May 24, 2024

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The NBA conference finals are rolling. Will the league have new media deals by the time they’re done? … Another MLS team is dealing with the unfortunate absence of Lionel Messi. … Rafael Nadal is set to conclude his lucrative run at the French Open. … IndyCar’s biggest purse of the season is on the line Sunday. … Plus: More on Apple in soccer, future NFL draft hosts, Chicago sports broadcasters, and the Yankees’ spending.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

NBA Media-Rights Talks ‘in Fourth Quarter.’ Here’s What We Know [[link removed]]

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

The NBA is heading into Memorial Day weekend without having publicly announced a new set of media-rights deals. However, the league appears to be getting close to completing several pacts that will likely bring in at least double the $2.7 billion in annual fees the NBA currently gets from ESPN and TNT.

It has been widely reported that Disney’s ESPN is set to renew its deal with the NBA, while new broadcast partners NBC and Amazon are on tap to join the fray, leaving incumbent TNT out in the cold. Here’s what we know:

ESPN: Disney, which owns the sports network, is believed to be on track to keep its “A” package of NBA rights, which include being the exclusive home of the NBA Finals. ESPN’s rights fee is reportedly doubling from $1.4 billion per year to $2.8 billion annually over the 10-year deal. NBA games should continue to be a regular fixture on ESPN and ABC throughout the season and playoffs.

NBC: The network that had NBA rights during the peak of the Michael Jordan Bulls era appears [[link removed]] to be hitting the court once again. With a bid said to be valued at $2.5 billion annually, the Comcast-owned network would take over the NBA’s “B” package that TNT has in the current deal, which expires after the 2024–25 season. NBC can offer free, over-the-air broadcast network exposure that TNT, a cable channel, cannot.

Amazon: The streamer is reportedly offering $1.8 billion per season to put some NBA regular-season and playoff games on Prime Video. Amazon could end up with key assets like the newly rebranded Emirates NBA Cup in-season tournament and international broadcast rights.

TNT: The home of Inside the NBA may no longer have a league media package, unless something drastic changes in the coming days. TNT parent company Warner Bros. Discovery has a matching clause in some form in its NBA deal, but the exact terms of that clause are unclear. Right now, it looks like WBD has gotten outbid [[link removed]] and the NBA is ready to move on.

Insider Perspective

To get a pulse on what to expect next, we checked in with Front Office Sports media reporter Michael McCarthy. “The negotiations are in the fourth quarter,” our colleague says. “Warner Bros. Discovery has matching rights to offers from third-party bidders. But at press time, there were still no official offers to match. When they come in from NBC and Amazon, WBD CEO David Zaslav will have a big decision to make. Will he effectively pay more for a lesser NBA package? Or does he decline to match higher bids as NBC Sports chairman Dick Ebersol did in 2002? Does Zaslav want to go down as the WBD CEO who lost the NBA and Charles Barkley’s Inside the NBA?”

Not Every MLS Team Gets to Strike Gold With a Messi Visit [[link removed]]

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

Lionel Messi has propelled Major League Soccer to unprecedented heights since joining Inter Miami last summer. But while he may be seen as a superhero to many—and the biggest box-office hit the league has ever known—the reality is that he’s still human.

Soccer fans in Vancouver were set to get their first look at Messi in an Inter Miami uniform this weekend, until the Whitecaps announced late Thursday that the superstar would not be traveling with his club for Saturday’s match nearly 3,000 miles away. And neither would fellow former FC Barcelona standouts Luis Suárez and Sergio Busquets. That’s putting the Canadian MLS side in a tricky position.

With Messi—the eight-time Ballon d’Or award winner—coming to town, a club-record MLS-era crowd had been expected to fill up BC Place. The stadium can hold up to 54,500 fans for soccer games if the upper deck is open, but last year averaged 16,745 for Whitecaps home games. Earlier this season, Vancouver broke its franchise attendance record as 32,465 fans showed up to celebrate the team’s 50th anniversary.

After it became apparent Messi and the other Miami stars wouldn’t be playing Saturday, the Whitecaps told fans they would be providing a 50% discount on all in-stadium food and beverage, with youth 18 and under getting one free kid’s meal combo. A small concession for the disappointed fan base. “Unfortunately, we have no control over who plays for our opponent,” a club statement read.

Keeping Pace

Saturday’s match will be Inter Miami’s 16th of the MLS season, and seventh that Messi has missed. He dealt with a leg injury earlier this year, but his absence this weekend is apparently just a team decision to rest the star ahead of a busy summer schedule for Messi and other international players.

