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Afternoon Edition

April 30, 2025

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President Donald Trump is talking to U.K. officials about the possibility of his Turnberry Golf Club hosting an Open Championship. We explore why that’s complicated.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]

Trump, U.K. Discussing Turnberry Open Championship: Reports [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images

The possibility of the Royal and Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews taking the Open Championship back to the Trump Turnberry golf club in Scotland for the first time since 2009 is reportedly becoming a point of negotiation in the relationship between U.K. government officials and U.S. President Donald Trump.

Trump has asked U.K. government officials about whether his course will be able to host another major championship, and those officials have in turn inquired with the R&A about that potential, according to sources in multiple British reports, including The Guardian [[link removed]] and the Financial Times [[link removed]].

The development comes in the wake of R&A CEO Mark Darbon shifting his organization’s stance [[link removed]] on Turnberry hosting another Open Championship, which the R&A (the governing body for golf outside the U.S. and Mexico) operates.

“It’s a course we’d love to return to at some point,” Darbon said last week.

Darbon and the R&A had previously pushed back on the idea of Turnberry hosting another Open Championship, with concerns around both Trump taking the spotlight away from golf at a future tournament there and the course’s limited capacity for fans, compared to other venues.

The Trump Organization purchased Turnberry in 2014 for $60 million and has invested $200 million in making improvements to the property since.

The Final Word

While this week’s reports indicate that U.K. government officials may be in favor of Turnberry hosting another Open Championship to appease Trump—and bettering their relationship with the current White House administration—they don’t have the authority to place another tournament at the course.

Ultimately, the R&A will have the final say on where the Open Championship is played each year. The first opening in the schedule is 2028.

Since Turnberry last hosted in 2009, the Open Championship has been played at nine different courses, which all figure to remain in the rotation for future editions.

SPONSORED BY E*TRADE FROM MORGAN STANLEY

The Power of Athlete Investors

In Episode 4 of Portfolio Players, [[link removed]] presented by E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley, FOS editor-in-chief Dan Roberts sits down with Limited Ventures Managing Partner Kai Cunningham—who advises athletes including Kyler Murray, Lamar Jackson, and Breanna Stewart on their tech and real estate investing— to talk about why more athletes are getting into ownership and not just in the sports they played.

Cunningham breaks down why athletes are buying into teams outside their own sports, what makes a property worth investing in, and how cultural relevance can outweigh traditional metrics. He also explains how Limited Ventures is helping athletes move from endorsers to equity holders—and why their influence is fast-tracking the rise of new leagues.

Check out the full episode [[link removed]] to see how athletes are building portfolios with purpose—and reshaping the future of sports ownership along the way.

Utah Hockey Capacity Set to Rise by 6,000—Literally [[link removed]]

Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Smith Entertainment Group, parent company of the NBA’s Jazz and NHL’s Utah Hockey Club, is beginning an inside-out overhaul of the Delta Center, the downtown Salt Lake City arena that is home to both teams.

SEG is gutting the event floor and lower seating bowl to solve an inherent problem in which the 33-year-old venue was designed for basketball, creating large amounts of obstructed views and seat kills for hockey when the Utah Hockey Club arrived last year [[link removed]]. The company will install a custom-designed seat riser system this summer that will allow unobstructed views for both basketball and hockey, and the Utah Hockey Club’s official seating capacity will ultimately rise from 11,131, the smallest in the NHL, to about 17,000.

During the debut season in Utah, the hockey team also sold several thousand obstructed-view seats at each home game, inventory that didn’t count toward the official seating capacity. Basketball seating capacity at the SEG-owned Delta Center, meanwhile, will rise slightly from 18,206 to about 19,000.

“The idea is that we have something built for both basketball and hockey, has an incredible fan experience for both, and neither is sacrificed,” said Jim Olson, Jazz president and a senior SEG executive.

To help accommodate the new seat riser system and a new ice floor slab, SEG will also lengthen the arena bowl by about 12 feet at each end and raise the floor by two feet, in turn improving sightlines. A key part of the riser system is a noticeably higher pitch to end-zone seating compared to other multipurpose arenas. A standard NHL ice rink is nearly twice the size of an NBA court.

“The Delta Center has been an amazing venue for basketball, in my view, the best in the NBA,” Olson said. “But when you plop in something the size of an ice sheet, the geometry doesn’t work, which is why we’re bringing in the riser system and raising the floor.”

The arena project has been contemplated since the NHL approved the relocation and sale of the former Arizona Coyotes franchise.

Lower-bowl work will be complete in time for the 2025–2026 NBA and NHL seasons, and will also be the beginning of a much larger development effort in Salt Lake City in which SEG and city leaders are working to create a new, urban entertainment and convention district [[link removed]]. Upper-bowl renovations at the Delta Center will follow in subsequent offseasons.

SEG did not break out specific, updated costs for the current Delta Center work, but said it intends to invest at least $3 billion into the overall downtown district, including the arena. The company, meanwhile, also gained approval last year of $900 million in public funds through an increased sales tax to aid the effort, with $525 million of that earmarked for Delta Center renovations.

New Team Name?

SEG, meanwhile, did not substantively comment on widespread reports late Tuesday detailing how the official YouTube page for the Utah Hockey Club briefly changed its handle to @UtahMammoth. The Mammoth has been one of three finalists, along with Outlaws and the current identity, in a long and winding naming process [[link removed]].

The hockey team is still on track to unveil its new permanent identity in advance of the 2025–2026 season, and only said that “progress continues” on evaluating the choices.

Bill Belichick Accuses CBS of ‘Selectively’ Editing Awkward Girlfriend Clip [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Bill Belichick is going on the offensive after a clip from CBS News that showed his girlfriend, Jordon Hudson, awkwardly kiboshing questions about their relationship in a viral interview.

