October 13, 2023

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Disney has taken the next step [[link removed]?] in eventually acquiring 100% ownership of Hulu — a sneaky strong chess piece in the sports streaming wars. As one-third of the Disney bundle, Hulu helps boost ESPN+ subscribers and integrates that sports content into its service — although I’ll admit that I’ve most recently been using Hulu for the new season of “American Horror Story.”

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Ratcliffe Reportedly Emerges As Frontrunner In Manchester United Sale [[link removed]]

MUFC

The Manchester United ownership saga continues.

Nearly 11 months since the Glazer Family announced it was exploring strategic alternatives — including new investment, a sale, or other transactions — for the storied Premier League club, disgruntled fans remain in the dark on any definitive action that may or may not be on the horizon.

Sale rumors have circulated since the club statement in late November 2022, with a long list of potential suitors interested in purchasing the club, which is valued [[link removed]] at $6 billion.

According to multiple reports over the past few months, the grueling process has left two remaining bidders [[link removed]]: Jim Ratcliffe, the British billionaire who founded global chemical company Ineos, and Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Now, the latest news is that Ratcliffe is emerging as the frontrunner to buy into Manchester United, according to Bloomberg [[link removed]]. Ratcliffe could acquire some shares held by both the Glazers and minority investors, and initially get a roughly 25% stake.

It’s unclear whether that stake could or would lead to an eventual majority stake in Manchester United, or if the Glazers would remain in control of the team long-term.

If the reports turn into reality, Manchester United fans who had hoped to see the Glazers sell the club entirely will no doubt remain frustrated with team ownership. There has been no official comment from the club or a timeline for next steps.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“A lot of players talk about, ‘Let’s first expand the roster sizes … let’s improve the people in the house before we build another house.’”

— Ben Pickman, staff writer for The Athletic, on some players wanting the WNBA to fill out their rosters before adding expansion teams to the league. To hear more about the WNBA, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

MLB Pressures DSG On 2024 Broadcast Plans, Reorganization [[link removed]]

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

MLB has sent a blunt message to Diamond Sports Group, the bankrupt parent of Bally Sports: Let us know your 2024 broadcast plans — now.

Immediately on the heels of DSG’s separate, baseball-related carriage fee dispute [[link removed]] with DirecTV, the league made two separate filings with a U.S. bankruptcy court in Texas.

The first asks for an immediate answer on which of the 12 MLB teams DSG airs will be carried by the company next season. The second offers a sharp rebuke of DSG’s push [[link removed]] to extend its deadline to file a reorganization plan to Nov. 29.

Collectively, the league offers a formal legal notice that its patience is now at an end after scrambling earlier this year to produce and distribute San Diego Padres [[link removed]] and Arizona Diamondbacks [[link removed]] games following DSG rights rejections.

“After nearly seven months of Chapter 11 protection, one extension of exclusivity, and more than one month of court-ordered mediation [[link removed]], the debtors still have no plan of reorganization and no go-forward business plan,” MLB said. “It is now clear that the debtors have never been in a position to achieve the requisite consensus to adopt a viable strategy … The debtors’ time is up.”

MLB is attempting to take firmer control of its regional broadcast situation in a time of accelerating disruption in the industry. The league joins a growing number of DSG creditors, distributors, and teams and leagues in other sports also seeking greater clarity on the embattled company’s future plans.

“At the moment, MLB and the clubs can only guess which clubs the debtors may continue to support and which may be left without a telecast partner. Merely guessing is not good enough,” the league said.

DSG called MLB’s filings “misguided” and said it is making “significant progress” on restructuring.

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Citi Field Needs Better Surroundings. The Mets Owner Wants A Casino [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen has made it clear he wants to transform the oft-criticized Queens neighborhood adjacent to Citi Field — and he thinks building a casino is the way to do it.

For years, the area has been dominated by a glut of auto repair shops, and Cohen envisions a casino as the center of a mixed-use development drawing fans before and after Mets games, similar to many other sports facility projects around the country.

