April 20, 2023

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It’s 4/20, a day usually associated with one thing: cannabis. In observance of this unofficial holiday, Front Office Sports Today talks to former NFL running back Ricky Williams on the benefits of cannabis — from improving on-field performance to enhancing appreciation for everything life has to offer. Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

Real Estate Oakland A’s Agree to Buy Land in Vegas, Prepare to Move [[link removed]]

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A’s are packing their bags.

The team has purchased [[link removed]] a 49-acre plot of land in Southern Nevada, just west of the Las Vegas Strip, with the intention to build a ballpark there. The site, owned by Station Casinos parent company Red Rock Resorts, sits at Dean Martin Drive and Tropicana Avenue.

“We recognize that this is very hard to hear,” the A’s wrote in a statement. “We are disappointed that we have been unable to achieve our shared vision of a waterfront ballpark. As we shift our focus to Vegas, we will continue to share details about next steps.”

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said the league supports the move and looks forward “to them bringing finality to this process by the end of the year.”

Oakland mayor Sheng Thao said in a statement that she was “deeply disappointed” and that the city has “gone above and beyond” to find mutually beneficial terms and “made significant strides to close the deal” this year.

“It is clear to me that the A’s have no intention of staying in Oakland and have simply been using this process to try to extract a better deal out of Las Vegas,” Thao added.

Nevada governor Joe Lombardo called the development “exciting on many levels,” adding that he is in touch with the team, MLB, the Nevada legislature, and other stakeholders “as we continue to navigate this opportunity.”

The A’s lease at RingCentral Coliseum runs through the end of the 2024 season, and a new stadium is unlikely to be completed until 2027. It’s unclear where the team will play in 2025 and 2026.

AWARDS

Rising 25 is back, and it’s time to nominate an up-and-coming young professional changing the game in the business of sports!

The Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]], presented by Anheuser-Busch, celebrates the careers of the brightest young stars in the business of sports. To date, we’ve honored 150 individuals and we’re looking for our next group of young stars.

Nominations are open NOW through Tuesday, May 2. Winners will be announced in June.

Nominate [[link removed]] today!

World U.S., Mexico Launch Joint Bid For 2027 Women’s World Cup [[link removed]]

Michael Chow-USA TODAY Sports

The world’s biggest global soccer tournaments could be played on North American soil in back-to-back years.

The U.S. and Mexico have submitted a joint bid to co-host the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

The U.S., Mexico, and Canada are already set to host the 2026 Men’s World Cup, the first men’s edition hosted by three nations [[link removed]]. Now, this Women’s World Cup bid will compete with ones submitted by Brazil, South Africa, and the trio of Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands.

Former U.S. Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro showed interest a few years ago in bringing the 2027 Women’s World Cup to America, before his removal from the position in 2020 over sexist comments he made during an equal pay lawsuit.

A U.S. Soccer spokesperson told the Philadelphia Inquirer [[link removed]] in August 2021 that a U.S. bid for the Women’s World Cup was off the table, but current U.S. Soccer president Cindy Parlow Cone has other plans.

“Hosting the 2027 Women’s World Cup provides us an incredible opportunity to cap off two historic years of World Cup soccer in the CONCACAF region, helping us continue to grow the game among our confederation associations,” Cone said.

Mexico has never hosted a Women’s World Cup, while the U.S. hosted it in 1999 and 2003.

FIFA is set to announce the winning bid in May 2024, following what the organization has called “the most robust and comprehensive bidding process” in the history of the women’s tournament.

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Executives Wizards, Capitals Owner Reportedly Bid Over $2B for Nationals [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Ted Leonsis reportedly made a serious offer for the Washington Nationals and could still wind up with the team.

The owner of the Washington Capitals, Wizards, and Mystics attempted to add to his sports empire in the nation’s capital late last year with a bid over $2 billion, according [[link removed]] to the Washington Post.

The Lerner family took the team off the market earlier this year as it navigates lawsuits and negotiations related to MASN, the regional sports network the team shares with the Baltimore Orioles. The family was looking for something in the neighborhood of the $2.4 billion that Steve Cohen paid for the New York Mets, per the Post.

As compensation for the Nationals moving into their area from Montreal in 2005, the Orioles hold a 67% share in MASN, a unique arrangement that has made it more challenging to value the team in sales talks.

The two teams are locked in a court battle over rights fees paid by MASN to the Nationals from 2012-16. The team was paid $197.5 million but is arguing that it was owed $475 million. Leonsis reportedly offered to buy MASN as part of the deal.

Clarity on an appropriate price for the team may be easier to find once the legal dispute is resolved.

Leonsis remains in touch with the team, which is still expected to be sold at some point.

Conversation Starters With the departure of the A’s, Oakland is set to lose its third [[link removed]] and final major pro sports franchise in 10 years. ESPN could reportedly order sweeping layoffs as early as next week as part of Disney’s broader cost-cutting strategy — impacting both on-air talent and management at ESPN’s corporate campus. FOS senior reporter Michael McCarthy has the latest [[link removed]]. For the first time, the U.S. Olympic Team will open Team USA House [[link removed]] to fans at the 2024 Paris Olympics, allowing visitors to watch events and meet athletes. New Balance is uniting runners across the country and encouraging them to run their way, with the goal of raising awareness for mental health and organizations like Still I Run. Check out the first episode of our Empowering Change series here [[link removed]].*

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What to Watch

The Sacramento Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night at Chase Center in San Francisco.

How to watch: 10 p.m., ET, TNT

Gambling odds: Kings +6 || ML +200 || O/U 240

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