April 22, 2022

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The Los Angeles Lakers are in the market for a new head coach, and one of the franchise’s greatest players — Shaquille O’Neal — said he’d do it [[link removed]] for a four-year, $100 million deal. “If you want me, this is the fee,” Shaq said.

NFL: Black Coaches’ Lawsuit Should Be Tossed or Settled Privately

BILL INGRAM-USA TODAY NETWORK

In its latest filing in the Brian Flores lawsuit, the NFL is not only pushing back against allegations that the league and teams used racially discriminatory hiring practices, but also arguing there should be no public case at all.

The league is requesting the dispute be settled in private arbitration rather than in court — in a potential trial — according to a letter [[link removed]] submitted on Thursday that Front Office Sports reviewed.

The league is also asking that the suit be dismissed “for failure to state a claim upon which relief can be granted.”

The league detailed its intention to file the arbitration request, and in doing so also requested that any discovery period be delayed.During the discovery process, previously private details could be revealed in public documents — something the NFL seems intent on avoiding.

Under Flores, who is Black, the Dolphins went 24-25 in three seasons, winning eight of their final nine games in 2021. Miami fired Flores a day after the season ended. He’s since been hired as the Steelers’ senior defensive assistant/linebackers coach.

Flores first filed a lawsuit alleging discriminatory hiring practices in February. Since then, former Cardinals head coach Steve Wilks and assistant Ray Horton have joined as well.

More Coaching Controversies

As the lawsuit continues, the NFL is in the midst of yet another investigation: It has been looking into claims [[link removed]] made by former Cleveland Browns coach Hue Jackson that the team paid him to tank — intentionally lose games in order to improve the Browns’ draft position.

Earlier this week, the league confirmed that it’s close to wrapping up the Browns investigation.

FedEx Field Drops Bid For 2026 World Cup Site

Rafael Suanes-USA TODAY Sports

FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, has dropped its bid to be a 2026 World Cup site.

The Sport & Entertainment Corporation of Maryland announced the Washington, D.C., area and Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium — home of the Baltimore Ravens — will run a joint campaign to host matches instead.

The Washington Commanders play at FedEx Field, which opened in 1997 and cost [[link removed]] around $250 million to build. It was one of the older stadiums vying to become a host, but has plenty of experience on soccer’s biggest stage.

Two years after FedEx Field opened, it hosted matches for the 1999 women’s World Cup.Three years before FedEx Field’s debut, Washington, D.C., hosted [[link removed]] games during the 1994 men’s World Cup at RFK Stadium. Almost 30 years later, the building is set to be demolished.

Twenty-three North American stadiums remain in the running, including 17 in the U.S., three in Mexico, and three in Canada. It’s the first time the tournament will have 48 nations competing and three co-hosts.

FIFA wanted to name selection sites in mid-May but pushed back the announcement for at least one month.

Buzzin’ Baltimore

The merged World Cup campaign comes weeks after the Maryland State legislature passed an initiative committing [[link removed]] $1.2 billion to Camden Yards Sports Complex — home of the Baltimore Orioles and Ravens.

The funding will be split evenly between the teams, giving M&T Bank Stadium $600 million. The site opened [[link removed]] in 1998 and cost $220 million to build, and the Ravens have since invested [[link removed].] $230 million in upgrades.

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Tennessee Approves $500M for $2B Domed Titans Stadium

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Tennessee lawmakers approved a record $52.8 billion budget on Thursday, including $500 million in bonds for a new Tennessee Titans stadium.

Slated to open for the 2026 season, the 1.7 million-square-foot, domed stadium — which could host major sporting events, including a future Super Bowl — is estimated to cost between $1.9 billion and $2.2 billion. As of August, the Titans were valued at $2.6 billion by [[link removed]] Forbes.

The Adams family, owners of the team, will contribute [[link removed]] $700 million to the venue. In December 2020, Susie Adams Smith sold [[link removed]] her one-third stake to family members, increasing Amy Adams Strunk’s ownership to 50%.Metro Nashville will add another $700 million to the state’s $500 million.The funds will require [[link removed]] $55 million in annual payments.

