“Honestly, it’s still a little surreal. After everything I’ve been through in my life — all the hard work, all the doubters — it’s almost unthinkable that I’m hangin’ it up and moving on from the game of football. But I know the positive effect I’m having on others. I’m speaking at colleges and universities, talking to football teams and even presenting to corporate America about never doubting yourself and tirelessly pursuing your dreams. People at companies want to hear what I have to say when actually I’m the one that can learn so much from them.”

-Shaquem Griffin, former NFL & UCF Linebacker

Speaking about retiring after 4 years in the NFL

See Shaquem Griffin story below...

Around The Horn.

• Former UCF star linebacker Shaquem Griffin is retiring from professional football, he announced in a first-person article published in The Players’ Tribune. Griffin was selected in the 5th round of the 2018 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks where he reunited with his twin brother and former Knight Shaquill Griffin.
• Tom Brady returned to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Monday, ending what has been described as an 11-day, prearranged break from training camp for personal reasons. Teammates and Coach Todd Bowles said the 45-year-old quarterback was sharp throwing the ball and essentially took up where he left off when he left the team on Aug. 11.
• As the popularity of MLS continues to rise, the strength of the partnership between the American soccer league and EA's world football brand grows. This week, EA and MLS announced the multi-year extension of their licensing partnership.
• Sergeant Joel Rodriguez grew up playing basketball. The courts he dreamt of look a little bit different, now taking his talents to wheelchair rugby. Wheelchair rugby has taken him around the world with Team USA, and has brought him medals and that community he was missing.
• Jones High School’s new district opponents are no strangers to the Tigers. One of the smallest schools in the Florida High School Athletic Association’s new Class 3 Metro division, Jones is grouped with rival Edgewater, Wekiva and second-year Horizon in District 3. 
• Tesho Akindele scored his first goal of the season and it came in the 89th minute off his own deflected shot to send Orlando City SC to a 2-1 victory over Charlotte FC on Sunday. With the victory, the Lions jumped from ninth place to fifth and moved above the playoff line.
• DeWanna Bonner scored 21 points, Alyssa Thomas had 13 points and eight rebounds, and the No. 3 seed Connecticut Sun eased past the short-handed Dallas Wings 73-58 to advance to the WNBA semifinals.
• Ever since he arrived as a 19-year-old phenom driving in NASCAR’s Xfinity Series, Kyle Busch has been difficult to keep up with on the track or in the record books. But since winning 18 times in 2017 to 2019, culminating with his second season championship, Busch has just 4 victories. This includes one in 2022. His next chance arrives Saturday night during the Coke Zero Sugar 400 at Daytona International Speedway.
• At UCF, former Auburn coach Gus Malzahn is hoping for similar numbers from John Rhys Plumlee this season, which is part of the reason he was named the program’s starting quarterback. Plumlee beat out incumbent starter Mikey Keene after weeks of battling back and forth for the top spot in training camp.
• The Warrior Games are underway at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex and for the rest of the week, they will be participating in all kinds of sports games. Orlando native Army Staff Sgt. Joel Rodriguez is one of the busiest athletes competing. The Colonial High School graduate will be competing in track and field, rowing, swimming, and wheelchair basketball.
• Lake County Rowing Association (LCRA) recently won two gold medals at the US Rowing Masters National Championships. The LCRA men's four person group included Lake County Commissioner and Tourist Development Council Chairman Doug Shields. The US Rowing Masters Championship, held in Sarasota this year, attracts the best rowers in the country for ages 27 and above.
• WISE Within, the national signature program of Women In Sports & Events (WISE), offers members the opportunity to accelerate professional development by connecting in a one-to-one focused mentoring relationship. WISE Greater Orlando is seeking potential mentees who want to take their career to the next level as well as experienced professionals who are interested in becoming a mentor. Both mentees and mentors must be members of WISE to apply, and the application deadline is September 2, 2022.
• The Lakeland Magic, NBA G League affiliate of the Orlando Magic, will be hosting a local player tryout in Winter Haven on September 18 at the AdventHealth Fieldhouse, and in Orlando on September 25, at the RDV Sportsplex Athletic Club. Local player tryouts provide athletes the opportunity to showcase their skills in front of Lakeland Magic coaches and basketball staff.
• The NBA will be off on Election Day. The league’s schedule for the coming season will have all 30 teams playing on Nov. 7, the night before the midterm elections. The NBA is hoping teams use that night as an opportunity to encourage fans to get out and vote, plus amplify the need for civic engagement.