Through the University of North Carolina, Belichick issued a statement on Wednesday in which he says he stipulated—to his publisher, Simon & Schuster—any interviews to promote his book The Art of Winning “focus solely on the contents of the book.”

“Unfortunately, that expectation was not honored during the interview,” the statement said. “I was surprised when unrelated topics were introduced, and I repeatedly expressed to the reporter, Tony Dokoupil, and the producers that I preferred to keep the conversation centered on the book. After this occurred several times, Jordon, with whom I share both a personal and professional relationship, stepped in to reiterate that point to help focus the discussion.

“She was not deflecting any specific question or topic but simply doing her job to ensure the interview stayed on track. Some of the clips make it appear as though we were avoiding the question of how we met, but we have been open about the fact that Jordon and I met on a flight to Palm Beach in 2021.”

Belichick is 73 and Hudson is 24.

In the statement, Belichick said that the eight-minute segment that aired on CBS on Sunday had been culled from a 35-minute interview.

“It presents selectively edited clips and stills from just a few minutes of the interview to suggest a false narrative – that Jordon was attempting to control the conversation – which is simply not true,” Belichick said.

CBS owner Paramount is reportedly nearing settlement terms [[link removed]] with President Donald Trump over similar claims. Trump sued CBS last fall, alleging a “deceptive” edit of Kamala Harris’s interview with 60 Minutes.

In his statement, Belichick alluded to the “professional” nature of his relationship with Hudson, which has come into greater focus since the CBS clip went viral. The Athletic reported Wednesday that Hudson’s presence [[link removed]] was an “instrumental” part of the reason why the agreement for Belichick and the Tar Heels to participate in HBO/Max’s Hard Knocks: Offseason blew up at the 11th hour.

There have been rumors percolating in sports media circles— covered in Pro Football Talk on Wednesday [[link removed]]—that Hudson sought to be credited as an executive producer on Hard Knocks.

It is unknown precisely how much money Hudson stands to earn through her professional affiliation with Belichick, as a kind of swiss-army knife consigliere for all things marketing, publicity, and media production. Belichick used to disdainfully call social media networks by the wrong names; now he’s posting on them, presumably while coordinating with Hudson.

There has been rampant speculation about how much Hudson will bank through her work with Belichick. A British tabloid cited property records [[link removed]] on Wednesday showing that she had already bought $9 million worth of real estate since meeting Belichick in 2021, with four mortgages getting paid off in 2025.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Ogwumike’s Empire, NBA Playoff Drama

FOS illustration

Chiney Ogwumike and Ryan Ruocco have both been instrumental to the rise and reach of the WNBA, and in this episode, we hear from both of them on why new media is a major catalyst in expanding the league’s reach.

Plus, Tyrese Haliburton’s father and Giannis Antetokounmpo get into it.

Watch the full episode here [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Spencer Danielson ⬆ Boise State has extended its football coach through the 2029 season. Danielson, who led the Broncos to a Mountain West championship and first-round bye in the College Football Playoff, will earn an average salary of $2.2 million [[link removed]].

Wrexham ⬆ The Welsh soccer club will celebrate its third consecutive promotion [[link removed]]—to the EFL Championship, one step away from the Premier League—with a ticketed, end-of-season awards event Sunday at its 13,00-seat home stadium, the Racecourse Ground.

Ethan Waugh ⬇ The Jaguars fired their assistant GM, just days after stealing the spotlight at the 2024 NFL Draft by trading up for the No. 2 pick [[link removed]] to select two-way star Travis Hunter. Waugh previously served as interim GM after Trent Baalke was fired in January. Jacksonville’s front office is now led by James Gladstone, who at 34 is the second-youngest GM in NFL history [[link removed]], and Tony Boselli, who re-joined the franchise [[link removed]] as EVP of football operations this offseason.

Blades Brown ⬆⬇ The golfer, who turned pro in December at the age of 17, turned down an invite to play this week’s PGA Tour event, The CJ Cup Byron Nelson, on a sponsor’s exemption so that he could instead compete in the overlapping second-tier Korn Ferry Tour tournament. Brown, who has made $97,494 in prize money in 2025, is close to earning special temporary membership on the Korn Ferry Tour.

SPONSORED BY PROFESSIONAL FIGHTERS LEAGUE

Exploring Sports’ Next Power Players

The days of attention being overly focused on the big four U.S. leagues are long gone.

The WNBA had its most successful season in history. The NWSL is expanding into new markets. Olympic viewership renewed interest in sports like track and field, rugby, and cricket. And ESPN airs esports.

Tune in May 14 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Leagues of Their Own [[link removed]], presented by Professional Fighters League, as Baker Machado, Front Office Sports Today cohost and producer, sits down with experts from emerging leagues and the brands that support them to discuss what these leagues are doing to keep growing.

Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters The NWSL and WNBA are teaming up to build the first dual-sport training facility dedicated exclusively to professional female athletes. Watch a video with renderings here [[link removed]]. The 2025 WNBA All-Star Game in Indianapolis is officially sold out [[link removed]]. Henry Samueli, owner of the NHL’s Ducks, is putting $1 billion into transforming the city-owned Honda Center with upgraded amenities and fan experiences. Take a look [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks House v. NCAA Settlement Has a Little-Known Federal Lobbying Provision [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]It would effectively muzzle plaintiff lawyers in Congressional debates. Yahoo Sports Selling Rivals to On3 Ownership Group [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]Yahoo Sports will have a seat on the parent company’s board. The Pirates Are Struggling, But Paul Skenes Fever Is Still Spreading [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The 22-year-old pitcher is (finally) giving Pittsburgh something to cheer for. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Events [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Shows [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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