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Sunday, May 3, 3:00pm ET

Weekend Rap .... Latest News .... Money Problems?

PPV Issues Delay Mayweather-Pacquiao; Irate Fans Hit Social Media

Last night's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao fight "was delayed about 30 minutes because of high pay-per-view demand causing problems for cable and satellite systems." Fight announcer Jim Lampley said an "electronic overload" caused cable and satellite operators to ask for a delay. PPV issues prompted "scores of angry tweets directed at various providers" (AP, 5/3). The beginning of the fight "was delayed by about 45 minutes to help fix the pay-per-view issues," with the fighters entering the ring at 11:45pm ET. Fans "reported issues" with Optimum, DirecTV, Charter, Comcast, TWC and AT&T. Problems ranged from "issues with ordering, to pixilated screens, to screens going to black" (ESPN.com, 5/2).

No announcement was made to fans inside the MGM Grand Garden Arena as to "why there was a delay" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/3). At 10:20pm last night, a website showing outages from Charter Communications across the country "highlighted St. Louis; Asheville, N.C.; and parts of South Carolina as the most-impacted regions" (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH, 5/3).

Meanwhile, Top Rank Chair Bob Arum said of the expected PPV totals, "This figure is going to be enormous. Four, four-and-a-half, five (million). I don’t want to say anything. We’ll know soon enough. But it is going to be huge" (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/3).

Mayweather-Pacquiao Largely Seen As Disappointing, Anticlimactic

While the Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout "will go down as the richest" in boxing history, it was "not necessarily the most exciting" (WASHINGTON POST, 5/3). It was "an anticlimactic evening," with neither of the boxers "able to drop the other to the canvas" (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/3). The fight was simply "a disappointment" (SI.com, 5/3). ABC’s T.J. Holmes: "We waited -- all this hype and all this money -- for what we saw last night?" (“GMA,” ABC, 5/3). The N.Y. Daily News’ Mike Lupica said, “Victor Espinoza hit American Pharoah harder in the stretch than either of these guys hit each other. Fight of the century? This wasn't even the fight of the night in Vegas" (“The Sports Reporters,” ESPN, 5/3).

Boxing HOFer Mike Tyson tweeted his displeasure with the fight: "We waited 5 years for that... #underwhelmed #MayPac." Retired boxer Oscar De La Hoya chimed in as well, writing, "Sorry boxing fans." Packers QB Aaron Rodgers wrote, "Underwhelming." 

Meanwhile, the "total take" from Nevada sports books on last night's bout "should approach" $80M. It is "easily the largest betting take for a prizefight in history," and the weekend "should approach" $100M with action on the Kentucky Derby, NBA Playoffs and Stanley Cup Playoffs (LAS VEGAS SUN, 5/3).

Sports Execs, Celebs Flock To Vegas For Saturday's Megafight

Sports execs and celebrities were out in full force at last night's Floyd Mayweather Jr.-Manny Pacquiao bout. Attendees included CBS President & CEO Les Moonves, who was seated next to Patriots Owner Robert Kraft. Also on hand were Yahoo Chair & CEO Terry Semel, Turner Broadcasting President David Levy, Universal Filmed Entertainment Chair Jeff Shell, CBS President of Television Networks Distribution Ray Hopkins, Showtime Chair & CEO Matt Blank and Fox Sports Head of Business Operations David Nathanson. Celebs in the arena included Clint Eastwood, Robert De Niro, Jay Z, Beyonce, Sting, Tom Brady, Magic Johnson, Michael Strahan, Andre Agassi and Steffi Graf (THE DAILY).

Private jet traffic was "reaching record volume" at Las Vegas' McCarran Int'l Airport ahead of last night's fight, "so much that incoming passengers were being directed to Henderson and North Las Vegas to land their planes." McCarran staff "used social media to encourage private planes to choose a destination other than McCarran to land" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 5/2). L.A.-based KTTV-Fox sports anchor Liz Habib tweeted a photo of private jets parked wing-to-wing on McCarran's tarmac yesterday:


Mayweather Rep: Misunderstanding In Credentials For Nichols, Beadle

CNN's Rachel Nichols and ESPN's Michelle Beadle, "each of whom has detailed the domestic-violence history of Floyd Mayweather Jr., wrote on Twitter on Saturday morning that they had been denied credentials to the evening’s fight between Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao." Nichols in a statement later yesterday said she was told she “would only be credentialed for the run-up events through the week, but in bold, italic letters the email stated ‘you do not have any access Saturday to any services or events.’” But she added that the Mayweather camp "eventually reversed its position." Beadle also later clarified her original claim, tweeting, "After hearing my credential was pulled, I went home. Told this morning that HBO was able to get it re-approved last night" (N.Y. TIMES, 5/3).

