August 22, 2024

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Warner Bros. Discovery is suing for the rights to retain the NBA. The league appears confident in its case—but is still working to keep contract details away from prying eyes.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

NBA’s Legal Clash With WBD Threatens to Overshadow Season [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The high-profile legal tussle [[link removed]] between TNT Sports parent company Warner Bros. Discovery and the NBA looms over the start of the upcoming basketball season.

As several executives for the league and newly signed media partner NBC Sports are now pushing to keep key details [[link removed]] in the media-rights contracts private, a revised calendar will also likely stretch the case across much of the early part of the upcoming 2024–2025 NBA season.

Among the significant upcoming dates in the dispute:

Aug. 23: The last date when the NBA can answer WBD’s initial complaint, and when the league is expected to move to dismiss it Sept. 20: The last date when WBD is due to file its opposition to the NBA’s motion Oct. 2: The last date by which the NBA can file further support to its motion to dismiss

The upcoming NBA response filing, arriving no later than Friday, is expected to be particularly illuminating, as it will likely give further insight into the league’s logic for not striking a deal with WBD, either initially or after the company sought to match Amazon’s “C” package with the league. Those rights, estimated to be valued at more than $1.8 billion per year and including a conference final every other season, also feature early-round playoffs in line with what is currently on NBA TV, weekly regular-season broadcasts, the Emirates NBA Cup, and WNBA rights, among other assets.

When the NBA finalized its new rights deals [[link removed]] last month with ESPN, NBC Sports, and Amazon, the league at the time said that WBD “did not match the terms of Amazon Prime Video’s offer,” but it did not go into much detail beyond that.

WBD, however, is alleging three different contract breaches by the NBA in rejecting its matching-rights offer.

Calendar Watching

How soon Judge Joel Cohen of the Supreme Court of the State of New York rules on a motion to dismiss is not known. But the NBA preseason begins Oct. 4 with the return of the NBA Abu Dhabi Games [[link removed]], while the regular-season schedule [[link removed]] starts Oct. 22.

As a result, the only way the case won’t run into the season is if Cohen makes a near-immediate ruling to dismiss WBD’s complaint. Assuming the case does extend into the regular season, that means TNT Sports would be operating in the final year of its current contract with the NBA in the midst of its legal action against the league.

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Enter Into Kerri’s Athlete Archive

Front Office Sports and Upper Deck have joined forces to celebrate the nostalgia of sports, shining a spotlight on the childhood inspirations, career influences, and life milestones of the world’s most notable athletes.

In this episode of Athlete Archives [[link removed]], Kerri Walsh Jennings shares captivating stories about the key figures—both past and present—who have inspired her, her most memorable career moments, and her hopes for the next generation of athletes.

Check out [[link removed]] the full episode.

Women’s Golf Is Closing Its Major Championship Season in St Andrews [[link removed]]

Charlie Crowhurst/R&A

The final women’s golf major championship of the year tees off Thursday, as the sport tries to sustain momentum at one of the world’s most famous courses.

For just the third time in the 48-year history of the women’s British Open—officially named the AIG Women’s Open since 2019—the tournament will be played at the Old Course in St Andrews, commonly known as the home of golf. The men’s Open Championship has been played there 30 times. There’s a record purse of $9.5 million up for grabs, with this weekend’s winner taking home $1.43 million.

The Women’s Open was last played in St Andrews in 2013, and this marks the first time at the hallowed grounds since the R&A, the governing body that runs the men’s Open, took control of the women’s event after merging with the Ladies’ Golf Union in 2017.

“You get goosebumps,” Charley Hull, the No. 10–ranked player in the world, said of her experience walking the Old Course during practice rounds. Top-ranked Nelly Korda (above) has looked forward to this week since July 2022, when Cam Smith chased down Rory McIlroy during the final round at St Andrews to claim the Claret Jug.

“Getting to see that on TV and knowing that we were going to be here this year, I was really excited for it,” Korda said. “The rich history out here and getting to play it ourselves.”

Going for the Green

The AIG Women’s Open is on a strong run of hot venues this decade. It has stopped at other historic Open Championship courses including Muirfield, Carnoustie, and Royal Troon—the site of Xander Schauffele’s second major victory last month.

That follows a similar strategy being used around the U.S. Women’s Open and KPMG Women’s PGA Championship, which have also been played at famous courses previously reserved for men’s championships like Pebble Beach Golf Links [[link removed]] and Baltusrol Golf Club.

Next year, Royal Porthcawl in Wales will host the AIG Women’s Open for the first time. Venues for 2026 and beyond have not been announced.

No Green Jacket

There remains one major outlier when it comes to courses hosting the biggest events in men’s and women’s golf: Augusta National.

The Masters annually draws the largest TV audiences in golf, largely due to the global fascination with the iconic 18 holes in eastern Georgia. But the exclusive club has yet to seriously entertain the idea of a women’s Masters, despite the success of the Augusta National Women’s Amateur [[link removed]] now played the weekend before the men’s tournament.

In April, Augusta National chairman Fred Ridley said [[link removed]] it would be “very difficult” to stage another tournament, when asked about the idea of a professional women’s event.

Year in Review Major Payout Gap

FOS graphic

Prize money at the AIG Women’s Open falls in the middle of the five women’s golf major championships, all of which have offered record purses this year. Sponsors have been spending more on the women’s game, which has helped contribute to the increased payouts, along with more focus from tournament organizers and governing bodies.

Still, the women’s majors offer far less than the men’s, which ranged between $17 million and $21.5 million in 2024.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY WNBA Hits New Heights With TD Garden Sellout

The WNBA showed its growth goes well beyond the star power of Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese, with the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks selling out the Celtics’ TD Garden. Sun play-by-play announcer Brendan Glasheen joins the show to give a first-hand account of the game and what it says about the league’s rise. He also chimes in on comments by the Sun’s DiJonai Carrington that the league failed to properly promote the game.

Plus, we have new renderings for the Bills’ new stadium and a soccer stadium that would be the second-largest sports venue in the world. And the Yankees got into a spat with a Staten Island Little League coach.

Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

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Conversation Starters Front Office Sports columnist Michael McCarthy thinks ESPN’s decision to make Mike Greenberg the new host of Sunday NFL Countdown is a great move. Listen here [[link removed]]. Sunday’s game between the Indiana Fever and the Seattle Storm averaged 2.2 million viewers, ABC’s most-watched WNBA regular-season matchup [[link removed]]. Angel Reese signed a sponsorship deal [[link removed]] with candy brand Reese’s, and her apparel collection launches Wednesday. Editors’ Picks How Could Boston Get a WNBA Team? [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Sun and Sparks sold out the Celtics’ home arena Tuesday. LIV Golf Signs With CAA—Is PGA Tour Merger Getting Closer? [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]A notable move suggests the sides could be moving toward an agreement. Dartmouth Basketball Players File Charge Over School’s Refusal to Bargain [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Dartmouth has said it has no intention of meeting players at the table. Question of the Day

Would you like to see Augusta National host a professional women’s Masters event?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s result: 77% of respondents think college athletes should not be able to negotiate new name, image, and likeness deals during the season.

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