The ACC, Big Ten and Pac-12 are expected to formally announce an alliance that will see the three collegiate athletic conferences work together on multiple fronts, from College Football Playoff expansion to NCAA governance issues and annual football scheduling, according to people with knowledge of the situation. One driving force behind the alliance is reportedly that conference administrators believe The Walt Disney Co.-owned ESPN has too much control over college football, and that any expansion of the CFP shouldn't take place until after ESPN's deal to broadcast the event expires in 2026. (The Athletic)
The opening ceremony for the Summer Paralympic Games was held this morning in Tokyo, beginning the 17-day event that will feature 4,400 athletes competing without spectators in the stands amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Comcast Corp.-owned NBCUniversal has committed to delivering more than 1,200 hours of coverage across its linear and streaming platforms, up from 70 hours during the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and U.S. Paralympic medalists for the first time will receive the same prize money as their Olympic counterparts. (The New York Times)
The U.S. Tennis Association announced it will boost total player compensation for this year's U.S. Open to a record $57.5 million, but that the two singles champions will each receive $2.5 million, a 35 percent decrease from 2019, the last time the event was held with fans in attendance. Tournament director Stacey Allaster said the round-by-round prize money allocations were determined through dialogue with players and management of both the ATP and WTA Tours, and that the new breakdown will "benefit the maximum number of players." (The Associated Press)
COLLEGE SPORTS
Fiesta Bowl Secures First Bowl Game Gambling Partnership With Caesars Entertainment Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated
The Fiesta Bowl is partnering with Caesars Entertainment, the Nevada-based gambling company, in what is believed to be the first sports betting and fantasy gaming alliance between a college football bowl game and a gambling property. Caesars will play host to a newly created fan lounge within each stadium of both the Fiesta Bowl and the Guaranteed Rate Bowl, providing fans with an educational and engaging experience with company ambassadors.
Pac-12 football strategy: Timing of expansion decision, future of conference schedule and goal of ACC-Big Ten alliance Jon Wilner, The San Jose Mercury News
The conference will decide within weeks whether it wants to expand - but not which schools it might add. "We'll have a decision in the next couple weeks about whether or not we're looking at expansion,'' commissioner George Kliavkoff told the Hotline. "If we do look at expansion, then it would be a process that we would go through.
SEC discussing potential financial penalties for teams that forfeit due to COVID Andy Staples, The Athletic
Sources have confirmed to The Athletic that SEC officials are discussing a potential financial penalty that could be applied along with forcing a team to forfeit if it does not have the minimum number of players available. Essentially, if canceled games cost the league television money, then schools whose teams had to forfeit would receive less from the conference's revenue-sharing agreement than schools that did not have to forfeit games.
