May 22, 2023

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National Treasure made headlines [[link removed]] Saturday by capturing the Preakness Stakes and denying Kentucky Derby winner Mage — who placed third behind Blazing Sevens — a chance at the Triple Crown. But the story everyone was talking about by the weekend’s end was 46-year-old golfer club pro golfer Michael Block, who recorded a hole-in-one on the 15th hole at the PGA Championship.

Block Party: Club Pro Shocks World At PGA Championship [[link removed]]

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023 PGA Championship that saw Brooks Koepka win his fifth major was consumed by the feel-good story of Michael Block, a club pro [[link removed]] from Southern California who shocked the world and finished tied for 15th at Oak Hill Country Club.

The PGA of America uses the PGA Championship to highlight its club pros across the country, most of whom work at golf courses full-time, teaching lessons and taking care of course business.

Twenty of those PGA Professionals qualified for the event, but Block, who works at Arroyo Trabuco Golf Club in Mission Viejo, California, was the only one to make the cut, his first time doing so after four other PGA Championship appearances.

Already a wild story halfway through the tournament, Block battled with 2013 U.S. Open Champion Justin Rose on Saturday before playing Sunday’s final round with superstar Rory McIlroy.

The made-for-Hollywood story climaxed when Block sent the gallery into a frenzy with a hole-in-one [[link removed]] on the par-3 15th hole. The improbable run culminated with Block sinking a par putt on the 18th green to clinch a tie for 15th.

Not only did that finish earn Block $288,333 but also a spot in next year’s PGA Championship.

Block appears to be one of golf’s hottest commodities at the moment. He participated in live walk-and-talks on the air with ESPN and CBS during his second and third rounds and has been invited to play in this week’s PGA Tour event in Texas, the Charles Schwab Challenge, and the RBC Canadian Open in June.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“The parity is something Gary Bettman [NHL commissioner] takes a lot of pride in. That’s never been more on display than now, when it feels like any team can win. We’re in the conference finals, and it’s four Sun Belt teams, all teams in warm weather. That is a hallmark of Gary Bettman’s NHL.”

— NHL sideline reporter Emily Kaplan on the parity exhibited by the four teams in the conference finals. Hear more from Kaplan on the life of an NHL sideline reporter on the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Koepka’s Major Triumph Gives LIV Golf New Life [[link removed]]

Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

Brooks Koepka’s two-shot victory over Scottie Scheffler and Viktor Hovland at the PGA Championship vaulted the 33-year-old into golf history and fueled LIV Golf’s ongoing battle [[link removed]] with the PGA Tour.

The win gave Koepka his fifth major championship, the same number as legends like Seve Ballesteros and Byron Nelson. The $3.15 million paycheck is actually less than the $4 million Koepka took home from his most recent victory on the LIV series last month in Orlando.

The PGA Championship this year boosted [[link removed]] its overall purse to $17.5 million, up from the $15 million it shelled out last year.

Koepka held a one-shot lead heading into Sunday’s final round and was able to clinch victory after losing his 54-hole lead at the Masters to Jon Rahm. The win is the first major championship for a player currently competing on LIV and will almost certainly be a talking point for the controversial series as it moves ahead.

Three LIV golfers finished in the top 10, with Bryson DeChambeau at T-4 and Cam Smith at T-9. At Augusta National, Koepka and fellow LIV golfers Phil Mickelson and Patrick Reed gave the circuit three golfers in the top five.

The biggest takeaway from Koepka’s triumph is that competing on LIV instead of the PGA Tour does not automatically take a player out of major form. But the larger question will be whether LIV can parlay Koepka’s performance into more interest in the league weekly.

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NLRB Sets Up Clash Over College Athlete Unionization, Employment [[link removed]]

Democrat and Chronicle

Last week, college athletes took significant steps on the path toward fair compensation.

The National Labor Relations Board targeted the NCAA, Pac-12, and USC in a complaint filed last Thursday saying that college athletes should be treated as employees.

The complaint alleged [[link removed]] that USC’s media policies violated labor laws. The school’s handbook tells students to “smile” and “be positive” when being interviewed by the media. It also tells students not to “post anything that would embarrass USC, your team, or your family” on social media.

The legal action, which has been in the works since December 2022, sets up a court battle over the status of student athletes this November. The moves also open the door to unionization and employment status for the college football and basketball players who create the biggest media draws for their conferences.

The Pac-12 is negotiating its next set of media deals. Its current 12-year pacts with Fox and ESPN expire next year and bring an average annual value of $250 million. USC is departing the conference for the Big Ten, along with UCLA, in 2024.

In a lengthy rebuttal [[link removed]] to the NLRB’s complaint, the conference warned against calling student-athletes employees, saying that “a wage for their ‘services’ is antithetical to the educational relationship between the schools and all of the students who participate in the Conference’s many sports, including those who play football and basketball at USC.”

Foot Locker’s Stock Plummets Amid Decreased Sales [[link removed]]

Foot Locker Inc.

Foot Locker’s stock dropped 27% on Friday after the company reported an 11.4% drop in sales for the quarter.

The retailer’s total sales for Q1 2023 were $1.92 billion compared to $2.17 billion year-over-year. Net income for the three-month period ending April 29 was $36 million — a sharp drop from the $132 million reported for the period in 2022.

CEO Mary Dillon attributed [[link removed]] Foot Locker’s sales decline to the “tough macroeconomic backdrop” that forced the company to lower product prices to “both drive demand and manage inventory.”

In March, Foot Locker said it will close [[link removed]] 400 U.S. retail stores by 2026, and close another 125 stores operated by its Champs Sports subsidiary. In their absence, Foot Locker announced its “Lace Up” sales strategy, in which the company will open 250 new “concept” retail stores targeting locations in communities drawn to sneaker culture.

Nike Collab

In an attempt to rejuvenate sales, Foot Locker plans to partner with Nike to feature more LeBron James and Kevin Durant retro shoes this holiday season. While Foot Locker joins many retailers in struggling with the modern economic climate, the Swoosh’s Q3 revenues, announced in March, grew [[link removed]] 14% year-over-year.

Weekend's Best WNBA Starts New Season As League Looks to Push Growth [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]League coming off of recording viewership numbers in 2022. Boom Or Bust, It’s Time To Admit LIV Has Been Good For Golf [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]For PGA Tour and the sport, a rising tide lifts all boats. Brian Davis’ Firm Files $500B Lawsuit Over Commanders’ Sale [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Brian Davis' company filed a $500 billion lawsuit against Bank of America. Conversation Starters Power 5 conferences generated $3.3 billion in combined revenue [[link removed]] last year — their highest total ever. The Big Ten led all conferences with a whopping $845 million — $43 million more than the second-place SEC. The sports industry has come together to help [[link removed]] Michigan State shooting survivor John Hao, who dreams of working in sports — and now has 350 new connections. Take a look inside [[link removed]] the Boston Celtics’ $76 million practice facility, the Auerbach Center. Not to be outdone [[link removed]], the Seattle Kraken’s $80 million “iceplex” hosts three NHL-sized rinks, a bar, and even a Starbucks.

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