June 7, 2023

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It’s been a very good year for TV playoff ratings, and the NHL is just the latest to benefit. Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Final averaged [[link removed]] 2.8 million viewers across TNT, TBS, and truTV — making it the most-watched Stanley Cup Final opening game on cable in 21 years. The last time an American cable network exclusively broadcast a major sports championship: 1994.

PGA Tour Player Support For Monahan Splinters [[link removed]]

Andrew Wevers-USA TODAY Sports

Critical player support for Jay Monahan throughout the PGA Tour’s competitive and legal fight with LIV Golf is now splintering in the wake of the organization’s historic merger [[link removed]] with its former bitter rival.

Anger and frustration immediately swept through the ranks in different forms. Players like Wesley Bryan were partly upset to only learn of the news on Twitter, a situation furthered [[link removed]] by Monahan reportedly conducting a seven-week negotiation aided by just two Tour board members.

The 12-year pro tweeted [[link removed]], “I feel betrayed, and will not be able to trust anyone within the corporate structure of the PGA Tour for a very long time.”

Others such as Byeong Hun An focused more on lost economic opportunities, calling [[link removed]] the deal “a big lose [sic] for [those] who defended the Tour for the last two years.”

Mackenzie Hughes [[link removed]] and Dylan Wu [[link removed]] found themselves grappling once again with the difficult politics and alleged hypocrisy surrounding the Saudi’s backing of the new commercial entity overseeing men’s pro golf.

The country’s widely rebuked record on human rights and frequent accusations of sportswashing motivated some players’ loyalty to the PGA Tour. It was also a foundation of the Tour’s prior stance against LIV Golf.

“So weird. PGA [Tour] officials were in my office just months ago talking about how the Saudis’ human rights record should disqualify them from having a stake in a major American sport,” tweeted [[link removed]] Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy. “I guess maybe their concerns weren’t really about human rights?”

Key Monahan allies Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy have yet to publicly comment on the news.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“Absolute bombshell that just came completely out of nowhere.”

— FOS writer Doug Greenberg on the unexpected announcement that the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, the DP World Tour are planning to merge into a single entity. For more about the stunning merger, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Bears, City of Chicago Could Resume Stadium Talks [[link removed]]

Mike DiNovo-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago Bears could consider yet another Illinois city for their future home: their current one.

The team’s negotiations with Arlington Heights have hit a rough patch, which could resurrect talks with the city of Chicago as early as this week, according [[link removed]] to WTTW.

The team had appeared to sour on the idea of remaining in the city due to long-standing issues regarding Soldier Field, which is maintained by the Chicago Parks District.

Should talks resume, the team will have a new mayor to negotiate with — Brandon Johnson was sworn in as Chicago’s 57th mayor last month, replacing Lori Lightfoot.

Arlington Heights remains a possibility, as the team is moving ahead with plans to demolish the racetrack there that it purchased from Churchill Downs in February for $197.2 million.

“The stadium-based project remains broadly popular in Arlington Heights, Chicagoland and the state,” the team said. “However, the property’s original assessment at five times the 2021 tax value, and the recent settlement with Churchill Downs for 2022 being three times higher, fails to reflect [that] the property is not operational and not commercially viable in its current state.”

The team has also met with Naperville, a city of around 150,000 people just west of Chicago, after its mayor reached out to discuss a deal.

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A’s Back to Square One After Vegas Funding Falls Through [[link removed]]

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

Nevada ended its legislative session without voting on a bill to fund a new stadium for the Oakland A’s.

The non-vote further clouds the future of the A’s, who have sought to move from Oakland-Alameda County Stadium for years.

The team was seeking $380 million in public funding plus property tax breaks, but the bill that would have provided that, SB509, failed to advance out of committee and didn’t receive a vote in either the state senate or assembly.

Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo indicated he would call a special session, but the A’s bill will not be considered during that session, according [[link removed]] to 8 News Now. Other than the special session, Nevada’s legislature is adjourned until 2025.

Fox5 Las Vegas reported [[link removed]] that negotiations to revive the bill are underway.

The A’s have been exploring a move to Las Vegas for more than a year while simultaneously seeking a deal with Oakland, but the team turned its full attention to Sin City in April, first announcing a deal at the Red Rock site before pivoting to the Tropicana site shortly after.

The team has planned a retractable-roof stadium on 9 acres of the Bally’s-managed site, though some have questioned whether such a venue would fit in the proposed space.

Should the A’s strike out in Las Vegas, Oakland mayor Sheng Thao has stated that she remains ready to negotiate with the team. Backers in Salt Lake City and Orlando have also stated their interest in bringing an MLB team to their cities.

Former Vikings Minority Owner Gets Six-Year Jail Sentence [[link removed]]

Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

Former Minnesota Vikings minority owner Reginald Fowler has been sentenced to more than six years in jail — as well as forfeiting $740 million, and paying $50 million in restitution — for his role in a cryptocurrency and money-laundering scheme.

Global Trading Solutions was set up by Fowler to wire money to Crypto Capital, a company that allowed crypto exchanges to swap their digital currencies for cash. Fowler, who owned a stake in the Vikings from 2005-14, told U.S. banks that he opened accounts for real estate transactions that, in reality, were funding transactions for Crypto Capital.

Fowler broke the law by flipping hundreds of millions of dollars for unregulated transactions on behalf of crypto companies, U.S. Attorney Damian Williams told [[link removed]] CBS.

“He did so by lying to legitimate U.S. financial institutions, which exposed the U.S. financial system to serious risk,” Williams said. “He then victimized a professional football league by lying about his net worth in exchange for a substantial portion of the league.”

Fowler was a major investor in the short-lived Alliance of American Football and used funds from his crypto scam [[link removed]] to support the AAF — before withdrawing his investment after its inaugural game in 2019 when the Department of Justice became aware of his scheme. The AAF filed for bankruptcy on April 17, 2019, and Fowler was arrested two weeks later.

On Monday, U.S. District Judge Andrew L. Carter Jr. ruled that Fowler has 21 days to report to prison, according to Bloomberg [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Six-time MLB All-Star Miguel Tejada has been named the first manager [[link removed]] of the Karachi Monarchs — Pakistan’s first pro baseball team. CBS Miami’s Samantha Rivera finished her Stanley Cup coverage in Las Vegas while stiff-arming [[link removed]] a fan trying to get in her shot. Playfly CEO & Founder Mike Schreiber pens an article for Rolling Stone on the Power of Sports Sponsorships [[link removed]]. He shared new insights on just how impactful sports marketing continues to be for brands including some personal stories.* Oakland A’s manager and 17-year MLB veteran Mark Kotsay is selling [[link removed]] his San Diego mansion for $9.87 million. The 13,000-square-foot property offers six bedrooms, a movie theater, a pool, a sauna, a putting green, a bar and pizza oven, and a five-car garage.

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Editor's Picks Follow the Money: LIV-PGA Merger Just the Beginning [[link removed]]by Andrew Brandt [[link removed]]

PGA and LIV merger could open doors for similar moves in USA.

Manchester City Named Most Valuable Club Soccer Brand at $1.6 Billion [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]

Manchester City is the most valuable club soccer brand, per Brand Finance.

USFL Founder Launches High School Football League With NIL Appeal [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]

The Prep Super League will free high school players of NIL restrictions.

Question Of The Day

Do you do your own lawn care / gardening?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] N/A [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s Answer

67% of respondents use a third-party site to buy tickets to live events.

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