April 19, 2024

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Will the Timerberwolves’ unsettled ownership situation distract the team during the playoffs? … Big issues remain for the country’s most well-known regional sports network operator. … NFL draft season is like Christmas for league insiders. … And a women’s college basketball legend hopes the sport doesn’t take one inspiration from the men’s game.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

T-Wolves’ Playoff Start Is Clouded by a Messy Ownership Dispute [[link removed]]

Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports

The Timberwolves are entering the NBA playoffs after the franchise’s best regular season in two decades. You’d need to go back to 2004, when Kevin Garnett led Minnesota to 58 wins and then to the Western Conference Finals, to find a T-Wolves team this successful. On Saturday, fans will get to see Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Suns come to town to tip off one of the best matchups in the first round.

Life is good in Minnesota, right?

It should be. But there’s one not-so-behind-the-scenes issue clouding the Timberwolves this postseason: No one knows who the team’s owner is going to be this time next year. The future of the franchise looks like it will be decided in arbitration after majority owner Glen Taylor took Minnesota off the market [[link removed]] just weeks ago, thwarting the planned transfer of control to current minority owners Alex Rodriguez (above) and Marc Lore.

It’s been almost three years since Rodriguez and Lore agreed to a deal that was intended to eventually make them majority owners. (That deal valued the franchise, along with the WNBA’s Lynx, at $1.5 billion.) Last month, Taylor said that the pair, who together own 40% of the T-Wolves and Lynx, missed a deadline to make a payment. But Rodriguez and Lore dispute that claim—and NBA commissioner Adam Silver said [[link removed]] the league has no plans to get involved. So, the saga is headed to court.

All Eyes on the Courtside Seats

Last Friday, Taylor, Rodriguez, and Lore were all spotted at Minnesota’s Target Center for the Timberwolves’ penultimate game of the regular season. On Thursday afternoon, a team spokesperson told Front Office Sports they did not have confirmation of any of the trio’s plans to attend Saturday’s game. Game 1 could have been a landmark moment to celebrate the team’s success and the start of a new era for the organization. Now, it’s all a bit muddy.

Diamond Sports Group Is About to Survive Bankruptcy. Will It Matter? [[link removed]]

erome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Diamond Sports Group is inching closer to exiting bankruptcy, but numerous issues remain in front of the embattled parent of the Bally Sports regional sports networks, including core concerns relating to both what programming it will have and where it will be distributed.

At a court hearing held this week in Houston, DSG received approval of a disclosure statement that outlines its plan to exit bankruptcy. That assent was another procedural step following the court’s prior approval [[link removed]] of a legal settlement between DSG and its parent company, Sinclair Inc., as well as $450 million in debtor-in-possession financing to aid with its restructuring.

The next big step for DSG will be a hearing on June 18, when the company is slated to seek confirmation of the full reorganization plan. But between now and then, several key questions must be resolved. Among them:

What’s on the air? A $115 million bankruptcy exit financing deal with Amazon, in which the online retail and streaming giant will receive a 15% equity stake in DSG, is predicated on undoing prior deals DSG struck with the NBA [[link removed]] and NHL [[link removed]] that would return local media rights to those leagues after the 2023–24 season—pacts that were based on a previous assumption that DSG would be ceasing operations. DSG’s long-term status with MLB is also unresolved. DSG has presented proposals for longer-term agreements with the NBA and NHL that include “rights fee modifications” and also contemplate digital rights. Who will distribute DSG? The company recently struck a multiyear carriage deal with Charter, the country’s largest cable operator, but discussions are still ongoing with Comcast and DirecTV. If DSG is not able to reach agreements with the second- and third-largest distributors in the business, its ability to maintain a critical mass of subscribers and generate revenue would be severely impaired. In fact, DSG said about 81% of its distribution revenue is tied to those three companies, and distribution represents the vast majority of DSG’s total revenue. MLB also raised further questions about the economics of the Charter deal at the hearing, with Jim Bromley, a lawyer representing the league, saying, “We hope the debtors are going to be able to do what they have said they’re going to do.” What will be the impact of the NBA’s national rights talks? The league is about to allow exclusivity periods for ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery to lapse [[link removed]] in ongoing talks for the next cycle of national media rights. That will open up the NBA for additional suitors, and discussions there are likely to have a material role in how the league ultimately approaches this regional situation.

