MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred concluded his first set of owners meetings this afternoon, and he firmly stood behind the league’s position in the ongoing MASN media rights dispute. The league, Nationals, and the Orioles-controlled RSN are all awaiting a ruling from Judge Lawrence Marks in the N.Y. State Supreme Court following oral arguments on Monday. But Manfred today predicted the Nationals will ultimately gain the elevated rights fees awarded to them last year by the league’s Revenue Sharing Definitions Committee. That award is now enjoined while the MASN lawsuit continues. “The RSDC was empowered to set the rights fee, and that’s what they did,” Manfred said. “Sooner or later, MASN is going to be required to pay those rights fees.”

Manfred also said the league is reviewing the issue of minority hiring following recent managerial changes by the Brewers and Marlins without a minority interview, as required by the league’s Selig Rule. Manfred acknowledged in-season switches such as these are difficult, and said, "If a club has an internal candidate that they’re so sure about that they’re willing to forego the opportunity to interview anyone, forcing people through an interview process doesn’t really make a lot of sense." But he added, "We have some ideas that we’re working on that go beyond the Selig Rule and provide additional support for (minority) candidates."

The commissioner noted the idea of reducing the MLB regular season to 154 games continues to be discussed informally, but said it remains “a huge economic issue” requiring significant additional study before reaching a stage of formal bargaining with the MLBPA. He added the entire group of owners met with ESPN President John Skipper to discuss their ongoing relationship. Manfred: “It was a great interaction with all the owners and one of our really important business partners.”

Luis Figo today dropped out of the FIFA presidential election, claiming that soccer's governing body is a "dictatorship under Sepp Blatter." The move comes "hours after" fellow candidate Michael van Praag withdrew from the May 29 election (AP, 5/21). This leaves Blatter in a "straight fight" with Jordan's Prince Ali bin Al Hussein, with van Praag saying that he "will back" Ali. Figo used his Facebook announcement to "condemn what he believes are double-standards" in FIFA (AFP, 5/21).

A federal appeals court today upheld the settlement of a class action lawsuit against the NFL for allegedly using images of retirees without their permission. The case, Dryer v NFL, began in '09 and was settled in '13, creating a $42M fund for player charities and a licensing agency for the retirees. Several players appealed, including Fred Dryer, contending the settlement did not resolve the core issue of reimbursing them for their image rights. But the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals' three-judge panel ruled, "If the players' publicity rights are as valuable as (they) claim, the players should be able to realize the value of their publicity rights through the Licensing Agency."

CONCACAF today announced that Delta Air Lines will sponsor the CONCACAF Gold Cup soccer tournament. Delta gains the official airline designation in CONCACAF territory, which includes the U.S., Canada, Mexico and Central America. Delta is a first-time Gold Cup sponsor and also sponsors the Sounders and EPL club Chelsea. The announcement was made in conjunction  with Traffic Sports, CONCACAF's commercial partnership agency (CONCACAF).

Hardball Capital Chair & CEO Jason Freier today announced that the Single-A South Atlantic League Savannah Sand Gnats will relocate to Columbia, S.C. They will open play next April at the $37M Spirit Communications Park, where "construction has been underway since the start of the year." The club's contract to stay in Savannah's Grayson Stadium expires Sept. 30 (THESTATE.com, 5/21).

Freier for years "had been trying to get the Savannah City Council to support the construction" of a new ballpark, but the "mayor and aldermen had resisted the idea due to concerns about costs as they plan out high-dollar projects such as a new arena" (SAVANNAHNOW.com, 5/21).

Sources said that talks over a planned takeover of EPL club Crystal Palace by 76ers and Devils Majority Owner Josh Harris' group "have broken down," as advanced negotiations "unravelled in the past several weeks." It was "unclear" whether Harris and the group were "trying to salvage a deal with Crystal Palace or whether they had their sights set on another club." One source said that Crystal Palace's owners "might have sought better terms" after the EPL in February struck a record $7.8B U.K. TV deal (FT.com, 5/21).

The Lions today announced a multiyear TV deal with FS Detroit and Detroit-based WJBK-Fox for preseason coverage (Lions).

The AVP announced that it has added DripDrop to its roster of sponsors as the volleyball series' exclusive hydration partner (AVP).

F1 drivers today "launched an extensive survey in 12 languages" as part of "increased efforts to make the sport more exciting by seeking input from alienated fans" (AP, 5/21).

The Verizon IndyCar Series this afternoon formally unveiled plans to host a season-ending street race in Boston’s Seaport District in '16, marking the first time the circuit will race in the city. The Grand Prix of Boston, will be run Sept. 4 during Labor Day Weekend (IndyCar).

“Focus on selling an NFL team in the second most important market in America rather than talking about deflated footballs” – FS1’s Bill Reider, on what NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s first priority should be right now (“Fox Sports Live Countdown,” FS1, 5/21).

"I got a big picture in mind ... and that's where we're going. But if you think there is no pain coming, there is pain coming" – New Maple Leafs coach Mike Babcock, on the rebuilding process needed to return the Maple Leafs to consistent Stanley Cup contention (REUTERS, 5/21).

"They see Canada as an obvious home for an NFL team" – MLSE Chair Larry Tanenbaum, on the NFL possibly putting a franchise in Toronto in the future (BLOOMBERG NEWS, 5/21).

TOUCHDOWN! @EtihadStadiumAU is in negotiations to bring a US College Football Bowl Game to Oz in Dec 2016 / Jan 2017! http://t.co/LlTBoLPqDa

— Etihad Stadium (@EtihadStadiumAU) May 21, 2015

CFB attendance has a lot of factors: Older fans don't like traffic, parking. Student attendance down; in home experience so good.

— Tony Barnhart (@MrCFB) May 21, 2015

Mike Babcock: "There's pain coming." Did he just reveal 2015-16 Toronto Maple Leafs slogan?

— Helene St. James (@HeleneStJames) May 21, 2015

Isiah Thomas asked if he'll back in the NBA at some point. He doesn't close the door on it. "You never know where you're going to end up."

— Ian Begley (@IanBegley) May 21, 2015

Just a heads up. Username change- doing less with YCP, and going to make this a more professional style account.

— Patrick Burke (@BurkieNHL) May 21, 2015

Sad to hear about death of former Ohio State SID Steve Snapp, a Vietnam vet who dealt with Woody and media hordes with grace and humor.

— Andrew Bagnato (@andrewbagnato) May 21, 2015

Funniest comment @sbjsbd Awards by Bob Costas - "why is the @ZebraSports lady wearing the wrong print!" pic.twitter.com/mstDpsVk0O

— Jill Stelfox (@JillStelfox) May 21, 2015

Golfer Rory McIlroy gets a chance to be on the other side of an interview session, asking One Direction member Niall Horan a series of questions submitted by fans online.

YES Network will televise the Triple-A Int'l League Durham Bulls-Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders game from PNC Field at 6:30pm ET. Yankees P Masahiro Tanaka is slated to make a rehabilitation start for the RailRiders.

FS1 will premiere "One Hot Night: 1992 NASCAR All-Star Race," a one-hour documentary on the first NASCAR night race on a 1.5-mile track, at 8:30pm ET.

10,578 – Official attendance for the first day of the SEC Baseball Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium near Birmingham, Ala., the "worst ever since the tournament moved to Hoover permanently" in '98. The crowd for the two Tuesday sessions was "just one person shy of the previous lowest count" of 10,579 in '04 (AL.com, 5/20).