ESPN's Peter Rosenberg yesterday said Conor McGregor talking about his importance to the UFC is "not overstated” after headlining UFC 205 at MSG, which earned a $17M gate. But McGregor has no leverage, and he "knows he can't go anywhere" ("His & Hers," ESPN2, 11/14). ESPN's Dan Le Batard said McGregor wants equity in UFC, but they "won't give him that money because he doesn't have a very good union and the people who run the UFC will not have any part of what it is that he's talking about" ("Highly Questionable," ESPN, 11/14). The L.A. Times' Bill Plaschke said McGregor "does not deserve" an equity share in the UFC, because "it would hurt the sport" ("Around The Horn," ESPN, 11/14). WWE VP/Talent, Live Events & Creative Paul Levesque said of adding McGregor: "He could come over, he’s got it all ... he’s got the personality, the skills, the talk. He’s an entertainer, for sure" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 11/14).
YOU SCRATCH MY BACK: USA Sevens Rugby coach Mike Friday said that forging strong bonds between rugby and traditional U.S. sports such as American football and basketball would help with player welfare and offer an alternative career path for those that do not make the grade and become NBA or NFL stars. Friday yesterday called on the NBA and the NFL to invest in rugby in the U.S., which, he argues, would be a mutually beneficial relationship. Friday said that interest in rugby in the U.S. had risen following rugby sevens debuting at the Rio Olympics (John Reynolds, Correspondent).
QUIET RIOT: ESPN.com's Cortez & Wolf cited sources as saying that North American and European teams have "written a letter" to Championship League organizer and "League of Legends" game publisher Riot Games to "address financial concerns, league chartership plans, revenue sharing and relegation." The 18 owners of the teams collectively wrote that they believe there are "issues in job security caused by relegation from the league, as well as lack of compensation, which is currently a Riot-given minimum" of $12,500 per player per split in North America and $12,087 in Europe (ESPN.com, 11/12).
