FOXSPORTS.com's Jay Glazer reports NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is "likely to fine, but not suspend," Vikings QB Brett Favre "over the Jenn Sterger fiasco." The ruling is "expected to come as soon as" today, but "no later than Thursday." The league "wanted to make a ruling before the end of the season but did not want to do it on New Year's" (FOXSPORTS.com, 12/29). ESPN’s Doug Gottlieb noted Favre is "expected to be disciplined," but this is expected to be his last season. Gottlieb: "The guy’s not going to play anymore, how are you going to discipline him?” (“Mike & Mike in the Morning,” ESPN2, 12/29).
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Donald Fehr Has Overwhelming Support
As NHLPA Boss From Player Agents |
SUPPORT GROUP: In N.Y., Jesse Spector noted support for Donald Fehr as the new Exec Dir of the NHLPA was "unanimous" among player agents surveyed. Fehr is seen as a "battle-tested warrior in sports labor negotiations" whose "experience and credibility ... are unparalleled" with an "impeccable background" and his appointment "can only be a positive." Norton Sports Management President Scott Norton: "Everyone understands how important it is to have the sport being played. Donald Fehr will give us stability, leadership. Obviously he has the reputation for a stern, hard-line approach, and at this point the NHLPA needs strong leadership going into the next CBA" (N.Y. DAILY NEWS, 12/26). In Boston, Kevin Paul Dupont wrote Fehr "has a lot of healing to do in his new gig, and he is truly one of the lucky ones, not having a prior formal relationship with what for decades has been the laughingstock of pro sports unions" (BOSTON GLOBE, 12/26).
NEXT FRONTIER: In N.Y., Jeremy Kahn reported the NBA "has its sights fixed on" India, which has a "rapidly expanding middle class with newfound leisure time and disposable income." Pix Senior VP & Business Head Sunder Aaron, whose network earlier this month "signed a contract to broadcast live games and other NBA programming," said, "The race is now on to become India's second-most-popular sport." Kahn noted the "list of international sports knocking on India's door is a long one," and Formula One is "scheduled to hold its first race in India in 2011." In an effort to "accelerate basketball's growth, the NBA dispatched Troy Justice to India in February to serve as its first director of basketball operations in the country." Justice "helps run the NBA Mahindra Challenge, a series of youth leagues and tournaments in five Indian cities" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/28).
SLOWLY BUT SURELY: In N.Y., Ben Solomon reported the Israel Football League is "attracting a diverse crowd of players from all over the country." As popular as the NFL is in the U.S., "past attempts at spreading American football internationally have had limited success." But in a country "so closely tied to American politics and culture, Israel is quickly gaining a football following." New players are "joining each week, and crowds, though small, are steady." IFL Commissioner Uriel Sturm: "In Israel, there are two major team sports: soccer and basketball. After that, it's almost bare. We're trying to take American football up to that next tier of sports" (N.Y. TIMES, 12/28).
