A federal judge ruled against MLB in a lawsuit filed by minor leaguers seeking back pay, rejecting the league's argument that the players are seasonal employees exempt from minimum wage laws. In addition to ruling that the plaintiffs are entitled to $1,882,650 in penalties on a California claim, Judge Joseph Spero determined that the players are owed money on an Arizona claim, but that the amount would have to be determined at trial, which is set to begin June 1. (The Athletic)
Private equity firm Arctos Sports Partners has invested in six MLB franchises, according to people familiar with the deals, including the Los Angeles Dodgers, Chicago Cubs, San Francisco Giants, San Diego Padres, Houston Astros and Boston Red Sox. Unlike other leagues, MLB does not have a cap on how many teams can be owned by a single fund. (Sportico)
FC Barcelona announced a sponsorship deal with audio streaming service Spotify Technology SA that includes the naming rights to the soccer club's home stadium, Camp Nou, for the first time, as well as uniform branding for both the men's and women's teams. Sources said the four-year deal would be worth 280 million euros ($308.3 million). (ESPN)
Amazon Moves Matt Newman to Global Sports Group Brent Lang, Variety
Matt Newman will transition to a new role at Prime Video's global sports group, where he is being tasked with developing original sports docuseries, films and scripted projects. He will report to Marie Donoghue, vice president of global sports video at Amazon.
March Madness returns, awash in cash, with viewers set to follow Bill Shea, The Athletic
As part of the network rotation deal, the three final tournament games are on TBS, which likely means a smaller audience because they're on cable rather than on CBS, which has a broader viewership as a broadcast network. Last year's entire men's tournament averaged 3.82 million viewers per game, down 13 percent from 2019.
Cliff Floyd and Cameron Maybin join Marquee Sports Network as studio analysts Jay Rigdon, Awful Announcing
Former Cubs Cliff Floyd and Cameron Maybin will join the pregame and postgame analyst rotation for the team's regional sports network. Maybin is also joining YES Network this season as a part-time game analyst.
Pac-12 partners with Tempus Ex Machina on data deal, paving the way for a vital new revenue stream Jon Wilner, The San Jose Mercury News
The Pac-12 on Tuesday announced what it described as the "first-ever, all-encompassing data technology partnership in collegiate athletics" — an agreement with Tempus Ex Machina that's designed to improve the aggregation of statistics for teams and fans alike.
Lawmakers Slam NCAA for Failing to Address Disparity in Men's and Women's Sports Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated
Representatives Carolyn B. Maloney (D-N.Y.), Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) and Mikie Sherrill (D-N.J.) say the NCAA has made "inadequate progress" in addressing the disparate treatment of men and women athletes a year after the topic took center stage during the NCAA women's basketball tournament.
Sports Betting Apps Flood College Campuses, Fuel Addiction Fears Gerry Smith, Bloomberg
At least seven schools have reached lucrative advertising agreements with betting apps like Caesars Sportsbook and PointsBet. The advertising deals have raised concerns about promoting betting to college-age students who may be vulnerable to addiction.
NCAA maintains stability with sponsor roster Michael Smith, Sports Business Journal
The NCAA's cast of corporate partners and champions (17 of them) has been remarkably stable, given how much these deals cost — into the tens of millions annually. What really stands out are the three at the "champion" level — AT&T, Coca Cola and Capital One.
WAC Could Move from Colorado HQ CollegeAD
Sources said one of the first things commissioner Brian Thornton has looked at since moving to the WAC from the American Athletic Conference was moving WAC's headquarters out of Colorado to somewhere in Texas.
NIL leaders Haley and Hanna Cavinder enter NCAA transfer portal Ryan Glasspiegel, New York Post
The twin sisters, who have 4 million followers on TikTok, are part of WWE's inaugural NIL class. Other endorsement deals they've done include PSD Underwear, TIAA financial services, Orgain protein, Boost Mobile and Celestial Seasonings teas.
