April 5, 2023

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The Bills’ new home [[link removed]] is one step closer to reality. All documents and contracts for the new Buffalo Bills Stadium have been signed by the team, New York State, and Erie County. The $1.5 billion project will now go to the Erie County Legislature for final review.

College Athletics NCAA, Power 5 Facing Potential $1B NIL Lawsuit [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The NCAA and its biggest conferences could be facing a $1 billion lawsuit.

On Tuesday, attorneys representing [[link removed]] two former college athletes filed a federal antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA and the Power Five conferences seeking retroactive educational payments for college athletes from 2018-2020.

Winston & Strawn LLP and Hagens Berman Sobol Shapiro LLP argued that in light of the Alston ruling — which allowed college athletes to profit off their name, image, and likeness — at least 5,000 and as many as 20,000 athletes are owed back pay for the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons. The two firms won the Alston case in June 2021.

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard, formerly of Oklahoma State, and Auburn track athlete Keira McCarrell are the named plaintiffs in the case.

They are claiming damages of at least $200 million and as much as $1 billion for the class of affected athletes.

“I think most people would say that the NCAA and its various sports are successful as they’ve ever been [despite NIL],” said Winston & Strawn co-executive chairman Jeffrey L. Kessler. “They just had the highest-watched women’s tournament in history by far and probably the most competitive parity in the men’s tournament.”

The next steps involve depositions to determine NIL figures from schools, followed by a class certification hearing in September.

Executives Ambani and Ballmer Are Richest Sports Owners in Soccer-Dominated List [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

A dip in Microsoft’s stock knocked Steve Ballmer off his perch as the world’s richest sports owner.

Mukesh Ambani, owner of the cricket team the Mumbai Indians in the Indian Premier League, is the world’s richest team owner, according [[link removed]] to Forbes.

Ambani (net worth $83.4 billion) is founder and chairman of Reliance Industries, a conglomerate with interests in energy, retail, telecommunications, and more. Reliance has also been growing its cricket empire with teams in South Africa, the United Arab Emirates, and the new Women’s Indian Premier League.

Ballmer ($80.7 billion), who can often be spotted courtside at home games of his Los Angeles Clippers, is funding the construction of the team’s future home: the $2 billion Intuit Dome slated to open in 2024.

Of the top 20 richest owners, eight own soccer teams. Of those, Stade Rennais owner François Pinault has the highest net worth at $40.1 billion.

He’s sandwiched between Walmart heir Rob Walton ($57.6 billion), who bought the Denver Broncos last year, and Mark Mateschitz ($34.7 billion), who inherited 49% of Red Bull, along with stakes in Red Bull Racing, the New York Red Bulls, and RB Leipzig from his late father, Dietrich Mateschitz.

The sixth name on the list, OGC Nice owner James Ratcliffe ($22.9 billion), is working to acquire Manchester United, one of the most valuable teams in the world.

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In today’s modern media age, consumers demand content 24/7. Sports fans want — and expect — engaging content from their favorite teams, leagues, brands and players across platforms all year long.

Join Front Office Sports [[link removed]] on April 11 at 1 p.m. ET for an inside look at how teams, leagues, conferences and broadcasters utilize technology to create compelling content that attracts new viewers, reaches younger audiences and increases fan engagement.

The virtual summit [[link removed]] includes discussion with representatives from organizations across the sports industry, including the NBA, San Francisco 49ers, New Jersey Devils, Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, ACC and the University of Miami.

Grab your spot and register now [[link removed]]!

Law LIV Golf Handed Legal Setback in Europe [[link removed]]

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

A European arbitration council dealt the DP World Tour a victory in its legal fight with LIV Golf.

The three-person Sports Resolutions panel ruled DP World Tour has the authority to fine and suspend players who compete in conflicting LIV Golf events, a source with knowledge of the decision confirmed to Front Office Sports.

