July 19, 2023

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Golf’s final major of the year begins Thursday in England — but amid even more questions as to how Saudi investment might reshape the sport.

Meanwhile, attention on regional sports networks now turns to the NHL and NBA, as bankrupt Diamond Sports Group looks to make good on its remaining MLB rights obligations, and a Final Four Cinderella story stays in the mid-major Mountain West Conference after a Power Five flirtation.

— Eric [[link removed]]

Open Championship Won’t Rule Out Taking Money From Saudi PIF [[link removed]]

Richard Heathcote/R&A via Getty Images)

The head of the organization that runs the Open Championship wouldn’t rule out accepting financial investment from Saudi Arabia on the eve of the 151st edition of the tournament at Royal Liverpool Golf Club in Hoylake, England.

“If I’m very open, we are and do and continue to talk to various potential sponsors,” R&A CEO Martin Slumbers said on Wednesday when asked about potentially working with the Saudi Arabia Public Investment Fund.

The Open Championship tees off Thursday at 1:30 a.m. ET with the lowest purse [[link removed]] of the four golf majors — $16.5 million. Coverage begins on Peacock and continues on USA Network at 4 a.m. ET. “We had expected prize money to rise over a five-year period, and it’s probably risen three years earlier than we expected it to,” Slumbers said.

The R&A won’t consider adding a sponsor’s name to the Open, but all other funding options are on the table. “We have to have a sensible conversation about the long-term financial sustainability of golf,” Slumbers said.

“Sport has changed dramatically in the last 12 months,” he added, pointing to Saudi investment in golf, Formula 1, soccer, and likely tennis. “And it is not feasible for the R&A or golf to just ignore what is a societal change on a global basis. “

Slumbers welcomes the PGA Tour-PIF deal so that golf can “move beyond” the constant focus on money. “I am very pleased that they are sitting there and figuring it out because long-term, that’s good for the sport,” he said.

And as far as what moves could be next for the R&A, Slumbers affirmed, “We will be considering within all the parameters that we look at all the options that we have.”

DSG ‘Anticipates’ Making MLB Payments As NBA, NHL Questions Loom [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Bally Sports and its bankrupt parent Diamond Sports Group say they “anticipate” making the rest of their 2023 MLB rights payments following the rejection [[link removed]] of their Arizona Diamondbacks deal.

Now, the focus turns to the NBA and NHL — and whether those leagues will need to aid teams with local media rights issues, as MLB has done for the Diamondbacks and San Diego Padres [[link removed]].

Following court approval of the Diamondbacks rejection, DSG said it is “continuing to broadcast games for all other teams under contract without disruption, and we anticipate making rights payments to the remainder of the MLB teams in our portfolio through the end of this season.” The comment mirrors MLB commissioner Rob Manfred’s recent assertion the league has collected [[link removed]] 94% of 2023 rights fees due from DSG.

No such certainty exists with either the NBA and NHL. DSG currently has 15 NBA teams and 12 NHL teams under contract. The dynamics are different than baseball, as prior to DSG’s bankruptcy filing in March, both of those leagues signed rights deals that included digital rights — content DSG sought and wasn’t able to obtain at scale from MLB.

The NBA, NHL, and individual teams are closely monitoring the situation. The Phoenix Suns already parted [[link removed]] ways with DSG and may ultimately convince others.

“We will continue to evaluate all our options, as needed, and will ensure that our great fans across the Valley are able to watch our games this fall,” said the Arizona Coyotes, now the only big-league team on Bally Sports Arizona.

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SDSU Staying In Mountain West (For Now) As Pac-12 Tries To Regroup [[link removed]]

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

A 2023 Final Four Cinderella story [[link removed]] will remain in the Mountain West Conference after a flirtation with the Pac-12 Conference that grew contentious — but the saga has left scars for all involved.

The San Diego State University Aztecs completed [[link removed]] a deal to remain in the Mountain West, a conditional agreement that will see the school pay the conference’s legal fees from a month-long legal dispute over a potential exit. San Diego State will receive a $6.6 million conference distribution previously withheld as an exit-fee installment.

The Aztecs will also be on the hook for an estimated $34 million exit fee if they leave the Mountain West within the next two years, a figure the school has acknowledged [[link removed]] it cannot afford — essentially an admission that a Pac-12 invitation is perhaps not as imminent as previously thought.

“We’ve landed in a very, very good spot,” said Mountain West commissioner Gloria Nevarez. “We are better with San Diego State in the league.”

Pac-12 Media Slowdown

Meanwhile, the Pac-12 isn’t expected [[link removed]] to announce its long-awaited media rights deal during its football media day scheduled for Friday. The conference is facing numerous issues as it looks to complete the agreement, including the 2024 departure of USC and UCLA for the Big Ten, concerns about similar exits by some remaining members, and the cost-cutting [[link removed]] at many media organizations that could impair its ability to achieve desired economic goals.

Instead, a new rights deal is anticipated [[link removed]] in the “near future,” with a mix of linear and streaming partners.

Conversation Starters Netflix’s “Quarterback” has been renewed [[link removed]] for a second season. Which three QBs should be featured next? Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson has signed the first seven [[link removed]] college athletes to NIL deals for his energy drink, ZOA — including LSU basketball star Angel Reese. Only two days left! FOS is giving away a one-year subscription to NFL Sunday Ticket on YouTube TV, giving you access to every out-of-market NFL game. Enter here [[link removed]] by July 21.

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Editor's Picks Second Former Player Files Lawsuit Against Northwestern, Names ACC Commissioner As Defendant [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

Two former players have filed lawsuits over hazing allegations.

Shannon Sharpe Could Score ‘Contributor’ Role With ESPN [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]

Media free agent Shannon Sharpe has talked to ESPN about a role.

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To enter, simply complete one or all of the actions on this page [[link removed]]. Contest ends on July 21, 2023. See Official Rules [[link removed]] for details.

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