February 9, 2022

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Who will win Super Bowl LVI? Electronic Arts ran its annual prediction simulated with “Madden NFL 22” and projects the Cincinnati Bengals to edge the Los Angeles Rams, 24-21. The video game has correctly picked the winner nearly a dozen times and had a near perfect prediction for Super Bowl XLIX.

Byron Allen Wants to Buy the Denver Broncos

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports/Design: Alex Brooks

Byron Allen plans to make a bid for the Denver Broncos, the comedian-turned-media magnate said Wednesday.

Allen, the founder and chairman and CEO of Allen Media Group, could become the first Black majority owner in NFL history.

Allen said that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft approached him in November of 2019, encouraging him to bid on an NFL team, according [[link removed]] Bloomberg.

“After serious consideration, I strongly believe I can effectuate positive changes throughout the league,” Allen said. “And for that reason, I will be making a bid for the Denver Broncos.”

A message left with an NFL spokesperson was not immediately returned.

The Broncos are expected to fetch around $4 billion, a record price for any sports franchise sold. Under NFL’s current requirements, Allen would need to put up $1.2 billion (30% of the sale price) and that amount can’t be financed.

Allen, 60, rose to fame as a comedian before he pivoted to media ownership with the creation of Allen Media. The company’s portfolio includes The Weather Channel and 27 network affiliate television stations in 21 markets.

Other Possible Bidders

Allen is the biggest name to publicly express interest in bidding on the Broncos as a controlling owner.

There were six groups reportedly seeking to purchase the Broncos with former Broncos quarterbacks Peyton Manning and John Elway linked to two of the groups. ​Brittany Bowlen, a daughter of late Broncos owner Pat Bowlen, is also exploring a bid to buy the team.

SoftBank, Nvidia Call Off Arm Blockbuster

Arm/Design: Alex Brooks

Softbank is quashing [[link removed]] the planned sale of chip technology company Arm to Nvidia, while reporting a return to profitability.

Valued at $40 billion when it was agreed to in 2020, the deal could have brought SoftBank $74 billion due to growth in Nvidia’s stock.

The Tokyo-based investment giant is reviving plans to take Arm public. Arm provides technology used in the Nintendo Switch and other gaming and hardware devices.

The deal faced heavy regulatory scrutiny in multiple countries — namely the U.S., where the Federal Trade Commission sued to block the deal.

SoftBank will pocket a nonrefundable deposit of $1.3 billion from Nvidia.

SoftBank recorded $39.7 billion in net sales for the nine months ending Dec. 31, 2021, up 10.7% year-over-year.However, it’s net income plummeted 79% from the same period in 2020 to $5.6 billion.The company bounced back from the previous quarter, when it lost $3.5 billion, to post $251 million in profit for the last three months of 2021. Big Spender in Sports, Fitness

SoftBank has invested heavily in sports and fitness over the past year, acquiring Accordia Golf in November in a $3.5 billion deal. The previous month, it invested $400 million in activewear brand Vuori.

Prior to that, it led a $680 million funding round for NFT soccer platform Sorare and a $200 million round in health tracking wearable company WHOOP. It also joined a $325 million investment in Fanatics.

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Nobull Expands Into Performance Running

NoBull/Design: Alex Brooks

Fitness apparel company Nobull is entering the performance running market with the launch of its new shoe, the Runner+.

The company, which already offers cycling, casual running, and trail running shoes, developed [[link removed]] the shoe’s performance technology — which includes cutting excess weight — with help from a Vermont research and development lab.

The shoes, launching Feb. 11, follow Nobull’s continued expansion and a funding round [[link removed]] in April 2021 that gave the company a valuation of more than $500 million. As of April, the company raised $32 million, according to Pitchbook.

Last year, Nobull replaced [[link removed]] Reebok as title sponsor of the CrossFit Games and official supplier of CrossFit apparel. The total individual prize purse [[link removed]] for the season was more than $2.3 million.Nobull will host [[link removed]] the games again this year, which will run for an additional day.In August, New England Patriots’ quarterback Mac Jones signed [[link removed]] a deal with the company, joining its roster [[link removed]] of athletes including seven-time Olympic Gold Medal swimmer Caeleb Dressel and five-time CrossFit Games Champion Tia-Clair Toomey. Forming Nobull’s Future

Co-founder Marcus Wilson said in August that the company feels “strongly that before long, we will have great athletes in all major sports.”

Nobull expects to remain a direct-to-consumer brand for the time being with stores in Boston, Miami, and New York City. Vice president of footwear design Mike Kirtley said the company is excited to “explore the boundaries of the product.”

SDSU Latest School Hit With Ongoing Title IX Fight

SDSU Athletics/Design: Alex Brooks

Since the pandemic began, athletes nationwide have turned to Title IX laws to fight back against budget-related sports cuts.

On Monday, yet another war was waged — this time over financial aid distribution.

Seventeen women’s sports athletes filed a Title IX lawsuit against San Diego State University, alleging the school unequally distributed financial aid between men’s and women’s players.

The school eliminated women’s rowing after last season, partially citing [[link removed]] pandemic budget cuts as well as Title IX itself. Now, the plaintiffs — women’s rowers among them — have asked for a total of more than $1.2 million, in addition to demanding that SDSU provide equitable aid going forward.

The lawsuit alleges that in 2019-20, women’s sports athletes could have received more than $690,000 more with aid proportionate to men’s athletes.In 2020-21, women’s sports athletes allegedly lost out on more than $570,000.A similar pattern has emerged dating back to 2010, lead counsel Arthur Bryant said in a statement.

In response, SDSU noted its track record for investing in women’s sports and scholarships. “We are disappointed with the incomplete picture presented,” a statement read.

A Winning Record

Bryant has been successfully prosecuting Title IX cases since 1985.

He and his firm have become the go-to lawyers [[link removed]] for athletes at schools from Dartmouth to William & Mary, winning at least eight settlements since the pandemic began. In some cases, a threat of a lawsuit alone was enough to reinstate teams.

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Conversation Starters Following the expiration of MLB’s sport’s drug agreement during the league’s lockout, MLB has reportedly [[link removed]] stopped testing players for steroids for the first time in almost 20 years. Rep. Gerry Connolly, D-Virginia, has called [[link removed]] on the NFL to release details of the investigation into Washington Commanders owner Dan Snyder regarding workplace misconduct. A damaged T206 Honus Wagner baseball card missing most of its right half sold [[link removed]] for $475,959 in an online auction. Free, ad-supported video on-demand is set to outpace their subscription-based counterparts. According to Tubi’s latest report [[link removed]], in 2021, AVOD viewership grew twice as fast as SVOD.*

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Today's Action

NHL

10:30 PM

Islanders (-115) at Canucks (-105)

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NHL

08:00 PM

Blackhawks (+175) at Oilers (-205)

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NHL

08:00 PM

Predators (+100) at Stars (-120)

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*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See [[link removed]] for details.

Question Of The Day

Do you plan to bet on Super Bowl LVI?

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

Tuesday’s Answer

64% of respondents would like to attend a World Cup match.

Written by A.J. Perez [[link removed]], Owen Poindexter [[link removed]], Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]], Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

MORE FROM FOS:

The Leadoff [[link removed]] - Daily Business of Sports Podcast

Front Office Sports Insights [[link removed]] - The most promising opportunities where sports meets industry

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