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Afternoon Edition

July 2, 2025

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FOS has exclusively learned that the PGA Tour is overhauling its bonus structure—with pay for the FedExCup winner falling from $25 million to $10 million. Here’s what we know.

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

EXCLUSIVE PGA Tour Reshuffles FedExCup: Winner Gets $10M, Not $25M

Christopher Hanewinckel-Imagn Images

The prize for being crowned the PGA Tour’s FedExCup champion this season is dropping to $10 million, down from a record $25 million the previous two years, as part of major changes to the playoff bonus money structure, Front Office Sports has learned.

A shift in how $100 million of bonus money from the PGA Tour’s playoffs would be distributed was expected after May’s unprecedented in-season announcement that the Tour Championship will eliminate its “starting strokes” format [[link removed]]. That system, used since 2019, awarded a competitive advantage based on FedExCup points earned entering the season finale, including the top qualifier beginning the tournament at 10 under, with subsequent players starting closer to even par.

But come August at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, the Tour Championship will play out as a standard 72-hole stroke-play format, with no starting advantages. The tournament winner will still be crowned the season-long FedExCup champion, just without quite as lucrative a financial reward.

Instead of paying out the entire FedExCup sum after the Tour Championship, the $100 million in bonus money will be paid out in three installments based on standings following the end of the regular season, the second of three playoff events, and the playoff finale.

Wyndham Championship: $20 million split among the top 10 BMW Championship: $22.93 million split among the top 30 Tour Championship: $57.08 million ($40 million split among the top 30, and $17.08 million in deferrals split among players ranked 31-150).

Spreading out the FedExCup bonus money will reward top players’ season-long performance, and provide them with a lower financial floor in the playoffs, while also making them vulnerable to missing out on at least some season-ending cash at the Tour Championship.

For more on how the PGA Tour is restructuring playoff payouts—and what it means for stars like Scottie Scheffler—read David Rumsey’s exclusive here [[link removed]].

SPONSORED BY TELEVISAUNIVISION

Home of Fútbol, Summer of Wins

TelevisaUnivision’s Verano Futbolero [[link removed]] is delivering record viewership, with wall-to-wall coverage of the Concacaf Gold Cup and FIFA Club World Cup across Univision, UniMás, TUDN, and ViX. We’re connecting with fans like never before. The Concacaf Gold Cup is the #1 soccer tournament on TV, regardless of language, and the FIFA Club World Cup on TelevisaUnivision’s U.S. networks is the most-watched event of the summer in daytime. Both tournaments are outperforming English-language networks, solidifying our place as the Home of Fútbol. [[link removed]]

The momentum continues: the start of the UEFA Women’s Euro tournament and Gold Cup semifinals air today, followed by the FIFA Club World Cup quarterfinals on Friday, July 4 [[link removed]]. It’s our game—and this summer, the win belongs to us.

Paramount Settles Trump Suit Ahead of NFL Season, Skydance Merger [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

CBS Sports parent Paramount Global likely has moved a major step closer to completing its $8 billion merger deal with Skydance Media after reaching a $16 million legal settlement late Tuesday with U.S. President Donald Trump.

Paramount will make the payment toward a future Trump presidential library to resolve complaints from the White House that CBS’s 60 Minutes improperly altered an interview with 2024 Democratic presidential candidate Kamala Harris. Many legal experts [[link removed]] believed [[link removed]] the Trump allegations had little merit and that CBS News did nothing wrong. Nonetheless, Paramount agreed to the payment, not unlike how ESPN parent company Disney reached a $15 million settlement last year in a defamation lawsuit from Trump.

The $16 million settlement in the Paramount-Trump case is 0.08% of the $20 billion in damages he sought.

“The settlement does not include a statement of apology or regret,” Paramount said of its agreement.

The company added that the legal settlement “is completely separate from and unrelated to the Skydance transaction and the [Federal Communications Commission] approval process.” While that’s technically true, it’s almost certainly not on a substantive level. The Skydance merger, in the works for about a year [[link removed]], is still awaiting FCC approval, with that agency led by Trump appointee Brendan Carr.

