June 22, 2023

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Happy NBA Draft day! David Rumsey [[link removed]] here. The San Antonio Spurs will enter a new era Thursday night when they select Victor Wembanyama, widely regarded as the best prospect since LeBron James — but that’s not the only change this year. Players’ paths to the draft are shifting with the growth of competitions like Overtime Elite and the G League.

The NBA has also made a big change to next year’s All-Star festivities, while in baseball, the Cincinnati Reds continue to defy expectations on and off the field.

2023 NBA Draft Spotlights Prospects Taking Unique Paths To Pros [[link removed]]

Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night’s NBA Draft will mark a seminal moment for a company that’s providing prospects with new pathways to the league.

The draft begins at 8 p.m. ET on ESPN and Victor Wembanyama is expected to go first [[link removed]] overall to the San Antonio Spurs.

Twin brothers Amen and Ausar Thompson are widely projected to be selected early in the evening after spending the last two years playing in the Overtime Elite league. They’ll be the first players drafted from the Atlanta-based developmental competition for 16-to-20-year-olds.

“It feels validating,” said Dan Porter, co-founder and CEO of the Overtime, which has raised [[link removed]] $250 million and carved out its place alongside the NBA’s G League as more players look for alternatives to college basketball.

“It’s exciting. It’s crazy,” he told Front Office Sports. “Six years ago, Overtime didn’t exist. Four years ago, Overtime was an Instagram account, and now … there are two guys who are potentially going to go top-10 in the NBA draft. It’s amazing.”

Porter is confident Overtime can continue building and attracting talent like the Thompsons. “We’re just really excited to plug into the ecosystem and to help people who want a different path and want to accelerate their development in basketball,” he said.

Beyond basketball, Porter pointed to the off-court teachings Overtime provides — “basketball, business, and brand” — highlighting the Thompsons’ growth on social media from virtually zero since arriving at Overtime. The twins now both boast Instagram followings of over 100,000.

“The best thing you can do is speak to the results,” Porter said of his strategy for the future.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“When you draft a player like Victor [Wembanyama] in the first round, the likelihood is that you’re going to have him on your roster for eight or nine years. That is why it is so important for these teams to get it right there.”

— Bobby Marks, NBA insider at ESPN, on the pressure that comes with selecting a player in the first round of the NBA Draft. For more on what Marks had to say about this year’s draft class, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

NBA Moving Its 2024 All-Star Saturday To A Much Bigger Stage [[link removed]]

NBA

The NBA is embracing a Final Four-type model for part of its 2024 All-Star Game showcase in Indianapolis, Indiana.

The league will hold its All-Star Saturday Night on Feb. 17 at Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the NFL’s Indianapolis Colts.

By moving the event from the Indiana Pacers’ Gainbridge Fieldhouse, attendance for All-Star Saturday Night will more than double from about 17,200 to around 35,000 — a shift similar to that of the NCAA, which now holds the Final Four in domed football stadiums.

All-Star Saturday Night features the Skills Challenge and the 3-Point and Dunk Contests, and the fan energy for those events often surpasses that of the NBA All-Star Game itself, something also reflected in sagging [[link removed]] All-Star Game television ratings.

The basketball court will be set up at the south end of the stadium, while the north end will feature a stage for concerts and other performances.

“All-Star Saturday is one of the most exciting and entertaining nights in all of sports, and holding it at Lucas Oil Stadium, one of football’s most iconic venues which was also thoughtfully designed for basketball events, enables us to make it more accessible than ever,” said Rick Fuson, CEO of Pacers Sports & Entertainment.

Lucas Oil Stadium has hosted three Final Fours since its 2008 opening and will do so again in 2026 and 2029. The NBA will still hold the 2024 All-Star Game at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Feb. 18.

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When Teams Become Media Companies

Can your team keep up with the increasing volume of content requests from the players, online influencers, and news outlets?

If not, then you’re not alone. There is a content explosion in sports [[link removed]]at the team level and it comes with challenges:

Content is stored in multiple locations on disparate systems. Requests have different standards and specs. Older clips cannot be found quickly. Delivery is expected to be near-immediate.

Professional teams who create and distribute content need enterprise-class technology that is right-sized for the teams. In this short video [[link removed]], learn how teams around the world rely on the Signiant Platform to create operational efficiencies and cost savings while playing in and winning the media game.

