June 21, 2024

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The third round of the WNBA’s biggest professional rivalry is set for Sunday. … Another U.S.-based group is lining up to acquire the Premier League’s embattled Everton. … Reggie Jackson takes Fox Sports’ broadcast of the MLB game at Rickwood Field to another level with his important memories of playing in Birmingham. … There is plenty of money on the line this weekend in men’s and women’s golf as well as in NASCAR. … Plus: More on amateur golfers, Gene Haas, college football, and Diamond Sports Group.

One more thing: We’re giving away two copies of EA Sports College Football 25 video games. Reply to this email with which team you’ll use in the dynasty game mode for a chance to win. See rules here [[link removed]].

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

Clark vs. Reese: Priciest WNBA Game Set for Record-Breaking Viewership [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The first two WNBA matchups between rookie phenoms Caitlin Clark (above, right) and Angel Reese (above, left) did major business for the league—and generated significant controversy. Round three on Sunday is poised to reach even higher levels.

Clark’s Indiana Fever and Reese’s Chicago Sky will play Sunday afternoon at Wintrust Arena in Illinois. Ticket resale list prices for the game on many markets are starting at $160 each—roughly twice the Sky’s average purchase price this season. As of now, the average purchase price of $271, according to TickPick, also makes Sunday’s game the most expensive WNBA contest on record.

Expectations are sky-high on TV as well, as the second Fever-Sky matchup just five days ago generated an average audience of 2.25 million viewers on CBS, representing the largest audience [[link removed]] for the WNBA on any network in 23 years. ESPN will carry Sunday’s game.

Unlike last weekend, which included Father’s Day and the end of golf’s U.S. Open, the upcoming game will not have significant competition from other major sports events.

Deeper Storylines

The Clark-Reese matchups, of course, are thick with subplots—and some of the broader discussion around the two has veered into thorny topics of race and gender, and they have become a prominent topic on sports-talk radio and TV.

The first Fever-Sky matchup on June 1, which drew its own hefty TV audience of 1.53 million, included a hard foul on Clark by Sky guard Chennedy Carter, knocking her to the floor. That foul, later raised to a flagrant 1, set off a national debate [[link removed]] on how much protection Clark should receive from officials, and even included some public criticism from Carter on Clark’s skills. The June 16 rematch included Reese again knocking down Clark with a blow to the head, and that foul, too, was upgraded to a flagrant 1. The Fever ultimately won both games.

The WNBA games between the two, meanwhile, are also a continuation of the two players’ college rivalry, capped by a 2023 women’s March Madness game in which Clark’s Iowa beat Reese’s LSU in the Elite Eight. That showdown, itself a rematch of the 2023 NCAA title game last year won by LSU, drew [[link removed]] historic viewership and helped set the stage for the ongoing professional rivalry.

The two teams will play for a final time in the regular season on Aug. 30.

Another U.S. Takeover? Houston-Based Group in Talks With Everton [[link removed]]

Everton FC

Less than a month after Premier League club Everton announced that a much-maligned takeover attempt by an American investment firm was officially dead, the storied English soccer team says it has another U.S. group ready to become the next owner.

Blue Heaven Holdings, the company through which Farhad Moshiri (above) owns 94.1% of Everton, announced it was progressing discussions with the Friedkin Group about acquiring a majority shareholding in the club. The Houston-based company already owns Serie A side AS Roma and two premier golf courses in the Carolinas, in addition to several automotive groups in the U.S.

The new prospective Everton owner is led by the company’s chairman and CEO, Dan Friedkin, who has a net worth of $6.1 billion, according to Forbes [[link removed]]. That’s key because the most recent takeover attempt by Miami-based 777 Partners ran into trouble when the investment firm couldn’t provide [[link removed]] audited financial statements to the U.K.’s Financial Conduct Authority.

