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Afternoon Edition

March 19, 2025

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The city of Cleveland and its NFL team are suing each other over the Browns’ ambitions to build a stadium in nearby Brook Park. The team’s owners just increased their commitment to that project to $2 billion—but many questions remain.

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

Browns Boost Stadium Commitment to $2B As Cleveland Battle Continues [[link removed]]

Cleveland Browns/HKS

Browns ownership has increased its investment commitment for a new domed stadium and surrounding development to $2 billion, as the NFL franchise and the city of Cleveland remain at odds over its venue future.

The new figure is up $800 million from the $1.2 billion that the Haslam Sports Group said it was willing to spend on building a dome in suburban Brook Park, with the expectation that public funding will cover the other half of the $2.4 billion proposal [[link removed]].

In a letter to fans [[link removed]] posted to the team’s website Tuesday, the Browns did not mention a price tag on the proposed stadium like they previously had. It is unclear whether they expect the construction cost to go up, and it is unclear whether the $1.2 billion in proposed public funding could change.

“The enclosed stadium will draw millions of visitors to the region throughout the year for premier large-scale events which will drive the fiscal and economic impact necessary to pay for the public portion of the funding model,” the letter read. The Browns also said in the letter that they hope to build the dome “without requiring existing taxpayer revenues.”

The Browns’ current lease at Huntington Bank Field in downtown Cleveland ends in 2028.

Cleveland Court Battles

Also on Tuesday, the Browns asked a federal court judge for permission to file an updated lawsuit [[link removed]] against the city of Cleveland over the “Modell Law,” which was colloquially named for the late former Browns owner Art Modell.

The team first sued the city in October [[link removed]] seeking clarity on the Ohio law that states a pro team in the state playing in a publicly supported stadium cannot move without giving the city in question six months’ notice and an opportunity to buy the franchise.

In December, the city of Cleveland sent formal notice to the Browns that it intended to enforce the Modell Law [[link removed]] and then countersued the team [[link removed]] in January.

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NFL Teams Will Vote on Big Changes to Overtime, Seeding, Tush Push [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

A set of rules and bylaws proposals for the upcoming NFL annual meeting could, if approved, significantly change how the postseason is structured, alter critical parts of the game, reshape roster management, and outlaw the league’s most controversial play.

The league released Wednesday a set of proposals for the upcoming meeting, set for March 30 to April 1 in Palm Beach, Fla., and the measures could have far-reaching impacts. Among the planned votes:

A shift in the playoff-seeding structure to rank teams strictly by regular-season records, instead of the current method of giving the top four seeds to division winners, before any wild-card teams. The proposal, made by Detroit, comes after the Lions could have fallen from the NFL’s top seed last season to the No. 5 slot had they lost the regular-season finale to the Vikings [[link removed]]. The move, however, would radically change who gets a playoff home game and the business benefits stemming from it, and also diminish the value of winning a division. A division title, however, would be used as tiebreaker in seeding. The Chargers unsuccessfully made a similar proposal in 2023. A potential ban on the oft-debated Tush Push, perfected by the Eagles en route to their Super Bowl LIX triumph. The Packers are proposing the ban, citing injury and pace-of-play concerns, and want that prohibition paired with a 10-yard penalty for infractions. A possible shift, proposed by the Eagles, in the regular-season overtime rules to guarantee each team at least one possession, even if the receiving team scores a touchdown on the first drive, and extend the extra period from 10 minutes to 15. The changes would align with what is in place for the playoffs. The Steelers have proposed a modernization of what is often known as the “legal tampering” period before the start of free agency in which teams would be allowed a video or phone call with a prospective unrestricted free agent. Pittsburgh’s proposal also includes a pre-free-agency window for teams to arrange travel for free agents with whom they have agreed to terms but not formally signed. The player travel itself would happen after the start of the new league year. A group of seven teams is seeking to have k-balls, used for kicking in games, prepared by teams in the same manner as other balls. The shift is aimed at easing game-day preparations, but it will bear watching whether such a shift also improves kicking performance that had numerous issues [[link removed].] last season, particularly at shorter distances. The Lions are also seeking to eliminate an automatic first down for defensive holding and illegal contact penalties, arguing the current rules are “too punitive for the defense.” Yet another proposal from the Lions seeks to have players placed on injured reserve before the 53-man roster cutdown exempted from counting against the larger, 90-man roster. The Commanders are seeking to allow potential playoff entrants to gain scouting credentials for other teams during weeks 17 and 18 of the regular season.

The changes will require 75% support, or 24 of 32 teams, for passage. At last month’s NFL Scouting Combine, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said regarding the Tush Push, “We’re not very successful against it, I know that.” Injury concerns, however, have not been supported as league officials said there have not been any reported injuries directly stemming from the play.

EVENT

Tuned In, Front Office Sports’ media franchise, will come to life as a one-day event in New York City this September. This event will feature intimate discussions with leaders in the sports media space—ranging from athletes and on-air talent to media moguls and league executives.

Register now [[link removed]].

As American World Cup Approaches, USL Approves Promotion, Relegation [[link removed]]

Naples Daily News

Promotion and relegation are finally coming to U.S. pro soccer as the United Soccer League has formally approved a long-discussed structure to move teams among three tiers of men’s competition.

