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Valkyries Set Season Ticket Deposit Record for U.S. Women’s Sports
The Golden State Valkyries, one of the WNBA’s two new expansion teams, have taken more than 15,000 season ticket deposits, the most for a U.S. women’s sports franchise before its first season.Angel Reese to Join Unrivaled 3-on-3 Hoops League Jess Smith, the Valkyries’ president, said the NWSL’s San Diego Wave held the prior record at “close to 5,000,” when the team launched in 2021. Season ticket deposits cost $25 per seat, according to the Valkyries’ website, which—after 15,000 deposits—yields $375,000. The team, which will start play in the 2025 season, previously said it eclipsed 12,000 on May 29. Home games will be...
Former NFL, WWE Execs Join Grand Slam Track Leadership Team
Breakaway Data and Gains Group co-founder Steve Gera has been named the president and chief operating officer of Grand Slam Track (GST), the track league founded by four-time Olympic gold medalist Michael Johnson that launches next April.Gabby Thomas Hopes Paris Olympics Can Push Track to Lucrative Future GST has already signed top track stars in Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Josh Kerr, with ambitious plans to create a platform that delivers the best head-to-head matchups in the sport. Gera, a former officer in the United States Marines Corps, joins GST after coaching and leading innovation and analytics programs for the Los Angeles Chargers...
Dale! Texas Spent $2.3 Million on SEC Entry Fest With Rapper Pitbull
The University of Texas spent $2.3 million on an on-campus party to celebrate its entrance into the SEC, including a performance fee for musical artist Pitbull.Power Progeny: Delany's Son Joins Fellow Commish Kids in the Family Biz Those costs include $889,000 paid directly by the school’s athletics department, plus another $339,000 for advertising, according to a budget document obtained by Sportico via an open records request. The other $1.07 million was paid by the Longhorns “via Learfield,” the school’s multimedia rights partner. The Learfield tranche includes $610,000 paid in talent fees for Pitbull and another artist, according to the document. The Longhorns...
NBA Blocking TNT’s Media Rights Shot Could Force Legal Jump Ball
Wednesday was a dramatic day in sports broadcasting—the NBA announced that Warner Bros. Discovery “did not match the terms” of Amazon’s offer to broadcast games from 2025-26 through 20235-36 while, conversely, WBD announced it had “matched the Amazon offer.”TBS, Warner Bros. Discovery Sue NBA Over Loss of TV Deal Both statements can’t be right. It might take a judge to referee. Or maybe not. As Sportico’s media expert Anthony Crupi detailed, the NBA has officially recognized Amazon Prime Video, Disney’s ABC/ESPN and NBC/Peacock as the league’s next media partners, and they’ll pay $76.9 billion over the course of the deals. Meanwhile, WBD’s TNT will be...
Business Beyond the Game: Stephon Marbury on Business in China
It’s common for NBA players to launch and design their own line of shoes.Business Beyond the Game: Austin Ekeler on Investing in Tech But former New York Knicks star Stephon Marbury was one of the first to experiment with such a venture that gave special focus to affordable footwear. In 2006, the two-time NBA All-Star launched the famous Starbury One, an inexpensive line that also doubled as a social movement. Despite pricing his Chinese-made signature shoe at $15, its success on the market was short-lived, as former retail partner Steve & Barry’s filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in 2008. The Brooklyn native,...
Houston Christian May Call Legal Audible After Loss to NCAA
Houston Christian University might be a small DI college that plays in a non-power conference, but it is attempting to play a national championship-level role in stopping the NCAA and power conferences from settling the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust litigations. UFC and Fighters Want $335M Settlement, but Judge Might Slam It On Wednesday, HCU’s drive encountered a setback when U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken denied the school’s motion to intervene and to obtain a declaration that the multibillion-dollar settlement, which has not yet been filed, is void. As explained below, Wednesday’s development is not necessarily a final defeat for HCU. Sportico has detailed HCU’s basic legal arguments. The school insists that...
