January 18, 2024

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The ACC-Florida State dispute deepens as a new court filing sees the conference move to keep the Seminoles out of its affairs. … The White Sox look to relocate downtown and leave long-derided Guaranteed Rate Field. … And things are looking up for the long-troubled Paris 2024 Olympics.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

ACC to FSU in New Court Filing: Keep Out of Conference Affairs [[link removed]]

Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

The latest installment of the Florida State-ACC legal drama dropped on Wednesday evening, when the conference filed [[link removed]] an injunction to keep the university out of its affairs.

A quick catch-up: The ACC, anticipating legal action from FSU, filed a suit in North Carolina on Dec. 21 to defend its Grant of Rights, a fancy way of saying that the conference owns media rights and schools can’t leave in the middle of a media agreement without paying a huge sum. FSU took its stand [[link removed]] the next day (Dec. 22) in Florida court, claiming that the format is unfair and the conference mishandled both media rights negotiations and conference realignment.

Wednesday’s 55-page filing is significant because the conference is seeking to stop any FSU personnel from “participating in the management of the affairs” of the conference while the legal battle continues. The ACC wants to retain FSU as a member institution, but it also wants to stop the school from holding any power within it for the time being.

The ACC also claims FSU broke confidentiality agreements by disclosing the details of the conference’s media deal with ESPN on a number of occasions, including during a public meeting of the Board of Trustees in late December. In six claims, up from the original filing’s two, the conference maintains its Grant of Rights is enforceable and has been breached by FSU.

The dispute stems from a number of pressure points: ballooning media rights deals, significant conference realignment, and undefeated FSU’s exclusion from the college football playoff all brought the issues to a head.

Do-over: White Sox Seek Reversal of Decades-old Mistake With Ballpark [[link removed]]

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The Chicago White Sox are potentially moving closer to reversing a facility mistake now in its fourth decade.

The MLB club acknowledged it has engaged in talks with Chicago city officials about building a new stadium, advancing chatter that has actively swirled [[link removed]] since last summer. The Chicago Sun-Times described [[link removed]] the latest ballpark development talks as “serious” and focused on the city’s South Loop, near downtown.

“We met to discuss the historic partnership between the team and Chicago and the team’s ideas for remaining competitive in Chicago in perpetuity,” White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf and Chicago mayor Brandon Johnson said in a joint statement. “The partnership between the city and team goes back more than a century, and the Johnson administration is committed to continuing this dialogue moving forward.”

The club’s current lease at Guaranteed Rate Field expires after the 2029 season. Leaving the facility would allow to White Sox to be much closer to Chicago’s commercial core and tourist traffic. The Chicago ballpark, which opened in 1991, is the last MLB stadium built before the urban, retro-inspired design wave ushered in by Baltimore’s Oriole Park at Camden Yards, and it quickly garnered a reputation as an afterthought. Located several miles away from downtown, the current White Sox facility sits in the middle of roughly 70 acres of surface parking and has not attracted the collateral development or attendance enjoyed by most other big-market clubs.

The land currently being discussed for the potential White Sox project—a 62-acre parcel known as “The 78” and owned by developer Related Midwest—is seen as one of Chicago’s best untapped properties.

Back at Halas Hall …

It’s unknown whether the White Sox will seek public funding for a new ballpark, and if so, how much. But if taxpayer money is sought, the project could potentially create local funding and political issues, as the Chicago Bears also are considering developing a stadium in the city of Chicago. Locations near Soldier Field are part [[link removed]] of a broader stadium site search by the NFL team across the Chicago area.

Most recently, the Bears have restarted [[link removed]] discussions with Arlington Heights, Ill., where the team owns 326 acres of land, reversing what the team previously described [[link removed]] as a “stalemate” with local officials.

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Paris 2024 Outlook As Opening Ceremonies Approach: Trés Bien [[link removed]]

USATSI

Paris has received a welcome dose of good news for its long-troubled 2024 Olympics. After months of battles around security [[link removed]], alleged corruption [[link removed]], and complaints of price-gouging for hotel rooms [[link removed]] and tickets [[link removed]], the infrastructure for the upcoming Games is set to be delivered on time and on budget. The IOC has also publicly endorsed the security plan for the ambitious opening ceremonies.

The city’s opening ceremony next summer is built around [[link removed]] a water parade along the River Seine involving several-hundred-thousand spectators, a plan unprecedented in scope in Olympics history—and one requiring an ambitious security protocol. The ongoing Israel-Hamas war has raised concerns of a related attack in Paris, but IOC officials conveyed their support following an executive board meeting this week in South Korea. The Paris 2024 security budget, amounting to nearly $350 million, will involve the deployment of 45,000 staffers during the opening ceremonies and 35,000 for the other days of the Olympics.

“Obviously we are in constant contact [with Paris 2024 organizers],” said IOC spokesman Mark Adams. “We do have very high confidence in authorities to make sure that these Games are safe and secure.”

The athletes’ village for Paris 2024 is set to be completed by March 1, and while three competition sites are facing slight construction delays, the overall project is said to be on schedule.

“There are three sites out of 70 that are being monitored, without the schedule being at risk,” said Nicolas Ferrand, president of Solideo, the public company leading Paris 2024 infrastructure, at a hearing of the French senate’s sports commission. “Overall, the works are totally on time and they are within the budget given to us, and with the levels of ambition that were set.”

The Paris 2024 Olympics are set for July 26 through Aug. 11.

Conversation Starters Three-time MLB All-Star and World Series champion Adam Wainwright has joined [[link removed]] Fox Sports as a full-time analyst. Tom Whitney served as a nuclear missile operator after playing golf at the Air Force Academy. When he wasn’t in a bunker, he was winning mini-tours and military tournaments while chasing his dream of playing in the PGA Tour. On Thursday, at 34, Whitney is making his first start [[link removed]] as a Tour member. New York is building [[link removed]] a pop-up cricket stadium using parts from the F1 Las Vegas Grand Prix. The 34,000-capacity venue is set to host 2024 T20 World Cup matches.

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Editor’s Picks Tuned In: Cowboys Agony Proves Ratings Gold For ESPN [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Stephen A. Smith’s First Take draws a massive 1.5M viewers. Diamond Sports Group Secures Lifeline With Amazon Deal [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]A pathway to solvency now exists, but future programming remains unsettled. Forecast for Next Round of NFL Playoffs: More Havoc [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]The Buffalo Bills could have practices disrupted by inclement weather. SURVEY

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