Choose your location
Sportico
NBC Advertisers Are in for a Très Magnifique Paris Olympics
This story appears in Sportico’s Morning Lead newsletter. Click here to sign up and get it delivered straight to your inbox.NBA Rights Contracts Hit Adam Silver's Desk With All Eyes on TNT America’s bemused affinity for the French first took root when a fancy badass named Lafayette helped George Washington punt all sorts of rump during the Revolutionary War, and but for the occasional frosty interval, we’ve been regular pals ever since. The alliance is such that the origins of some of our shared vocabulary aren’t always clear; depending on which etymologist you choose to believe, either the word “sport” was lifted from the Old...
Crimson Letter: Alabama Joins Adidas in Contesting LIV Golf Mark
The University of Alabama is telling LIV Golf to stay away from its ‘A.’Adidas Sues Over 100 Sites for Fake Merch in Brand Crackdown On June 30, the university filed a notice of opposition with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office claiming that the logo for 4Aces GC, the LIV Golf League team captained by Dustin Johnson, was violating its trademark. Since at least 2003, Alabama has used its script “A” logo on its athletic uniforms and clothing, including for its men’s and women’s golf teams. (Sports attorney John Nucci was first to note the filing in a post Thursday on X.) “The...
NFL Urges Court to Halt Advancing Sunday Ticket Case
As the NFL challenges last month’s jury verdict in the Sunday Ticket antitrust class action, it is also taking steps to ensure NFL owners don’t need to radically change broadcasting arrangements or post what might be a multibillion-dollar bond to be able to appeal.UnitedHealth Adds to Charlie Baker's Antitrust Avalanche On Tuesday, attorneys for NFL teams filed objections to a proposed judgment offered by plaintiffs’ attorneys on July 2. The plaintiffs, who consist of more than 2.4 million residential subscribers and more than 48,000 restaurants, bars and other commercial establishments that purchased Sunday Ticket from 2011 to 2023, urge U.S. District...
Bill Belichick Joins The CW’s ‘Inside the NFL’ as Analyst
Former New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick is joining The CW Network’s Inside the NFL as an analyst, the league announced in a news release Thursday.Rams' Puka Nacua on NBA Celebrity Game, NFL vs. NBA Debate Belichick, a six-time Super Bowl-winning head coach with the Patriots, will be joined by former NFL stars Chad Johnson, Chris Long, who each played for Belichick, and Ryan Clark for the show’s 48th season and second on The CW. Inside the NFL kicks off Aug. 30 and will air weekly on Friday nights throughout the NFL season. 8x Super Bowl champion coach Bill Belichick is...
Robert Kraft, Revolution Secure State Senate Vote for Stadium
The New England Revolution are one step closer to getting the keys to their own home.Pitch Invaders in Soccer Cast Spotlight on Security Protocols On Thursday, the Massachusetts State Senate unanimously approved an amendment in an economic development bill that includes land for a new soccer-specific stadium for the MLS franchise in Everett, Mass., a town directly north of Boston. The unanimous consent from the Senate is coupled with the state House’s own vote in June, and the full proposed bill will eventually go to Gov. Maura Healy’s desk for her signature. Officially, the bill being sponsored by State Sen. Sal DiDomenico—part...
TNT Could Sue Over Losing NBA, but Winning May Be a Long Shot
Breakups are always hard. Sometimes they wind up in court.NBA Rights Contracts Hit Adam Silver's Desk With All Eyes on TNT As Sportico detailed Wednesday, the NBA could soon part ways with TNT as part of a new alignment of TV deals. The league is finalizing a move to grant broadcasting rights to NBC, Amazon Prime Video and ABC/ESPN from the 2025-26 through 2035-36 NBA seasons. In exchange, the NBA would receive about $76 billion, on average around $7 billion a year. The NBA’s board of governors still must approve the necessary transactions. If that happens, Warner Bros. Discovery (TNT’s parent) would have five days...