In The News.

• Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and City Commissioner Patty Sheehan presented a proclamation to Chris Hughes, Director of Retail Operations and Jon Hughes, owner of Track Shack, in honor of 45 years of keeping Central Florida fit! The Track Shack Youth Foundation has contributed over 2.6 million dollars to community programs since its inception in 1994.
• After landing two $1 million donations recently — one from philanthropists Cindy and Don Diebel and one from accounting firm KPMG — Lift Orlando is mulling what’s next after its Heart of West Lakes Wellness Center is completed later this year. The building will include fitness centers, an 8,000-square-foot health center operated by Community Health Centers Inc. and a Florida Blue Retail Center to help under-insured and un-insured patients find affordable health care options. 
• Orlando proved it is the "MetaCenter” by hosting a business event in the ENGAGE metaverse platform for the VR/AR Association’s Orlando/Central Florida Chapter. The metaverse is one of the most disruptive technologies of the modern world that is believed to eclipse the Internet soon, and Orlando is poised to capitalize on these exciting times.
• University of Central Florida researchers have discovered one of the simplest stress relievers for families, now and during the height of the pandemic, is plain old child’s play. The researchers firmly believe parents playing with their children is helping the kids develop and families bond. They also discovered some parents didn’t know how to play with their children. So they started teaching them.
• The City of Orlando has passed a measure to waive minimum parking requirements for new building developments in the city. The decision comes amid a wave of similar ordinances passed in cities across the country as advocates for affordable housing push municipalities to prioritize investment in residential properties over parking.
• The Florida Association of the American Institute of Architects (AIA Florida) congratulates University High School in Orlando on winning the 2022 People's Choice Competition. Sponsored by the Florida Foundation for Architecture and AIA Florida, the competition aims to raise public awareness of Florida's architecture.

• Ikea’s U.S. Community Foundation, in partnership with the African American Chamber of Commerce of Central Florida, recently donated $75,000 to Black businesses in Orlando. The release said the initiative was part of a $3 million effort by the company and foundation to support Black equity across the country.
• Port Canaveral is expecting a boom in business in 2023, led by more cruise activity. The sea hub's Canaveral Port Authority, which held a meeting on August 17, projected its operating revenue to be $153.9 million for its 2023 fiscal year. That boom in future business will primarily be carried by cruise business.
• A recent study from Lending Tree found Orlando has some of the highest immigrant homeownership rates in the nation. The National Association of Hispanic Real Estate Professionals North Orlando chapter is a non-profit made up of 100 real estate professionals from realtors to lending and title companies. They all work with the goal of increasing sustainable Hispanic homeownership in Central Florida.
• Titusville Tool & Engineering Co. Inc. may be a small four-person machine shop, but that doesn’t stop it from working on NASA's next big mission that’ll take astronauts to deep space. The Space Coast business is one of 3,800 firms across the country supporting various aspects of NASA’s Artemis program, which later this decade will put humans back on the moon for the first time since 1972.

Stay Engaged.

• Visit Orlando’s Magical Dining returns Friday, August 26 through Sunday, October 2 with 102 restaurants offering three-course, prix fixe dinner menus for $40. Celebrating its 17th year, the popular annual dining program supports area restaurants and donates $1 from every meal served to a local nonprofit organization.
• Track Shack is partnering with the Tavistock Development Group to host a 5K foot race at the Lake Nona Town Center. This event will also be offering a Kids Mile race and dashes. The Run Nona H20 5K & Nemours Kids Mill will be held on August 27.
• Artemis I is the first test of NASA’s deep space exploration systems, with the Orion spacecraft launching atop the massive Space Launch System rocket. This mission is the first in a series of missions to demonstrate NASA’s ability to extend human existence to the Moon and beyond. The rocket launch will be at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex on August 29.

