August 9, 2024

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Happy Friday! The Paris Olympics may be wrapping up, but the $1.5 billion Seine cleanup continues to make waves. Was it worth it? We took a closer look and found the results are, well, a bit murky.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

The Paris Olympics $1.5 Billion Seine Cleanup Yields Mixed Results [[link removed]]

Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

The final open-water swimming competition of the Paris Olympics concluded Friday, bringing an end to a tumultuous, dramatic, and expensive saga.

The city of Paris spent $1.5 billion to clean up the Seine river, which ultimately hosted five events during the Games despite questions [[link removed]] about water quality and its safety for swimming. But that exorbitant expense wasn’t enough to quell disruptions.

Pollution in the Seine, particularly E. coli levels, has fluctuated throughout the Olympics, in large part due to heavy rainfall before and during the Games. And while no competitions were canceled, several practice sessions were called off, and the men’s triathlon was delayed [[link removed]] one day.

Mixed Results

Hungary’s Kristóf Rasovszky won the gold medal in the men’s 10-kilometer marathon swimming event that took place in the iconic river Friday after Dutch swimmer Sharon van Rouwendaal won the women’s event Thursday. Ahead of the men’s competition, Sweden’s Victor Johansson dropped out, claiming [[link removed]] the Seine’s river quality had made him sick.

On Monday, Germany won gold in the triathlon mixed relay after Belgium pulled out [[link removed]] of the competition because one of its team members got sick. At the time, it was believed Claire Michel fell ill from swimming in the Seine during the women’s triathlon, but it was later determined [[link removed]] to be a virus.

Last week, Great Britain’s Alex Yee won the men’s triathlon, but only after the event was pushed back one day to July 31 because of poor water quality when the Seine was tested the day before. France’s Cassandre Beaugrand won the women’s triathlon, which went ahead as scheduled July 31.

Swimming in L.A.

In 2028, open-water swimming at the Los Angeles Olympics is set to take place at Long Beach. The venue will span 11 miles of waterways connected to more than 5 miles of sandy beaches.

The most recent budget projections for the entire Los Angeles Games have come in around $7 billion, compared to potentially $10 billion for the Paris Olympics, once the final numbers [[link removed].] come in.

Thank You and Goodbye: A’s Sell Out Final Game in Oakland [[link removed]]

Robert Edwards-USA TODAY Sports

The A’s have more than seven weeks left playing in Oakland, but the MLB team is already preparing its farewell tour in the Bay Area.

With the playoffs out of the question at 48–68 and last place in the AL West, the Sept. 26 game against the Rangers will be the club’s final home contest at the Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum. On Thursday, the A’s announced the game is already sold out. The single-game attendance record at the Coliseum is 56,310 from a 2018 game against the Giants. This season, Oakland is averaging fewer than 9,000 fans per game.

One More Time

Ahead of the home finale, the A’s have cooked up some other off-field plans for the Rangers series to say goodbye to their Oakland fan base. The Sept. 24 game will feature $2 tickets and free parking, and the Sept. 25 game has $10 tickets. Gates will open early throughout the series.

After the final homestand, the franchise will play its final three games as the Oakland A’s in Seattle for a series against the Mariners.

From Cali to Vegas

The A’s are set to play the 2025 through 2027 seasons in Sacramento at Sutter Health Park, which has a capacity of 14,000 for the River Cats, the Triple-A affiliate of the Giants. But there are several questions [[link removed]] about that plan, including eventual reaction from the MLB Players Association next season.

Meanwhile, financing is still an issue [[link removed]] for the team’s planned $1.5 billion ballpark in Las Vegas that is supposed to be ready for the 2028 MLB season. On Thursday, a court in Nevada explored [[link removed]] the pros and cons of a $380 million deal for public funding of the venue. A judge could block the deal.

SPONSORED BY CISCO

Team Cisco Takes on Paris

Cisco is proud to support Team Cisco athletes Nelly Korda (USA), Hannah Green (Australia), and Viktor Hovland (Norway) as they pursue their dreams both on and off the course. This week, we cheered them on as they took on the world in Paris!

Cisco is reimagining how fans, athletes, teams, and organizations experience sporting events. Learn more [[link removed]] about Cisco’s impact across the sports and entertainment industry.

