YAHOO SPORTS' Kevin Iole noted bidders looking to purchase UFC "want to keep" President Dana White, who is still "uniquely qualified to run" the outfit. It is "not that someone can't take what White has built and keep the ship afloat, but buying the UFC without White is not substantially different than purchasing Coca-Cola and not getting the secret formula with it." White is "far and away the most important figure in the brief history of MMA." The sport would be "dramatically different without him, in some ways for the better and in other ways for the worse." If the UFC is sold and White chooses to leave, "one thing is for certain: It's going to be a lot less colorful and a lot less entertaining" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 6/17).
MOVING ON UP: In Boston, Ben Volin noted after three years of flat salaries in the NFL, rookie wages "are on the rise." Rookie wage increases "pretty much outpaced the increase in the salary cap this year." The salary cap rose by 8.37% -- from $143.28M to $155.27M -- yet rookies received a 9-11% increase in guaranteed money from last year. No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff signed a four-year deal with the Rams worth around $27.9M fully guaranteed. That contract is a 10.2% increase compared to last year's No. 1 pick Jameis Winston. This is the "second straight year the No.1 pick has seen a healthy increase in his contract" (BOSTON GLOBE, 6/19).
CUTTING TIES: The NBPA has severed its relationship with wealth management firm Personal Capital, which had provided its personal-finance app and services to NBPA members. Finsbury, an agency representing the union, said that Personal Capital issued an unauthorized press release and "publicly shared confidential and sensitive information regarding player spending in media interviews, both clear violations of its contract with the union." The NBPA on Friday asked players to discontinue use of the app. Personal Capital was co-founded by former PayPal and Intuit CEO Bill Harris in July '09 (Terry Lefton, Editor-at-Large).