As a settlement deal approached, Trump praised Skydance founder and CEO David Ellison, saying recently, “Ellison’s great. He’ll do a great job with [a merged Paramount-Skydance].”

To some observers, the situation amounts to a simple shakedown, and one designed to have a chilling effect on the press.

“This settlement is a transparent attempt to curry favors with an administration in the hopes it will allow the Paramount Global and Skydance Media merger to be cleared for approval,” said the Writers Guild of America East, which represents CBS News writers, in a Wednesday statement.

What Happens Next?

Regardless of whether the Paramount-Skydance deal closes, there are already significant implications for all of CBS, including in sports. Calls for boycotts of the network are already rising, and shareholder lawsuits are also possible. The situation is also developing as CBS is about to restart its most-watched programming: live NFL games, including as many as nine with the Chiefs [[link removed]], the league’s top viewership draw, during the 2025 season.

“A settlement offers a negotiated resolution that allows companies to focus on their core objectives, rather than being mired in uncertainty and distraction,” Paramount co-CEO George Cheeks said Wednesday in an annual shareholder meeting.

Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) called Wednesday for Congressional investigation into the settlement.

“With Paramount folding to Donald Trump at the same time the company needs his administration for its billion-dollar merger, this could be bribery in plain sight,” she said.

Paramount had previously intended to complete the Skydance deal by June 30 [[link removed]], but that date has now passed. The company, meanwhile, laid off 3.5% of its domestic workforce last month [[link removed]].

Commanders’ $3.8B Stadium Deal in Jeopardy? Mayor Sounds the Alarm [[link removed]]

USA TODAY

As temperatures rise in Washington, D.C., so, too, do political tensions over the Commanders’ bid to build a $3.8 billion domed stadium on the grounds of their former home, RFK Stadium.

The euphoric feelings that existed less than three months ago, when the Commanders and owner Josh Harris first unveiled their plan to return to the District [[link removed]], have given way to frustration and doubt. Already facing an uphill climb to secure sufficient D.C. Council support [[link removed]] for more than $1 billion in public funding for the project, Mayor Muriel Bowser is now sounding alarms about a potential collapse of the deal.

“I think that everybody should be treating this urgently,” Bowser said on WTEM-AM. “Nobody should have the nonchalance that I’ve heard from some, the ‘Oh, what’s a month? What’s two months? What’s three months?’ I think it introduces a level of uncertainty and risk that’s intolerable for most business organizations.”

Asked on the radio show to rate her worry about the Commanders’ deal on a scale of zero for “not concerned” to five being “very concerned,” she answered with a four.

“When you’re a big-city mayor, you’re concerned about everything—I’ll put it at a four,” she said.

Bigger Issues

Core to the dispute is a decision last week by the council and its chair, Phil Mendelson, to separate consideration of the Commanders’ funding from a broader deliberation of the upcoming D.C. budget. That, in turn, threatens a provision in the deal for the council to approve funding by July 15 to preserve a planned 2030 stadium opening. Mendelson has argued that the July 15 deadline is not realistic, particularly given the due diligence needed to review the agreement, and that the Commanders won’t realistically need public funds until early next year.

In the meantime, the Commanders hosted a dinner earlier this week for council members in Georgetown to answer questions and help build support for the stadium effort. It’s currently thought that there are four solid “yes” votes on the council for the stadium funding, three short of the needed threshold.

Stadium and arena battles, however, are nothing new in the nation’s capital. Delayed council approval of the funding for Nationals Park more than two decades ago nearly derailed MLB’s relocation of the Montreal Expos to become the Nationals. Much more recently, Ted Leonsis planned to move his NBA Wizards and NHL Capitals to neighboring Alexandria, Va., in a new venue before reaching a deal last year with Bowser [[link removed]] to renovate the teams’ current home, Capital One Arena, instead.

