One of the most prominent pro sports team owners in Chicago is expanding her local empire.

A group led by Laura Ricketts, co-owner of MLB’s Cubs and a minority owner of the WNBA’s Sky, has reached an agreement in principle to purchase the NWSL’s Chicago Red Stars from outgoing owner Arnim Whisler.

Industry sources pegged the deal at up to $35.5 million — a robust number, as the NWSL continues to grow, but no match for the $53 million expansion fee paid for Bay FC.

The deal brings a much more prominent and public sports ownership role for Ricketts. Though part of the Ricketts family’s purchase of the Cubs in 2009, Laura Ricketts has been far less in the limelight than her brother Tom, the team’s executive chairman. She has led the Cubs’ philanthropic efforts as the chair of Cubs Charities.

Ricketts just bought a minority share of the Michael Alter-led Sky in June along with several other investors, solidifying a long-developing interest. But with the Red Stars, she will be the lead of an investor group including several local and international business leaders, including Ventas CEO Debra Cafaro, part of the Pittsburgh Penguins’ ownership led by Fenway Sports Group.

An original NWSL franchise, the Red Stars have been league runner-up in 2019 and 2021. The club was put up for sale late last year after Whisler was found to be part of a pattern of abuse and sexual misconduct within the league. 

The Ricketts deal, still pending league approval, is several months behind an intended timetable.

“There is unprecedented fan growth in women’s soccer globally, and we want to be part of building that momentum here in Chicago,” Ricketts said.

Conference realignment appears to be at a standstill — for now, at least. No school has the immediate green light to make a move and cause further disruption.

Tuesday marks the deadline for ACC schools to notify the conference of a 2024 departure. Any moves were highly unlikely, as each would trigger an exit fee of about $120 million. Texas and Oklahoma paid a combined $100 million to leave the Big 12 for the SEC, while USC, UCLA, Oregon, and Washington will not pay exit fees to join the Big Ten because of the Pac-12’s expiring media rights deal.

Florida State has expressed the most frustration with the ACC, but the Seminoles haven’t made any plans to vote on any formal move.

Should FSU or schools like Clemson or Miami ever leave the ACC, a likely landing spot would be the SEC — although it doesn’t seem to be in any rush to expand further.

“To me, 16 is a really good number, for a variety of reasons,” University of Georgia president Jere Morehead said, explaining that going bigger “becomes more challenging from a scheduling standpoint” and “determining true championships.”

However, Morehead added he could envision “scenarios where 18 or 20” teams made up the conference, if “carefully thought out.”

Wild Wild West

As the now four-team Pac-12 contemplates its future, Washington State president Kirk Schulz has established a 16-member athletics advisory committee to help him and WSU athletics director Pat Chun determine the school’s next steps.

Oregon State president Jayathi Murthy desperately wants to keep the conference together, but the University of California and Stanford have been exploring moves to the ACC — despite being met with opposition from top conference schools like FSU and Clemson.

The Women’s World Cup host nations are so enthused by the success of the 2023 tournament that they’re setting their sights on an even more lucrative gig: a men’s World Cup.

Amid record-breaking attendance and the Australian women’s national team’s run to the semifinals, this Women’s World Cup is projected to bring in $300 million from sponsorship revenue, $100 million from media rights, and nearly $50 million from ticket sales.

FIFA says the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar generated more than $6 billion in revenue, including nearly $1 billion in ticket sales alone. Host country Qatar reportedly reaped $1.56 billion.

It’s easy to see why Women’s World Cup countries would be interested in further FIFA hosting duties. 

The heads of the soccer federations in both Australia and New Zealand have separately expressed their desires to attract a men’s World Cup. That would likely be in 2034, as North America will host the 2026 event and 2030 has joint bids from partnering nations in both Europe and South America.

“It’s only natural that at some time in the future we would host a men’s World Cup,” New Zealand Football CEO Andrew Pragnell said this week. Football Australia CEO James Johnson has also said the 2034 World Cup “will be part” of the country’s future bids for major tournaments.

In a key vote of confidence, FIFA president Gianni Infantino and his executive team have been very impressed by the tournament’s fan enthusiasm and the quality of match venues, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.