MLB and the MLB Players Association agreed to a new five-year collective bargaining agreement, ending the sport's 99-day lockout and allowing the league to begin a full 162-game regular season on April 7. The deal delivers ownership an expanded 12-team playoff and the ability to place advertisements on uniforms, while granting the players significant gains on key economic issues, including minimum salaries and the competitive balance tax threshold. (ESPN)
Mobile phone company Three announced it is suspending its sponsorship of Chelsea FC in response to the United Kingdom levying sanctions against the club's owner, Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich. Three paid the English Premier League club £40 million ($52.5 million) annually for its primary kit sponsorship, a sum that represents more than a quarter of the team's annual sponsorship revenue. (Bloomberg)
MLS club Nashville SC signed a multiyear naming rights agreement with Tennessee-based supply chain operator Geodis SA that will see its new stadium, the largest soccer-specific facility in the United States and Canada, named Geodis Park. Construction on the stadium is scheduled to conclude in the next month, and Nashville's first home game is set for May 1 against the Philadelphia Union. (The Associated Press)
MEDIA
ESPN insider Jeff Passan loses access to Twitter in thick of MLB lockout talks Ryan Glasspiegel, New York Post
As the world was waiting to find out if the MLB lockout has officially concluded, this was the worst possible time for Passan - one of the odds-on favorites to break the news - to lose access to his Twitter.
NCAA March Madness Live Platform Leans Into Multi-Game Streaming, Adds Fantasy Mollie Cahillane, Adweek
Viewers can watch up to two games at once with a live look-in to a second game, without audio, on Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV and Xbox One. Turner Sports also said it reduced latency by about 20% year-over-year.
WarnerMedia Could Pursue Rights to Stream NBA Games on HBO Max Andrew Cohen, SportTechie
"It might be a destination down the road to put NBA games on HBO Max," said Peter Scott, WarnerMedia's VP of emerging media and innovation. Turner Sports, which is also owned by WarnerMedia, will see its current NBA broadcast rights deal end after the 2024-25 season.
Fox's streaming strategy doesn't appear to have a significant live sports component Joe Lucia, Awful Announcing
Fox CEO Lachlan Murdoch's comments on Thursday crystallize where Fox's priorities lie regarding streaming. If you want to stream Fox's live sports without subscribing to a live streaming service, you're going to need an authenticated login.
March Madness And Influencer Marketing—What Brands Should Know Erika Wheless, Ad Age
Some marketers already have deals in place, including Dollar Shave Club, which partnered with Gonzaga star Drew Timme, who announced it on Instagram this week. More real-time marketing opportunities could come as players gain sudden fame.
Georgia basketball fires Tom Crean after disastrous 6-26 season Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports
The Bulldogs announced Thursday they had fired the men's basketball head coach, ending a four-year tenure that never saw the program finish higher than 10th in the SEC.
Bruce Weber resigns as basketball coach at Kansas State Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
Weber didn't walk away quietly. First, he criticized the NCAA over its handling of the FBI probe into college basketball corruption. Then, he struck out at Kansas State fans who used social media to berate him and his program.