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Reds Extend Dramatic Turnaround On And Off The Field [[link removed]]

Sam Greene/The Enquirer/USA TODAY NETWORK

The Cincinnati Reds won their 11th straight game on Wednesday, the team’s longest winning streak since 1957 — a run continuing a dramatic turnaround on and off the field that stands as one of MLB’s most remarkable stories this season.

The team — with a payroll [[link removed]] of just $91.3 million that’s far less than the New York Mets’ league-high $344 million — has made the playoffs just once since 2014, and Reds ownership and management haven’t helped matters.

The front office has frequently drawn local ire with comments such as club president Phil Castellini’s caustic taunt last year to unhappy fans, “Where are you gonna go?”

Reds attendance fell to 1.4 million last year, a 23% drop compared to pre-pandemic levels in 2019 and a new unrestricted low at Great American Ball Park.

Now, the club has surged to the NL Central division lead despite the fact that three of its four highest-paid players this year include the now-released Mike Moustakas and Wil Myers, as well as Hall of Famer Ken Griffey Jr. — who retired in 2010 but is still being paid [[link removed]] $3.6 million this year due to salary deferrals more than two decades ago.

Fans have responded to the Reds’ youth movement. With average attendance up by more than 10% so far this season, club officials are projecting further lifts. “The response from this market, this Reds fan base … it has been overwhelming,” said [[link removed]] Karen Forgus, Reds senior vice president of business operations, to WLWT-TV.

On another front, the Reds are among the MLB clubs next up [[link removed]] regarding rights fee decisions from Diamond Sports Group, Bally Sports’ bankrupt parent.

MLB, Manfred, 30 Teams Sued By Ex-Scouts Alleging Age Discrimination [[link removed]]

Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

A group of former MLB scouts has sued the league, commissioner Rob Manfred, and all 30 clubs, alleging age discrimination and claiming they were “blacklisted” in favor of younger, cheaper, and more analytically oriented personnel.

The lawsuit [[link removed]], filed in U.S. District Court in Colorado, alleges that MLB and the clubs violated the federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act and similar age-discrimination laws in 12 states.

The action lists 17 plaintiffs aged 55 to 71, but the group is seeking to move the litigation forward as a class action in which “over 100 older scouts” would also join — which could push the potential liability in lost wages and damages beyond $100 million.

“When clubs are acting together to profile scouts by age and prevent us from being rehired, it’s very difficult for most to reinvent themselves when approaching the twilight of their professional careers,” said Rick Ragazzo, who scouted for the Braves, Giants, and Dodgers over a 35-year career.

The lawsuit marks another flashpoint in the analytics revolution that has transformed baseball over the past two decades, one in which scouts from the “Moneyball” era have been joined by statistical- and video-based methods of player evaluation.

Beyond the cultural shift, the complaint also describes a financial squeeze in which former scouts are often too young to claim Social Security or pensions, frequently don’t have health insurance, and (if still employed) often work with a fear of retaliation.

MLB said it “looks forward to refuting these claims in court.”

Conversation Starters Alyssa Thompson is 18 years old, but in j ust one year [[link removed]], she has signed with Nike, picked first overall in the NWSL Draft, scored 11 minutes into her pro career, skipped her prom for a pro soccer game — and now has been named to the USWNT World Cup team. Tom Brady’s new yacht is an upgrade from his last one. The 77-footer named “TW12LVE ANGELS” can accommodate up to 20 passengers and includes a Master Suite, a fully equipped galley, and more. Check it out [[link removed]]. Make your voice heard by voting in our poll [[link removed]]: Do you plan to watch SlamBall on ESPN? LEARNING

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Editor's Picks IMG Academy Grows NBA Draft Talent as School Goes International [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]

IMG Academy has produced NBA Draft picks seven years straight.

Senate to Probe PGA Tour-LIV Golf Deal at Hearing [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]

The PGA Tour-LIV Golf deal will be examined at a Senate hearing.

ESPN Cutbacks Could Help Rival Skip Bayless [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

Skip Bayless could pounce on ESPN's ongoing talent cutbacks.

Question Of The Day

Do you take any nutritional supplements?

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Wednesday’s Answer

43% of respondents seek out sustainable or purpose-driven companies when making purchases.

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