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WBD ‘Matches’ Amazon’s $19.8 Billion NBA Bid, Legal Battle Sure to Follow
Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t ending its longtime partnership with the NBA without a fight, as the parent company of TNT Sports has confirmed that it has made a matching offer for Amazon’s $1.8 billion-per-year bid for 11 years of streaming rights.The media conglomerate made its intentions to match the streamer’s $19.8 billion bid known Monday afternoon, by way of a registered letter delivered to NBA headquarters.In a statement released shortly after the documents landed at 645 Fifth Ave., a WBD spokesperson said, “We have reviewed the offers and matched one of them.” While the company did not explicitly affirm that...
On Location Olympic Ticket Revamp Promises Gold for IOC, Endeavor
Three years after being awarded a global hospitality contract as part of the International Olympic Committee’s revamp of ticketing for the Summer and Winter Games, the start of the Paris Games marks one of the most hotly anticipated efforts by On Location in its history.Sporticast 364: Why We Watch the Olympics The IOC has consolidated ticketing and hospitality experiences under its umbrella, with individual ticket sales going through the IOC directly. However, the organization chose On Location to manage sales of its premium packages—including some of the best tickets for the Games. “This is the biggest shift from a commercial point of...
Paris Poised to Eclipse London in Olympic Sponsor Hospitality
As Paris prepares to host this year’s Olympic Games—with the Eiffel Tower and Arc de Triomphe looming as backdrops—Coca-Cola Company, a longtime IOC partner, is gearing up to cultivate relationships and entertain clients on a grand scale. Work Arounds: Olympians Juggle Multiple Jobs in Pursuit of Gold At the 2012 London Olympics, Coca-Cola hosted nearly 4,000 guests from more than 100 countries as part of its corporate hospitality program, providing them with tickets and experiences. After Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo that had more limited hospitality potential, the 96-year IOC partner is expected to bring almost 2,000 guests to Paris,...
Troy Aikman Has Edge in Battle With Lamar Jackson Over No. 8
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson recently filed a notice of opposition at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office in hopes of stopping a company connected to Hall of Fame quarterback Troy Aikman from trademarking the number “Eight” spelled out as a word.Crimson Letter: Alabama Joins Adidas in Contesting LIV Golf Mark While the two-time NFL MVP usually connects on his throws, Jackson’s legal toss against Aikman faces stiff defense. The case is fundamentally about a number widely used in everyday life and in football. Jackson wears No. 8. Aikman, who won three Super Bowls for the Dallas Cowboys in the 1990s and is now...
Leyland, Beltré, Mauer, Helton Inducted Into Baseball Hall
The National Baseball Hall of Fame Class of 2024 is now complete as Adrian Beltré, Todd Helton, Joe Mauer and Jim Leyland were inducted Sunday on the stage behind the Clark Sports Center in Cooperstown, N.Y.Randy Johnson Uses His Old Pitching Techniques in Photography Beltré, Helton and Mauer were elected in January by eligible members of the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, Beltré and Mauer the first time their names appeared on the writers’ ballot. Leyland, who managed multiple teams in his career, was the sole person elected in December off the eight-person ballot of the 16-member Contemporary Era Non-Players Committee. Beltré...
Schauffele Wins British Open, His Second Major, and $3.1 Million
Xander Schauffele put on a clinic Sunday at Royal Troon Golf Club in Scotland, hitting 16 of 18 fairways in regulation and posting a 6-under par round of 65 for a 72-hole total of 9-under 275. It propelled him to a two-stroke win over Justin Rose and Billy Horschel to win the 152nd British Open. Thriston Lawrence (-6) and Russell Henley (-5) rounded out the top five.Sporticast 364: Why We Watch the Olympics The Claret Jug win was worth $3.1 million in prize money, while Rose and Horschel each won $1.44 million for their runner-up finish. Horschel led the Open Championship...
Caitlin Clark Not Gloating After WNBA All-Stars Top Olympic Team
PHOENIX – Caitlin Clark is not going to the Paris Olympics and Saturday night at Footprint Center it sounded like she didn’t mind at all.Mat Ishbia Relishes WNBA All-Star Game as Phoenix Empire Expands She’s been running at a hectic pace for a year, she said. First the regular college basketball season, then the NCAA Women’s Final Four, right into the WNBA draft, first half of the season and the WNBA All-Star Game. Every move analyzed, every shot dissected. Pardon her if she’d like to take the Olympic break off. “See you in a month,” she said after the WNBA All-Stars took...
