart marketing drive success in sports tourism. In this case study, the Rantoul Family Sports Complex, a 60-plus-acre outdoor sports facility located in east central Illinois, started as the proverbial field of dreams; with the help of Visit Champaign County, it moved to reality.

If you have the fields, Major League Quadball (the sport formerly known as quidditch) has an opportunity for you. MLQ is bidding out its MLQ Championship, North Division Championship, all regular-season series and all regular-season SuperSeries. Bids for the 2024 MLQ season are due by September 15, 2023 so there's still time to ask questions.