September 16, 2022

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We’re another week into the football season — and you could win a chance to see some live action. We’re giving away two tickets to an NFL or college football regular-season game of your choice. All you have to do is follow @frontofficesports [[link removed]] on Instagram, like this post [[link removed]], and tag who you’d bring with you in the comments. Let’s go!

Minor League Players Join MLBPA in Game-Changing Move [[link removed]]

Chris Kohley/USA TODAY NETWORK

This is the dawning of a new era for baseball’s minor leagues.

MLB chose [[link removed]] to voluntarily recognize the MLBPA as the minor league players’ bargaining representative after more than 50% of minor leaguers signed union authorization cards.

Following the validation of those cards on Wednesday, the more than 5,000 minor leaguers officially joined the MLBPA, marking the first time MLB’s lower levels have had collective bargaining rights.The unionization effort, a much-discussed topic among minor league advocates for many years, kicked into high gear on Aug. 28 with the distribution of the authorization cards.By voluntarily recognizing the MLBPA, MLB avoided a formal vote, in which a majority of minor league players would need to vote in favor of joining the MLBPA, under the National Labor Relations Board.

The MLBPA also represents 1,573 major leaguers, as well as 237 coaches, managers, and trainers.

Last week the MLBPA joined the AFL-CIO, the largest labor federation in the U.S., representing 12.5 million workers.

Back to the Bargaining Table

For the second offseason in a row, MLB faces a major collective bargaining negotiation.

MLB and the MLBPA agreed to a new CBA, following a 99-day lockout that delayed the 2022 season. Now they will negotiate over minor league pay and conditions with the MLBPA for the first time.

MLB teams began providing minor league players with housing starting with this season.

Following salary increases, MiLB players typically make $500 to $700 per week, and are not paid during the offseason.

LIV’s Greg Norman Says TV Interest ‘Enormous’ [[link removed]]

John Jones-USA TODAY Sports

The controversial LIV Golf upstart is generating “enormous” interest from potential U.S. broadcasters, according to its CEO Greg Norman.

“We’re talking to four different networks and live conversations where offers are being put on the table, ” Norman said [[link removed]]. One source told Front Office Sports there may be at least to six legitimate bidders for LIV’s U.S. media rights — and the leading [[link removed]] contender is FOX.

LIV — which currently airs its events on YouTube — has had lukewarm viewership results.

The new league saw Round 1 of its inaugural tournament in June average [[link removed]] 94,000 viewers.The second round averaged 54,000 viewers, according to Apex Marketing.

Norman has vowed that LIV has an opportunity to do business with a major U.S. broadcaster, but Amazon and Apple have reportedly [[link removed]] passed on a streaming rights deal.

So far, LIV has also been unable to secure deals with ESPN, CBS, and NBC. One reason is because its rival — the PGA Tour — currently deals with all three networks.

Here to Compete

Backed by Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, LIV has shelled out millions of dollars to compete with the PGA Tour. The upstart will make history [[link removed]] in October with a $50 million purse for its season-ending team championship at Trump National Doral Golf Club — the richest purse in golf history.

LIV, which has lured some of the top golfers from the PGA Tour, will continue to ramp up its competition with the organization, and is no longer interested in negotiating [[link removed]] with the Tour.

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Introducing The Newsroom [[link removed]], presented by NetSuite — where FOS writers provide an in-depth breakdown of key stories they’re tracking with behind-the-scenes context gleaned from their original reporting.

In our first episode [[link removed]], Mike McCarthy and Doug Greenberg join Owen Poindexter to dive into how LIV has already changed the face of golf, the battle with the PGA Tour, what it will take for LIV to score a U.S. media deal, and what it was like when players finally started talking about the money.

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Serena Williams Could Follow Tom Brady’s ‘Cool Trend’ [[link removed]]

Danielle Parhizkaran-USA TODAY Sports

Ahead of the U.S. Open, Serena Wiliams told Vogue she was “evolving away from tennis,” but has been reluctant to admit that she has to move on from playing.

There might be a reason she doesn’t like the word “retirement” and hasn’t called [[link removed]] her next step anything but an “evolution.”

When asked about a possible return to the court, Serena told [[link removed]] “Good Morning America” on Wednesday, “I mean you never know. I’ve just been saying that I think Tom Brady started a really cool trend.”

Brady returned for his 23rd NFL season just six weeks after announcing his retirement in February.

“I feel like there’s no way that I don’t want to be involved in tennis somehow in the future,” Williams said.

Whether Williams plays again, she is plenty busy.

Serena Ventures, her VC fund, has invested [[link removed]] in more than 60 startups, with 16 valued at more than $1 billion.Williams is part owner of the NFL’s Miami Dolphins and the NWSL’s Angel City FC. Tennis GOATs

Williams was named [[link removed]] by Forbes as the third-highest paid tennis player this year with $35.1 million in earnings. She trailed only Naomi Osaka and Roger Federer, who announced [[link removed]] his retirement on Thursday.

Federer, who has yet to play this year, will retire after the 2022 Laver Cup, which begins Sept. 23. He’s earned $130.5 million in prize money — third all-time behind Novak Djokovic ($158.9 million) and Rafael Nadal ($131.6 million).

FBS Athletic Directors Want to Keep Football Under NCAA [[link removed]]

NCAA

When more than 100 FBS athletic directors joined a meeting on Wednesday held by their representative organization, Lead1, they disagreed over whether to break FBS football away from the NCAA.

The idea had been floating around for a few years and has gained steam according to several surveys.

By the end of the day, there was a “strong preference” among ADs to attempt to reform the NCAA rather than abandoning it, Lead1 CEO Tom McMillen told Front Office Sports. Several factors contributed to the decision:

ADs acknowledged NCAA-backed money wasn’t something they wanted to part with.There were “optics” issues with separating a male sport from the rest of college sports — and, in particular, women’s sports.They acknowledged the NCAA is generally good at putting on championships.

“It’s fairly logical to see if you can fix something before you blow it up,” McMillen said.

Future Demands

Despite the spirited debate, McMillen noted one major consensus: “The status quo was no longer acceptable. There needs to be a new model.”

FBS ADs want the NCAA’s Division I Transformation Committee — several of whom were in attendance at the meeting — to create a “streamlined decision-making process,” with involvement from university presidents.

The organization plans to draft a letter outlining specific demands to deliver to the NCAA in coming weeks in the hopes that the nuclear option can be avoided.

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PointsBet’s Hustle spotlights the biggest bets, juiciest boosts, and strongest insights to get you ready for the all the matchups. The newsletter will be sent three times a week (on Thursday, Sunday, and Monday) and offer wagering news and insights [[link removed]] from PointsBet.

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Conversation Starters ESPN is launching [[link removed]] ESPN Creator Network, a program that will provide up-close access to ESPN’s sports properties and resources to up-and-coming content creators. Joe Musgrove, who worked [[link removed]] as a Costco seasonal employee to make extra money while in the minor leagues, threw the first no-hitter in San Diego Padres’ history this year. Russell Westbrook has listed his Los Angeles mansion for $30 million after buying it for $19.8 million in 2018. Take a look inside [[link removed]]. Today's Action

MLB

08:15 PM

Reds (+230) at Cardinals (-275)

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White Sox (-155) at Tigers (+135)

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Athletics (+285) at Astros (-390)

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*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

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

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

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