“This night could have gone so many ways and for it to go the way it did, I appreciate Him for it. So there's a peace, a relief to it, so let's keep going.”

- Jonathan Isaac

Orlando Magic Forward

Speaking about playing in his first game in more than 2 years due to injury

Around The Horn.

• Orlando Magic forward Jonathan Isaac stood at the scorer's table, had a brief talk with coach Jamahl Mosley and calmly removed his shooting shirt. He turned to the court, stuck his mouthpiece in and walked onto an NBA floor to play his first game in over 900 days.
• Billionaire sports owners, iconic athletes and Hollywood celebrities all want in on the fastest growing sport in America. Which is why the Magic’s ownership group announced earlier this week the formation of the newest Major League Pickleball expansion franchise, the Orlando Squeeze; a nickname that gives a nod to Orange County’s vast roots in the citrus industry.
• The snowbirds from north of the border flocked to Lake Nona Golf Club to cheer Canada’s darling Brooke Henderson, one of the LPGA Tour’s most recognizable stars — now a 13-time winner after a steady 2-under 70 in warm, windy conditions during the final round.
• Exploria Stadium is set to host a pair of matches for the eighth annual SheBelieves Cup on Thursday, Feb. 16, with Japan set to face Brazil at 4pm, followed by the United States and Canada at 7pm. All four nations are set to take part in the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup next summer and all four are ranked in the top 11 in the world with the USA at No. 1, Canada at No. 6, Brazil at No. 9 and Japan at No. 11.
• The Central Florida Youth Anglers team of Ryder Krueger and Carson Yero  brought five bass to the scale Saturday weighing 21 pounds, 6 ounces, to win the MLF High School Fishing Presented by Favorite Fishing Open at Harris Chain of Lakes in Leesburg, Florida. A field of 37 teams competed in the no-entry fee tournament, which was hosted by Visit Lake County, Florida. In MLF High School Fishing competition, the top 10 percent of teams competing advance to the High School Fishing National Championship.
• The Catawba Valley Community College duo of Will Hammond of Huntersville, North Carolina, and Cabe Mackey of Denver, North Carolina, won the MLF Abu Garcia College Fishing Presented by YETI event on Harris Chain of Lakes Friday with a five-bass limit weighing 25 pounds, 5 ounces. The victory earned the Red Hawks’ bass club $2,000 and a qualification into the 2024 MLF College Fishing National Championship.
• Orlando City soccer player Robin Jansson had a short season last year when he had to get surgery to repair a fracture in his right navicular bone. But don’t worry, he’s back in action. The 31-year-old has been showing up to preseason training and is working hard to be back in fighting shape before Orlando City’s ninth season opener on Saturday, February 25 against the New York Red Bulls. 
• The Major League Fishing (MLF) Toyota Series Presented by Phoenix Boats will continue next week with the Southern Division opener in Leesburg, Florida, Feb. 1-3, the Toyota Series at the Harris Chain of Lakes. The three-day tournament, hosted by Visit Lake County, Florida, will feature a roster of the region’s best bass-fishing pros and Strike King co-anglers competing for a top prize of up to $100,000 in the pro division and a new Phoenix 518 Pro boat with a 115-horsepower Mercury outboard motor in the co-angler division.
• The challenges Orlando Magic coach Jamahl Mosley is facing now aren’t the same ones he faced earlier in the season.The Orlando Magic (19-29) had nearly their entire roster available for Wednesday’s 126-120 wire-to-wire home win over the Indiana Pacers (24-26). Chuma Okeke (left knee injury recovery) was the lone player sidelined because of injury.
• Defender Rodrigo Schlegel has a 2-year contract through 2024 with Orlando City, the team announced Wednesday, and has options for ‘25 and ‘26 on the defender. Schlegel, 25, began his career at Racing Club of Argentina’s Primera División and appeared in 72 matches with 52 starts across all competitions.

In The News.

• Breaking records with Mecum Kissimmee 2023, The World’s Largest Collector Car Auction became the first ever to exceed to exceed $200 million in consecutive years with a total of $234 million in sales achieved. This concluded with a 12-day run on Sunday, Jan. 15 at Osceola Heritage Park in Kissimmee, Florida.
• Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer will host his 18th annual Neighborhood and Community. Summit on Saturday, March 25 at the Loews Royal Pacific Resort  at Universal Orlando. The summit assembles some of the best neighborhood, arts and cultural, community, and faith-based leaders and volunteers in Orlando, to share information and ideas on how to make the City Beautiful a better place to live, work, and play.
• Walt Disney World visitors splashed, hooted, hollered, waited, and wished Sunday night, the final evening of operation for the Splash Mountain ride at Magic Kingdom. The attraction is being closed and will be rethemed and renamed Tiana’s Bayou Adventure.
• The Florida Department of Transportation will transition the SunRail system to local control, which would include the city of Orlando along with Orange, Osceola, Seminole and Volusia counties. The commuter rail's governing board — the Central Florida Commuter Rail Commission — will get a presentation from consultant WSP on Jan. 26 tied to the transition timeline. 
• Orange County and Universal Parks & Resorts executives met Jan. 20 to discuss a couple of topics tied to a proposed shared train corridor for SunRail and Brightline, including how to improve communication. If approved by the county, this quasi-public district would provide a way for Universal Parks & Resorts to finance the construction and operation of a commuter rail station and train track that would connect the Orange County Convention Center to the Orlando International Airport.
• Universal parent company Comcast has its eye on expanding its theme parks, which drove record earnings in its media and entertainment division in its last budget year. The company plans to increase its theme park spending budget by $1.2 billion this year compared with 2022, Comcast President Mike Cavanagh said during a Thursday earnings call.
• An iconic building in Orlando's College Park neighborhood is for sale, Orlando Business Journal has learned. The pink-and-teal building at the corner of Edgewater Drive and Rugby Street that long was home to Top Drawer Consignments is available for purchase and is being marketed by veteran Orlando real estate executive Scott Bell.
• Orange County Mayor Jerry L. Demings and the elected board of county commissioners will host an open house Saturday at the County Administration Building, enticing visitors with a job fair, food trucks and an inflatable “bounce house” for kids to play in. The event, scheduled for 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the administration campus at 201 S. Rosalind Ave.