Swanson Communications President Kelly Swanson, whose company works with Mayweather Promotions, yesterday tweeted, "No one including ME banned @Rachel__Nichols from covering the fight. She is already credentialed. #Facts. ... And @MichelleDBeadle isn't even on the press list. She's credentialed through @HBOboxing. Yes credentialed. #Fact#2" (THE DAILY). Swanson yesterday said, "Michelle has always been credentialed through HBO. Rachel has always been credentialed through CNN. CNN gets one seat in the arena, they can choose whoever can sit there -- including Nichols" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 5/3). Swanson: "I’ll take it as a misunderstanding" (USATODAY.com, 5/2).

Churchill Downs Sees Record Handles, Crowds For Derby Day, Week

Record crowds and wagering for the Kentucky Derby and Kentucky Oaks "pushed Churchill Downs Inc. profits higher for the week." The Derby week's all-sources handle "set a record" at $263.3M, up 4% from last year and 2% higher than the previous record, set in '13. Attendance for the five days "also was a record," with 365,006 fans. The crowd for the Derby itself was a record 170,513 (COURIER-JOURNAL.com, 5/3). The all-sources handle for yesterday's program "totaled a record" $194.3M. The figure is 4% "higher than the previous mark" of $187M established in '12. All-sources wagering on the Derby itself "was up 7%" to $137.9M from $129.2M last year (BLOODHORSE.com, 5/3).

The Kentucky Derby "did a 10.8 overnight rating" on NBC, the highest mark for the event since '92 (TWITTER.com, 5/3). Derby winner American Pharoah is owned by Ahmed Zayat, who has "become one of the leading owners in the sport, but he hadn't been able to win the big one" until yesterday (SPORTS.YAHOO.com, 5/2). Zayat previously "finished second" in the Derby three times and "once he had scratched the prohibitive favorite a week before the race" (SI.com, 5/3).

NFL Draft Wraps In Chicago With No Word On Next Year's Host City

The NFL Draft wrapped up in Chicago yesterday, and Bears Chair George McCaskey said that he "hadn't talked" to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell "about the draft returning downtown next year." McCaskey: "We just wanted to put our best foot forward, which I think Chicago has done." An estimated 105,000 fans "attended the first two days of Draft Town and another 2,000 sat in Roosevelt University's Auditorium Theatre on Thursday and Friday night" (CHICAGO TRIBUNE, 5/3).

Meanwhile, NFL.com offers a video montage of the "Best of the 2015 NFL Draft."

MGM Exec: NHL Could Vote On Vegas Expansion Team In September

MGM Int'l Senior VP/Arenas Mark Prows on Friday said that the NHL BOG "could vote on a Las Vegas franchise bid in September," eyeing the '17-18 season. He added that the board "will 'socialize'" with Fidelity National Financial Chair Bill Foley’s prospective ownership group during its June meeting in Las Vegas. NHL VP/Media Relations Frank Brown said that the BOG "will receive a report on the franchise interest in June, but he did not acknowledge any possible vote" at the September meeting (REVIEWJOURNAL.com, 5/1).

Indianapolis Won't Bid For CFP Championship Games For '18-20

Indianapolis "will not bid" to host the CFP Championship Game for '18-20. Indiana Sports Corp. President Ryan Vaughn on Friday said, "With a new event, you want to see it grow. You want to see what it looks like year after year after year. What happens in Dallas isn't necessarily the way we would do things. ... We'd like to see it in a couple different settings to understand the event a little bit better."

Rose Bowl officials last week announced that they "would not bid on the game," while Orlando and New York/New Jersey "have also decided against bidding." The cities that "will bid" are Minneapolis, Atlanta, Jacksonville, Miami, San Antonio and Santa Clara. Atlanta and Minneapolis "would appear to be strong contenders" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/2).

Orioles "Home" Games Draw Modest Crowds To Tropicana Field

The Rays have been "cordial hosts" to the Orioles this weekend, as the O's played their planned home series at Tropicana Field due to civil unrest in Baltimore. The Rays "went as far as expediting a shipment of Baltimore's own Berger cookies for the media dining room in time for Friday's series opener." The music for batters' walk-ups and pitchers' entrances "was the same as that played for the Orioles" at Camden Yards. An announced crowd of 9,945 on Friday "paid $15 each to sit anywhere in the lower deck" (Baltimore SUN, 5/2). Yesterday's game drew 12,789 fans, "each of whom paid $18 for general-admission seating" (Baltimore SUN, 5/3).

Busy Month Begins Today At Indianapolis Motor Speedway

Today "is opening day at Indianapolis Motor Speedway" ahead of next week's Verizon IndyCar Series Angie's List Grand Prix of Indianapolis and the May 24 Indianapolis 500. Activities today included a morning practice session (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/3). Also today at IMS, Smithfield Foods revealed its entrance into IndyCar. The pork conglomerate, a primary sponsor of Richard Petty Motorsports in NASCAR, will now sponsor Schmidt Peterson Motorsports driver Conor Daly's No. 43 Honda at the Indy 500 (Adam Stern, Staff Writer). Meanwhile, Chevrolet yesterday "revealed the first images of its IndyCar Series speedway aero kit" (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 5/3).