The ruling is expected to be released publicly on Thursday, which coincidentally comes as 18 LIV Golf players and other top players from around the world will play in the first round of the Masters.

“If that is the outcome, then that certainly changes the dynamic of everything,” said [[link removed]] four-time major champ Rory McIlroy.

The Times of London was the first outlet to report [[link removed]] the decision, which can be appealed.

LIV Golf players Ian Poulter, Adrian Otaegui, and Justin Harding were fined $125,000 each and suspended after the trio were denied permission to play in LIV’s inaugural event at London’s Centurion Club last June.

Those sanctions were put on hold after Poulter, Otaegui, Harding, and 10 other LIV golfers challenged the DP World Tour’s ruling that led to a five-day hearing in London earlier this year.

The DP World Tour had been among the few ways LIV Golf players could earn points toward majors, as LIV events still don’t receive Official World Golf Ranking points.

While the decision has no direct impact on the ongoing antitrust case [[link removed]] between LIV and the PGA Tour, many of the arguments have been used by LIV lawyers.

The next hearing in that case is scheduled for Friday.

Media Sky Closer to Landing New Rights Deal With EFL [[link removed]]

EFL

The English Football League has named Sky Sports the preferred bidder and is entering exclusive negotiations for a new media rights deal.

As the frontrunner to secure EFL media rights for the 2024 season and beyond, Sky may dash the hopes of streamers DAZN, TNT Sports, and Viaplay, which hoped to pick off the rights.

Had DAZN won the bid, it planned [[link removed]] to stream all 1,656 matches live.

Comcast-owned Sky’s current deal [[link removed]] with the EFL pays $147 million annually and ends after the 2023-24 season. The EFL is reportedly seeking a new rights deal worth more than $247 million.

Sky has held [[link removed]] the EFL’s live match rights since 2002, but that relationship seemed to be cratering in recent months as the league flirted with new potential media partners.

The league reportedly [[link removed]] told potential bidders it would make all 1,891 games a season available. Doing so would eliminate [[link removed]] the longstanding Saturday 3 p.m. blackout rule designed to protect attendance at lower-league grounds.

“Clearly, Sky is far more established and reaches more fans than any other provider,” media analyst Paolo Pescatore told [[link removed]] The Athletic.

The deal still isn’t done, but it is a “blow to DAZN’s aspirations,” noted Pescatore.

Conversation Starters Know an up-and-coming young professional changing the game in the business of sports? Nominate them for the Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]]. Nominations now open through May 2. The Miami Heat have agreed to a 17-year naming rights [[link removed]] deal worth a reported $117 million with Kaseya for their home arena, which will be renamed the Kaseya Center. Seattle is pursuing partners [[link removed]] to rebuild its historic Memorial Stadium — which could cost upwards of $250 million. Potential tenants could include Seattle Public Schools, the NWSL’s OL Reign, and Major League Rugby’s Seattle Seawolves.

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AI's Impact on the World of Sports Tech

One of the biggest technology topics [[link removed]] in 2023 will be the continued emergence and improvement of Artificial Intelligence [[link removed]] tools that generate content and media with simple user prompts and inputs.

The Artificial Intelligence market is valued at over $136 billion currently, set to rise to $309.6 billion by 2026. The generative AI space, which includes OpenAI’s ChatGPT (text creation) and Stability’s Stable Diffusion (image creation), has already begun to disrupt creative roles inside of sports organizations and could have a radical impact on the workplace.

Learn more [[link removed]] about Next League’s perspective on how AI is impacting the world of sports tech in 2023.

Front Office Sports Today They Said What?

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s still kind of hard to wrap my head around it. Just being able to wear my sweatshirt and be able to look down and see my logo is … something that I’m not gonna ever get tired of.”

— New York Liberty star Sabrina Ionescu on what it means to have her own signature shoe and apparel collection with Nike and fulfilling her dream of playing in the WNBA. For more on our interview with Ionescu, the WNBA, and UConn’s return to national prominence, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

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