Stay Engaged.

• During Black History Month in February, the Disney Parks Blog will celebrate Black stories and highlight special experiences at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World Resort. Throughout the year, you can enjoy Celebrate Soulfully experiences including, the “Tale of the Lion King” stage show, African-inspired cuisine at Troubadour Tavern and training sessions with the Dora Milaje. In February, the celebration expands with more, limited-time offerings you can discover across the resort.
• Make 2023 the year you finish and publish a novel! The OCLS Writers Conference will provide the tools and knowledge you need to reach your writing and publishing goals this year. Authors and publishing professionals will teach workshops on both craft and business topics, with the next session coming up this Saturday, January 28. Free basic headshots will be provided by the Melrose Center Photography Instructors.
• Head out to Central Park in Winter Park for the Popcorn Flicks in the Park series. This month's featured movie is the Maltese Falcon, and as always it is FREE and open to the public!
• The annual ZORA! Festival is in full swing. First presented in 1990, the festival is a multi-day, multi-disciplinary, intergenerational event composed of public talks, museum exhibitions, theatrical productions, arts education programming, and much, much more.
• The tenth annual Dragon Parade is scheduled for Sunday, February 5 at 11 a.m. in the Mills 50 District, and the route will start at the intersection of Lake Highland Drive and Mills Avenue before making its way along Thornton Avenue to Colonial Drive.
• Filipino Freedom Fest is coming to Orlando Jan. 28 and 29. The festival will feature several local Filipino food and craft vendors, including ice cream from the nearby Sampaguita, live entertainment, dancing, and karaoke. Filipino restaurant Kaya will be kicking the festival off with a grand opening.
• Florida residents can get free admission for their preschoolers (ages 5 and under) to SeaWorld Orlando theme park and Aquatica water park for the remainder of 2023. The deal is good for unlimited admission to the attractions through Dec. 31.
• Florida Residents can save up to $65 on select multi-day tickets at Universal Orlando theme parks when buying online. Click here for current offers.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel enjoyed time at Universal Orlando's City Walk with GO Sports Board Member Jordan Clark (UCF Athletics) and partner John Kristick (Playfly).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel spoke at Heart of Florida United Way’s board meeting this week, pictured here with President & CEO, Jeff Hayward. Siegel was pleased to present Hayward with a donation to HFUW’s Mission United program, that provides assistance to veterans in our community.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Executive Vice President Jennifer Lastik joined members of the US Soccer Foundation in attending a welcome event prior to the Premier League Mornings Live watch party taking over Universal Orlando's City Walk.

GO Sports Senior VP Brent Nelson attended this week's Seminole County TDC meeting, pictured here with Jack Wert (former Director of Tourism for Seminole County) and Danny Trossett, Director of Sports Tourism for Seminole County.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Senior Director Kyle Sturley attended a media event to kickoff the opening season of the XFL's Orlando Guardians. Siegel is pictured here with Guardians Head Coach Tyrell Buckley, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer, XFL Owner and Chairwoman Dany Garcia, and GO Sports Board Member Allen Johnson (Chief Venues Officer for the City of Orlando/Orlando Venues).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended Tour de Cure Lake Nona's 2023 launch party, pictured here with Race Director, Cesar Cesareo.

GO Sports Executive Vice President Jennifer Lastik and Senior Director Kyle Sturley took part in WISE Greater Orlando's Speed Networking Mentor Event earlier this week, with Lastik leading the discussion around event operations.

Orlando's 2026 World Cup Ambassador, Kaka, attended the Orlando Magic's 'Brazil Night' game at the Amway Center this week.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel laced up his skates to participate in the Orlando Solar Bears' Celebrity Classic Hockey Game along with partners David Dominato (WKMG) and Eric UShkowitz (City of Orlando).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel enjoyed speaking to Rod Love and Greg Jackson about all things sports in Greater Orlando, including the upcoming March Madness tournament, on their radio show this week.

New Corporate Partner.



BRIGHTLINE TRAINS

Brightline is the only provider of modern, eco-friendly, intercity rail service in America. The company currently serves Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and West Palm Beach, with stations in Aventura and Boca Raton opening at the end of 2022 and its Orlando station beginning service in 2023. 

For more information, visit

https://www.gobrightline.com/

https://www.gobrightline.com/orlando

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.



• Game Highlights: Pacers vs. Magic
• 2023 Orlando Foodie Awards: Nominate your favorite restaurants