TGI’s $100M Virtual Ad Tech Deal Consolidates Expertise
Sports media agency TGI Sport has agreed to acquire ad tech firm Supponor for roughly €100 million ($108 million), according to a person familiar with the transaction. Supponor’s capabilities, some of which are used by the NHL for its digitally placed dasherboard inventory, add to TGI’s growing arsenal of virtual advertising offerings. Popular NFL Podcast Overhauled as Hosts Depart TGI first invested in Supponor in 2019, and the two groups have partnered on recent efforts with a particular focus on the international market. Supponor is headquartered in London while TGI Sport operates in 50 countries, with a headquarters in Australia. Supponor’s AIR platform...
Sporticast 361: Inside Saudi Arabia’s New Esports World Cup
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams speak with Ralf Reichert, CEO of the Esports World Cup Foundation, about the ongoing event in Saudi Arabia. The eight-week Esports World Cup kicked off in Riyadh on July 3, drawing participation from many of the world’s biggest game publishers and esports orgs.Sporticast 360: NFL Teams Make $400M+ Before Tickets, Concessions Reichert discusses the genesis of the event. The World Cup is part of Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, a government backed initiative to spend tens of billions to both diversify the kingdom’s economy and begin to reshape its arts, culture...
The Celtics Are for Sale, but Not for the Reason Many Think
By now you’ve likely heard that the Boston Celtics are for sale. Less than two weeks after winning an NBA record 18th championship, the consortium that controls the Celtics announced that it would sell all of its shares. There will be a lot of interest—Sportico values the team at $5.12 billion and the Celtics are one of the most recognizable brands in all of sports.Bill Belichick Joins The CW's 'Inside the NFL' as Analyst But the reason for the sale has been lost on many fans. In a statement issued last week, the team cited “estate and family planning considerations.” That’s...
Sportradar, UEFA Expand Deal for Champions League Data
Sportradar and UEFA have extended and expanded their betting data relationship, which covers some of the biggest soccer matches in Europe.Rams' Puka Nacua on NBA Celebrity Game, NFL vs. NBA Debate Under the new three-year deal, Sportradar will continue to exclusively distribute UEFA’s gambling data for the governing body’s events through the 2026-27 season—including Champions League, Europa League, women’s Euros 2025, and qualifiers for both the 2026 men’s World Cup and 2028 Euros, the company said. Sportradar is also adding new rights to sell data to non-betting media partners. It will have those rights on a non-exclusive basis, sharing them with...
Power Progeny: Delany’s Son Joins Fellow Commish Kids in the Family Biz
On a morning in late February, Whit Babcock, the athletic director at Virginia Tech, received an email from an unfamiliar sender with a very familiar last name.Trev Alberts' SEC Meeting 'Spending' Line Has a Familiar Ring “I know you have worked with my father, Jim Delany, but [I] wanted to introduce myself,” read the note from Newman Delany, referring to his old man. The longtime Big Ten commissioner’s son was soliciting interest on behalf of Collegiate Athletic Solutions, a college sports-focused investment company recently formed by RedBird Capital and Weatherford Capital. Delany is the new venture’s senior vice president and only publicly...
Banned NBA Player Jontay Porter Pleads Guilty in Betting Case
Former NBA player Jontay Porter, who the league banned in April for partaking in a scheme where he bet against himself in games where he feigned injury, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud at his arraignment Wednesday before U.S. Magistrate Judge James Cho. The felony carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, though Porter will receive a much shorter sentence given that he pled guilty and is cooperating with law enforcement.Knicks-Raptors Espionage Case Heads to Arbitration Porter last played for the Toronto Raptors and is connected to an alleged conspiracy U.S. Attorney Breon Peace has described as...
NBA Rights Contracts Hit Adam Silver’s Desk With All Eyes on TNT
The NBA has taken a crucial step in mapping out the next dozen years of its media strategy, as the league’s would-be partners, at long last, have submitted their respective contracts to commissioner Adam Silver. The 11-year deals would grant rights to NBC and Amazon Prime Video, with ABC/ESPN remaining the home of the NBA Finals, and total payments of nearly $76 billion to the NBA. Warner Bros. Discovery’s TNT would be left out if the deals go through.Drafts of the legal papers have been in revision since late May, but today’s document transfer marks the first official step in bringing...