“There’s nothing going on. The only thing you can do at Citi Field is get your hubcap changed or maybe get back a catalytic converter,” Cohen said at a Sportico conference. “The way I would describe it is 50 acres of cement.”

There is some additional development coming to the area with NYCFC’s separate plans [[link removed]] to develop a $780 million soccer-specific stadium adjacent to Citi Field. But Cohen sees a potential opportunity in landing one of the maximum three casino licenses approved by legislators earlier this year for downstate New York.

“I have tons of ideas I want to implement,” he said. “You can’t spend an unlimited amount of money, so you’ve got to budget. And also, dealing with the underinvestment that I had to deal with coming in, I call it the money pit.”

Several other MLB teams have physical sportsbooks in or near their ballparks, including the Mets themselves at Citi Field. But a casino would be new for a major league ballpark setting.

Cohen’s expenditures also extend to the Mets’ record-setting payroll, which reached $344 million before a series of trade deadline moves [[link removed]] amid a highly disappointing 75-87 season. The owner later apologized [[link removed]] for the poor performance in an open letter to fans and pledged a “sustainable” future for the club.

Liverpool Facing Further Stadium Delays Amid Shifting Financial Future [[link removed]]

Liverpool

Liverpool has been in a transitional state in more ways than one this year — and the Premier League club just announced some disappointing news for its fans.

The team is spending [[link removed]] a reported $97 million to expand its Anfield Road Stand and increase the capacity for home matches from 53,000 to 61,000. But the project — which was supposed to be completed before the start of this season — remains unfinished and without a clear end in sight.

Liverpool CEO Billy Hogan said [[link removed]] that the upper tier of the Anfield Road Stand will stay closed until at least the end of 2023. Hogan wouldn’t put a firm timeline on when construction would be completed or when the stand could even partially open.

Because of the delays, Liverpool will have to refund or reallocate the tickets fans purchased for next week’s Merseyside derby match against local rival Everton. The club had been anticipating being at full capacity for that game.

Currently sitting fourth in EPL standings, Liverpool will end up playing at least 10 Premier League matches at reduced capacity, plus several Europa League and Carabao Cup games.

The Anfield construction issues came shortly after Liverpool sold [[link removed]] a minority club stake to New York-based private equity firm Dynasty Equity that could be worth $200 million. The funds were said to be used in part to make improvements to Anfield.

Conversation Starters Pat McAfee’s interviews with Aaron Rodgers are usually very good but apparently come with a price [[link removed]]. According to a report, Rodgers is paid “millions” for his exclusive interviews on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Time to check in with globetrotter Kirk Herbstreit, who has just two big stops for football coverage this weekend. Check out his itinerary [[link removed]]. Intae Hwang has refereed [[link removed]] for 15 years, even at the Olympics — but his goal was always the NBA. Now, after moving his family 7,000 miles from South Korea to New Jersey and working in the G League and WNBA, he’s a full-time official for the 2023-24 season.

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Hitting the Bike Trail With Zaire Wade

[[link removed]]

Zaire Wade is mostly known as one of basketball’s most promising young players and the son of a basketball legend. But like many professional athletes – Zaire has his own passions off the court.​

​In our new series, My Other Passion, presented by Chevrolet, we hit the outdoors [[link removed]] with some of the most recognizable athletes in sports to explore their interests outside the arena.​

​Learn how biking helps Zaire Wade move forward, find peace off the court and gain the mental freedom he needs to succeed in pursuit of his dream.​

​Watch episode three [[link removed]] now.

Editor's Picks Sharpe’s Impact Propels ‘First Take’ to Soaring Viewership in Just Six Weeks [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Monday's "First Take" edition had 852,000 viewers compared with Fox's "Undisputed," which had only 172,000. Shad Khan Weighs Jaguars’ Future In Jacksonville, London [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Jacksonville is coming off two consecutive games across the pond. Brett Favre Refuses to Release Taxes in Mississippi Welfare Case [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Brett Favre has “raised multiple objections to every request” made by Mississippi lawyers. DISCLAIMER

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