November 27, 2023
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The Carolina Panthers’ David Tepper has seemingly joined a short, ignominious list of pro team owners, including the likes of Dan Snyder, whose tenures started with so much hope but quickly soured. On Monday, Tepper fired Frank Reich, the fifth head coach [[link removed]] he’s dismissed in the last four years between the Panthers and MLS’s Charlotte FC. The billionaire also oversaw the failed attempt to build a new Panthers training facility in Rock Hill, S.C.
Tepper arrived at pro sports ownership with an extensive track record of hedge-fund success, leading to a $20.6 billion net worth. But with no winning seasons on his watch and fan unrest growing, sports have proven a far more difficult proposition.
— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]
Will PGA Tour’s No. 3 Player Bolt For LIV Golf’s Reported $600M Offer? [[link removed]]
Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports
It may be a relatively slow period on the pro golf calendar, but the sport is buzzing thanks to rumors that LIV Golf is aggressively pushing to sign its biggest player yet.
Jon Rahm, the No. 3-ranked player in the world and defending Masters champion, reportedly [[link removed]] has an offer to sign with the controversial Saudi-backed league for $600 million. That would mark the biggest paycheck yet shelled out by LIV.
Phil Mickelson is currently believed to have accepted the highest offer — around $200 million — while players like Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson, and Bryson DeChambeau are said to have received $100 million-plus deals. Tiger Woods reportedly [[link removed]] turned down an offer from LIV worth nearly $800 million.
Rahm, who once said [[link removed]] LIV was not in his future, recently pulled out of competing in the first season of TGL before the new virtual golf league, co-founded by Woods and Rory McIlroy, delayed [[link removed]] its launch by one year to 2025. TGL has a working relationship with the PGA Tour. LIV members are not a part of any TGL roster.
The PGA Tour’s 2024 FedExCup regular season begins the first week of January in Maui. LIV’s 2024 schedule starts the first week of February in Mexico.
Deadline Looming
Last month, Mickelson said [[link removed]] he was confident that more high-profile players would join LIV in 2024.
Since the announcement of the PGA Tour’s deal with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund in June, LIV hasn’t poached any more major golfers. But if the two sides fail to reach an agreement by their Dec. 31 deadline [[link removed]], LIV could get aggressive in stealing players yet again.
Two U.S. World Cups in Two Years? [[link removed]]
Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports
American soccer is already counting on a major boost in profile when the U.S., Mexico, and Canada host the men’s 2026 FIFA World Cup. Now, the U.S. is one step closer in its hopes of hosting the women’s edition a year later.
A joint U.S.-Mexico bid [[link removed]] for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup is just one of three remaining options after South Africa withdrew its bid in an effort to focus on winning the right to host the 2031 edition. The South African Football Association called the time frame for developing a 2027 bid “challenging.”
The U.S. and Mexico are now competing with a joint bid from Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands, as well as a solo bid from Brazil. FIFA plans on naming a 2027 host at its next congress meeting in May. Final full bids are due by Dec. 8, and FIFA will make on-site inspection visits in February.
The process is playing out much differently from the recent awarding of the men’s tournament, with FIFA having already named hosts for the 2030 [[link removed]] and 2034 [[link removed]] World Cups before they are formally set this coming May.
New Home For Soccer
Should the U.S. and Mexico secure the 2027 Women’s World Cup, that would set up a two-year run of FIFA’s top international events in North America, bookended by the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup [[link removed]] in the U.S. and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
The U.S. will also host the 2024 Copa America [[link removed]], featuring top national teams from both North and South America.
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League Sanctions Infuriate Everton Fans—and Complicate a $685M Sale [[link removed]]
Everton FC
First came Everton’s unprecedented 10-point Premier League standings penalty [[link removed]] for violating profitability and sustainability rules.
Now comes the fallout.
Everton fans made their frustration known on Sunday, with thousands holding up pink signs bearing the Premier League logo and the word “corrupt” during the club’s match against Manchester United.
Everton’s 3-0 loss, meanwhile, slid the team to 19th place in the Premier League standings—staring down relegation—with six months remaining in the season.
A new ally, however, has arrived. Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham has lodged a formal complaint with the Premier League and called for the penalty to be rendered “null and void,” arguing that a new sanctions policy was introduced in the midst of Everton’s case.
“I have concluded that there has not been a fair process,” wrote Burnham, an Everton fan. “There has been a highly flawed process, and I would go as far to say there has been an abuse of process.”
Sale Questions
Amid the increasing turmoil, Everton’s proposed sale to U.S.-based 777 Partners remains tenuous.
After initially agreeing to a deal of about $685 million, 777 Partners’ final sale price could be slashed as multiple reports pointed [[link removed]] to a series of clauses in the deal calling for a lower price if the club is relegated or an appeal of the Premier League’s penalty is denied.
But even with the increasing likelihood of a lowered sale price, 777 Partners is reportedly “still trying to raise the money to close the deal,” according to a new report [[link removed]] in Forbes.
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