June 28, 2023

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Good morning, David Rumsey [[link removed]] here. The Chicago Blackhawks officially chart a new course tonight when they select 17-year-old Connor Bedard with the top overall pick at Nashville’s 2023 NHL Draft — but their Windy City neighbors are in a trickier spot, losing momentum on a new Bears stadium deal.

Meanwhile, Fanatics is once again in the driver’s seat to acquire [[link removed]] PointsBet’s U.S. operations, women’s tennis lays out a plan for pay equity, and the Paris Olympics deal out a big blow to beer-loving fans.

Bears Offer Bleak Outlook On Arlington Heights Stadium Proposal [[link removed]]

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

Chicago Bears president Kevin Warren had a grim message for Arlington Heights residents hoping for a new stadium complex in their town: The effort is at a “stalemate,” and team officials don’t know if it will be revived.

Meeting with local residents at a public forum organized by business leaders advocating for a Bears’ move to Arlington Heights, Warren said an ongoing tax dispute has stopped stadium development efforts there after the team purchased the former Arlington International Racecourse property in February for $197 million.

“We’ve had a stalemate and a lack of communication, and it’s a little more convoluted at this point in time than I thought it would be,” Warren said. “If we’re not communicating, which we haven’t been, there’s not going to be much progress made.”

Over the past month, the Bears have met with public officials in Naperville [[link removed]], Illinois, and the city of Chicago [[link removed]], while government leaders in suburban Waukegan [[link removed]] also made a pitch for the Bears. Warren says he is still receiving inbound calls from other Chicagoland municipalities.

A now-challenged assessment on the racetrack land would raise [[link removed]] the annual property tax from $2.8 million to $16.2 million.

“This has nothing to do with personal feelings,” Warren said. “This is strictly business.”

The initial proposal at Arlington Heights involved a domed stadium and entertainment district capable of hosting major events such as the Super Bowl and Final Four — and carried a projected cost of $5 billion.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“It was seconds after Eli retired … that we approached him about finding a role for him in the [New York Giants] organization. … I think with the content we’re producing for ‘The Eli Manning Show’, that was the perfect role.”

— New York Giants CBO Pete Guelli on recruiting Eli Manning to host a show within the organization. Download the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today to hear Manning discuss his continued role with the Giants, his rivalry with brother Peyton, and the production of “The Eli Manning Show.”

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

NHL Cities Want To Host Draft, Awards Show Amid Nashville Takeover [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Professional hockey is taking over Nashville this week.

ESPN broadcasts the 2023 NHL Draft on Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET from a sold-out Bridgestone Arena — the culmination of an interesting experiment bringing the league’s annual awards show to the draft’s host city for the first time since 2006.

The NHL Awards are typically held in Las Vegas but took place Monday night at the Predators’ arena, kicking off a week of festivities including three nights of concerts and a Broadway shutdown.

NHL Chief Content Officer Steve Mayer told Front Office Sports that representatives from two NHL cities came to the league after the awards and expressed interest in also hosting a future awards-draft combo. “We got some quick inquiries,” Mayer said.

Last year’s draft was held in Montreal, and the event visited different cities like Vancouver, Dallas, and Chicago before the pandemic. “We don’t have a formal bidding process in place on these events, but it could get to the point where it becomes that,” Mayer added, pointing to the dual-hosting model. “I don’t know whether or not we’re going to do it like this, but we did get some interest [Monday] night already.”

Mayer said any evaluation will begin right after the draft, which will see generational talent Connor Bedard go first [[link removed]] overall to the Chicago Blackhawks.

The influx of new talent is an opportunity to “educate those in [the arena] and those watching at home about the players that are getting drafted,” Mayer said. “There’s a lot of responsibility in terms of trying to get our fans engaged on every level.”

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WTA’s Bold Plan For Pay Equity Could Take A Decade [[link removed]]

David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

On Tuesday, the WTA made its boldest step yet in a decades-long battle for gender pay equity on tennis’ top tours — but in some cases, women’s players will need to wait as long as another 10 years for the shift to fully take effect.

The new structure will offer full pay equity for combined WTA and ATP 1000- and 500-level events — the sport’s top competitions outside of the majors — by 2027. Non-combined 1000- and 500-level events will offer equal prize money by 2033.

“Equality, including equal compensation, is a fundamental principle of the WTA, and it is crucial to attain at this level,” said Steve Simon, WTA chair and CEO.

The effort seeks to correct a situation where men play for far higher purses at many leading tour stops, such as the key U.S. Open tuneup Western & Southern Open. At that tournament last year, women’s players competed for $2.53 million, while the men vied for a $6.3 million prize pool.

Full pay equity was established at tennis’ four majors in 2007 and will remain in place at Wimbledon [[link removed]] 2023, which starts July 3. As part of the “solidified pathway” to equal prize money, the WTA also revised its tour calendar to include more 1000- and 500-level tournaments.

The effort is thematically similar to FIFA’s ongoing push [[link removed]] to achieve player pay equity in men’s and women’s World Cups by 2027.

Paris Olympics Won’t Sell Alcohol To General Public, Only VIPs [[link removed]]

Paris 2024

International fans attending next summer’s Olympic Games in Paris may be in for a rude awakening if they hope to enjoy a beer or cocktail while taking in the action.

Alcohol won’t be sold to the general public at competition venues in France, as the organizing committee has opted against [[link removed]] seeking an exemption from a longstanding French law prohibiting alcohol sales at stadiums.

Fans lucky enough to make it into a VIP area will be able to buy alcohol, though, in accordance with the law.

Reminiscent of Qatar

The vibe at the Paris Games could be similar to last year’s FIFA World Cup in Qatar, which abruptly banned [[link removed]] beer sales just two days before the tournament began after originally saying they would be allowed. Qatar also sold alcohol in VIP areas.

Organizers can seek exemptions to sell alcohol for up to 10 events per year — as the Rugby World Cup in France will do [[link removed]] this fall. The Olympic organizing committee cited the Games’ 700-plus competition sessions over 15 days as a reason for not seeking a waiver.

French fans will be used to this relatively conservative environment: The 80,000-seat Stade de France offers alcohol-free beer to the general public.

Conversation Starters Vision Insights’ new analysis outlining that “ Women’s sports are the future [[link removed]]” is now out. The sports-focused data group unveiled some key findings surrounding the role sports plays in the lives of women from participation to fandom.* In 2021, LSU AD Scott Woodward made three [[link removed]] coaching hires in a seven-month span: Kim Mulkey (basketball), Brian Kelly (football), and Jay Johnson (baseball). In the two years since, the trio has won a WBB championship, an SEC West title in football, and a College World Series. Trinity Thomas is the co-leader [[link removed]] for the most perfect-10 scores in NCAA gymnastics history and is nominated for two ESPYs this year. Now she’s returning to Florida to pursue a second Master’s degree in entrepreneurship and be a student-coach for the Gators. Minnesota officials paid for [[link removed]] the Vikings’ U.S. Bank Stadium 23 years early — saving taxpayers $226 million in interest.

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Editor's Picks Jake Paul’s Betr Raises $35 Million at $300 Million Valuation [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]

Betr's investors include Miami Marlins co-owner Roger Ehrenberg.

McLaren Racing CEO: F1 Is ‘Just Getting Started’ in North America [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]

Bahrain's sovereign wealth fund recently bought $510M of McLaren shares.

Trevor Bauer Settles Defamation Case Against The Athletic [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]

Ex-Dodgers pitcher gets clarification to a published story in 2021.

Question Of The Day

Have you ever coached sports?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] Not yet but I want to [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s Answer

71% of respondents plan to watch the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

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