October 10, 2022

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At 5-1, Kansas football is off to its best start since 2007, and now the university is making a sizable [[link removed]] investment in the Jayhawks’ gridiron future. The school is pouring hundreds of millions into updating football facilities — including “major renovations” to the century-old David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium.

Asian Winter Games in Saudi Arabia Called ‘Aberrant Project’ [[link removed]]

NEOM

Some of the world’s top skiers are not happy with a major tournament in a desert nation.

Citing climate change and sustainability concerns, World Cup skiers decried [[link removed]] the choice of Saudi Arabia as the host of the 2029 Asian Winter Games, which feature teams from countries in the Olympic Council of Asia.

The event is to be held [[link removed]] at Trojena, a planned city and resort in the mountainous region near the Gulf of Aqaba coast. Trojena is part of Saudi Arabia’s $500 billion futuristic NEOM project.

“We can only denounce this aberrant project, which is totally opposite to what is desirable for the planet,” said the French ski federation.“We see that the world is on fire, it’s really hot summers, it’s going to go bad in the end if you don’t do anything,” said Norwegian two-time Olympic medalist Aleksander Aamodt Kilde. “I cannot find the right and common sense in building up something where the snow doesn’t come,” said 2018 Olympic downhill champion Sofia Goggia. Next, the World?

The Asian Winter Games may merely be a warmup act for Saudi Arabia.

The country is reportedly leading [[link removed]] a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup with Egypt and Greece.

The move would likely force the tournament to follow the lead of next month’s World Cup in Qatar and take place near the end of the year. Temperatures in the Saudi capital of Riyadh regularly top 100 degrees from May to September.

Saudi Arabia also wants [[link removed]] to host the Olympics, calling it the “ultimate goal” of its sports strategy.

MLB Playoffs Bring Economic Jolt to Cities, Players [[link removed]]

Lindsey Wasson-USA TODAY Sports

The MLB playoffs are bringing a swarm of economic activity to certain cities, some of which haven’t received that boost in a long time.

The Seattle Mariners’ first playoff appearance since 2001 has given a jolt [[link removed]] to their beleaguered fanbase, even though their 2-0 wild card series win against the Blue Jays over the weekend took place in Toronto.

The Mariners’ team store sold out [[link removed]] of postseason merchandise within two days of the team clinching a playoff berth.Tickets to potential home dates for future [[link removed]] playoff series sold out shortly after hitting the market.The team will host its first postseason game since 2001 on Oct. 15 against the Houston Astros.

Team owner John Stanton said he expects the Mariners to be a top-10 MLB team in revenue over the next decade, with an estimated increase from $319 million last year to around $400 million, per Forbes..

Player Payday

MLB players bring in a significant haul [[link removed]] for reaching and advancing in the postseason. Last season saw the player pool reach a record $90.5 million.

The World Series-winning Atlanta Braves players landed $32.6 million in total, while the American League champion Houston Astros notched $21.7 million.

At the low end, the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals, who lost their respective wild card games, earned $1.4 million each.

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Mbappé Sits Atop World’s Highest-Paid Soccer Players List [[link removed]]

Witters Sport-USA TODAY Sports

Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo have rotated in and out of the No. 1 spot on Forbes’ highest-paid soccer players lists since 2014, but a new name is taking over.

At 23 years old, Kylian Mbappé is now the top [[link removed]] earner for the 2022-23 season, expected to earn $128 million — a record for the Forbes’ annual list. The French star will earn around $110 million from his salary and signing bonus, with the remaining $18 million coming from endorsements.

Messi stayed in the top two, with expected earnings of $110 million, while Ronaldo dropped to third with $100 million. Ronaldo will still earn more than any other player off the field ($60 million).

The 10 highest-paid players are slated to bring in a record $652 million for the season, an 11% increase from last year.

Mbappé, Messi, and Ronaldo account for more than 50% of the total income among the top 10.Salaries and bonuses jumped 7% to $444 million.

The top-10 list is rounded out by Neymar Jr. ($87 million), Mohamed Salah ($53 million), Erling Haaland ($39 million), Robert Lewandowski ($35 million), Eden Hazard ($31 million), Andrés Iniesta ($30 million), and Kevin De Bruyne ($29 million).

Youth Wave

Haaland, the attacking phenom for whom Manchester City paid a $63 million transfer fee, made his first appearance on the list and will earn $35 million on the field. Haaland and Mbappé are the only players under 30 on the list.

Rockstar Games Parent Eyes 40% Surge in Shares [[link removed]]

TakeTwo Interactive

Take-Two Interactive could see its shares surge at least 40% as it overcomes challenges prevalent throughout the gaming industry, according to Goldman Sachs.

The New York-based company that owns major video game publishers including Rockstar Games and 2K has posted underwhelming profits in FY2022 following a surge of interest and spending at the height of the pandemic, due mainly [[link removed]] to supply chain disruptions and the ongoing semiconductor shortage.

But Take-Two is poised to return to pre-pandemic levels as it plans to launch new gaming titles, including the next installment of Rockstar’s “Grand Theft Auto” series. The latest title “GTA V” has sold [[link removed]] nearly 170 million units worldwide since its 2013 release.

Goldman Sachs raised its 12-month price target of Take-Two shares from $131 to $165.So far in 2022, shares of the company are down around 34%.

In May, Take-Two completed [[link removed]] its acquisition of mobile game developer Zynga, the company behind “FarmVille” and “Words with Friends” for $12.7 billion. The deal was funded with $2.7 billion in financing from JPMorgan Chase, Take-Two’s balance sheet, and a debt issuance.

Take-Two also added [[link removed]] to its mobile-related properties in September with the acquisition of Storemaven, a platform that specializes in app store optimization.

Missed Mark

Take-Two generated [[link removed]] $1.1 billion in revenue in fiscal Q1, up 36% year-over-year.

Its projected adjusted earnings per share will range [[link removed]] between $4.60 to $4.85 in FY2023, compared to Wall Street estimates of $5.37.

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Check out some of our recent episodes covering LIV golf, MiLB Unionization, and the Brett Favre scandal. Listen now [[link removed]] or watch on YouTube [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters Atlanta United FC is just one of the growing number of sports teams investing [[link removed]] in cutting-edge technology to allow players to practice using only their brains. Liberty wide receiver Demario “Pop” Douglas has signed [[link removed]] an NIL deal with The Popcorn Bag in Woodbridge, Virginia. A jury will decide [[link removed]] whether the NCAA is liable for the death of USC linebacker Matthew Gee, who suffered repeated head trauma while playing football there and was posthumously diagnosed with CTE. Today's Action

NFL

08:15 PM

Raiders (+280) at Chiefs (-340)

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Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] I plan to buy one [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

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

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