UnitedHealth Adds to Charlie Baker’s Antitrust Avalanche
NCAA president Charlie Baker may be about to have another antitrust lawsuit on his hands—but this one has nothing to do with college sports.NFL Urges Court to Halt Advancing Sunday Ticket Case On Wednesday, The Wall Street Journal reported the Federal Trade Commission is preparing to sue UnitedHealth Group and the corporate owners of two other pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs)—Cigna and CVS Health—over alleged price-fixing related to the sale of insulin and other drugs. In November, the NCAA president and former Massachusetts governor was named to UnitedHealth Group’s 10-member board of directors, with board chairman Stephen J. Hemsley touting Baker’s “leadership and...
Wander Franco Faces Multiple Legal Issues After Sexual Abuse Charges
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco was charged Tuesday in the Dominican Republic with sexual abuse and sexual exploitation against a 14-year-old girl, as well as illicit migrant smuggling and human trafficking.Birmingham Goes Big to Honor Mays and Enshrine Baseball History Franco has been under investigation for possible sexual relations with women (girls) who are under the age of 18, the legal age of consent in the Dominican Republic. A person younger than the age of consent cannot legally consent. Franco, who has denied the allegations, was arrested in January for failing to comply with a summons. Tuesday’s statement by the Ministerio Público also indicates a...
Man United Projects $845M Record Revenue for 2024, Confirms Layoffs
Manchester United reported third-quarter financial results on Wednesday that showed revenue down 20% for the three months ending March 31, as the club played fewer games versus the prior year. But the 20-time English champions expect record revenue of £660 million for the full year ($845 million based on current exchange rates).Man United and Snapdragon Unveil 2024-25 Home Jerseys The financial release also confirmed reports that the club will reduce its headcount by approximately 250 employees through layoffs. Revenue was $175 million for the quarter, with a 26% decline in broadcast revenue to $48 million and 41% drop for matchday to $38...
FSU Expands Legends Deal as Sixth Street Talks Continue
Florida State University has spent the last year in talks with private equity giant Sixth Street about a possible cash infusion. On Wednesday, the university announced a new 10-year expansion of its relationship with Sixth Street-owned Legends, the sports venue operations and experiences company.Learfield, Opendorse Diverge on Tech, NIL and Their Partnership The partnership is aimed at increasing revenue opportunities for Seminoles athletics, which has become a poster child of sorts for the modern college sports money panic. As power concentrates in the Big Ten and SEC, the school is suing to try to exit the ACC early and is exploring...
USA Hoops Hands Keys to Kerr Amid ‘Dream Team’ Olympic Hopes
LAS VEGAS — Steve Kerr has won nine NBA titles—five as a player and four more as coach of the Golden State Warriors, plus a gold medal as an assistant coach on the 2021 men’s Olympic team. But the latest task ahead of him is his most challenging.LeBron James Returning to Lakers on 2-Year Deal With Player Option The job: Figuring out how to mix and match 12 of the world’s most talented players on this year’s U.S. men’s basketball team with the goal of winning another gold medal next month during the Paris Olympics. This year’s team has gathered this week...
Sportico
8K+
Posts
17M+
Views
Sportico provides daily, actionable, enterprise reporting covering the sports business and cultural ecosystem. It will be the daily "go to" place for anyone seeking the latest and highest quality news and information in the $500 billion worldwide sports industry.
Welcome to NewsBreak, an open platform where diverse perspectives converge. Most of our content comes from established publications and journalists, as well as from our extensive network of tens of thousands of creators who contribute to our platform. We empower individuals to share insightful viewpoints through short posts and comments. It’s essential to note our commitment to transparency: our Terms of Use acknowledge that our services may not always be error-free, and our Community Standards emphasize our discretion in enforcing policies. We strive to foster a dynamic environment for free expression and robust discourse through safety guardrails of human and AI moderation. Join us in shaping the news narrative together.