• The 2022 All Women Empowered (AWE) Impact Forum will be held Wednesday, August 31 from 9-11am at Camping World Stadium. Join fellow Orlando business and community leaders to learn all about the resources available for women professionals to propel their careers forward during the forum presented by Orlando Health Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women & Babies and sponsored by ADP.
• Pop the champagne and prepare for a roaring good time at The Edison’s lavish Gatsby-style affair on Sunday, September 4. You can celebrate Labor Day weekend at Disney Springs by getting dolled up in your best flapper attire and dancing the night away in style.

• Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party has already begun! Join your favorite Disney Characters for an evening of spirited fun, and get your favorite costume ready! Guests can collect candies and treats while Magic Kingdom park thrills and chills you with eerie entertainment, delightful attractions, and some beloved Disney Characters.
• Universal Orlando has announced the final details for this year’s Halloween Horror Nights 31, revealing all the houses, zones, and shows guests can experience at the event, taking place on select nights from September 2 thru October 31, 2022.
• Downtown gallery CityArts will host a Bridgerton-themed party on Saturday, September 24 at 7 pm as part of its annual La Maschera party series – its largest annual fundraiser. The evening will feature artwork themed on locations from the show as well as live music by Violectric, dancing, interactive character entertainment, photo opportunities, specialized cocktails, food, and more.
• Synapse Orlando 2022 is the largest innovation conference of the year presented by the Orlando Tech Council and Falcon's Beyond, returns to unite the region’s thriving tech community on October 21. With a special focus on how Orlando’s talent and companies are developing the building blocks of the Metaverse, the day of hands-on exhibits, workshops and inspiring thought leaders will again take place at the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.
• Like a passport specially for your palate, the EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival is a magical taste tour—one that whisks you off on a fun and flavorful journey across six continents. So come sip and savor your way through EPCOT, as you delight in some of your favorite flavors, and try plenty of new ones along the way.
• Florida residents can save big while visiting Walt Disney World Resort theme parks. Click here to view the current list of special offers.
• Universal Orlando's Florida resident specials include discounts on vacation packages as well as a free day at the theme park through December as part of a limited time bargain. Florida residents who snap up a '2-park, 2-day' ticket to Universal between now and Sept. 28 can get a third, free day as part of their purchase.

Executive Spotlight.



• The USTA is looking for a paralegal with exceptional organizational skills and three+ years of experience drafting and reviewing contracts, and intellectual property enforcement, to work in a hybrid/flex environment at the National Campus in Lake Nona, Florida. 

Under the leadership of GO Sports Board Chairman Faron Kelley, the Department of Defense Warrior Games kicked off late last week with an opening ceremony at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The ceremony was full of celebrity supporters, including long-time veterans and first responders advocate, Jon Stewart.

Congratulations to our friends and partners at Track Shack, who are celebrating 45 years of keeping Central Florida fit! Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Commissioner Patty Sheehan presented a proclamation to Chris Hughes, Director of Retail Operations and Jon Hughes, owner.

GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel, CFHLA President Robert Agrusa, Casandra Matej from Visit Orlando, 

Laureen Martinez from Orlando Economic Partnership, and Casey Leppanen from Experience Kissimmee participated in a panel discussion about regional challenges and opportunities for the hospitality industry during a recent

Leadership Orlando session.

Osceola Chamber President John Newstreet, Representative Fred Hawkins Jr., and GO Sports President & CEO Jason Siegel attended the annual UCF Football Kickoff Luncheon last week. 

Fun & Games.

• Fall Events in Orlando: Food, Festivities & Halloween Fun
• Outdoor Adventures For Every Adult in Orlando
• Kid-Friendly Attractions in Central Florida