Elsewhere, North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory, SMI CEO Marcus Smith and other officials on Friday "kicked off 'Motorsports Month'" at Charlotte Motor Speedway by touting "the event's economic benefits." CMS "is holding two major races" this month: the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series All-Star Race on May 16 and the Coca-Cola 600 On May 24 (CHARLOTTE OBSERVER, 5/2).

About 40K Run In Quickly Growing Pittsburgh Marathon, Half-Marathon

Pittsburgh Marathon and Half-Marathon organizers estimated that 40,000 people ran in today's races, which have seen a 153% increase in finishers since '09, "rising to 19,088 last year from 7,548 five years earlier." The events "have sold out every year since '09." EventPro Owner Ryan Lamppa said that this "makes Pittsburgh the fastest-growing marathon and half-marathon in the country." The Walt Disney World Marathon, with a 44% increase in finishers for the same period, "ranks second" (TRIBLIVE.com, 5/3).

Sports-Heavy "SNL" Tackles Big Fight, Orioles Game With No Fans

Last night's episode of "Saturday Night Live" opened with a skit poking fun at last night's big fight, with cast members Jay Pharoah and Aidy Bryant playing the roles of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Manny Pacquiao. The show also featured a spoof of the Orioles' TV broadcast during this week's game played at an empty Camden Yards (“SNL,” NBC, 5/2).

Weekend Briefs....

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker on Friday said that a deal for a new Milwaukee downtown arena for the Bucks "is close." Walker: "We have to work out the last little bit of details" (MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL, 5/2).

The Univ. of Colorado football program "unveiled a new set of uniforms Friday, complete with three jersey options, four helmets and four pants options." The school "stayed true" to its recognized identity, but "also adapted a more modern look" (ESPN.com, 5/1).

David Beckham last night celebrated his 40th birthday "with a blowout bash" in Marrakesh, Morocco (NYPOST.com, 5/1).

Quick Hits....

"With all due respect to New York City and Radio City Music Hall, I think it's safe to say we're going to see this format again -- the draft being on the road” – NFL Network’s Dan Hellie, on Chicago hosting this year's NFL Draft (“NFL Total Access,” NFL Network, 5/2).

"You guys asked me last time if each draft pick has a chance to start. This one probably doesn't" – Packers Dir of Player Personnel Eliot Wolf, on the team drafting UCLA QB Brett Hundley in the fifth round (BOSTON GLOBE, 5/3).

Weekend Hot Reads....

The BUFFALO NEWS' Jerry Sullivan writes under the header, "A Great Sports Day? By Whose Measure." As yesterday "moved along, it didn't seem like such a wonderful day to me." Maybe that is because "the issue of violence against women kept rearing its ugly head."

The L.A. TIMES' David Lazarus wrote there is reason ESPN "sicced its lawyers on Verizon this week, shattering any pretense of being part of a big, happy pay-TV family." Verizon's new Custom TV bundles of channels "could signal the end of a business model that cable networks love and consumers detest." An L.A. TIMES editorial is written under the header, "Verizon Picks A Fight With ESPN Over Unbundled Cable TV." Programming conglomerates "are the driving force behind overstuffed and expensive programming tiers."

Sunday Comic....

A sneak preview of SportsBusiness Journal's weekly editorial cartoon:

Twitter Me This....

If you see a tweet we will not want to miss, send it to us at editorial@sportsbusinessdaily.com.

Back Pages....

The Weekend Rap offers today's back page sports covers from some of the North America's major metropolitan tabloids:

N.Y. Post N.Y. Daily News Newsday Boston Herald Chicago Sun-Times

Hit The Ground Running: The Week Ahead....

THE DAILY’s Week Ahead: May 4-10

MONDAY
• NSGA Management Conference and Team Dealer Summit begins - Austin, Texas

TUESDAY
• INTX: The Internet & Television Expo begins - Chicago
• Cable HOF Celebration (honorees include ESPN’s Chris Berman) - Chicago

WEDNESDAY
• Baseball HOFers George Brett, Tony La Russa, Frank Thomas and Joe Torre scheduled to participate in a panel as part of the SALT Conference presented by SkyBridge Capital; moderated by Baseball HOF President Jeff Idelson - Las Vegas

THURSDAY
• Rady JCC Sports Dinner, featuring NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman giving the keynote speech - Winnipeg
• PGA Tour The Players Championship begins - Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla.

FRIDAY
• Aberdeen Dad Vail Regatta begins - Philadelphia/Schuylkill River
• NASCAR Camping World Truck Series Toyota Tundra 250 - Kansas City, Kansas

SATURDAY
• NASCAR Sprint Cup Series SpongeBob SquarePants 400 - Kansas City, Kan.
• Verizon IndyCar Series Angie’s List Grand Prix of Indianapolis - Indianapolis

SUNDAY
• Amgen Tour of California begins
• ATP World Tour Internazionali BNL d’Italia begins - Rome
• F1 Spanish Grand Prix - Barcelona, Spain

Note: Events are subject to change. Information about upcoming events can be sent via email to calendar@sportsbusinessjournal.com.