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Afternoon Edition

December 3, 2024

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Plans for the Vegas ballpark of the A’s have risen by $250 million, with the price tag now at $1.75 billion. However, despite skepticism about the prospects of relocation, two banks verified that team owner John Fisher can afford the expenses he’s pledged to cover. We explore the new developments in the A’s-Vegas saga.

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

A’s Vegas Ballpark Cost Rises to $1.75B, but John Fisher Can Afford It [[link removed]]

Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images

A’s owner John Fisher will need to dig deeper into his personal fortune to fund the team’s planned stadium in Las Vegas, but that city’s stadium authority and two leading financial institutions say he is fully capable of doing that.

The Las Vegas Stadium Authority said a ballpark initially projected to cost $1.5 billion now carries a $1.75 billion price tag. That increase owes heavily to a series of upgrades such as enhanced general-admission spaces, improved player amenities, and additional club and suite space—in addition to more standard hikes in construction expenses. The new costs are entirely Fisher’s responsibility as the public-sector contribution toward the project is capped at $380 million [[link removed]].

The exact parameters of how Fisher intends to fund that $1.37 billion is still not entirely clear, as he is still marketing potential minority equity interests [[link removed]] in the club. But Goldman Sachs and U.S. Bank are providing a $300 million construction loan, and Fisher is pledging that he and his family will contribute up to $1.1 billion.

“We conclude that the Fisher family and their related entities have financial assets (excluding their interest in the Athletics Major League Baseball franchise) more than sufficient to fund the equity portion of the proposed capital structure for the Athletics’ Las Vegas stadium,” U.S. Bank SVP Stephen Vogel wrote in a letter to the stadium authority.

Fisher, an heir to his family fortune through The Gap retail empire, has an estimated net worth [[link removed]] of $3.2 billion.

The stadium authority will meet Thursday and is due to approve a series of agreements related to the A’s stadium.

Building Matters

The latest financial news about the new stadium arrives about two months after the former Tropicana Las Vegas resort was demolished, [[link removed]] helping clear the way for the new stadium on that site along the famed Las Vegas Strip.

Last month, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred sought to dispel ongoing doubts [[link removed]] about the Las Vegas stadium, and he said the project remains on track for a planned 2028 opening.

“John Fisher is completely committed to the process,” Manfred said during owners meetings in New York. “They’ve gone through the process of demonstrating that whether or not he takes on local partners, he has the capacity to build the stadium. We’re full speed ahead.”

Meanwhile, work continues at Sutter Health Park in Sacramento, the club’s temporary home for the next three seasons, to prepare for the arrival of the A’s. The facility will use a grass field [[link removed]] after a prior, and much debated, consideration of installing artificial turf.

Lions-Bears Sets Early Thanksgiving TV Record, Still Trails Cowboys [[link removed]]

Detroit Free Press

The Lions’ dramatic 23–20 win over the Bears not only got Chicago coach Matt Eberflus fired—but it also drew the largest TV audience on record for an NFL game in the early Thanksgiving Day window.

CBS drew an average of 37.4 million viewers for Bears-Lions on Thursday, according to Nielsen ratings reported by the NFL. That’s up from the audience of 33.7 million on Fox for Packers-Lions on Thanksgiving Day in 2023, which also was a 12:30 p.m. ET kickoff.

The league said the average audience of 34.2 million viewers across all three Thanksgiving Day games is the highest ever. CBS has not been reporting NFL ratings since its contract with Nielsen expired at the end of September.

That record number for Bears-Lions fell just 1.1 million viewers short of the audience that tuned in to Fox [[link removed]] (38.5 million viewers) for the Cowboys’ 27–20 win over the Giants in the late afternoon Thursday. While that’s the most-watched NFL game of the 2024 season so far (with Bears-Lions coming in a close second), the rating was down from the Cowboys’ previous three Thanksgiving Day broadcasts [[link removed]], which all topped 40 million viewers.

Detroit’s 10–1 record entering Thanksgiving, compared to a 4–7 Dallas team depleted by injuries, made for an interesting test case of whether the early game could outdraw the late game [[link removed]], which typically is not the case. The Lions, Bears, and CBS came close, but still no cigar.

SPONSORED BY NBA CUP

Who Will Capture the Emirates NBA Cup?

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Tonight [[link removed]] is the final night of group play on TNT. Who will clinch a spot in the knockout rounds?

Watch the anticipated doubleheader matchups [[link removed]] starting at 7:30 p.m. ET with the Orlando Magic challenging the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden, while the Golden State Warriors return to Denver to play the Nuggets at 10 p.m. ET.

Winners will advance to the knockout rounds [[link removed]] on Dec. 10 and Dec. 11. Las Vegas will host the semifinals and championship on Dec. 14 and Dec. 17.

As LeBron James Struggles, Lakers—and NBA—Face Murky Future [[link removed]]

Brad Rempel-Imagn Images

No one in NBA history has battled Father Time better than LeBron James. But those paying close attention are starting to see James lose his grip in the fight—and it could be detrimental to the future of the Lakers and the overall NBA business.

On paper, James, who turns 40 on Dec. 30, is still putting up good counting stats. His 22 points per game are his lowest since his rookie season, but he’s averaging eight rebounds and 9.1 assists, the second most in his career. However, as The Athletic’s Fred Katz pointed out, the Lakers, who have a 12–9 record, good for No. 8 in a loaded Western Conference, are 21 points per 100 possessions worse when he’s on the court [[link removed]].

