November 20, 2023

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One of the NFL’s most prominent and longest-running grudges is at last getting buried, as Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made the surprise announcement Sunday that former coach Jimmy Johnson will at last be inducted into the team’s Ring of Honor on Dec. 30. The recognition is long overdue, as Johnson won two Super Bowls in Dallas and played an instrumental role in the team’s 1990s resurgence that in turn set the stage for the Cowboys to become one of the world’s most valuable sports franchises.

Speaking of dominant teams during the early ’90s, I asked readers to weigh in on the A’s relocation to Las Vegas after MLB owners unanimously approved the move — and some of the better responses are below.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Las Vegas GP, Liberty Media Hit With Lawsuit Amid Dramatic Race Finish [[link removed]]

Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Las Vegas Grand Prix finished late Saturday in dramatic fashion, with the dominant Max Verstappen overcoming a collision and a penalty to claim his 16th victory in 17 races.

And after a deeply troubled beginning [[link removed]] to the event, even Verstappen reversed his prior grumbling [[link removed]] about the extravagance of the event and ultimately sang its praises. That change of sentiment arrived as the race week drew more than 315,000 spectators and ultimately delivered on its original promise of delivering a visually stunning nighttime spectacle along the Las Vegas Strip — capped with a resumption of the Bellagio fountains that had been turned off and a post-race fireworks show.

“I hope everyone enjoyed it. We definitely did,” Verstappen said. “[I’m] excited to come back here next year and try to do something similar.”

Fallout To Come

Not every fan enjoyed the race, though. The issues with the Thursday night practice that led to an early end to the day’s first practice session and a public closure and postponement of the second session have quickly led [[link removed]] to a class-action lawsuit.

Fans with single-day passes were offered a $200 discount at the official race gift shop, but most fans purchased three-day passes, and were not offered those make-goods. The lawsuit filed in Clark County, Nevada, District Court against F1 owner Liberty Media and the Las Vegas Grand Prix alleges those entities failed to take into account fans’ other expenses to attend the event.

“Even if ticket prices are refunded, no offer has been made to reimburse racegoers for other out-of-pocket expenses they incurred with the event cancellation, including transportation, logging, food, merchandise sales, transactions fees, and other such expenses,” the lawsuit reads in part.

F1 said the decision was made strictly in the name of fan safety, adding cancellations at various events “happen” and that “we hope people will understand.”

An official timeline for the breakdown of the lights, grandstands, barriers, and other apparatus for the event has not been established, but estimates are hovering [[link removed]] around six to eight weeks. There will be little time for the city to get fully back to normal, though, as come spring, efforts will be back underway in earnest to prepare for the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix in F1’s multi-year commitment [[link removed]] to the event.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“When my grandfather bought 50% of the New York Giants … he said ‘Why would I buy 100% of another team when I could buy 50% of the Giants?’ That was very much our mentality with Gotham FC.”

— Carolyn Tisch Blodgett on her decision to invest in the NWSL champions. To hear more from Tisch Blodgett, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

PGA Tour-PIF Negotiations Will Reportedly Miss Dec. 31 Deadline [[link removed]]

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

As the PGA Tour works [[link removed]] to complete its landmark deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and the DP World Tour, the likelihood of those talks extending into 2024 is now growing.

With just six weeks to go before the original Dec. 31 deadline to reach a definitive agreement, the Financial Times reported [[link removed]] the deadline is now “increasingly unlikely to be met,” with an extension now the more probable outcome.

Not surprisingly, monetary issues remain at the heart of the dragging pace of the talks, with compensation for PGA Tour players who remained loyal and refused huge LIV Golf deals among the key sticking points.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan said in a memo last week that organization leaders “remain focused” on the ongoing talks, and he, too, acknowledged that the pace of progress was “deliberate.”

If completed, the PIF would invest at least $1 billion — and potentially much more — into a new commercial entity called PGA Tour Enterprises, which would oversee the commercial business of the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and LIV Golf. PGA Tour members will receive equity ownership in that company.

Outside Interest

The PGA Tour, meanwhile, continues to talk to “potential minority investors” that would also come along with the PIF, and that consideration [[link removed]] is now reportedly down to five entities.

Perhaps the foremost entity on that short list, Fenway Sports Group, is actually not just the parent organization of the Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Liverpool FC.

FSG is leading [[link removed]] a consortium of partners comprised of some of the biggest names in sports, including New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, Boston Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank, San Francisco Giants co-owner Greg Johnson, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross, former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Larry, Bruin Capital, and Otro Capital.

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Pitch Day is a platform for innovative entrepreneurs to showcase their business and connect with NFL players [[link removed]], sports executives and investors.