Time to Pay Up

Everton was valued at roughly $685 million when 777 agreed to acquire the club, but more recent estimates [[link removed]] have projected that total costs could reach closer to $1 billion, when factoring in construction of the new stadium and outstanding debts. Friedkin bought [[link removed]] AS Roma in 2020 for around $700 million.

The club said it will continue to operate as normal while it tries to close a deal with Friedkin. Everton finished 15th out of 20 EPL teams this past season, narrowly avoiding relegation following a penalty [[link removed]] for breaching financial fair play rules. Everton, which has previously played summer friendlies in the U.S. like many of its counterparts, does not have any matches scheduled Stateside this year.

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LOUD AND CLEAR Fox Takes Different Approach

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

“I wouldn’t wish it on anybody.”

—Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, speaking in harrowing terms about the racism he experienced in Birmingham, Ala., in the 1960s as a minor league player for the then Kansas City A’s. As part of Thursday’s pregame show on Fox Sports for MLB’s special-event game [[link removed]] at Rickwood Field, Jackson described in great detail about the prejudice and hate he faced, and his three-minute response [[link removed]] to a question from Alex Rodriguez veered heavily from sports television norms.

The importance of that discussion was part of what was widely viewed [[link removed]] as a banner evening for the network. In addition to playing a key role in the event’s commemoration of the Negro Leagues’ contribution to baseball, Fox Sports also deployed [[link removed]] a “1954 mode” for half an inning, showing the game in black and white, with old-style graphics, and including no instant replay or scorebug.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Big Purse on the Line in Seattle

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

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:

LIV Golf, Nashville

When: Friday to Sunday Purse: $25 million First place: $4 million (individual), $3 million (team)

PGA Tour, Travelers Championship, Hartford

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $20 million First place (individual): $3.6 million

KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, Seattle

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $10.4 million First place (individual): $1.56 million

NASCAR Cup Series, USA Today 301, Loudon, N.H.

When: Sunday Purse: $7.8 million First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Eric Canha-USA TODAY Sports

Punters ⬆ Bryce Baringer (above), whose day job is booting footballs for the Patriots on fourth down, won a local golf tournament to qualify [[link removed]] for next month’s Massachusetts Amateur Championship.

Gene Haas ⬆ The NASCAR team owner announced he will keep one of his four Cup Series entries after Stewart-Haas Racing closes [[link removed]] at the end of the season. The new Haas Factory Team will also operate two cars in the second-tier Xfinity Series.

College football ⬇ A home-and-home series between USC and Ole Miss in 2025 and ’26 has been canceled, depriving the sport’s fans of coach Lane Kiffin’s face-off against his former school.

Diamond Sports Group ⬇ U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Christopher Lopez ruled Friday that the embattled regional sports network operator must anonymously show MLB, the NBA, and the NHL the most-favored nation clauses that it has with various cable and satellite carriers. The leagues have been pushing [[link removed]] for greater disclosure in their efforts to evaluate DSG’s proposed reorganization.

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Conversation Starters MLB’s inaugural game at Rickwood Field on Thursday saw an official attendance [[link removed]] of 8,332 fans. Speaking of the Rickwood Field game, Bill Greason, the 99-year-old oldest living former player of the Negro Leagues (and who grew up living across the street from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.), threw [[link removed]] out the first pitch. More history made: The MLB game featured an all-Black umpiring crew [[link removed]] for Thursday’s Giants-Cardinals game at Rickwood Field, including Adrian Johnson, Alan Porter, C.B. Bucknor, Malachi Moore, and Jeremie Rehak. Editors’ Picks Argentina, Canada Players Blast Atlanta’s ‘Hollow’ Temporary Grass at Copa [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The shoddy sod replaced the turf used by NFL and MLS teams. NCAA Backs Dartmouth Against Unionizing Men’s Basketball Players [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The NCAA’s quest to save its business model continues. Aces Sell Out Regular-Season Home Games in WNBA First [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Aces’ slow start continues to have no impact on the box office. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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