Tennis Players Skip Olympics With Chance for Extra Prize Money
It’s difficult to determine where the Olympics rank in the hierarchy of prestigious tennis tournaments. On the one hand, winning a gold medal is a high honor for any athlete. The games occur only quadrennially, as opposed to ATP Tour events and the Grand Slams, which are held every year.IOC Hotel Staff Strikes as Labor Pains Plague Paris Olympics On the other hand, tennis was only reintroduced as an Olympic sport in 1988, so it doesn’t have the historical status of Wimbledon, for instance. Furthermore, the best-of-three rather than a best-of-five set format makes it feel less weighty and leads to...
Awaiting House, Fontenot v. NCAA Presses On With More Plaintiffs
As attorneys prepare to submit their long-form settlement for preliminary court approval of the House, Carter and Hubbard antitrust lawsuits (“the House settlement”), a fourth case, Fontenot v. NCAA, expanded this week with new named plaintiffs and a blunter warning that a House settlement ought not function as a labor agreement.Houston Christian May Call Legal Audible After Loss to NCAA On Tuesday, Fontenot attorneys filed an amended complaint adding four other names to the case caption: Mya Hollingshed, Sarah Fuller, Deontay Anderson and Tucker Clark. The quartet joins original complainant Alex Fontenot, a former University of Colorado running back. Fuller, a former...
Highest-Paid Paris Olympics Athletes: Top 20 Earn $1.35B
The first edition of the modern era Olympics took place in 1896 as a showcase for amateur athletes with professionals barred from the Games for nearly a century. No more.Paris Will Boost Brands as Olympic Marketing Shifts, Study Finds The Paris Olympics, which run from July 24 until Aug. 11, will feature 20 athletes who each earned more than $35 million in the 12 months ending June 30. They collectively made $1.35 billion from salaries, bonuses, prize money and endorsements. Yes, many Olympians juggle full- or part-time jobs while training at an elite level to make ends meet, but the Olympics...
Diamond RSN Bankruptcy Saga Plays On as Court Delays Key Hearing
The day of reckoning for Diamond Sports Group will be a bit later in coming, as the judge overseeing the company’s bankruptcy case has agreed to postpone a crucial confirmation hearing that had been scheduled for July 29.The court date, originally been set for June 18, will be pushed back by an as-yet undetermined number of days to allow Diamond a little extra wriggle room to secure a new carriage deal with Comcast. The delay will also give the owner of the 18 Bally Sports RSNs some time to try and work out agreements with the NBA and NHL.Speaking at...
NBA Rejects WBD’s Attempt to Match Amazon Bid
The NBA has rejected Warner Bros. Discovery’s attempt to match Amazon Prime Video’s offer for a new streaming package.NBA Blocking TNT's Media Rights Shot Could Force Legal Jump Ball In a statement released Wednesday afternoon, the league said it is eager to move forward with its new—and legacy—media partners. “Throughout these negotiations, our primary objective has been to maximize the reach and accessibility of our games for our fans,” the statement read. “Our new arrangement with Amazon supports this goal by complementing the broadcast, cable and streaming packages that are already part of our new Disney and NBCUniversal arrangements. All three partners have...
Judge Denies Houston Christian’s Effort to Join House v. NCAA Case
U.S. District Court Judge Claudia Wilken has denied a motion by Houston Christian University to intervene as a party in the House v. NCAA antitrust case.Houston Christian May Call Legal Audible After Loss to NCAA In an order Wednesday, Wilken argued that the university had failed to meet its burden in establishing that it could not otherwise “protect its claimed” interest without joining the case. She added that HCU’s motion also was not filed in a timely manner, and that its “years-long delay in moving to intervene weighs heavily” in her decision. In its motion last month, the FCS school formerly known...
NFL 18-Game Season Debate Pits Financial Incentive vs. More Labor
NFLPA executive director Lloyd Howell told the The Washington Post he has begun having “high level” discussions with the NFL about potentially adding a 18th game to the regular season schedule. Howell says he still needs to discuss the controversial issue with players, as well as better understand the union’s collective priorities, from guaranteed annual compensation to field surfaces. This major change could come before the current collective bargaining agreement expires after the 2030 season.Sporticast 365: Are You Ready For Some (More) Football?! But this makes it clear that owners are getting closer to achieving what they’ve wanted for nearly two...
