February 8, 2024

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The PGA Tour’s new equity plan, backed by an investment from Strategic Sports Group, is heavily tilted toward top-ranking players. … Rob Manfred puts the Oakland A’s on the clock. … Tulsa football coach Kevin Wilson doesn’t mince words when it comes to recruiting. … Plus: More on a downtown Cleveland stadium development, Ted Leonsis, MLB, and A’s tickets.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

PGA Tour’s $930M of Equity Payouts: Top Stars Will Benefit the Most [[link removed]]

Ray Acevedo-USA TODAY Sports

PGA Tour players have received a memo detailing how an initial $930 million of equity from new investors will be distributed.

Last week, Strategic Sports Group—a consortium of professional sports teams owners including the Atlanta Falcons’ Arthur Blank and Boston Red Sox’ John Henry—completed a deal [[link removed]] to inject up to $3 billion into the newly formed PGA Tour Enterprises, with an initial investment believed to be around $1.5 billion. All indications are that the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia has the opportunity to strike a deal to invest another $3 billion alongside SSG.

According to the memo [[link removed]], which has been reported by multiple outlets, the equity will start being distributed in March to 193 players divided into four groups—and it’s top heavy. PGA Tour members are the ones eligible, meaning those now playing on LIV Golf won’t get anything, even if they recently had success on the PGA Tour. Here’s how things shake out:

Group 1: $750 million (80% of the total amount) to 36 players based on performance throughout their career and the last five years, as well as Player Impact Program results. Some players will likely receive more than others. This will be for top stars like Rory McIlroy, Scottie Scheffler, and of course Tiger Woods. It will also be where LIV defectors like Jon Rahm, Brooks Koepka, and Dustin Johnson will miss out the most. Group 2: $75 million to 64 players based on performance from the last three years. This is where the lines start to blur, but recent up-and-comers like Sam Burns and Cameron Young could benefit most here, with young players who left for LIV like Joaquin Niemann missing out. Group 3: $30 million to 57 players that have earned certain fully exempt PGA Tour status categories. This could mean golfers who play on the PGA Tour each year but aren’t consistently in the top 100 of the world rankings. Group 4: $75 million to 36 players who were instrumental in building the modern PGA Tour, based on career performance. Former major champions now taking it easy on the senior tour like Ernie Els and David Duval could cash in here. And the big name who will miss out: Phil Mickelson.

Additionally, a further $600 million will be doled out via recurring grants from 2025 to ’30. The PGA Tour will announce more details in the coming weeks.

Good, Good?

The equity, in a way, is a make-good for players who stayed loyal to the PGA Tour amid huge contract offers from LIV. But some PGA Tour members still don’t think they’ll be even with LIV defectors, if and when a deal is struck with the PIF.

“There should be a pathway back for them,” No. 1–ranked Scheffler said [[link removed]] this week ahead of the WM Phoenix Open. “But they definitely shouldn’t be able to come back without any contribution to the tour.” That echoes a sentiment expressed [[link removed]] by Justin Thomas: “There’s a handful of players on LIV that would make the tour a better place, but I’m definitely not in the agreement that they should just be able to come back that easily.”

Those opinions are in stark contrast to McIlroy, who recently shifted his stance and said [[link removed]] he doesn’t think there should be any punishment for LIV players returning.

Manfred’s Patience Wearing Thin? Commish Makes Stance on A’s Clear [[link removed]]

Journal Sentinel

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred has made it abundantly clear the Oakland A’s are on the clock.

Speaking at the end of the owners’ meetings this week in Florida, Manfred reiterated his strong hope that the Oakland A’s maintain their target of opening a new ballpark in Las Vegas to open the 2028 season.

“I would be disappointed, let me say it that way, if we didn’t open that stadium Opening Day 2028,” Manfred said. “Disappointed, just in the sense I think it’s best for the A’s and best for the game.”

Manfred’s comments arrive as the MLB club’s planned relocation is facing an increased set of problems. While the A’s are still grappling with how to build a stadium on a 9-acre site along the Las Vegas Strip, marking one of the smallest ballpark footprints in the league, a legal challenge has been filed against $380 million in public funding toward the project, planned stadium renderings are increasingly behind [[link removed]] schedule, and Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman earlier this week said [[link removed]] the current ballpark plan “does not make sense.”

Asked about Goodman’s appearance on the Front Office Sports Today podcast [[link removed]], and her later attempted walk-back of her comments, Manfred said, “I only caught up to it after she said one thing and then said another, so it kind of canceled each other out in my mind.”

Also still at issue in the A’s situation: where the team will play [[link removed]] for the 2025 to ’27 seasons, in between the expiration of the Oakland Coliseum lease after this year, and that ’28 target for the new ballpark. Manfred said a decision—involving several complex factors—must be made by this summer, when the ’25 schedule is due for public release.

“It’s hard, even scheduling, although it’s clearly going to be someplace in the West,” Manfred said. “You know, there’s a difference between some places in the West and some other places in the West. So we need to get at it.”