The Titans previously considered [[link removed]] upgrades at Nissan Stadium but also looked at building a new home due to their rising costs. The team’s lease requires the city to pay for maintenance.

Mixed Reviews

The stadium was initially left out of budget appropriations, but the Senate later agreed on a budget that had already passed in the House.

While some lawmakers criticized the budget — and even proposed amendments — others applauded it.

Rep. Jason Zachary emphasized the reported economic impact of the stadium, cited the Titans’ charitable work, and provided confidence that the $4 billion-$6 billion mixed-use development around the stadium — funded by the team — would have a positive impact.

Conversation Starters In The Leadoff, three rebel Super League clubs are handed an unfavorable legal ruling, pickleball continues to grow rapidly across the U.S., legal woes ease for Activision Blizzard, and 13 Larry Nassar victims are suing the FBI. Click here to listen [[link removed]]. Amazon’s Prime Video has secured a deal [[link removed]] with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm to broadcast roughly 30 games to customers throughout Washington state. The deal makes Prime Video one of the first streaming services to hold local broadcast rights with a WNBA team. The NWSL’s Orlando Pride will wear [[link removed]] space-themed away kits for the next two seasons. The jerseys are inspired by NASA’s Artemis Lunar Exploration Program, which has a mission to put the first woman of color on the moon by 2025. Miguel Cabrera has already cemented his place as one of the greatest hitters ever — but there’s still an achievement or two [[link removed]] left to unlock. The Detroit Tigers’ first baseman and designated hitter is one hit away from becoming the 33rd member of the prestigious 3,000 Club. Subscribe to Scoreboard [[link removed]] for more on the 11-time All-Star.

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The Sandbox Seeks $400M Raise

Find out exactly what’s happening in the private markets every week with highlights from our Front Office Sports Insights Deal Tracker.

We carefully monitor both public and private market data for a snapshot of the sports landscape.

This week’s Insights Deal Tracker [[link removed]] highlights:

The Sandbox, developer of a gaming platform offering a metaverse where virtual worlds and games will be created collaboratively without a central authority, is looking to raise $400 million of venture funding from both new and existing investors. U.S. Integrity, provider of sports protection, game integrity, and fraud prevention services to monitor and safeguard sports betting, raised an undisclosed amount of capital from Las Vegas Sands. One More Game, operator of a gaming studio creating groundbreaking online games, raised $22 million in Series A venture funding in a deal led by Lightspeed Venture Partners. Levels, developer of a wellness device designed to take control of metabolic fitness, raised $38 million in Series A venture funding from Andreessen Horowitz, AirAngels, and Mario Gabriele. Influur, developer of an app-based influencer marketplace based in Miami, Florida, raised an estimated $6.3 million through the combination of Seed, Seed-1, and Seed-2 funding from H20 Capital Innovation.

Try out the full Deal Tracker. [[link removed]]

Market Movers

U.S. stocks experienced declines across all three major indexes on Friday. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

AESE [[link removed]]

Allied Esports Entertainment Inc

[[link removed]]

$1.63

[[link removed]]

+1.24%

[[link removed]] CWH [[link removed]]

Camping World Holdings Inc

[[link removed]]

$25.84

[[link removed]]

-0.73%

[[link removed]] VSTO [[link removed]]

Vista Outdoor Inc

[[link removed]]

$35.45

[[link removed]]

-0.87%

[[link removed]] ELY [[link removed]]

Callaway Golf Co.

[[link removed]]

$22.65

[[link removed]]

-2.29%

[[link removed]] LULU [[link removed]]

Lululemon Athletica inc.

[[link removed]]

$363.66

[[link removed]]

-2.65%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 4/22/22) What to Watch

The Milwaukee Bucks (51-31) face the Chicago Bulls (46-36) on Friday at the United Center.

How to Watch: 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC

Betting Odds: Bucks -2.5 || ML -145 || O/U 222.5*

Pick: Expect the Bucks to struggle without Khris Middleton. Take Chicago to cover.

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