Mavericks Owner Mark Cuban said that the NBA is "seriously considering altering the schedule to go later into the summer as a means of reducing or potentially eliminating back-to-back games." Cuban: "I've been bringing it up for years. (Commissioner Adam Silver is) more open to it, and he's going to be considering it. Everybody's for it now." ESPN DALLAS' Tim MacMahon noted NBA teams typically have "between 16 and 20 back-to-backs per season, an element of the schedule almost universally despised by players." Cuban is "optimistic that the league can completely eliminate teams playing four games in five nights" (ESPNDALLAS.com, 2/24).
DESERT OASIS? In Las Vegas, Alan Snel reports William Foley, the lead investor in a prospective Vegas NHL team, "plans to meet" with the NHL BOG at its June meeting if his initiative secures 10,000 deposits. Foley said that the BOG "'could' vote on a franchise for Las Vegas." Foley also said that he met Nevada Gov. Brian Sandoval and House and Senate leaders in Carson City last week, but "only asked for their support for his team bid with no public dollars attached" (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/25).
GIRLS' NIGHT OUT: In Las Vegas, Case Keefer writes female fighters are "more fixtures than novelties on the anniversary of their arrival in the UFC." Saturday's UFC 184 is the "first time the UFC has ever staged a card with a pair of women’s fights at the top." Fighter Ronda Rousey's "role as a forerunner has surpassed the UFC’s expectations from two years ago." She is "readily visible, expanding her ventures far beyond the cage" (LAS VEGAS SUN, 2/25).
USING INDOOR VOICES: In Las Vegas, Steve Carp writes AFL Commissioner Scott Butera believes that he “has a marketable product” in the league. He said, “We’re not the NFL, but we’re high scoring with lots of action. We’re inside so weather’s not an issue. And we’re affordable.” The '15 AFL season begins next month, and the league “will have increased television exposure with 15 games on ESPN and 16 on CBS Sports Network.” Butera said that the league “will be launching an aggressive marketing campaign using various social media and traditional media platforms” (LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL, 2/25).