The historic move is the first by a U.S. pro sports league, and places the USL in alignment with the rest of global men’s soccer, where promotion and relegation are a fundamental component of league structures. The USL system will involve its existing USL Championship and USL League One, as well as a recently announced U.S. Division I pro entity [[link removed]] that will seek top-tier status and present a direct challenge to Major League Soccer.

“We like the idea of aligning with the global game,” USL president and chief soccer officer Paul McDonough tells Front Office Sports. “A big part of this is also finding ways to have more games of consequence, eliminating some of those dead-rubber matches that don’t have much bearing in the standings, and having more of them really matter—which is going to help drive fan interest and awareness.”

Bigger Picture

The USL move, aimed to start in 2028, presents a significant inflection point in the development of pro soccer in the U.S.—particularly as the country will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup along with Canada and Mexico. Promotion and relegation have been revered in many other parts of the world, as they introduce a clear sense of meritocracy by punishing poor-performing clubs and rewarding top ones.

Among the key factors inhibiting its prior use in the U.S., however, is the public money that often goes into stadium development. Cities and states contributing taxpayer money for new facilities have often insisted that the team in question stays in their league and also doesn’t relocate—with those terms written into the formal contracts to help safeguard their investment.

Hefty expansion fees, rising franchise values, and the potential of losing out on lucrative media-rights revenue have also helped cool the U.S. appetite elsewhere for promotion and relegation, and MLS historically has been lukewarm at best about the topic.

The USL effort, however, seeks to work around all of this.

“Infrastructure is really important, and our owners definitely see the value of building and having [new] stadiums,” McDonough says. “The key, though, is to rightsize for each community, each market, and create a situation where each one of those communities leans into what we’re doing, regardless of whether the team gets promoted or relegated.”

The USL intended to move forward on the new structure in 2023 [[link removed]], but owners ultimately were not ready then. The recent announcement of the new Division I league, however, served as a major catalyst to reignite the internal talks, and the system came together in a matter of weeks.

ONE BIG FIG The Needle Mover

Grace Hollars-Imagn Images

6

The current number of WNBA teams—half the league—that have moved games against Caitlin Clark and the Indiana Fever to larger arenas for the upcoming season.

The Dallas Wings became the latest team after they announced Wednesday that they will move their June 27 game from College Park Center (about 7,000 seats) to the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Mavericks (about 20,000 seats). The other five teams are the Atlanta Dream [[link removed]], Chicago Sky [[link removed]], Connecticut Sun, Las Vegas Aces, and Washington Mystics [[link removed]].

The game between Dallas and Indiana could potentially be the first professional matchup between Clark and current UConn star Paige Bueckers, as the Wings hold the No. 1 pick in the 2025 draft [[link removed]]. However, Bueckers has one more year of college eligibility and has yet to declare for the draft.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Push

USA Today

Netflix ⬆ The streamer has announced a second season of its NFL docuseries, Quarterback. The 2024 seasons of Joe Burrow, Jared Goff, and Kirk Cousins (who participated in Season 1) were chronicled for the show that will be released in July.

Unrivaled ⬆⬇ TNT announced the inaugural championship game between Rose BC and Vinyl BC averaged 364,000 viewers Monday [[link removed]], a 99% increase over its regular-season average viewership. The new professional women’s 3-on-3 league’s viewership does not compare favorably with other pro basketball leagues [[link removed]] like the NBA and WNBA right now, but the figures show the league has a decent fan base in Year 1. The question remains whether the league can build by adding other young stars—college players Paige Bueckers [[link removed]] and JuJu Watkins [[link removed]] are expected to eventually join, while company executives say an offer is still on the table for Caitlin Clark [[link removed]].

Thailand ⬆ Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra said Tuesday in a meeting with Formula One CEO Stefano Domenicali that the country will commission a feasibility study to determine whether the Southeast Asian nation could host a race [[link removed]] in the streets of Bangkok starting in 2028. A Bangkok GP would be the second in the region, though F1’s seven-year deal with Singapore runs until 2028. Williams Racing’s Alexander Albon represents Thailand on the F1 grid.

MLS ⬆ The 2025 All-Star Game will once again feature the league’s best players against those from Mexico’s Liga MX. Austin FC’s Q2 Stadium will host this summer’s matchup July 23. MLS has faced Liga MX for its All-Star Game for three of the past four years; in 2023, MLS All-Stars lost 5–0 against Arsenal.

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The NCAA and the state attorneys general of Florida, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Tennessee, and New York have settled an antitrust lawsuit over NIL [[link removed]] (name, image, and likeness) restrictions. The lawsuit specifically challenged the NCAA’s rules saying athletes couldn’t review potential NIL deals before they agreed to enroll at a particular school.

As part of the settlement, the NCAA has permanently agreed to change this rule [[link removed]]. Athletes will be able to compare and negotiate financial offers without fear of retribution, potentially helping them earn more money during their collegiate careers.

Check out [[link removed]] the Business of College Sports content hub to read the full article [[link removed]], and stay up to date on all things college sports.

Editors’ Picks Thunder, Sixers Both Resting Stars in Battle for Top-Six Pick [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]It appears both teams would prefer to lose. Phillies Try to Block NL East Rivals From Analytics Software [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Phillies claim their analytics partner is trying to breach their contract. Trump, Putin Discuss Thawing International Hockey’s Russia Exile [[link removed]]by Meredith Turits [[link removed]]The conversations added fuel to the already thorny issue. DISCLAIMER

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