It should also be noted that Vancouver plays on an artificial turf field—a stark difference from the grass surfaces Messi has spent nearly his entire professional career playing on. Messi has said [[link removed]] artificial surfaces wouldn’t prevent him from playing any road matches, and he has played on multiple turf fields in MLS so far.

Inter Miami, which has the best record in MLS with 31 points in its first 15 games, has a home match against Atlanta United on Wednesday. The Copa America, in which Messi will play for Argentina, begins June 20. MLS does not take an international break like other leagues, so clubs carry on without some top players. In July and August, Miami will have the Leagues Cup on top of its MLS schedule.

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ONE BIG FIG One More Time?

Susan Mullane-USA TODAY Sports

$27.13 million

Prize money Rafael Nadal has won at the French Open since his first appearance in 2005. The Spanish tennis legend is playing for the final time at Roland-Garros this year. His opening match Sunday is against fourth-seeded Alexander Zverev, making for a difficult start to any potential storybook run this tournament. Nadal, who already has a statue at the French Open, has won 14 singles titles there and lost only three times.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Who Will Kiss the Bricks?

Bob Goshert/For IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. Here’s what’s up for grabs this weekend:

IndyCar Series, Indianapolis 500

When: Sunday Purse: $​​17.02 million (2023 purse, official payout will be announced this weekend) First place: $3.66 million

NASCAR Cup Series, Coca-Cola 600, Charlotte

When: Sunday Purse: $9.87 million First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed

PGA Tour, Charles Schwab Challenge, Fort Worth

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $9.1 million First place: $1.63 million

WTA, Internationaux de Strasbourg, France

When: May 18 to Saturday Purse: $922,572 First place: $133,900

ATP, Gonet Geneva Open, Switzerland

When: May 18 to Saturday Purse: $628,000 First place: $95,500

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A century and a half after the first rugby match was played on U.S. soil, Major League Rugby [[link removed]] is guiding the game into the future. In its seventh season of play, the premier professional league in North America is enjoying consistent growth fueled by competitive play on the pitch, committed partners off it, and passionate fans cheering everywhere in between.

Corporate partners like Globant, RTIC, American Airlines, and more are investing in the growth of the game, while The Rugby Network [[link removed]], MLR’s OTT platform, streams league matches for free, ensuring fans don’t miss a moment of the action.

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STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

U.S. Open Cup ⬆ The country’s oldest soccer tournament has struck a broadcast deal with Apple to stream the remaining rounds for free this summer via MLS Season Pass. The quarterfinals will begin July 9.

Washington, D.C. ⬆ City representatives and Commanders officials are trying to get in the running [[link removed]] for the 2027 NFL draft, after the league this week announced Pittsburgh will host the ’26 edition. Green Bay is next year’s host, and cities like Denver and Charlotte have been linked to future drafts as well.

NBC Sports Chicago ⬇ The regional sports network reportedly told [[link removed]] employees this week there is no path for it to retain broadcast rights to the White Sox, Bulls, and Blackhawks. Those contracts are expiring, and White Sox and Bulls owner Jerry Reinsdorf is trying to build up his multiplatform network called Stadium.

Yankees ⬆⬇ New York has the best record in the American League, but owner Hal Steinbrenner is already managing expectations for the future, especially with star outfielder Juan Soto (above) set to hit free agency this offseason. “I’m gonna be honest; payrolls at the levels we’re at right now are simply not sustainable for us financially,” he said [[link removed]] at this week’s owners meetings. The Yankees have a payroll north of $300 million this season, second in the league to their New York neighbors, the Mets.

Conversation Starters The Indy 500 has introduced its own special winner jacket, celebrating membership in the “most elite of motorsports clubs.” Check out [[link removed]] the new threads that were presented to past champions Friday. Spectrum Center, the home arena of the Hornets, is getting $215 million in upgrades. Take a look [[link removed]] at what’s on tap. Saudi Arabia has invested billions into the sport of golf. Now, tennis appears to be up next. Front Office Sports Today explored what is on the way [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Taylor Swift Ticket Fiasco Could Rock Sports As Feds Step In [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Justice Department is suing Ticketmaster for allegedly monopolizing live entertainment. NCAA, Power Conferences Approve Settlement to Allow for Revenue Sharing [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]NCAA, power conferences will split $2.7B in damages to thousands of athletes. Rare Indy 500 Rain Could Keep Odd Blackout Tradition Going [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The local Indy 500 TV blackout has endured despite the NFL ending its blackout policy nearly a decade ago. 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]] Edited by Peter Richman [[link removed]], Dennis Young [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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