"Every time I’m out there, they make the game easy for me and I just try to make myself available and make the right play, they make it really easy. It’s a lot of fun."

- Caleb Houstan

Orlando Magic Player

Around The Horn.

• The Orlando Magic won their eighth straight game in dominant fashion over the Wizards on Wednesday night behind a season-high 31 points from Franz Wagner. Host Orlando (13-5) captured the 139-120 victory and had five different scorers finish in double-figures for the 18th straight game to set a franchise record. 
• The Orlando Solar Bears announced details ahead of Shades’ White Out Game presented by Dewitt Law on Sat., January 27 when the Solar Bears host the Atlanta Gladiators at 7:00 p.m. at Amway Center. Purchase tickets here.
• The Greater Orlando Sports Commission and Lake County will co-host the 2023 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship in Leesburg, FL on December 3-6. The event begins at 7am with weigh-ins at 3pm.
• Despite the disappointing end to the season, the Orlando City Lions know there is plenty of good to take away from the season. The club has qualified for CONCACAF Champions Cup once again and have the tools to come back next year and build off this success.
• Catch the Pop-Tarts Bowl Parade of Bands on Thursday, Dec. 28, beginning 11am on Park Avenue. College bands will march through downtown and perform a game day preview concert in Central Park before the 5:45 p.m. debut of the Pop-Tarts Bowl at Camping World Stadium.
• Second-year Orlando Magic player Paolo Banchero was named the NBA’s Eastern Conference Player of the Week, marking the first time he’s won the league’s top weekly honor in his career. During four games last week, he averaged 23.5 points, 5.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and a block in 34.5 minutes.
• The Orlando Pride have acquired $90,000 in allocation money and 2024 expansion protection from Utah Royals FC in exchange for midfielder Mikayla Cluff and the No. 26 overall selection in the 2024 Draft.
• UCF guard Jaylin Sellers scored a career-high 34 points. Sellers was 12-of-16 from the floor with 8 rebounds and 2 assists. Stetson’s Jalen Blackmon had 26 points, connecting on six 3-pointers, while Stephan Swanson added 19 points.
• John Rhys Plumlee was among 33 seniors to participate in Senior Day at FBC Mortgage Stadium before Saturday’s kickoff. His performance helped guarantee at least one more game as UCF became bowl-eligible with a 27-13 win over Houston.
• The Greater Orlando Sports Commission, in partnership with USA Track & Field (USATF), the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC), Track Shack, Orange County, Visit Orlando and the City of Orlando, has announced a partnership with Universal Orlando Resort to host a private athlete welcome reception at Universal Studios Florida for the participating athletes on Thursday, February 1, 2024, two days prior to the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon. Orlando will be the first city in Florida to host the U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon.

Be a part of the magic of the 2024 Walt Disney World® Marathon Weekend! As a volunteer, you’d be supporting the runDisney® athletes and the presence of Leukemia & Lymphoma Society® at Walt Disney World Resort on the racecourse and at the finish area. Click here to register now! 

In The News.

• Orlando International Airport saw a bump in passenger traffic in October from the prior month, as Terminal C continues to see activity growth. The airport saw passenger traffic grow month over month by 11.2% to 4.88 million, which brought its 12-month rolling total to 56.5 million annual passengers, according to Greater Orlando Aviation Authority data.
• The City of Orlando is looking for a design firm to rise to the challenge of reactivating the 97-year-old Bob Carr Theater in the Parramore neighborhood, just west of I-4 in the new Creative Village development.
• The annual Orlando tradition of raising the Jack Kazanzas Star 50 feet over Orange Avenue took place this past Sunday, marking the official start of the holiday season in downtown Orlando. The raising of the 600-pound light-up star has been taking place since the 1950s, when two competing department stores, Ivey’s and Dickson and Ives, would join together to celebrate Christmas.
• The Walt Disney Company shared that the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive, with the support of so many families and fans, has collected 16,125 toys so far this holiday season for the Marine Toys for Tots Program. To celebrate more than 75 years of collaboration with this wonderful organization, Disney announced that the Disney Ultimate Toy Drive has provided grants to Toys for Tots that will deliver an additional 75,000 toys to children in need. 
• Lake Nona’s newest hotel is set to open soon with a sports-themed restaurant and more than 17,000 square feet of event space,. The six-story, 220-room Marriott-branded Aloft Lake Nona will debut on Dec. 14, according to a recent news release. Located near the Lake Nona Town Center, it will be the closest hotel to the United States Tennis Association National Campus. 
• While it’s best known for tourism and aerospace, some local designers hope Central Florida becomes a hot spot for fashion. That wish may become a reality. Orlando Business Journal has learned that a global brand will be scouting local fashion designers at an upcoming fashion show.