Longshot Billy Horschel Leads British Open After Three Rounds
Billy Horschel took the lead Saturday during a rainy third round of the British Open with a 2-under par round of 69 at Royal Troon Golf Course in Scotland. He’s one stroke ahead of six golfers. World No. 1 Scottie Scheffler sits two shots back.Schauffele Wins British Open, His Second Major, and $3.1 Million Horschel turned pro in 2009 and joined the Tour full-time in 2011. The 37-year-old American has had a solid career with eight PGA Tour wins and a career-high ranking of 11th in 2022. A 15-year run on the PGA Tour is lucrative if you can sprinkle in...
Copa América Final Ticketing Chaos Triggers Several Lawsuits
As predicted, lawsuits have surfaced in the wake of ticketed fans being denied entry into Hard Rock Stadium for last Sunday’s Copa América final between Argentina and Colombia.Fox's 'Summer of Soccer' Wraps With Record Euro, Copa América Ratings Earlier this week, several complaints were filed in a Miami-Dade County trial court, with the stadium and CONMEBOL named as defendants. The Athletic reported on the complaints, copies of which Sportico has obtained. Miami-Dade resident Isabel Quintero is one of the plaintiffs, all of whom seek jury trials. Quintero says she had a ticket to attend the match but was denied entry. She allegedly suffered “severe injuries” upon being...
Mat Ishbia Relishes WNBA All-Star Game as Phoenix Empire Expands
PHOENIX – Mat Ishbia is right where he wants to be. The WNBA All-Star Game is in town Saturday night at a sold-out Footprint Center. The Mercury’s $100 million practice facility was christened Friday—three months ahead of schedule—just south of the arena downtown and featuring courts named after star Diana Taurasi.Caitlin Clark Not Gloating After WNBA All-Stars Top Olympic Team Ishbia also has the NBA All-Star Game coming in 2027. Not bad for 18 months owning the Suns and Mercury. “We’re trying to make Phoenix a destination,” Ishbia said in an interview Friday standing near center court at the new practice facility....
Vegas Knights Owner Foley Doubles Down on International Soccer
Vegas Golden Knights owner Bill Foley is betting on soccer.NHL Skates Into Playoffs With 8-Year Ratings High, Record Attendance Since acquiring the Premier League’s AFC Bournemouth in 2022, the billionaire businessman has developed a multi-club model under Black Knight Football Club, his holding company, in a remarkably short period. “After we got the NHL’s Golden Knights franchise, I became fascinated by football, particularly the Premier League,” Foley said in a video call. His initial search yielded a few minority stake investments, but he ultimately decided to pursue a club where he could have complete control. “I’d like to be in a situation where...
Doug Gottlieb’s $215K UW-Green Bay Contract Contains ‘Conflict’ Plan
Doug Gottlieb, the Fox Sports personality recently hired to be Wisconsin-Green Bay’s head men’s basketball coach, will earn $215,000 in salary this coming year, according to a copy of his employment contract obtained by Sportico. In addition, Gottlieb will have a chance to earn various incentive bonuses ($200,000 if the Phoenix win a national title).Fox's 'Summer of Soccer' Wraps With Record Euro, Copa América Ratings Gottlieb’s unique, five-year deal with the Horizon League school—which tops out at $305,000 in base compensation in Year 5—will enable him to simultaneously continue his far more lucrative multimedia work under the banner of Doug Gottlieb...
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for July 19
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry.Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for July 12 PERSONNEL PMG Launches Sports Marketing Practice, Hires Dan Conti to Lead Ahead of the Summer Olympics, PMG, a global independent marketing services and technology company, has launched a dedicated sports marketing practice. To lead the practice, PMG has hired Dan Conti as the head of sports marketing. Conti brings over 16 years of experience in the sports industry, spanning agency, publisher and athlete management roles. Conti joined from GroupM’s Wavemaker, where he started and grew the Sports...
