Billionaire philanthropist Laurene Powell Jobs is "buying a significant stake in Monumental Sports & Entertainment," according to sources. The investment by Powell Jobs is "estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars," giving her the "second largest stake" -- about 20% -- in the $2.5B parent company of the Wizards, Capitals, Mystics and Capital One Arena. With that stake, Steve Jobs' widow "instantly commands an influential position in the male-dominated ownership circles of the 'Big Four' professional sports leagues." Ted Leonsis will remain MS&E's "chief executive and largest stakeholder," and he will "continue to run the teams and affiliated enterprises under the Monumental umbrella" (WASHINGTON POST, 10/3).
Media holding company The Chernin Group said that it "acquired three sports betting- and fantasy sports-data sites that will combine to form a new venture called Action Network." The platform will be a "subscription service that gives sports bettors access to data and analytical tools, along with articles, podcasts and videos that analyze sports from the perspective of a fan who has money on the line." Peter Chernin's company "didn’t disclose terms of the deal." Chernin Group hired former ESPN exec Chad Millman to "oversee editorial content on the new product" (WSJ.com, 10/3).
The Golden Knights in the wake of the Las Vegas shooting have "cancelled a Fan Fest that was scheduled" for tonight near The D hotel/casino. Golden Knights players starting today "will be making appearances in the community to show support for first responders and victims," while the Vegas Golden Knights Foundation will be "making donations for relief efforts" (LVSPORTSBIZ.com, 10/2).
Meanwhile, as of now there are "no changes to the Lakers' plans to play in Las Vegas on Sunday night" in a preseason game against the Kings at T-Mobile Arena. The Lakers were slated to be "in touch with the Las Vegas Metro Police Department" starting yesterday to discuss security concerns. It is "likely" the game will "still occur with heightened security upon entrance to the building" (L.A. TIMES, 10/3).
The Cubs are "officially launching the 'W season' in Wrigleyville" ahead of their playoff opener Friday against the Nationals. The team today is "planning a 'W'ville' pop-up event next to Wrigley Field that will feature free games, family-friendly entertainment, W-themed giveaways" and chances to win playoff tickets. The "W," originating from the flag hoisted at Wrigley after each home win, has become an "increasingly dominant theme in the Cubs marketing gamebook." The "W" will be "visible on all sorts of materials at this new pop-up event" (BIZJOURNALS.com, 10/2).
The Pistons today will host a "Meet the Team" event at Little Caesars Arena ahead of tomorrow's preseason game against the Hornets at the new venue. Today's event will be a "fan exhibition, with shooting contests and other exercises." The Pistons have not played a game or "held a full practice" at their new home, so tomorrow they will "feel a bit like the visiting team -- in their own arena." Pistons coach and President of Basketball Operations Stan Van Gundy said, "We'll get used to it, We have three (preseason) game there. What are you going to do? That's what's available" (DETROIT NEWS, 10/3).
Bucks President Peter Feigin and other team officials were in London this week "meeting with concert promoters and artist management firms in hopes of bringing major international acts to Milwaukee" and their new arena. Team and arena execs want to "get major entertainment acts to stop in Milwaukee" and for the venue to be a "driver for ambitious downtown redevelopment." Feigin said, "We want to create an international destination with talent. We want to compete with every major city, we want to be on every tour stop. We have this one window of time to tell our story and our narrative around the world" (AP, 10/3).
The Global Gaming Expo (G2E) begins today at the Sands Expo & Convention Center in Las Vegas, and this year there are "about 20 sessions on the program schedule" dedicated to esports, up from two last year. The annual international gaming trade show, presented by the American Gaming Association, includes sessions such as "Why Esports Matter to Casinos Now and in the Future" and "The Height of Gaming: A Successful Live Esports Event" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 10/3).
The event is slated to go on as planned in the wake of this week's shooting. A statement on the G2E website reads in part, "We will closely monitor the situation and safety remains our priority" (THE DAILY).
Bruce Sherman and Derek Jeter "now officially own" the Marlins, as the sale from Jeffrey Loria closed yesterday. Sherman and Jeter are "expected to have a press conference" as early as today (MIAMI HERALD, 10/3).
Univ. of Louisville interim President Greg Postel said that an interim AD is "expected to be named" this afternoon, with Tom Jurich on administrative leave due to the federal corruption case in college basketball (Louisville COURIER-JOURNAL, 10/3).
Reps of boxers Gennady Golovkin and Canelo Alvarez have "already begun discussions for a rematch," and the WBC yesterday "ordered one at its 55th annual convention in Baku, Azerbaijan" for May 5 -- Cinco de Mayo -- at a location to be determined (ESPN.com, 10/2).
The Lions are selling standing room tickets for Sunday's game against the Panthers at Ford Field, which is "expected to be one of the hottest in Week 5." Those tickets will "cost $50 apiece and are available at the team's website" (MLIVE.com. 10/2).
The city of Hartford yesterday "fired Centerplan, the original developer" of the Double-A Eastern League Hartford Yard Goats' new Dunkin' Donuts Park, from the planned development around the ballpark. Dunkin' Donuts Park opened this year after several delays (HARTFORDBUSINESS.com, 10/2).
"When that happened I actually took our guys, I said, 'Hey, I'm telling you guys right now, you look left, you look right, the guys you just looked at, none of those guys are getting paid. We're not paying anybody here" -- Syracuse football coach Dino Babers, on his reaction to last week's college basketball scandal (SYRACUSE.com, 10/2).
