May 15, 2023

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Tom Brady is in “deep discussions” with the Las Vegas Raiders for a minority ownership stake. On the latest Front Office Sports Today, FOS senior writer Owen Poindexter explores the possible effects on Brady’s broadcast deal with Fox — and whether he’ll ever really step away from football. Plus, CBS Sports HQ analyst and SiriusXM host Barrett Sallee weighs the impact of Deion Sanders’ Colorado revolution on college football.

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

European Union Approves Biggest Gaming Deal in History [[link removed]]

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The biggest gaming deal in history has made it through one of its biggest boss fights.

The European Union approved Microsoft’s $69 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard on Monday in a huge win for the Xbox-maker. The European Commission was convinced by concessions made by Microsoft to allow Activision games on all cloud platforms.

Microsoft previously struck deals with Nintendo and Nvidia on distribution of Activision’s titles, which includes best sellers such as “Call of Duty” and “World of Warcraft.” It has also pledged to make its games available on all cloud streaming platforms.

Sony, a rival in the gaming space, has opposed the deal. Its PlayStation remains the dominant console in the market, but Microsoft seeks to be a force in cloud gaming through the acquisition.

Regulators have been evaluating whether the deal would harm competition, particularly in the emerging cloud gaming sector.

The decision creates a potentially confusing dynamic after the U.K. blocked the deal. Microsoft is appealing that decision. In the U.S., the Federal Trade Commission has sued to block it, a decision Microsoft is also fighting in court. A hearing on the matter is scheduled for August.

South Africa’s Competition Commission also approved the deal. Regulators in Australia and New Zealand are still examining it.

Futures of Senators, Coyotes Will Be Decided Soon [[link removed]]

Jean-Yves Ahern-USA TODAY Sports/Arizona Coyotes

Six months after the Ottawa Senators went on the market, six groups face a final bid deadline for the franchise at the close of business on Monday.

While sources told Front Office Sports that not all of the groups left in the process are expected to submit bids, those that do are expected to bid near $1 billion — a record price for an NHL franchise.

The next step is for Galatioto Sports Partners, the New York-based firm tapped to handle the sale, to review all the proposals. The announcement of a winning bidder likely won’t arrive for several days.

Actor Ryan Reynolds won’t be among them, as his group withdrew [[link removed]] from the process earlier this month.

The groups eligible to submit finals bids include Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé [[link removed]], billionaire Montreal Canadiens minority owner Michael Andlauer, and Los Angeles-based businessman Neko Sparks, whose group includes rapper Snoop Dogg [[link removed]].

A Vote For Coyotes’ Future

Tempe voters face a Tuesday deadline to turn in their mail-in ballots for the special election that will decide the fate of a planned arena for the Arizona Coyotes.

The privately funded $2.1 billion development includes not only a 16,000-seat venue but also an entertainment district and housing. The Coyotes currently play at Arizona State’s 5,000-seat Mullett Arena [[link removed]].

The team will need majorities on Propositions 301, 302, and 303 to move the project forward. As of Monday, more than 28,000 mail-in ballots — about a third of eligible voters in Tempe — have been returned, per a Maricopa County elections spokesperson.

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The A’s Take Another Crucial Step In Securing Ballpark in Las Vegas [[link removed]]

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A’s have landed on a proposed site in Las Vegas — but the deal is still pending until an agreement is reached on public funding.

The team struck [[link removed]] a deal with Bally’s and Gaming & Leisure Properties Inc. on the Tropicana site, which is owned by GLPI and managed by Bally’s — an agreement which unravels a previous one with Red Rock on a 49-acre site.

Instead, the A’s plan to build a 30,000-seat stadium with a retractable roof on 9 acres of the 35-acre lot.

Bally’s has agreed to provide the land to the A’s for free, but said in a statement that it “retains the ability to assign the rights to all aspects of this development and has received material interest from development partners.”

Bally’s — which owns naming rights to the regional sports networks owned by Diamond Sports Group — will demolish the Tropicana and build a new hotel-casino next to the stadium. As part of the deal, GLPI will contribute $175 million “towards certain shared improvements within the future development in exchange for a commensurate rent increase.”

The deal is contingent on the team securing public funding from Nevada. Legislation for a $395 million funding package is expected to be filed this week. Nevada’s legislative session ends on June 5, and it is unclear if Gov. Joe Lombardo will call a special session if a deal fails to come together.

Bally’s estimates that the ballpark will bring 2.5 million fans annually, which would require the team to sell out every home game.

Conversation Starters The Patriots’ home opener [[link removed]] against the Eagles on Sept. 10 — where Tom Brady will be honored by his former team — is currently the most in-demand game of the upcoming NFL season — with an average ticket price of about $800. Former Colts and Falcons QB Matt Ryan will join CBS [[link removed]] as an NFL analyst. Have suggestions or feedback on how Front Office Sports can continue to improve? Take our survey [[link removed]] for a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card or FOS merch. Submissions are now open through May 21.

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What to Watch

The Seattle Kraken take on the Dallas Stars on Monday in Game 7 of the NHL’s Western Conference semifinals at American Airlines Center.

How to watch: 8 p.m., ET, ESPN

Gaming odds: Kraken +1.5 || ML Kraken +172 || O/U 5.5

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