Varsity Brands Taking on $2.4B Debt to Fund KKR Takeover From Bain
Bain Capital-owned Varsity Brands is getting its third private equity overlord in a decade, as global investment firm KKR aims to use billions of dollars of new junk-rated debt on the business to buy out existing shareholders.Varsity Cheerleading, Bain Agree to $82.5 Million Antitrust Settlement Varsity Brands—which owns cheerleading giant Varsity Spirit and athletic outfitter BSN Sports—will sell $2.375 billion in new first-tier debt and take $100 million from a new $400 million credit line to help KKR buy out other shareholders, according to ratings notes published this week by Moody’s and S&P Global. KKR agreed to buy Varsity from Bain earlier...
Beckham Jr. Actually Gets $0 From Nike Endorsement Lawsuit Trial
Odell Beckham Jr.’s post on Instagram Thursday evening declared that “JUSTICE WAS SERVED!!!” in his $20 million breach of contract case against Nike, which implied the Miami Dolphins wide receiver had scored a big legal win against the footwear giant.Adidas Beats Estimates Amid Turnaround as Nike Woes Continue It turns out Beckham did “win,” in a sense, but he also lost and netted $0. The jury determined both sides won as defendants but came up short as plaintiffs. The net result: a draw. As reported by the Portland Business Journal, a Multnomah County (Ore.) Circuit Court jury Thursday found that neither Beckham nor Nike were in breach...
Ally Becomes Founding Partner of Women’s 3-on-3 League Unrivaled
Ally Financial is adding Unrivaled, a new, 3-on-3 women’s basketball league co-founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, to its women’s sports portfolio with a multiyear, multimillion-dollar partnership.Caitlin Clark Not Gloating After WNBA All-Stars Top Olympic Team When Unrivaled officially launches in 2025, the financial services company will become its founding partner and leaguewide jersey sponsor. With this partnership, Ally is also committing to significant media spending, which can play a vital role in the league’s ongoing negotiations to secure a broadcast deal. “We don’t consider [partnerships] unless there’s an opportunity to either integrate into best-in-class media or a property...
NFL Accused of ‘Reverse-Engineering’ Sunday Ticket Jury Award
Blasting the NFL for trying to “reverse-engineer” how a Los Angeles jury calculated the NFL must pay $4.7 billion in damages for Sunday Ticket antitrust violations, attorneys for the class action plaintiffs Wednesday urged the presiding judge to not “play Monday morning quarterback,” and instead deny the league’s motion for a judgment as a matter of law or new trial.NCAA House Settlement Delayed by 'Infighting,' Per Plaintiffs' Lawyer As Sportico detailed, the NFL maintains the jury in the federal Central District of California court reached a “nonsensical” and “irrational” decision to find liability and to award billions of dollars in damages in a class action...
NFL’s Trent Brown Wrangles D-Linemen and Cattle for a Living
Trent Brown has never played for the Dallas Cowboys, but he knows a thing or two about tending cattle.NFL Eyes Ratings Slide as Election Threatens to Upend Fall TV The Cincinnati Bengals hired the rancher this offseason to protect franchise quarterback Joe Burrow. But when the NFL veteran isn’t focused on passing schemes or slide protections, you can probably find him on his ranch back in Bastrop, east of Austin, Texas. At that three-stable property, he’s building a livestock enterprise, one he expects will generate revenue long after his playing days are over. “I plan on this being my life after football,”...
NFL Eyes Ratings Slide as Election Threatens to Upend Fall TV
While Americans resign themselves to another three months of the punditry class banging on about how this is the Most Important Election Cycle of Our Time®—a rhetorical feint that’s been in circulation seemingly since the Whigs made their last stand in 1852—the nation’s sports-industrial complex is quietly doom-scrolling through the latest Nielsen ratings. As much as it might stand to reason that a rematch of two historically unpopular candidates would be met with little in the way of enthusiasm, recent events have conspired to send tens of millions of citizens scrambling to their TV sets, a mass movement that could...
Powering the WNBA’s Meteoric Rise On and Off the Court
Rebecca Dyer is the director of business development and sales for Genius Sports. Caitlin Clark Not Gloating After WNBA All-Stars Top Olympic Team Two months into a historic WNBA season and amidst a flurry of broken records, unprecedented media coverage and incredible growth, it’s been difficult to find even a moment to reflect on a landmark period for the league and women’s sports in general. We’ve all seen the stats. The start of the season has been the most-watched ever, including the 2.3 million who tuned into ESPN to watch the Indiana Fever play the Chicago Sky, marking the most-viewed WNBA game...
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