LOUD AND CLEAR Texas Holdout

Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports

“I don’t have a sense of urgency about getting it done.”

—Jerry Jones (above), owner of the Cowboys, on a possible contract extension [[link removed]] for star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who has yet to report for training camp. When asked whether he believed Lamb would be unavailable for the season opener, Jones said, “I don’t know about that, but I know that we’re getting great work, making real progress, and I don’t think losing a step at where we’re at now.”

Lamb retweeted the quote and said, “lol.” The three-time Pro Bowler is in the final year of his rookie deal [[link removed]] with Dallas and is set to make $17.99 million this season. Following a season when Lamb led the league in receptions and was second in yards and touchdowns, the 25-year-old is in line to receive a payday that would make him one of the highest-paid receivers in NFL history. In June, the Vikings extended Justin Jefferson to a record four-year, $140 million deal with $110 million guaranteed.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL NASCAR Returns

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. With the Paris Olympics wrapping up, here’s what else is up for grabs this weekend:

PGA Tour: Wyndham Championship, Greensboro, N.C.

When: Friday to Sunday Purse: $7.9 million First place (individual): $1.4 million

NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out 400, Richmond

When: Sunday Purse: $7.6 million First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

USA Swimming ⬆⬇ CEO Tim Hinchey said [[link removed]] he hopes to give the team more financial incentives in the future. On top of payments from the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee for medal winners—which are as high as $37,500 for gold—the U.S. swim team will split a $250,000 performance bonus, which will be about $5,208 per person. “It’s not a lot perhaps, but we’re starting,” Hinchey said. While the team won the most medals of any country, its eight golds were the lowest number for the U.S. since 1956, and legendary swimmer Michael Phelps said [[link removed]] he was “pretty disappointed.”

Paris Olympics ⬆ Television viewership [[link removed]] is way up for NBCUniversal compared to Tokyo—and it has been a better Olympics for sponsors as well. Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky told Bloomberg [[link removed]] that this year’s Games were “better than we ever imagined” after the COVID-19-marred turnout in Tokyo.

Liberty Media ⬇ The parent company of Formula One confirmed [[link removed]] it is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice for violating antitrust laws related to the decision to reject Andretti Global from joining the grid in 2025 or 2026. CEO Greg Maffei said in an earnings call Thursday that the company intends to “fully cooperate” with the investigation.

Aer Lingus College Football Classic ⬆ The game scheduled for Aug. 24 in Dublin, Ireland, between Georgia Tech and Florida State has sold out [[link removed]], according to organizers. More than 47,000 tickets have been sold, with 25,000 coming from the U.S. The sellout adds another win for the Yellow Jackets after the school recently announced [[link removed]] an athletics funding record. It also brings some good news for the Seminoles, who are currently embroiled in a lawsuit [[link removed]] against the ACC.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Award Deadline Approaching

College athletic departments support athletes across a multitude of sports and through a variety of verticals. From education services to training facilities, athletic departments uniquely impact college athletes.

Powered by Sports Innovation Lab, the Best College Athletic Departments Award uses data-driven methodology to identify which programs are leading in the space.

This is the last chance to submit [[link removed]] for this inaugural award. Don’t miss your opportunity to recognize your school. Deadline to submit is Aug. 18 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Conversation Starters Nike dropped another ad for its “Winning Isn’t for Everyone” campaign, this one featuring LeBron James. Check it out [[link removed]]. Sony has partnered with the NFL to use its Hawk-Eye technology to make calls, including determining first downs, and it was used for the first time in a preseason game on Thursday. Take a look [[link removed]]. The White Sox appointed former outfielder Grady Sizemore as their interim manager. Last year, he took an internship [[link removed]] with the Diamondbacks for $15 per hour because no other role was available. Editors’ Picks Feds Investigating Formula 1, Liberty Media Over Andretti Rejection [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]In May, multiple senators raised concerns over F1’s rejection of Andretti. Are Track & Field Heading for a Divorce? [[link removed]]by Andrew Greif [[link removed]]Money is rushing into running, but not jumping or throwing. Mets Business President: MLB Has Not Marketed Its Stars Enough [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Scott Havens says there are only two “faces of baseball.” 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]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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