Sports News...(can't say Ma doesn't bring the News today...so much happening)

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Top Stories​

The Tampa Bay Lightning and Minnesota Wild are close to selling minority stakes to Arctos Sports Partners, according to team owners and a person close to the matter, after the NHL became the latest major American sports league to allow private equity firms to invest in franchises, following the NBA, MLB and MLS. (Financial Times) The NHL's rules for institutional investment are reportedly similar to those of the other leagues, allowing private equity firms to own stakes as large as 20 percent in up to five teams, and limiting any one team to 30 percent ownership by investment funds. (Sportico) Florida State University named Michael Alford, president and CEO of the athletic department's Seminole Boosters Inc. fundraising arm, its new athletic director, changing course after Louisville athletic director Vince Tyra was offered the job, according to a source. It remains unclear what caused Florida State's pursuit of Tyra to fall through after a Louisville spokesperson said the school accepted Tyra's resignation, effective Wednesday, and Louisville president Neeli Bendapudi also resigned Thursday to become president at Penn State. (ESPN) FanDuel Group, a subsidiary of Flutter Entertainment PLC, agreed to extend its sponsorship of "The Pat McAfee Show" under a new contract that is reportedly worth approximately $30 million per year. McAfee, a former NFL punter turned media personality, said the extension, which makes FanDuel the show's sole odds provider, is a four-year deal with an opt-out after three years. (New York Post) Former NFL wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, who played the majority of his 10-year career with the Denver Broncos, died at his home in Roswell, Ga., at the age of 33 from what police preliminarily called a "medical issue." Thomas, a five-time Pro Bowler, retired from the NFL in June. (The New York Times)

MEDIA Amazon looking to challenge sports media behemoths with daily shows Andrew Marchand, New York Post Amazon is in the beginning stages of developing studio programs in hopes of potentially having a full daily lineup. Amazon Prime Video, according to sources, has held substantive discussions with Embassy Row, the Sony television and digital production company that has created hits such as the NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" and NBC Sports' "Men in Blazers." Michigan's resurgence may have Big Ten looking at TV rights bidding war Sean Keeley, Awful Announcing All of a sudden the Big Ten is not dependent on Ohio State and solely Ohio State to draw ratings. And with the way Penn State, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan State worked their ways through the national spotlight this season, there's a case to be made that their "product" is as valuable as it's been in a while. PFL Challenger Series coming to fuboTV starting Feb. 18, 2022 Scott Fontana, New York Post Professional Fighters League's newest venture has found its streaming home. The season-based MMA organization on Thursday morning announced a deal to bring its PFL Challenger Series to fuboTV. Ratings: NBA, F1, college hoops and more Sports Media Watch The Warriors continue to deliver for the NBA's broadcast partners. Plus: Formula 1 scored another strong audience entering its season finale; CBS opened its college hoops schedule on a weak note; and more. Lakers, NBA Hate Upcoming HBO Series on Team Matthew Belloni, Puck News The Buss family, the Lakers leadership, its 80s-era players, and the NBA in general all absolutely hate the upcoming HBO series about the 1980s team, "Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty." According to someone who's seen the pilot, it's raunchy, filled with drugs and womanizing, and it is said to portray late owner Jerry Buss as a misogynist party boy.

COLLEGE SPORTS

The Ties That Divide: Expanding the College Football Playoff Has Become Increasingly Difficult Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated Jim Phillips and the ACC prefer an eight-team model and believe expanding now, before the NCAA transformation situation is resolved, could be a mistake. Kevin Warren and the Big Ten are only in support of a model that guarantees automatic berths to the Power 5 conference champions, and the ACC agrees. SEC football dominates yet again: Assistant coaches' pay towers over rest of Power Five Tom Schad and Steve Berkowitz, USA Today The majority of assistant coaches in the SEC are now making head coach money. According to USA TODAY Sports' annual review of coaches compensation, SEC assistants at public schools are pocketing almost $605,000 on average this year in terms of total compensation.

GENERAL

U.S. Won't Push Companies to Pull Out of Olympics, Raimondo Says Jenny Leonard, Bloomberg The Biden administration will not pressure companies to drop their sponsorship of the Beijing Olympics, Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo said. "What individual companies do is entirely up to them. We're not going to pressure them one way or another," Raimondo said in an editorial board with Bloomberg reporters and editors Thursday. Beijing Games relying on charters, temporary flights The Associated Press Already roiled by the pandemic and a partial diplomatic boycott, the Beijing Winter Olympics face another challenge in finding airplane seats for all of the athletes and officials. Ensuring the smooth arrival of participants has "become everyone's concern" because of a reduction in regular passenger flights because of COVID-19, Zhang Liang, director of the organizing committee's Arrival and Departure Center, said Friday. Surfing, skateboarding, climbing part of initial LA28 programme Reuters The sports of skateboarding, sports climbing and surfing that first featured at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics have been included in the initial sports programme for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) said on Thursday. Weightlifting, boxing and modern pentathlon were not among the 28 sports, however, and must meet certain criteria in 2023 to be included, IOC President Thomas Bach said. Nike accuses Adidas of patent infringement in new lawsuit Elliot Njus, The Portland Oregonian Nike this week accused top rival Adidas of infringing on patents for its high-tech Flyknit sneaker construction. The American sneaker giant, based near Beaverton, filed a lawsuit Wednesday against its German counterpart, which has its North American headquarters in Portland.

---Morning Consult
GBO
Ma

 

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