April 28, 2023

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The NBA just ratified its new collective bargaining agreement — and on the latest Front Office Sports Today, we break down the five biggest changes from investment rules to a new midseason tournament. Plus, Supercross star Ken Roczen joins us to discuss the thrilling but dangerous life of a motorcycle racer.

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

Ryan Reynolds’ Group Making Record $1B Bid for Senators [[link removed]]

Wrexham AFC

Actor Ryan Reynolds’ group entered this week trailing in the bidding for the Ottawa Senators, but it’s upping the ante.

The Remington Group was expected to sweeten its offer ahead of the May 15 deadline, but now it appears Reynolds and real estate mogul Christopher Bratty aren’t waiting and preparing a $1 billion bid, the Ottawa Sun reported [[link removed]] on Friday.

Front Office Sports reported [[link removed]] Monday that bidding could reach or even surpass $1 billion — a mark no NHL franchise sale has reached.

There were 16 bidders for the Senators, although the list of finalists were cut to seven in recent weeks, including [[link removed]] a group led by Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé. Sources told FOS that Remington Group is among three groups that have both the bankroll and interest in submitting a bid with nine zeros in it.

Galatioto Sports Partners is handling the sale on behalf of the Melnyk family. Patriarch Eugene Melnyk, who purchased the Sens for $92 million in 2003, died in March 2022.

Along with purchasing the team, the next owner of the Sens is expected to make a new arena for the franchise a priority.

Canadian Tire Centre — which sits in Kanata, located about 15 miles from downtown Ottawa — has hosted the Senators since 1996. There are at least four sites in downtown Ottawa that could accommodate a new arena.

FOS previously reported that NHL commissioner Gary Bettman told the bidders not to expect public financing for a new arena.

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 May 2. Winners will be announced in June.

Nominate [[link removed]] today!

Sheikh Jassim Reportedly Upping Manchester United Bid [[link removed]]

Manchester United

Third-round bids for Manchester United are due Friday — and one bidder is confident this time will be the charm.

Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani was reportedly set [[link removed]] to make a fresh bid for the storied franchise and remained confident he would be successful, despite another strong bid and reports that the Glazer family could opt to retain a majority stake.

The Raine Group is expected to declare a preferred bidder following this round, who would then enter final negotiations to secure the sale.

Sheikh Jassim’s bid will reportedly be significantly higher than his previous one, though it is still unclear if he will meet the Glazers’ asking price of $7.5 billion, per [[link removed]] the Independent. He is bidding against the INEOS Group, led by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.

Investment firms Elliott Management, Ares Management Corporation, Sixth Street, and Carlyle are all expected to submit bids for a minority stake. Sheikh Jassim is interested in purchasing 100% of the club, while Ratcliffe is believed to be proposing buying a majority stake, which could allow Glazer family members to remain as minority owners.

The Raine Group asked for additional information from bidders for this round, including their sources of wealth and financing plans for the team. Those requests stirred [[link removed]] hope that a sale could be completed quickly — and that new owners could be in place in time for the Premier League’s summer transfer window.

SPONSORED BY CISCO

Every Day is Gameday

In Cisco [[link removed]]’s role as An Official Technology and Cybersecurity Partner of the NFL, the technology leader ensures that the league is connected and protected – 365 days a year.

While an event like Super Bowl LVII or the NFL Draft provides an opportunity to put the partnership on the biggest stage in the world, it is the collaborative work done behind the scenes and the integrated solutions in place that allows the NFL to act with more confidence every day.

Read the full story behind the NFL Draft here [[link removed]].

Suns, Mercury Ditch Cable for Free TV, Streaming [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Phoenix Suns and Mercury fans can still watch games for free, but there will be some changes.

Because of a new media rights deal with Gray Television, fans in nearly 2.8 million households will now have access to games — more than tripling the reach of the team’s current cable media partner Bally Sports Arizona. Bally’s parent company, Diamond Sports, filed for bankruptcy [[link removed]] in March.

Diamond now claims the new deal breaches its contract: “This is an improper effort by the Suns to change their broadcasting partner without permitting Diamond to exercise our contractual rights.”

But Diamond’s position is “totally inaccurate” said [[link removed]] Suns and Mercury CEO Josh Bartelstein, and the teams are moving forward with its new media rights agreement.

The Suns reportedly received all scheduled rights payments from Bally Sports Arizona before their contract recently expired at the end of the first round of the NBA playoffs.

The new deal starts with the upcoming WNBA season. In addition to local, over-the-air broadcasts, fans can livestream games via a free direct-to-consumer service within Suns- and Mercury-branded apps built by technology partner Kiswe.

Free broadcasts could cost the Suns tens of millions in guaranteed money per year, according to ESPN [[link removed]].

Matt Ishbia, who bought the Suns and Mercury for around $4 billion [[link removed]] earlier this year, told ESPN, “The media world is changing. … We’re going to be the leaders starting off with a new way of thinking about it.” MLB’s Arizona Diamondbacks, Texas Rangers, Minnesota Twins, and Cleveland Guardians have all claimed that Diamond Sports missed rights fee payments despite broadcasting games on their Bally Sports networks.

Conversation Starters Kevin Durant has agreed to a lifetime contract [[link removed]] with Nike. The deal will include footwear, apparel, and a continued community and philanthropic collaboration. In 2021, the NFL Draft was in jeopardy [[link removed]] due to the pandemic — but the city of Cleveland made the best of it, managing to attract 50,000 people per day. Doug Greenberg breaks down how the league kept its premier offseason event rolling. One of the most well-attended [[link removed]] women’s sporting events in U.S. history will be a Nebraska women’s volleyball match. In just two days, the team sold about 89,000 tickets to a match at the school’s football stadium, ensuring the event will crush the previous NCAA record for the sport.

SPONSORED BY WSC SPORTS

The Key to Growth at the ACC Digital Network

“WSC Sports has been a key driver in our ability to put out more content in an efficient manner.” – Matt Carstens, Executive Producer and General Manager of the ACC Digital Network in a recent interview [[link removed]] with Front Office Sports.

WSC Sports [[link removed]] automates the instant creation and distribution of video highlights by giving you access to sport-specific machine learning technology for over 20+ sports.

In addition to the ACCDN, over 300 partners, including the Pac-12 Conference, Conference USA, University of Pittsburgh, BYU, Rice University, and more rely on WSC Sports to build the premier modern fan experience.

You can’t provide the best experience without automation. Your most creative people need time to craft stories for fans. Stay ahead of the curve and click here [[link removed]] to learn more.

SPONSORED BY SLING TV What to Watch

The Sacramento Kings will take on the Golden State Warriors in Game 6 of the first round of the NBA playoffs on Friday at Chase Center.

How to watch: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN with Sling TV [[link removed]]

Betting odds: Kings +7.5 || ML Kings +250 || O/U 236

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