James—who entered this season as the only player in NBA history with more than $400 million in career earnings [[link removed]]—is also struggling with his three-point shot as he’s missed his last 19 attempts from beyond the arc, his longest streak since the 2003–2004 season [[link removed]], according to ESPN.

A Blow for the NBA

Whether James is battling for a championship, he is still one of basketball’s biggest draws. So it was a blessing for the league when he declared at the beginning of the season that his goal was to play all 82 games [[link removed]].

However, Lakers coach JJ Redick hinted at how the season may be taking a toll on the four-time MVP following a loss to the Timberwolves on Monday after a back-to-back, saying it may not be in James’s or the team’s “best interest” for him to play all 82 games [[link removed]]. James, who scored a season-low 10 points, also didn’t seem as certain about his goal following the loss [[link removed]].

“That’s a goal, but we’ll see,” James said.

If James were to consistently rest through the remainder of the year, it could be a blow to the league that’s already struggling to pull viewers to open the season [[link removed]], particularly because the Lakers entered the season with the most nationally televised games among any team, and still have 20 remaining.

The Lakers could end up at risk of violating the NBA’s player participation policy [[link removed]] if James rests. The league has not been shy to send $100,000 fines this season to teams for players failing to play when they are eligible. The 76ers and Hawks are two examples of resting Joel Embiid [[link removed]] and Trae Young [[link removed]], respectively.

The Lakers’ Future

Months before James led the Lakers to the 2020 NBA championship, he said he wanted to “ be a Laker for the rest of my life [[link removed]].” The Lakers have not made the Finals since 2020—but James’s actions show he’s committed to the team, especially after they selected his son, Bronny, in the 2024 draft [[link removed]].

But the uncertainty of the future of James, who has consistently signed one-plus-one contracts with the Lakers, which are two-year deals with a player option for year two, provides a hamper on a team trying to build a roster—especially if the player paid 35% of the salary cap is deteriorating.

The Lakers may choose loyalty above all else—akin to how they rode out the tail end of Kobe Bryant’s career when the team missed the playoffs for three straight years. James’s stature as one of the greatest players of all time certainly helps the iconic franchise maintain its spot as the third-most-valuable team in the league, worth more than $7 billion [[link removed]], per Forbes.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down, One Push

Peter Aiken-Imagn Images

Royals ⬆ The MLB club has renewed its local media-rights contract with Diamond Sports Group for the 2025 season, as has been expected since the regional sports network operator received court approval [[link removed]] nearly three weeks ago for its bankruptcy reorganization plan. Royals games will be distributed on FanDuel Sports Network Kansas City, both on linear platforms and direct-to-consumer, and through Amazon Prime Video as an add-on subscription. The Royals did consider aligning with MLB’s in-house model but chose to stick with DSG. “Our top priority has been and always will be reaching as many fans as possible,” said Royals chair and CEO John Sherman. Like other recent DSG contract renewals, the Royals are seeing a reduction in rights fees.

Bears ⬇ President Kevin Warren declared the team’s open head coaching position “the most coveted job in the National Football League” [[link removed]] during a press conference Monday following the firing of Matt Eberflus on Black Friday, the first time the organization dismissed its head coach midseason in its 105-year history. GM Ryan Poles, who joined the Bears alongside Eberflus in 2022, will lead the search for a new coach—but stayed silent for a large part of the presser as Warren addressed the media.

NASCAR ⬆⬇ The sanctioning body filed a motion to dismiss the antitrust lawsuit filed by 23XI Racing and Front Row Motorsports [[link removed]], two teams who are against the sport’s charter system. In the motion, NASCAR claims 23XI and FRM’s lawsuit “reflects nothing more than dissatisfaction with business negotiations that didn’t go their way.” [[link removed]]

J Batt ⬆ Georgia Tech is extending its athletic director to a five-year deal that goes through 2029 [[link removed]], according to ESPN. The deal comes with an increase in compensation. Batt joined the Yellow Jackets in 2022 and helped the Atlanta-based school’s athletics department raise nearly $78.2 million in the last fiscal year [[link removed]] ending in June, 43% higher than its previous school record.

Caitlin Clark ⬆ Jeff Berding, co-CEO of FC Cincinnati who is also leading the bid for NWSL Cincinnati, said it was the WNBA star’s choice to go public with her decision to invest in the potential expansion franchise [[link removed]]. “We didn’t make that decision for her, or on her behalf,” Berding told The Athletic. Backing from one of the biggest names in women’s sports could go a long way in Cincinnati securing the 16th slot in the NWSL—and it’s already been declared one of the three finalists [[link removed]].

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Conversation Starters Paige Bueckers is the first college athlete to receive a Nike Player Edition shoe—and it will be released Dec. 7. Take a look [[link removed]]. Louisville guard Patrick Antonelli scored his first points of the season against Indiana on Wednesday as his mother, Debbie Antonelli, called the game for ESPN. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Every Power 4 title game will feature a conference newcomer [[link removed]]: SMU in the ACC, Texas in the SEC, Oregon in the Big Ten, and Arizona State in the Big 12. Editors’ Picks Therapist Sues Kyrie Irving Over $400K Bill After Death at Family Retreat [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The suit says she was stiffed on bills for a 150-person retreat. Shohei Ohtani Seeks Baseball Cards From Interpreter in Federal Case [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Ohtani’s former translator is expected to be sentenced for bank and tax fraud. Roger Goodell, Josh Harris Lobby Senate on Behalf of RFK Stadium Bill [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The team wants a new home by 2030. Could it be D.C.? Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], 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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