June 28, 2022

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Houston Texans Added as Defendants in Deshaun Watson Case [[link removed]]

Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

The blast radius of the Deshaun Watson saga is now engulfing his former team as the quarterback awaits a potential suspension.

The Houston Texans have been officially [[link removed]] added as defendants in the civil trial against Watson.

“Today we filed the first case of what will likely be many against the Houston Texans related to Deshaun Watson’s behavior,” said Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing a group of women who have accused Watson of sexual misconduct.

“Suffice it to say, the overwhelming evidence collected indicating that the Houston Texans enabled Watson’s behavior is incredibly damning.”

20 of the 24 massage therapists represented by Buzbee have reached confidential settlements.The Texans helped arrange many of the massages and provided Watson with a nondisclosure agreement following an accusation by one woman.Lead detective Kamesha Baker testified that Houston police investigated 10 reports related to Watson’s behavior, and she has no doubt a crime occurred. Suspension Suspense

Federal judge Sue L. Robinson, who is serving as the disciplinary officer in this case, is set to determine Watson’s punishment for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

The NFL recommended an indefinite suspension of at least one year. Any appeal from Watson or the NFLPA would be judged by league commissioner Roger Goodell or someone appointed by him.

The way the Cleveland Browns structured Watson’s contract may shield him from a financial hit from a potential suspension: His five-year, fully guaranteed $230 million contract pays him only $1 million in the first year. His cap hit rises from $10 million in the first year to $55 million thereafter.

Senate Takes Aim at MLB’s Antitrust Exemption [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports

The Senate Judiciary Committee has launched a bipartisan effort to examine the legality of Major League Baseball’s antitrust exemption — and whether its termination will improve minor league working conditions .

The committee — chair Dick Durbin (D-Illinois), committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), and Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Connecticut) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) — penned a letter to Harry Marino, the executive director of Advocates for Minor Leaguers.

Marino has pressed [[link removed]] for improvements in pay and living conditions for players in the MLB farm system.

In the current setup, rights to players are held for a total of seven years in the minors and seven more if the player reaches the majors — with no option to play elsewhere professionally unless the team releases the player. The salary range for minor league players this season ranges from $4,800 and $15,400.The Department of Justice described [[link removed]] MLB’s exemption as an “aberration” in a filing as part of a lawsuit over the contraction of 40 teams; MLB assumed control of operations of the minor leagues before the 2021 season. Not-So-Minor Impact

Marino said that minor league players are “far and away the group most negatively impacted by baseball’s antitrust exemption.” He also noted that MLB owners “should not have a special license to underpay their workers.”

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Barcelona Strikes $217M Media Investment [[link removed]]

FC Barcelona

FC Barcelona has reportedly agreed to sell a 10% stake in its TV rights to private equity firm Sixth Street for roughly $217 million.

Earlier this month, delegates for the La Liga club approved [[link removed]] the cession of up to 25% of income from the rights for 25 years, as well as the sale of a 49.95% share [[link removed]] of its licensing and merchandising division.

The deal will also include [[link removed]] streaming rights, though it’s unclear whether the team will sell the remaining 15% of the overall broadcasting rights over the 25 years. The team expected to earn roughly $635 million from the sales.

Before the vote on June 16, reports [[link removed]] surfaced that Bank of America was in talks with the team for the rights in a deal valued at $645 million.

FC Barcelona is the latest sports investment for the U.S.-based firm.

Last month, Sixth Street and Legends entered a 20-year, $381 million agreement [[link removed]] with Real Madrid for a 30% stake in future stadium revenue. Sixth Street acquired a majority stake in Legends, a sports experiences and services company, in 2021, which valued the company at $1.35 billion.Last year, Sixth Street purchased a reported 20% stake in the San Antonio Spurs. Private Payments

Barcelona declined an offer to participate in La Liga’s $2.1 billion agreement with CVC Capital Partners, which took an 8.25% stake in the league’s media rights for 50 years.

“We want to recover this asset,” Barcelona president Joan Laporta said.

Conversation Starters Former All-Pro NFL cornerback Aqib Talib is joining [[link removed]] Amazon’s “Thursday Night Football” coverage, per NFL Network. Gonzaga and Michigan State are finalizing [[link removed]] plans to play a neutral-site game on an aircraft carrier in San Diego on Veterans Day, per CBS Sports. The NBA and software development company Niantic have partnered [[link removed]] to develop a “Pokémon Go”-style pickup basketball AR game called: “NBA All World.” Yumi, one of the fastest-growing baby food brands in the US, has secured [[link removed]] funding from some of the top names in women’s sports, including Olympic gold medalist Allyson Felix, WNBA stars Diana Taurasi, Brittney Griner, and others.

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How the esports industry is expected to grow at a 23% rate through 2027 with franchise valuations approaching MLB valuations. Why the esports market is now worth over $1 billion as an industry with 475 million active followers. Europe’s potential for growth as it currently represents only about $138 million of global esports revenues of the total estimated $1.4 billion global revenue in 2022.

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Market Movers

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

ATVI [[link removed]]

Activision Blizzard Inc

[[link removed]]

$77.17

[[link removed]]

-0.96%

[[link removed]] MSGS [[link removed]]

Madison Square Garden Sports Corp

[[link removed]]

$151.05

[[link removed]]

-2.89%

[[link removed]] MGM [[link removed]]

MGM Resorts International

[[link removed]]

$29.87

[[link removed]]

-3.24%

[[link removed]] DKS [[link removed]]

Dicks Sporting Goods, Inc.

[[link removed]]

$77.12

[[link removed]]

-4.35%

[[link removed]] PTON [[link removed]]

Peloton Interactive Inc

[[link removed]]

$9.84

[[link removed]]

-8.80%

[[link removed]] (Note: All as of market close on 6/28/22) What to Watch

The Houston Astros (45-27) face the New York Mets (47-27) on Tuesday night at Citi Field.

How to Watch: 7:10 p.m. ET on TBS

Betting Odds: Astros -1.5 || ML -120 || O/U 8

Pick: Expect the Astros to bounce back after Sunday’s loss. Take Houston to cover.

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

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