Angel Reese to Join Unrivaled 3-on-3 Hoops League
Chicago Sky rookie Angel Reese has joined Unrivaled, the new player-founded, 3-on-3 league led by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier.Sporticast 365: Are You Ready For Some (More) Football?! Reese announced the news in a post with Unrivaled on social media under the words “305 Barbie.” The league tips off in Miami in January 2025. Reese, known as “Bayou Barbie” when playing for LSU, has recently adopted the nickname “Chi-Town Barbie.” THE BARBIE IS UNRIVALED👑 10/30✅ TAG WHO’S NEXT 👀 @Reese10Angel pic.twitter.com/9XqmgXmsqa — Unrivaled Basketball (@Unrivaledwbb) July 24, 2024 The Sky forward is the first WNBA rookie and 10th player to join the league,...
Jerry Jones Avoids Witness Stand With Paternity Trial Settlement
During a jury trial in Texarkana, Texas, Tuesday in which a 27-year-old woman contended Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is her father and where Jones has countersued, U.S. District Judge Robert W. Schroeder announced the litigation was dismissed as the parties reached a settlement. He then thanked the jurors and released them from service in a trial that was in its second day. NFL Sunday Ticket Trial Going Well for League Alexandra Davis had sued Jerry Jones and the Cowboys for defamation, while Jones countersued Davis and her mother, Cynthia Davis-Spencer, for breach of contract. Davis separately filed a parentage action in...
Real Madrid Posts Record $1.16B in Revenue for 2023-24 Season
LaLiga soccer giant Real Madrid generated revenue of €1.07 billion ($1.16 billion based on current exchange rates) for the year ending June 30. This is the highest revenue ever posted by a professional sports franchise in a fiscal year.Tennis Players Skip Olympics With Chance for Extra Prize Money The previous high was FC Barcelona, which earned €990 million ($1.07 billion) during the 2018-19 season. The Dallas Cowboys hit 10 figures for the first time during the 2022 season with $1.05 billion. The total was a 27% increase versus the 2022-23 season, driven by gains in gameday and sponsorship revenue, including the team’s...
New Era to Outfit NFL Scouting Combine Players in 2025
The NFL expanded its partnership with sports apparel brand New Era to the NFL scouting combine; New Era will outfit prospects beginning in 2025.Sporticast 365: Are You Ready For Some (More) Football?! The league announced a multiyear agreement with New Era in an embargoed news release Wednesday. Financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed. The NFL became an equity investor in New Era in 2022, along with the NBA and MLB. The NHL announced a multiyear global licensing deal with the company on July 9, but it did not include any equity, according to an NHL spokesperson. New Era is providing performance...
Terrorism, Drone Use Among the Security Risks at 2024 Paris Olympics
The 2024 Paris Olympics arrive at a tumultuous time in Europe and amid political upheaval in the host country. The challenge for Olympic security officials and law enforcement could prove more difficult than in any prior Games. But officials are confident they are up to the task.La Previa 45: Telemundo's Miguel Gurwitz on Olympics and Business There have already been targeted threats to Paris 2024, which will feature about 10,500 athletes from more than 200 countries and who will collectively compete in 329 medal events over 19 days. Two months ago, French authorities arrested an 18-year-old man of Chechen origin in Saint-Etienne, accusing him of plotting an...
AC Milan, KAGR Partner to Grow U.S. Fan Demand for European Soccer
AC Milan and Kraft Analytics Group (KAGR), a sports and entertainment data analytics company, have announced collaboration on a comprehensive data and analytics initiative to enhance and extend the 125-year-old club’s fan engagement and unlock new revenue streams.Sporticast 360: NFL Teams Make $400M+ Before Tickets, Concessions The partnership will allow AC Milan to better understand and engage with its fans, using KAGR’s experience with major North American sports entities. AC Milan is KAGR’s first international client. “The partnership is a cultural shift for, AC Milan,” Jessica Gelman, the CEO of KAGR, said in a video call. “Their openness to learn from KAGR, who...
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