Stay Engaged.

• On December 1 at Osceola Arts in Kissimmee, it’s time for The Best Christmas Pageant Ever: The Musical, in which rambunctious kids threaten to wreck a holiday tradition with humorous results.
• Orlando Shakes will see the return of A Christmas Carol on December 1, in which miser Ebenezer Scrooge finds redemption thanks to ghostly visitors.
• The Orange County Mayor’s Holiday Toy Drive celebrates 13 years of giving back to the community! Residents are encouraged to participate by donating a new, unwrapped toy or gift for children ages 18 and under. Purchase a gift online at the virtual toy store by Monday, December 4, 2023.
• On December 3, experience the magic of the holiday season at UCF's Knights Season of Joy! The UCF Choirs and members of the UCF Symphony Orchestra and music faculty are joined by vocal jazz quartet RESOLVE for an evening of music and merriment.
• The Morse Museum is hosting Holiday Friday Nights in December. Guests can enjoy free museum admission from 4pm-8pm, and live music from 5pm-8pm.
• Orlando Ballet is thrilled to present the World Premiere of a ground-breaking production of The Nutcracker, December 8-24. This from-scratch, Broadway-caliber production will be the largest ever created by an Orlando-based performing arts organization, featuring enchanting new choreography, stunning costumes, fantastical sets, and magical stage elements.
• Gatorland is offering discounted tickets on its Screamin’ Gator Zipline for the next few weeks. The attraction’s zipline experience — which includes five segments and a 150-foot swinging bridge — is now on sale for $49.99 per person through Dec. 17. You'll travel up to 30 mph above dozens of alligators and crocodiles and Gatorland’s famed breeding marsh. It tops out at 65 feet high.
• Classic rock fans can re-live the “Summer of ’69” next year when Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Bryan Adams comes to Florida. Adams, who has been active as a musician for more than four decades, will bring his “So Happy It Hurts Tour” to Orlando for his debut performance at Amway Center on March 8, 2024.
• SeaWorld Orlando is again offering an extended Fun Card deal. Buyers now get unlimited visits to the theme park for the rest of 2023 and all of 2024. The price is $131.99. A version also includes admission to the Aquatica water park through the end of 2024, and it sells for $189.99.
• 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.

In The Community.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel, Senior VP Brent Nelson, and Senior Director Kyle Sturley hosted Ryan Rea (NCAA) and Doug Debiase (Central Atlantic Athletic Conference) for a site visit this week, in preparation for the NCAA Division II Women's Lacrosse Championship being hosted in Orlando in May of 2024.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended Orlando City SC's eastern conference semifinal game, pictured with Mark Wilf (Orlando City/Orlando Pride Owner), Congressman Darren Soto, Commissioner Regina Hill, GO Sports Board Member Caeser Lopez (Orlando City/Orlando Pride), Robert Agrusa (CFHLA), and Kelly Cohen (Southern Group).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and his wife Sarah Grafton attended the AdventHealth Gala, joined by Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings and his wife, former U.S. Representative Val Demings.

GO Sports Coordinator Nolan McDonald attended the Minority Softball Prospects event, pictured with Vice President Cameron Hollins.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Senior Director Lindsey McBride presented at a recent South Lake Chamber Breakfast event, also attended by board members Paul Johns (Orlando Health South Lake Hospital), Cindy Staley (Mission Resort & Club), and Jeff Osterman (Montverde Academy).

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel and Coordinator Nolan McDonald hosted a group at the Osceola Magic's opening game with Osceola Commissioner Janer, and GO Sports board members Charles Hawkins & Robb Larson (Osceola Heritage Park).

GO Sports Senior Director Lindsey McBride attended a recent business luncheon with Ryan Ritchie (Discover Lake County), Kyle Knott (USA Cycling) and Kelly Fox (USA Triathlon).

GO Sports Board Members Latria Graham and Justin Kinsey attended a recent event hosted by the National Society of Black Sports Professionals Orlando/Central Florida Chapter.

GO Sports Senior VP Brent Nelson and Coordinator Elizabeth Caldarelli attended CFHLA's Seminole County General Manager's luncheon today.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended SBJ's Dealmakers conference this week in Washington DC. Pictured are Gary Stevenson (MLS), Bill Daly (NHL), Mark Tatum (NBA), and Joseph Leccese (Proskauer Rose LLP).

Corporate Partner Spotlight.

For more information, visit thecelestehotel.com.

Thank you for supporting sports tourism in Greater Orlando!

Fun & Games.



• See inside OBJ's 2023 Community Impact event, mental health panel discussion
• Activities: Christmas in Orlando
• Disney World: A Decade of "Frozen" Frenzy