Streaming Progress

MLB, meanwhile, continues to work on a direct-to-consumer, in-market streaming product that could hit the market in 2025 and involve about half of the league’s 30 teams. In addition to the long-troublesome issue of territorial rights and blackout rules, the effort also is complicated by the ongoing bankruptcy [[link removed]] of Diamond Sports Group and what ultimately becomes of local rights currently held by that company.

Manfred also applauded the recent move [[link removed]] by ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox Corp. to create a combined, multisport streaming package.

“I see that development as positive,” he said. “I think it’s another place that’s going to need to buy rights in order to make the platform go. I think it’s particularly good for us. If you think about it, it’s our three biggest [national media] partners, right? All positive.”

SPONSORED BY FANDUEL COURSE

The NBA’s Commitment to Responsible Gaming

Sports betting in the U.S. has never been more popular. As more states have legalized the practice in recent years, the digital sportsbook industry has grown, and the partnerships with professional teams and leagues have expanded with it.

From the NBA to the NFL, NHL, and more, teams and leagues at large have begun to partner with sportsbooks like FanDuel [[link removed]] not only to engage fans, but to promote responsible betting in sports.

In Lesson 3 of our latest course, Responsible Gaming Essentials: The Power of Partnerships, we join Andrew Sneyd, EVP of Marketing at FanDuel, and Eric Rimsky, Vice President of U.S. Fantasy and Betting at the NBA, as they discuss ways in which the two organizations are leveraging their partnership [[link removed]] to reinforce Responsible Gaming messaging to NBA fans.

Register [[link removed]] for the course today.

LOUD AND CLEAR Coach-Speak

Nathan J. Fish-USA TODAY Sports

“First thing you do is drop the dogs, and I’m not sure about the girl.”

—Tulsa football coach Kevin Wilson, sharing with reporters what he told [[link removed]] a recruit who had inquired about how much NIL money he could get from Tulsa, noting that he has three dogs and a girlfriend.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Andrew Weber-US Presswire

Downtown Cleveland ⬆ A long-derided city already being remade through efforts such as a planned development [[link removed]] near Cleveland Browns Stadium and a new Cavaliers training facility [[link removed]] is getting another jolt through an emerging effort [[link removed]] to build a new downtown stadium to attract a women’s pro soccer team. The Browns could potentially leave the lakefront as part of a broader stadium review [[link removed]] and ongoing lease talks with the city, but team owners have expressed [[link removed]] a “preference” for the current location.

Ted Leonsis ⬆ Despite rising opposition [[link removed]] to his $2 billion arena and mixed-use development plan in Alexandria, Va., and a need to still win governmental approvals, the Monumental Sports and Entertainment chairman is undeterred, telling [[link removed]] WUSA9 that “the die is cast” on the project.

MLB ⬆ After decades of tensions with the IOC, the league is now considering [[link removed]] a landmark move to send big league players to the 2028 Olympics. After baseball’s reentry [[link removed]] to the Olympic program, the plan could even see a one-year suspension of the MLB All-Star Game to make it happen.

Oakland A’s tickets ⬇ An increasingly challenged [[link removed]] relocation to Las Vegas continues to leave scars back in the Bay Area. Ticket demand for Opening Day—typically a guaranteed sellout for any MLB club—is so weak for the A’s that they’re now offering [[link removed]] a buy one, get one special.

SPONSORED BY CISCO

Game-Changing Tech Alliances

At first glance, the NFL and the tech industry may seem worlds apart. But behind the scenes there are a handful of surprising parallels, namely: the strategic depth and teamwork essential for success.

Few understand this overlap better than Cisco [[link removed]].

Before the 2023 NFL season, Cisco teamed up with the league to launch the NFL IT Apprenticeship Program, allowing one graduate from Cisco’s esteemed Networking Academy to work alongside some of the world’s best sports technologists.

This initiative marks a major step toward weaving Networking Academy’s technical education into the fabric of the NFL ecosystem—and the first of many steps.

To explore how the NFL and Cisco are empowering both professional and former players with technical career opportunities, read the full article here [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters The Chicago White Sox have proposed [[link removed]] new stadium plans for a 62-acre site in the South Loop known as “The 78.” If the Sox move, their current Guaranteed Rate Field could be converted into a soccer stadium for the Chicago Fire of MLS. Fox Sports’ broadcast of Wednesday night’s Marquette-Georgetown game was completely produced [[link removed]] by women to celebrate National Girls and Women in Sports Day. What a ride: Cal Ripken Jr.’s association with the Baltimore Orioles has come full circle [[link removed]]. After being drafted by his hometown team, he became a 19-time MLB All-Star, World Series champion, and Hall of Famer, and now he’s a part-owner of the club. Editors’ Picks New Streaming Bundle Could Take ‘Edge’ Off the ESPN-Fox College Sports Rivalry [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The marriage of rivals could create a new dynamic in college sports. Sinclair Exploring Strategic Alternatives for the Tennis Channel [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Company evaluating options for one of the most unique outlets in sports media. Fanatics Betting Exec Calls DraftKings Allegations ‘Wrong and Disappointing,’ ‘False and Fabricated’ [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]New VIP betting chief refutes accusations of ‘secret plan’ to steal customer info. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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