The USTA yesterday announced that the '12 U.S. Open purse has been increased by more than $2M to reach a record $25.5M. The top three men's and women's finishers in the Emirates Airline U.S. Open Series can earn up to an additional $2.6M in bonus prize money at the U.S. Open, depending on their performance over the course of the summer series. The total U.S. Open prize money could reach $28.1M with the bonus money. The prize money has been increased by a minimum of 18% for the first three rounds of the main singles draw (USTA).
HERE COMES THE JUDGE: ESPN.com's Chris Mortensen reported U.S. District Court Judge David Doty "has agreed to hear arguments Sept. 6" regarding the NFLPA's claim that the NFL and its owners colluded to establish a "secret $123 million salary cap" in '10, which under the league's previous labor agreement, was designated as an uncapped year of spending. The hearing "is not necessarily an automatic victory for the union, but Doty could have declined to hear arguments or even passed the case off to another judge in his district" (ESPN.com, 7/11).
OPPORTUNITY KNOCKS: In DC, Matt Breen notes the U.S. women's soccer team at the London Games "will play in a major international tournament without the presence of a top-flight professional league at home." The '12 Olympics "will give the U.S. women another chance to bring their sport into the forefront and, perhaps most important, give them a chance to create a sustainable professional league." U.S. D Becky Sauerbrunn said, "We need to generate the right type of people to get a professional league going. Get sponsors, or backers, owners that have the will and money to have a professional team. The Olympics can do that" (WASHINGTON POST, 7/12).