"I know it looks really bad. I don't know. I don't enjoy that part. But to paint the entire college basketball world like this I don't think it's fair either because I don't think that's what the entire college basketball world is all about" -- Univ. of North Carolina basketball coach Roy Williams, on fallout from the college hoops scandal (ESPN.com, 10/2).
"I’ve never done it before, so any help would be appreciated" -- A's Exec VP/Baseball Operations Billy Beane, on building a roster with a new ballpark looming for the club (S.F. CHRONICLE, 10/3).
"We’re in a league with parity. And parity means everybody is pretty close. It means we have to get better in all areas of our game" -- Maple Leafs GM Lou Lamoriello, on his approach to the '17-18 NHL season (NATIONAL POST, 10/2).
The Raleigh NEWS & OBSERVER writes under the header, "There May Be Ways To Fix What’s Wrong With College Basketball, But Will Anyone Try?" While it is "too early to gauge the likely effects or extent of last week’s indictments," those who "yearn for reform of big-time college sports see a turning point in this latest battery of charges."
The ESPORTS OBSERVER goes with, "Overwatch League’s Lack Of Globalization Will Be Its Downfall." While the league is "one of the most-hyped" in esports' history, Blizzard Entertainment has already "made some ridiculous promises." Now fans are asking "where is the globalization" they were promised?
Had so many long-time friends text me condolences with the death of Tom Petty. That's how close I was with him...Even though I never met the man.
Thankful to have known his music.
Ticketmaster has filed a $10M suit "against a major scalper accused of using illegal technology to scoop up loads of tickets to hot shows like the Broadway smash hit 'Hamilton.'" Prestige Entertainment is accused in L.A. federal court papers of "using bot software to scoop up tickets the instant they became available to various shows," including the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight in Las Vegas in '15 (N.Y. POST, 10/3).
FS1’s Alex Rodriguez appeared on ABC’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live” last night, with host Jimmy Kimmel telling him, “I always knew you were handsome, but now seeing you in real life it's like being hit by rays of daisies.” Rodriguez: “Ditto.” Kimmel: “Do you ever miss (the game) now that you’re retired, scratching yourself in front of fans?” Rodriguez: “I miss everything and scratching myself.” Kimmel: “When you would get booed, is that fun? Is that something that energizes you?” Rodriguez: “If you know anything about me, I have a PhD in getting booed.” Rodriguez said of the possibility he will make the Baseball HOF, “Everyone knows I've made some mistakes and served a suspension, and I've come back in that time and tried to do a lot of work. I turned the lens inward.” Kimmel: “All your accomplishments on the field pale in comparison to dating Jennifer Lopez. They should clear out a special wing of the Hall of Fame for that alone” (“Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 10/2).
Michael Strahan appeared on NBC’s “Late Night” last night and discussed his hectic media work schedule. Host Seth Meyers noted Strahan appears on ABC’s “GMA” in N.Y., “but you also do the Fox Sunday show. So you’re in L.A. on Sunday and then you take a red eye every Sunday night and come here to go to work.” Strahan: “I’m insane. But honestly, I do love working. Every job I have is great, and I think because of playing football for 15 years, everything now is gravy.” Meyers: “I looked at all of your jobs and in none of them is it legal to hit you.” Strahan said of President Trump calling out the NFL protests, “I see it now as a distraction away from other issues that are going on in the world. You got North Korea, you got Puerto Rico, you have so many other things going on that you take the time to pick on football or basketball. I just think priorities need to get in order in order to do what we need to do to make the country better” (“Late Night,” NBC, 10/3).
Author Ta-Nehisi Coates appeared on CBS’ “The Late Show” last night and discussed the ongoing NFL protests. Coates: “It is the natural course that protest starts in a really, really radical place and ends in the place it is now, which is Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys taking a knee and the message being unity, which was not the message when it started. ... But the fact that Kaepernick … actually forced the league to at least in some way address this, I think it's significant. … Kaepernick made this pledge to give away a million dollars to various organizations, and if you go to his website, you can see each month how much he's actually giving away, the organizations he's giving it to and what that money has gone to. So I think it's been very, very successful, actually.” Host Stephen Colbert said, “Some people have said that, ‘Well, this isn’t an inappropriate place to protest, you're politicizing a venue.’” Coates: “It's never appropriate.” Colbert: “If you're comfortable with the protest, it's not a protest” (“The Late Show,” CBS, 10/2).
You're talking Chicago, D.C. and Boston. Pinnacle sports towns, and not only that, football towns, and that's the differentiating factor.
-- NFL Media Exec Producer Charlie Yook, on how the first three picks in the NFL Draft belonging to teams in big major markets that need QBs could lead to record viewership. CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/24
On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two...
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On this week’s pod, SBJ’s Austin Karp has two Big Get interviews. The first is with TNT’s Stan Van Gundy as he breaks down the NBA Playoffs from the booth. Later in the show, we hear from ESPN’s VP of Programming and Acquisitions Tim Reed as the NFL Draft gets set to kick off on Thursday night in Motown. SBJ’s Tom Friend also joins the show to share his insights into NBA viewership trends.
SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini....
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SBJ I Factor features an interview with Molly Mazzolini. Elevate's Senior Operating Advisor – Design + Strategic Alliances chats with SBJ’s Ross Nethery about the power of taking chances. Mazzolini is a member of the SBJ Game Changers Class of 2016. She shares stories of her career including co-founding sports design consultancy Infinite Scale career journey and how a chance encounter while working at a stationery store launched her career in the sports industry.
SBJ I Factor is a monthly podcast offering interviews with sports executives who have been recipients of one of the magazine’s awards.
