March 6, 2024

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The use of replacement referees in MLS doesn’t appear to be ending anytime soon. … Chicago teams could collaborate on, not compete for, public stadium funding. … A historic New York racetrack is getting a major upgrade. … And we have some initial thoughts on the A’s new Las Vegas ballpark renderings.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

MLS Has a Referee Problem, and There’s No End in Sight [[link removed]]

Winslow Townson-USA TODAY Sports

The MLS regular season will pick back up Saturday for the third week under the foresight of replacement match officials as the referee lockout [[link removed]] continues.

Through two weeks of matches with replacement refs, MLS has endured some unfavorable headlines. Most notably, an official that was scheduled to work last Saturday’s Inter Miami–Orlando City game had to be replaced after pictures surfaced on social media of that ref wearing an Inter Miami jersey. The Professional Referee Organization, which assigns match officials, cited a “ potential conflict [[link removed]]” in removing Guilherme Ceretta, the ref in question.

Additionally, MLS made an apparent effort to quiet talk of the replacement refs among TV and radio broadcasters before last weekend’s matches, according to a memo obtained by The Athletic [[link removed]]. The note read, in part: “Fans tune in to watch and listen to the game. They aren’t focused on the officials; therefore, we don’t believe it is necessary to belabor the point during the match. It is best to mention the situation in the pregame and move on.”

Although MLS executives have reportedly told the league’s board of governors that they are pleased with the performance of the replacement officials so far, also per The Athletic [[link removed]], the situation is no doubt casting an unfortunate shadow early on in Lionel Messi’s first full season with Inter Miami and MLS.

There has been no indication when the dispute between PRO and the Professional Soccer Referees Association—the union for MLS refs—will end. While PSRA is also the union for NWSL and USL refs, those leagues, which both start this month, have separate deals and won’t be impacted by the ref lockout.

Bears, White Sox Could Consider ‘Financing Partnership’ for Stadiums [[link removed]]

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

Why should two neighboring pro teams compete for the same pot of public money if they don’t need to? Such is the theory underpinning a potentially transformative partnership developing in Chicago between the Bears and White Sox.

The Bears’ long-running effort [[link removed]] to build a new, domed stadium has more recently been joined by an announced plan [[link removed]] by the White Sox to construct a ballpark near Chicago’s downtown. Since both teams could be drawing [[link removed]] from the same hotel tax funds to build their respective stadiums, city officials have encouraged a more collaborative approach to help ensure both projects ultimately get done.

Related Midwest—the developer working with the White Sox on their project on a spot of land located near Chicago’s South Loop and called “The 78”—said to the Chicago Sun-Times [[link removed]] that the company is working on a “financing partnership” with the teams that would link the two stadium projects.

“Wouldn’t it be unbelievable for our city if you were to see two amazing facilities for these great sports teams built at once?” Curt Bailey, Related Midwest president, told the Sun-Times.

Many details are still undetermined in the potential deal, perhaps most notably where the Bears intend to build their venue. There also isn’t anything close to a final economic framework. But there does exist an ongoing dialogue to create a shared framework, with those talks also extending to potentially relocating either the MLS’s Fire or NWSL’s Red Stars, or both, to a retrofitted Guaranteed Rate Field after the White Sox leave that ballpark.

Civic Precedent

Several other U.S. cities in recent decades have tackled public financing for more than one pro sports facility at the same time. But perhaps the most notable example occurred a quarter century ago when Pennsylvania state officials approved funding to help build what became PNC Park and Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh as well as Philadelphia’s Citizens Bank Park and Lincoln Financial Field.

Though highly controversial then—and also many years later [[link removed]]—given the always-divided opinions around using taxpayer funds for private sports teams, the approach in Pennsylvania was then seen by state leaders as an efficient way to manage several converging desires for stadium upgrades.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY An Architect Reacts to A’s Renderings

Oakland A's/Bjarke Ingels Group/HNTB

We spoke with Ryan Sickman, a principal and a sports-facilities designer with the global architecture firm Gensler, mere minutes after the latest A’s Las Vegas stadium renderings dropped. His reaction? The vibe is more Disney concert hall than MLB ballpark. To hear Sickman’s quick takes on the images, check out today’s episode of the Front Office Sports Today podcast. And if you like what you hear, feel free to give us a rating and review on Apple Podcasts [[link removed]].

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

ONE BIG FIG Grandiose Plan for Grandstand

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

$455 million

Amount of money New York has allocated [[link removed]] for funding the renovation of Belmont Park racetrack, the third leg of horse racing’s Triple Crown. The makeover aims to accommodate larger crowds and extend the thoroughbred racing season to nearly 11 months. Renderings unveiled by the New York Racing Association and the governor’s office depict a reimagined track and grandstand, paving the way for the Breeders’ Cup to return to the revamped venue in 2026.

TIME CAPSULE March 6, 1964 and ’67: A Legend Is Formed

Robert Steinau/The Courier-Journal-USA TODAY Sports

On this day 60 and 57 years ago: Muhammad Ali announced he was changing his name from Cassius Clay, and he was ordered by the Selective Service to be inducted into the military. The date holds a double significance to the iconic boxer as he first revealed his new name in concert with his conversion to the Nation of Islam. Less than two weeks after Ali claimed the heavyweight title from Sonny Liston, the then new champion said adopting the moniker allowed him to be “freed from the identity given to my family by slave masters.” Signaling a refusal to conform to societal expectations of the time—one that would ultimately define his career and legacy—Ali ultimately refused induction into the military upon being selected three years later, citing his religious beliefs and opposition to the U.S. participation in the Vietnam War.

Ali’s refusal to be drafted became a high-profile legal case rising to the U.S. Supreme Court, and his conviction was ultimately overturned. During this extended saga lasting nearly four years, Ali did not fight as he was denied a boxing license, essentially robbing him of the athletic prime of his mid to late 20s. But as national sentiment steadily turned against American involvement in Vietnam during that period of inactivity and Ali expanded his own activism, his standing as an influential cultural force grew substantially.

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Conversation Starters A proposed [[link removed]] Utah bill would require athletes in the state to obtain written approval from their school for NIL deals more than $600, and it would prohibit athletes from signing deals promoting alcohol, gambling, vaping, and other products. Arch Manning will not opt in to EA Sports College Football 25, as reported by Anwar Richardson [[link removed]], citing Manning’s focus on playing football on the field. Johnny Manziel said he will not attend [[link removed]] the Heisman Trophy ceremony until Reggie Bush is reinstated with his award. Bush won the Heisman in 2005 and was later forced to forfeit it. Editors’ Picks NFL, MLB, NHL Unions Come to Defense of ‘Sports Illustrated’ Guild [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Union federation on publisher’s guild situation: ‘We will be watching this closely.’ Tuned In: How Chris Mortensen Paid It Forward at ESPN [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]It all started with some advice from the late Will McDonough. Jessica O’Neill’s Journey From Ticket Sales to Team President [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]O’Neill rose to Houston Dynamo FC president in only three years. 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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