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Everton Sale Faces Plummeting Value And Legal Battles [[link removed]]

Everton FC

The once-straightforward sale [[link removed]] of the Premier League’s Everton to U.S.-based 777 Partners has become embroiled in a series of troubling issues that threaten to cut heavily into the original price of about $685 million.

A month after the deal first hit [[link removed]] snags due to a reported failure by 777 Partners to provide audited financial statements, excessive financial losses by the struggling club led to the Premier League on Friday docking [[link removed]] Everton 10 standings points for violations of its profitability and sustainability rules.

The penalty was the largest points deduction in league history and the first punishment in the top flight of English football relating to those guidelines.

The points deduction immediately sent Everton from 14th in the Premier League to 19th — and below the relegation cut line.

As a result, 777 Partners’ final sale price could be “slashed,” as multiple reports pointed [[link removed]] to the firm having a series of clauses in its deal calling for a lower price if the club is relegated, or if the Premier League penalty is upheld.

Everton is in the midst of mounting an appeal, saying it “believes the Commission has imposed a wholly disproportionate and unjust sporting action.”

Rivals’ Lawsuits

But there are still more layers to the situation as Burnley, Leeds United, and Leicester City reportedly intend to sue [[link removed]] Everton for $374 million as a result of the Premier League sanction. Leeds United and Leicester City were relegated from the Premier League at the end of last season, while Everton was the last team to survive, and Burnley was relegated at the end of the 2021-22 season.

777 Partners, meanwhile, is facing its own issues, as a recent report [[link removed]] in Semafor claims the firm has built its expansive soccer portfolio [[link removed]] in part using customers’ cash at an insurance company it controls. The firm has dismissed the claims as baseless mischaracterizations.

MLB’s International Plan Takes Hit With Paris Cancellation [[link removed]]

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

MLB has aggressive ambitions to build an international fan base but appears to have suffered a significant blow to its efforts.

Plans to play multiple regular-season games in Paris during the 2025 season are being called off, according [[link removed]] to the Associated Press.

Games in France were approved as part of the 2022 collective bargaining agreement, but the league has been struggling to find a local promoter for the series and was facing financial concerns, per the report. MLB hasn’t said anything publicly about canceling the Paris games, but the decision was said to have been made during this week’s owners meetings in Arlington.

The New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox — who played each other in the inaugural London Series back in 2019 — had been among the teams expressing [[link removed]] interest in playing in Paris. MLB had not yet settled on a venue for the series. Unlike the NFL, NBA, and NHL, MLB has yet to play on continental Europe.

Around The World

The 2024 MLB season is set to open in South Korea and visit two additional countries:

Seoul [[link removed]]: Los Angeles Dodgers-San Diego Padres, March 20-21 Mexico City: Houston Astros-Colorado Rockies, April 27-28 London: New York Mets-Philadelphia Phillies, June 8-9

The Red Sox and Tampa Bay Rays will also play spring training games in the Dominican Republic.

With the Paris series scheduled for 2025, the London series was set to take a year off before returning in 2026.

Conversation Starters Erin Matson has now won [[link removed]] five NCAA Field Hockey Championships — four as a player and one as a coach — all by age 23. New Mexico State’s football team went to Auburn as 26-point underdogs — and the Aggies left [[link removed]] Jordan-Hare Stadium with a three-touchdown win and $1.85 million. For the third straight year, Michigan running back Blake Corum used [[link removed]] his NIL money to deliver turkeys to the community for Thanksgiving. We Asked, You Answered

Newsletter co-author Eric Fisher [[link removed]] asked FOS readers if they thought the A’s will work in Last Vegas after MLB owners unanimously approved relocation from Oakland. Here’s some of your responses:

“Of course the Las Vegas A’s will succeed! After spending 15 straight hours in the casino, you gotta get some fresh air somehow.” — Jarrett V. “The A’s are destined to fail. Too many teams in a smallish market. My guess the NBA expands quickly in LV, BEFORE the A’s are established. If so, NO WAY will they survive. On tourists? Impossible.” — Mark Z. “First off let me say it is a real shame that the Oakland A’s are moving to Las Vegas. Attendance in Oakland was down due to owner not spending enough money on players and the poor condition of old stadium. No I do not think it will work out.” — Kurt O. Editor's Picks Notre Dame and NBC Extend Media Rights Agreement To 2029 [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]] and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The Irish will receive about double their current payouts, sources said. [[link removed]] One Philly Arena Or Two? Division Grows Between Sixers, Flyers Owners [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The 76ers and Flyers owners are battling over Philadelphia’s arena future. [[link removed]] ESPN Bet Wants To Challenge the Sports Gambling Duopoly. What Are Its Chances? [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]ESPN Bet is live in 17 states after launching this week. Question Of The Day

Did you watch any of the Las Vegas Grand Prix?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

10% of respondents have used or would consider using Kraken for crypto trading.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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