The PGA Tour is striking back against LIV Golf in the courts. 

A countersuit filed Wednesday spotlights huge bonuses — which reportedly reach $100 million to $200 million for some golfers — paid out by LIV.

“LIV’s orchestrated efforts to induce Tour members to breach their contracts and prevent them from entering into any future contract with the Tour are part of a deliberate effort to harm the Tour,” the PGA Tour said.

• The PGA Tour said LIV “openly sought to damage the Tour’s business relationships with its members,” and paid legal fees associated with breaking Tour contracts.
• It added that LIV has worked to “free-ride off the Tour and its platform” by enticing Tour members to break their contracts while maintaining their Tour memberships, thus allowing them to play in events like The Players Championship and the FedEx Cup Playoffs.

LIV golfers filed a suit against the PGA Tour in August alleging that the Tour was engaging in anticompetitive behavior. LIV Golf has since joined the suit, but eight of the 11 original plaintiffs, including Phil Mickelson, have dropped out.

Reed the Room

Meanwhile, former Masters champion Patrick Reed, who signed with LIV in June, expanded a defamation lawsuit while withdrawing it in Texas and refiling in Florida.

Reed is suing the Golf Channel and its analyst Brandel Chamblee, and added hosts Damon Hack, Shane Bacon, Eamon Lynch, Golfweek, and parent company Gannett in the refiled suit.

The new filing seeks $750 million on 42 claims, including defamation and civil conspiracy.

Peloton is turning to the country’s largest sporting goods retailer in its latest effort to reach more customers.

The connected fitness giant will sell its equipment in Dick’s Sporting Goods stores, the companies revealed Thursday. It’s the first time Peloton’s products will be sold in retail locations outside its namesake stores.

Dick’s Sporting Goods will carry Peloton’s Bike ($1,445), Bike+ ($2,495), Tread ($3,495), Guide ($295), bike shoes, and exercise mats, but will not carry its new rowing machine ($3,195).

• An official launch date hasn’t been set, but the companies are slated to sell Peloton products in more than 100 of Dick’s 700-plus U.S. stores “early in the holiday season.”
• The pricing of the products will not change.

The announcement comes less than two months since Peloton announced it would team up with Amazon to sell products — its first-ever deal with another retailer. Amazon sells Peloton’s Bike, Guide, and accessories, but not the Bike+ and Tread.

Team Turnaround

Peloton and Dick’s are making moves to bounce back after their early pandemic-related success stalled as people returned to gyms.

In the last two months, Peloton announced it would eliminate nearly 800 jobs, reduce its retail locations, and increase prices for the Bike+ and Tread. Several executives stepped down, and Q4 revenue dropped 28% year-over-year to $678.7 million.

Dick’s second-quarter revenue fell 5% year-over-year to $3.11 billion, but increased 38% from the same period in 2019.

A new $4 billion mixed-use entertainment district development project surrounding the Honda Center — home of the Anaheim Ducks — has been approved by the Anaheim City Council. 

The project will be fully funded by the Samueli family, who bought the Ducks in 2005 for $70 million. The team is valued at $620 million as of December 2021 — ranking 24th in the NHL. 

• The 100-acre development — called “ocV!BE” —  is expected to open in 2024.
• It will be a potential site to host events for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
• Plans include a 5,700-seat concert hall, office buildings, two hotels, shops, and dining.
• It will also have 195 reserved affordable housing options, with 1,500 apartments planned.

The project’s approval is the final step in a process that was started by the Samueli family in 2020. 

In August, the Anaheim Planning Commission voted 5-0 to approve the project, which was once proposed to be near Angel Stadium — the home field of the Los Angeles Angels  — before a deal over a nearby land purchase collapsed under regulatory scrutiny and an FBI investigation. 

Great Timing 

After low profits due to the pandemic, the NHL salary cap is reportedly set to rise by around $10 million over the next three years.

The league’s cap for the 2023-23 season will reach a record $82.5 million and could rise $1 million in 2023-24, then jump another $4 million each of the following two seasons.