October 30, 2023

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The top battle for primetime TV viewers tonight will be between Game 3 of the World Series and the Las Vegas-Detroit “Monday Night Football” game. Because of rainouts and other schedule anomalies in recent years, there hasn’t been a head-to-head battle between the World Series and “MNF” since 2013, when Game 5 of the Boston-St. Louis matchup drew 14.4 million viewers, easily beating an average of 10.8 million for a Seattle-St. Louis football game.

Even before the NFL-St. Louis relationship devolved and the Rams returned to Los Angeles, the Gateway City was always firmly a baseball town. No such division of local fans will happen tonight, and the NFL’s ratings dominance has only grown in the last decade, making the competition for viewers all the more interesting.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Harbaugh Could Take Financial Hit Over Michigan Sign-Stealing Reports [[link removed]]

Syndication: USA TODAY

The accusations of sign-stealing and controversy surrounding the University of Michigan’s football team, which has triggered a variety of hot takes around college football, is now reportedly hitting head coach Jim Harbaugh’s finances.

According to the Wall Street Journal, Michigan has rescinded [[link removed]] a new contract offer that would have made Harbaugh the highest-paid coach in the Big Ten. Harbaugh, however, has refuted [[link removed]] the report — noting, “I wouldn’t say that’s accurate.”

Harbaugh currently makes a little more than $8 million annually, which ranks [[link removed]] 12th in the nation and fourth in the Big Ten. Ohio State coach Ryan Day tops the conference with a $10.27 million annual salary — the fourth-highest in the country.

While exact terms of Harbaugh’s contract offer are unclear, a deal to top all other Big Ten coaches would be close to $11 million.

Back To The Pros?

In recent offseasons, Harbaugh has interviewed for several vacant NFL head coaching jobs, but so far has resisted returning to the professional ranks. He coached the San Francisco 49ers from 2011-2014, earning Coach of the Year honors in 2011 and appearing in Super Bowl XLVII.

However, heading back to the NFL likely would not help Harbaugh avoid potentially penalties from the sign-stealing scandal. If he were suspended by the NCAA and accepted an NFL position, Harbaugh could still be subject to some or all of that punishment, according to NFL.com [[link removed]].

A’s Relocation Vote Still On Track, But Las Vegas Concerns Linger [[link removed]]

Jonathan Hui-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball remains on track to vote next month on the Oakland A’s planned relocation to Las Vegas, but acknowledged that legal issues in Nevada present a potential obstacle.

Team owners are set to vote on the A’s move at meetings planned for Nov. 14-16 in Arlington, Texas. If approved, the relocation will represent MLB’s second franchise shift since 1971. The timing of the vote has been targeted [[link removed]] since last month.

But MLB commissioner Rob Manfred is concerned over a move [[link removed]] by Nevada education advocacy group Schools Over Stadiums — which is linked to the Nevada State Education Association — to force a public vote in November 2024 on $380 million in previously approved public funding for a stadium on the Las Vegas Strip.

“If there was an adverse development with respect to that referendum, that would be a significant development,” Manfred said prior to Game 1 of the World Series. “That’s all I can say about that.”

If Schools Over Stadiums succeeds and the measure is voted down, a new funding gap would be created in the proposed $1.5 billion project and threaten the timing of the planned 2028 opening of the ballpark.

Interim Uncertainty

Manfred also said there is still no decision yet on where the A’s will play during the 2025-27 seasons, when the Las Vegas ballpark is scheduled to be under construction.

Staying in Oakland for those years, while a stated possibility, is now less likely given the toxic relationship [[link removed]] between the league and city officials. Other potential candidates include neighboring Oracle Park and Las Vegas Ballpark, the home of the A’s Triple-A minor league affiliate, with the league driving the selection process.

Union leaders, however, remain critical of the entire relocation plan for the A’s.

“I do find it interesting that amid the conversation and dialogue around finances, rather than staying in the sixth-largest market, they’re moving to a market that may very well have them in the perpetual cycle of receiving revenue sharing,” said MLB Players Association executive director Tony Clark.

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French Riots Stoke Concerns With 2024 Paris Olympics Looming [[link removed]]

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The cancellation of a Ligue 1 soccer match in France due to rioting fans is the latest black eye for the country less than a year before the Paris Olympics begin next summer.

On Sunday, the bus of visiting squad Lyon was attacked by Marseille fans, who threw rocks and beer bottles at the vehicle. Lyon coach Fabio Grosso was injured in the altercation [[link removed].], and the game was called off. Seven suspects were arrested.

Marseille, which is about 500 miles south of Paris, will host Olympic sailing events in 2024, as well as some soccer matches.

Earlier this year, riots [[link removed]] in Paris saw protestors storm the Paris organizing committee’s offices and cause fires at an Olympic swimming center.

Olympic Disruption

Beyond potential unrest from local fans next summer, the Paris Games are also dealing with an escalating budget that has reached at least $4.5 billion — despite organizers insisting [[link removed]] the financial strains are under control.

The extravagant opening ceremony planned to run along the River Seine will attract hundreds of thousands of fans — some paying as much as $2,900 each for waterside views of the parade. The Games are also rerouting [[link removed]] the Tour de France, which won’t conclude in the country’s capital for the first time in over 100 years.

Conversation Starters Today is a “Sports Equinox” — the 30th in history [[link removed]] and the only one in 2023. You can watch 24 games across five major U.S. sports, including a World Series contest, “Monday Night Football,” and two MLS playoff games. The NBA’s new in-season tournament will include special [[link removed]], fully painted courts for all 30 teams. See each one [[link removed]]. A year ago, St. Louis didn’t have an official MLS team. But on Sunday night, tens of thousands of fans gathered [[link removed]] downtown — in the rain — for the first playoff game in St. Louis City’s history.

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Editor's Picks First Came the March Madness Cinderella Run. Then Came the Media Deal. [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Fairleigh Dickinson has inked a media rights agreement with YES Network. FIFA Suspends Spain’s Luis Rubiales For Three Years [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Rubiales will be barred from “all football-related activities." Investors Dive Into Soccer’s Lower Tiers, Eye Untapped Market Potential [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]North Sixth Group is founding an ownership group called Club Underdog. Careers in Sports

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