May 24, 2023

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In 2003, LeBron James turned down [[link removed]] a deal worth $110 million from Reebok for a seven-year, $87 million deal with Nike, explaining, “You don’t think about the first check; you think about all of them.” Now, 20 years later, James has a lifetime contract with the Swoosh, has launched 20 signature Nike shoes, has one of its campus buildings named for him — and the annual $30 million paycheck has helped him become a billionaire.

Nuggets Look to Add to Stan Kroenke’s Recent Run of Championships [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Denver Nuggets’ run to the NBA Finals continues an impressive stretch for Stan Kroenke-owned teams, which have won four championships since the beginning of 2022.

By the time the Nuggets tip off in the NBA Finals on June 1, Kroenke may have added another title: His Colorado Mammoth are vying for a second straight National Lacrosse League Cup in a three-game series against the Buffalo Bandits that begins Saturday.

Kroenke, who Forbes last month ranked [[link removed]] as the 13th richest owner in sports with a net worth of $12.9 billion, saw his winning ways begin last February when the Los Angeles Rams won Super Bowl LVI at their home venue, SoFi Stadium. Last summer, the Colorado Avalanche brought home the Stanley Cup, while the Mammoth won the NLL Cup.

Even one of Kroenke’s esports teams, the Los Angeles Guerrillas, took home a major title in the Call of Duty League last year.

The recent success certainly boosted the bottom line for Kroenke’s teams — as seen with the Avalanche, who enjoyed the return [[link removed]] of a season-ticket waiting list after their Stanley Cup victory.

The Nuggets ranked eighth in NBA attendance this year on the way to winning 53 games and earning the top seed in the Western Conference. Should they take home the NBA title, interest in the team and two-time MVP Nikola Jokić would only continue to grow.

Meanwhile, across the pond, Arsenal, which the 75-year-old purchased in 2011, is set to finish second in the Premier League and return to the Champions League next season.

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Dick’s Sporting Goods Sees Modest Growth, Less Foot Traffic [[link removed]]

Bucks County Courier Times

Dick’s Sporting Goods showed modest growth in the latest fiscal quarter — but amid signs that the pandemic boom is tapering off.

The retailer brought in $2.8 billion in net sales for the 13 weeks ending April 29, a 5.3% uptick over the same period last year. The company banked $305 million in net income compared to $261 million in Q1 2022.

The quarter also brought a significant tie-up: In March, Dick’s became the official retailer of the NCAA, giving it exclusive access to certain branded products.

The company’s retail footprint has held steady with 728 Dick’s stores at the end of the quarter, two less than it had at the start of 2022. It counted an additional 135 specialty concept stores after acquiring 12 and closing two over Q1 2023.

But foot traffic dipped compared to last year, according [[link removed]] to Placer.ai, which found that visits to Dick’s stores dropped 3% year-over-year in January, 8% in February, and 11.4% in March. That trend continued into April, with four of the five weeks from April 3 showing year-over-year drops of at least 14.1%.

The company’s stock fell slightly on Tuesday following the earnings release after dropping 6.8% on Friday.

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MLB Enjoys Further Bump in Attendance With Rule Changes [[link removed]]

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball’s trio of dramatic new on-field rules continue to pay meaningful dividends across the league’s attendance metrics.

After implementing a new pitch clock, larger bases, and a ban on extreme defensive shifts — which generated an immediate, significant, and sustained reduction [[link removed]] in average game times — MLB is now posting some of its best post-pandemic business metrics.

The league said its May 19-21 set of games posted a total attendance of 1.52 million, its best 45-game slate since June 2019 and the best weekend attendance in April or May since 2017. The May 21 draw of 546,569 was itself the highest non-Opening Day figure in April or May since 2018.

MLB’s average per-game attendance of 26,710 is up by 7.5% compared to a year ago. The increase at the gate marks a notable reversal of the trend after sinking [[link removed]] to a 25-year low in unrestricted attendance in 2022.

More impressively, the latest results also arrive in the heart of the NBA and NHL playoffs, when draws for MLB can be difficult.

The figures — which build on a series [[link removed]] of gains in national TV viewership and MLB.TV streaming in April — serve as a favorable response to MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s efforts to “give the fans the kind of game they want to see.”

Dodgers Co-Owner Sees Bright Future For Squash In U.S. [[link removed]]

PSA

As the popularity of niche sports like pickleball continues to explode in the U.S., one MLB team owner has invested in another under-the-radar game: squash.

Mark Walter, co-owner of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chelsea with a reported [[link removed]] net worth of $5.2 billion, has made a significant financial investment — a source pegged as an eight-figure sum — in the commercial arm of the Professional Squash Association, which runs the sport’s top tour.

“[Walter] was really drawn to the athleticism and the performance of the athletes,” Kevin Klipstein, president and CEO of US Squash, told Front Office Sports.

Walter, whose Guggenheim Partners has an HQ in Chicago, first got into pro squash about a decade ago by investing in the Windy City Open and eventually helping make it the tour’s world championship event every other year with a purse of $1 million.

“There [was] interest and conversations about potentially investing in the tour and seeing what role he might play in potentially accelerating the tour’s development and growth and marketability,” Klipstein added.

The PSA is set to drive more media attention around pro squash and get matches on more platforms. US Squash hopes to increase domestic participation in a game that already enjoys an estimated [[link removed].] 20 million players worldwide.

Klipstein says squash’s visibility has evolved greatly in the last decade, saying, “The potential for broadcasting it and making it appealing to an audience outside of the core squash audience is there.”

Conversation Starters Former New England Patriot safety and three-time Super Bowl champ Devin McCourty will join NBC [[link removed]] as an Analyst on “Football Night in America.” McCourty retired in March after playing all 13 of his NFL seasons with the Patriots. The PGA Championship’s final round was the least-watched [[link removed]] in 15 years — averaging 4.5 million viewers on CBS and peaking during Michael Block’s final putt. Audiences for nine of the past 10 PGA Tour broadcast TV windows have declined from last year. It’s official: Green Bay will host the 2025 NFL Draft. The event [[link removed]] is set to take place inside and around Lambeau Field and the adjacent Titletown shopping and entertainment district. Playfly Sports recently rolled out a brand-new sponsorship platform focused on driving revenue directly to HBCU athletic departments and campuses, connecting one brand to 10 HBCUs in a single deal. Learn more [[link removed]] about “HBCU Elevate”.*

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Editor's Picks A’s, Nevada Legislators Expected to Announce Stadium Deal [[link removed]]by Owen Poindexter [[link removed]]The Oakland A's are expected to announce details of a stadium deal. ESPN Employees ‘Upset’ Over Pat McAfee Hire During Layoffs [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]A big-money signing during layoffs not going over well for some at ESPN. 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. Question Of The Day

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