July 6, 2022

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IN PARTNERSHIP WITH

Ja Morant can afford to tip generously — after all, he just signed a rookie max extension that might ultimately be worth up to $231 million. The Grizzlies’ superstar left a $500 tip for his unsuspecting server — who was stunned (and very excited) when she found out [[link removed]] who he was.

Premier League Could Ban Gambling Shirt Sponsors [[link removed]]

Premier League

The U.K. is set to hit the brakes on the online gambling business — with significant implications for Premier League teams.

In an effort to ward off legislation, the Premier League is asking [[link removed]] clubs to agree to a voluntary ban on new gambling shirt sponsor deals.

Premier League clubs will vote on phasing out existing gambling shirt sponsors — 14 of the league’s 20 teams are required for the measure to pass.Last season, 10 clubs had gambling company shirt sponsors.Under the Premier League’s proposal, clubs would end any existing shirt deals within three years.

The U.K. government plans to decide on a potential shirt sponsor ban by July 21.

Premier League clubs would likely be able to find equally lucrative deals with other companies. However, the second-tier English Football League, whose title sponsor is Sky Bet, said its clubs would lose $47.8 million per year.

Risky Time for Gambling

The U.K. is considering sweeping updates to its 17-year-old gambling laws to combat addiction and other gambling-related issues.

Among the reported changes [[link removed]] under consideration are a betting limit on online casinos of $2.40 to $6 per wager, bans on games that allow users to lose lots of money very quickly, and a ban on free bets.

Olympic Channel’s 5-Year Run Ends [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

NBCUniversal is shuttering the Olympic Channel after a five-year run.

The end of the linear channel is a byproduct of NBCUniversal’s reevaluated programming strategy amid increased sports-related content on USA Network and its streaming platform Peacock.

NBCUniversal will cancel the Olympic Channel on Sept. 30.At the end of 2021, the channel reached [[link removed]] roughly 47 million homes.

NBCUniversal will continue to deliver Olympic-related programming to its millions of viewers.

The company has held exclusive U.S. media rights to the Winter and Summer Games since 2000, and in 2014 secured [[link removed]] rights with IOC in a $7.65 billion deal that runs through 2032.

The Olympic Channel marks the second linear programming option NBCUniversal has shut down in the last year. In December 2021, the Comcast-owned company ceased operations of NBC Sports Network, which originally launched in 1995 as Outdoor Life Network.

NBCSN’s previously featured content is now available on USA Network and Peacock.

Big Business

Comcast generated [[link removed]] $31 billion in revenue in Q1, a 14% increase year-over-year, and $1.5 billion from the Beijing Winter Olympics and Super Bowl LVI in Los Angeles.

Peacock has also secured [[link removed]] $1 billion in upfront ad revenue this year, up from $500 million in 2021. Its 28 million monthly Q1 users included 13 million paid subscribers.

IN PARTNERSHIP WITH KAULIG RACING

Forming the Next-Gen Racing Team

To build a winning team, Matt Kaulig established core values – having fun and being competitive. Whether in business or in sports, he knew that to win he had to build the best.

And that approach paid off – in NASCAR’s history, Kaulig Racing [[link removed]] is the fastest team to reach a win in the last 50 years.

In the second episode [[link removed]] of our new series, Behind the Wheel With Matt Kaulig, our Editor in Chief Ernest Baker chats with Matt Kaulig about the team’s early success, going from a one-car team to a three-car team, acquiring two charters, and partnering with Chris Rice.

Watch now [[link removed]].

UEFA Women’s Euros Could Draw Record Crowds [[link removed]]

UEFA EURO 2022

After a one-year pandemic-related delay, the 2022 UEFA Women’s European Championship begins Wednesday.

Around 500,000 tickets have been sold [[link removed]], more than doubling the record 240,000 fans who attended the 2017 edition in the Netherlands.

This year’s competition takes place in England, marking the first time the country has held a women’s soccer tournament since 2005. The 31 games will be held at 10 stadiums across nine cities.

English soccer’s Football Association expects [[link removed]] the 16-team tournament to be “the biggest women’s European sport event in history,” generating an estimated $65 million in revenue — nearly four times as much as the last tournament — due to higher ticket sales and media and commercial rights.

Last year, UEFA announced [[link removed]] it would double its prize fund for the tournament to $18.75 million and include guaranteed payments for each team. The competition’s sponsors include Adidas, Nike, Visa, and Heineken.

The tournament will air in 195 territories and is expected to bring in more than 250 million viewers, up from 178 million in 2017. BeIN Sports and ESPN will broadcast in the majority of countries, with BBC holding rights in the United Kingdom.

Record Attendance

The influx of fans for the women’s tournament comes as no surprise. Barcelona twice broke [[link removed]] the world’s attendance record for a women’s game in April. Club attendance records were also broken [[link removed]] in France and England last season.

Kenyon-Led Group Fails to Strike Deal for Everton FC [[link removed]]

Everton FC

A Premier League team will stay with its current owner for now after a consortium failed to strike a deal and saw its period of exclusivity expire.

Everton FC owner Farhad Moshiri backed [[link removed]] away from talks with a consortium led by Peter Kenyon, former CEO of Manchester United and Chelsea, along with U.S.-based John Thornton and Maciek Kaminski, whose family was to provide the bulk of the funding.

Kenyon’s group was in exclusive negotiations until July 1. Moshiri reportedly soured on the consortium.Moshiri is still open to investors who can provide funding for Everton’s $596.9 million stadium project. The sale talks with Kenyon’s group evolved from discussions on stadium funding. Other groups are interested, but it’s unclear if Moshiri would still sell a controlling stake in the club.

Everton staved off potential relegation, ensuring that it will continue to bring in a substantial sum from the Premier League’s top-flight revenue sharing.

Premier League teams each received [[link removed]] $53.7 million in the 2021-22 season, representing half of the league’s revenue-sharing disbursements. The other half is determined by season results and how often a team’s matches were broadcast live.

New Digs

Everton is on schedule to move into its new stadium at Bramley-Moore Dock in the 2024-25 season, according [[link removed]] to the team.

The club estimates that the project will add $1.6 billion to the U.K. economy while creating thousands of jobs and bringing 1.4 million visitors to Liverpool each year.

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Book a stay at Hulu [[link removed]], and let your desires run wild. No judgements, no obligations, and no reason to stop.

Conversation Starters The new $530 million Hokkaido Ballpark F Village, home of Japan’s Nippon-Ham Fighters, will open [[link removed]] in 2023, and include a 35,000-seat stadium, a craft beer garden, high-rise apartments, and the country’s largest playground. One of Jared Goff’s Los Angeles homes, which includes four bedrooms, four bathrooms, and multiple putting greens, is on the market [[link removed]] for $7.5 million. Chamath Palihapitiya sold [[link removed]] his remaining shares in the Golden State Warriors last week. WNBA star Chiney Ogwumike’s current contract at ESPN is reportedly [[link removed]] set to expire in mid-August, and multiple streamers are interested in bringing her on as a host. Today's Action

MLB

01:10 PM

Guardians (-165) at Tigers (+140)

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02:10 PM

Cubs (+195) at Brewers (-230)

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MLB

07:20 PM

Cardinals (+155) at Braves (-180)

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Question Of The Day

Do you plan to watch the UEFA Women's Euros?

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Tuesday’s Answer

47% of respondents watch programs on NBC’s Peacock.

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Written by Owen Poindexter [[link removed]], Justin Byers [[link removed]], Abigail Gentrup [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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