Harris, meanwhile, is also proceeding with plans to build a new arena in the South Philadelphia sports complex and begin a WNBA expansion franchise there [[link removed]], both in partnership with Comcast Spectacor.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY A ‘Slap in the Face’ for WNBA Players

FOS illustration

The dust has settled after a wild start to NBA free agency, with insiders questioning the moves made by Milwaukee in dumping star Damian Lillard and replacing him with Myles Turner. Did the team do enough to keep star Giannis Antetokounmpo happy? Plus, after reportedly discussing a $42 million contract with the Pistons, Malik Beasley is in limbo as he faces a federal investigation over allegations of sports betting. FOS reporter Ben Horney details the latest in the investigation and why Beasley’s former agent sued for $2.5 million, claiming Beasley might not have any money.

In the WNBA, the league and players are in heated discussions on a new collective bargaining agreement that expires after the season, with stars like Mercury forward Satou Sabally calling the league’s latest proposal a “slap in the face.” CBS Sports WNBA analyst Terrika Foster-Brasby breaks down the latest in the negotiations and explains why the league’s big expansion news this week hasn’t sat too well with some players.

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

STATUS REPORT One Up, Three Down

Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Jeremiah Smith ⬆ Ohio State’s star receiver has signed an NIL deal with Adidas, joining the sportswear brand’s football roster that was already highlighted by the likes of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Hunter. Notably, Ohio State is a Nike school, so he won’t be able to wear Adidas apparel or shoes during games.

Malik Beasley ⬇ The Pistons acquired three-point specialist Duncan Robinson via a sign-and-trade from the Heat. The deal is for three years, $48 million—a similar number to the three years, $42 million Detroit was reportedly ready to offer Beasley. However, Beasley is under federal investigation [[link removed]] over sports betting allegations. The Detroit News reported Tuesday that Beasley, who has made nearly $60 million in his nine-year NBA career, has mounting debt from several sources [[link removed]], including a barber, dentist, and landlord.

Halftime shows ⬇ Red Panda, the iconic sports halftime performer, fell off her unicycle [[link removed]] during halftime of the WNBA Commissioner’s Cup final Tuesday in Minnesota and appeared to injure her wrist. Multiple reports indicated that Red Panda, whose real name is Rong Niu, left the court in a wheelchair. The Athletic reported that she later left the Target Center in an ambulance.

Kentucky employees ⬇ The Wildcats will start phasing out faculty and staff ticket discounts as a way to help meet the financial demands of the revenue-sharing era [[link removed]] in college sports. Additionally, children will no longer be allowed to attend football and men’s basketball games for free, as everyone, regardless of age, must have an admission ticket.

SPONSORED BY RBC WEALTH MANAGEMENT

Taking on Texas This July

Join Front Office Sports and RBC Wealth Management on July 22–23 for two afternoons full of networking and thought leadership surrounding the All-Star Game in Austin, Texas.

RBC House [[link removed]] will bring the Front Office Sports brand to life with a Second Acts showcase and first-time live broadcasts of Redefined and FOS Today.

We’ll also host timely discussions with top soccer executives and innovators on the sport’s rapidly growing U.S. presence—exploring how the World Cup can be a catalyst for long-term momentum across leagues, teams, and communities.

Learn more or request to attend here [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters On the night she scored her 5,000th point, A’ja Wilson wore a version of her signature A’Ones inspired by her favorite Disney character, Tiana, from “The Princess and the Frog.” Check it out [[link removed]]. NESN paid homage to the 1975 World Series by using a retro-style broadcast for Tuesday’s Reds vs. Red Sox game. Take a look [[link removed]]. Dan Meers is retiring as the Chiefs’ mascot, KC Wolf, after 35 years. He was the NFL’s longest-tenured mascot. Watch his sendoff [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Knicks Land on Mike Brown After Monthlong Coach Search: Reports [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]New York still owes Tom Thibodeau $30 million. Caitlin Clark’s Signature Shoe Could Be $150 Million Business: Sneaker Expert [[link removed]]by Ava Hult [[link removed]]Clark’s shoe could rival top NBA signature lines. Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ Includes Huge Tax Hike for Pro Gamblers [[link removed]]by Ryan Glasspiegel [[link removed]]It was not clear who lobbied for this provision to be included in the bill, or why. 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]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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