“We are focused on reaching long-term agreements with our partners to enable us to continue serving fans across the U.S. and delivering meaningful value to distributors, teams, and leagues,” DSG said in a statement.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Ian Rapoport on This Year’s NFL Draft: Expect It to Be ‘Bonkers’

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

For NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport, the draft is his extreme happy place. He loves the anticipation, the maneuvering, and, above all, he loves the chaos. Rapoport joins the pod today to break down what to expect next week in Detroit, how “risk-happy GMs” have changed the game, and why his favorite time of year is 10 minutes before the draft begins.

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

TIME CAPSULE April 19, 1960: Identification by Name

Malcolm Emmons-USA TODAY Network.

On this day 64 years ago: The White Sox became [[link removed]] the first team in any major sports league to wear players’ names on the back of their road jerseys, supplementing the use of numbers only that had been in place across numerous sports for more than 40 years. The brainchild of then-White Sox owner Bill Veeck, the modification was just one of many innovations and promotions—some successful, some not—that he introduced over his lengthy career in baseball, including exploding scoreboards, shorts to replace uniform pants, and broadcaster Harry Caray singing “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”

Veeck’s move was soon copied across multiple sports, including by most American Football League teams upon their debut in the fall of 1960. But some team owners in various sports initially resisted, believing the jersey names would cut into scorecard sales. The use of names also has helped fuel a sports memorabilia boom that continues to this day, deepening fans’ connections to their favorite stars. Even the Yankees—still a noted holdout on the jersey name trend (known among collectors and uniform watchers as NOB, for “name on back”) for its official on-field jerseys—offer a wide array of merchandise for fans with player names.

The White Sox’ more traditional use of player last names also paved the way elsewhere for nicknames and other creative uses of that jersey space, such as Rod Smart’s infamous “He Hate Me” in the original iteration of the XFL. And more than six decades after Veeck’s move, the size and arching of the letters in those player names on MLB’s newly redesigned jerseys is a source of significant debate [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR That’s a No, for Me

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

“It depends whether you want the game to grow or you want to kill it.”

—UConn women’s basketball coach Geno Auriemma, on a potential one-and-done rule for women’s college basketball. Currently, players can’t enter the WNBA draft until they have graduated college or are within three months of doing so, or until the calendar year they turn 22. During an interview on ESPN Radio [[link removed]], Auriemma said men’s college basketball has become too transactional. “Everybody’s a free agent,” he said. “Everybody’s a mercenary. It’s not the kids’ fault.” Auriemma also speculated that Caitlin Clark became so popular because she had time to develop a fan base at Iowa.

FUTURE OF SPORTS

🌎 Day! The Future Is Green

In recognition of Earth Day, we’ll be hosting conversations with a lineup of visionaries committed to eco-friendly initiatives and investments across the sports landscape.

Find out why green sports venues are one of the hottest trends in real estate, how sustainable efforts drive revenue and sponsorships, and learn insider details on motor sports’ zero-carbon future. The relationship between sports and environmental responsibility is stronger than ever.

Whether you’re looking to be entertained and inspired by success stories, learn about innovative green solutions, or gather insights on the economic benefits of adopting green practices in sports, Future of Sports: Sustainability has something for everyone. Join us [[link removed]] Monday, April 22 at 1 p.m. ET.

Conversation Starters Mizzou’s Memorial Stadium is set to undergo $250 million in renovations by 2026, including the addition of 51 new suite spaces and 2,000 premium seats, making it the school’s priciest athletic facilities project yet. Here’s a look [[link removed]] at some renderings. Speaking of new sports facilities, the Seattle Storm have unveiled their new $61 million performance center. Check it out [[link removed]]. Travis Kelce’s new game show on Amazon isn’t the only project the NFL star is working on. See what else [[link removed]] Kelce has coming up. Editors’ Picks DOJ to Pay $100 Million to Gymnasts Over FBI Failures [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The reported settlement brings victim payouts to nearly $1 billion. Questions Are Mounting for ‘Spulu’ As Lawmakers Demand Answers [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]A pair of high-powered Congressmen are demanding answers about the forthcoming service. NBA Media Rights Likely Headed for Open Market Next Week [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The league is reportedly letting Monday's deadline pass without a deal. 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]], Adam Duerson [[link removed]]

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