League Notes
In London, Paul Kelso reports FIFA Thursday night sent a letter to all member associations inviting "bids for either or both" of the '18 and '22 World Cups and "stressed that any successful nation must demonstrate that they would further the game and bring about 'positive change.'" FIFA also confirmed that countries "from the same continent as that which won the 2018 race would not be considered for 2022 and 2026 under a limited-rotation policy." FIFA's letter "specifies that 12 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 will be needed to host the tournament and that the stadium for the final will have to have at least 80,000 seats" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/16).
 |
Ecclestone Suggests That F1 Should
Decrease Revenue Sharing With Teams |
LESS IS MORE? In London, Tom Cary reports F1 Management Chair Bernie Ecclestone has suggested that F1 teams "could make do with less, rather than more, of the sport's profits." Ecclestone: "Maybe now that we've managed to really reduce costs a lot we'll be able to pay (teams) less money. They don't need so much money now." Cary notes the Formula One Teams Association (FOTA) has "long argued for a larger slice of the $1[B] business." FOTA President Luca di Montezemolo last month said there is "no professional sport in the world where the players get less than 50[%] of the total cake" (London TELEGRAPH, 1/16).
THE ULTIMATE ROLL OF THE DICE: With the NHL considering Las Vegas to become the site of its annual postseason awards show as well as a possible candidate to host a future Winter Classic, NESN's Mike Milbury said, "I like Las Vegas, it’s a good place to visit. ... You can gamble, great shows, great restaurants, but hockey? Who cares? Nobody in Las Vegas cares about hockey. We’re going to Las Vegas, why? Because it’s a first step towards a franchise. Because Jerry Bruckheimer has shown some interest in bringing a franchise to Las Vegas. This is another mistake. We do have a common theme here. Tampa, Atlanta, and now Las Vegas is another potential site for another disaster in the (NHL)” (“The Instigators,” NESN, 1/15).
STEPPING UP TO THE PLATE: Mets Exec VP/Baseball Operations & GM Omar Minaya said the economy "has affected everything (in baseball), but in some shape or form, there have been some areas out there that guys are getting paid some pretty good dollars." Minaya: "If you want to say the economy has affected the numbers of players being signed and some of the expectations of some of the players, yes. But that being said, there have also been contracts out there that have been signed in what we consider a very tough economy, tough financial periods throughout, not only in sports but in every area” (“Mets Hot Stove,” SNY, 1/15).
|
