NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league explored a radical change to combat the issue of tanking.

With certain teams incentivized to lose so as to capitalize on the NBA’s draft system, Silver said the league looked into a promotion and relegation system along the lines of European soccer as a potential solution.

• Under such a system, the worst-performing one or two NBA teams in a given season would be demoted to the G League, while the top G League teams would be promoted in their places.
• “It would so disrupt our business model,” said Silver, explaining why the league is unlikely to pursue the concept. “And even if you took two teams up from the G League, they wouldn’t be equipped to compete in the NBA.”

Speaking to Phoenix Suns employees, Silver acknowledged that teams want to improve their draft lottery position with a “once-in-a-generation player” available, presumably referring to projected top pick Victor Wembanyama.

Sunsetting Sarver

Silver was addressing Suns’ staff in part to apologize for conditions under owner Robert Sarver. Sarver said he will sell the team following a report that he fostered a toxic workplace and repeatedly used racist and sexist language.

The sale is expected to break records, but it is not clear at this time who will pony up. Jeff Bezos is reportedly unlikely to make a bid, according to Puck, and Laurene Powell Jobs may be content with her roughly 20% stake in Monumental Sports, which owns the Washington Wizards. 

Oracle founder Larry Ellison could be interested but may face opposition from the league due to his politics.

The Football Supporters’ Association has called the 2022 World Cup in Qatar “the most expensive World Cup ever.”

English and Welsh fans would reportedly have to pay at least $5,630 including tickets, flights, and accommodations if the teams make it to the final — and those include the cheapest accommodations with the cheapest tickets.

Nearly 2.9 million tickets have already been sold, but some fans told The Times that despite securing tickets, they are reluctant to attend due to travel expenses and the lack of things to do when matches aren’t taking place.

Qatar’s cruise ships are similarly expensive. The country added a third ship to beef up accommodations two weeks ago — the country only reported 31,123 hotel rooms available earlier this year despite expecting 1.2 million visitors.

• Prices for the ship start at $470 per person per night during the group stage and fall to $220 during the final week.
• Ship-goers will have to stay at least two nights.

Some fans will have to pay to stay in adjacent countries. Qatar Airways and flydubai will reportedly operate around 54 flights per day between Qatar and Dubai, which has 115,000 hotel rooms.

FIFA has also developed an area for approximately 1,000 tents on the outskirts of Doha in the Qatari desert, with some advertised at a little more than $200 per night. 

Country’s Coins

Qatar’s new stadiums have been reported to cost in the range of $6.5 billion–$10 billion, while a metro system that serves five of eight venues cost another $36 billion.

Altogether, the event is expected to cost $220 billion, with Qatar only anticipating $17 billion in economic impact from the tournament.

Two professional soccer teams have caught the attention of a former Nike executive.

A consortium of female entrepreneurs led by former Nike executive and advisor Melanie Strong have expressed interest in buying MLS’ Portland Timbers and the NWSL’s Portland Thorns. 

The two teams could land on the market soon, as owner Merritt Paulson faces pressure to sell following U.S. Soccer’s investigation into alleged abuse and sexual misconduct in the women’s game. Paulson was named in the probe — along with former Thorns and North Carolina Courage coach Paul Riley — and has since relinquished his role as the teams’ chief executive. 

• Paulson has yet to declare any intention to sell the two teams.
• The Onward Rose City project — a potential community-based ownership group similar to the NFL’s Green Bay Packers — has also expressed takeover interest. 
• The Thorns will play the Kansas City Current for the NWSL Championship on Oct. 29. 

Earlier this month, Alaska Airlines — a founding partner of the Timbers — announced that it is redirecting money from the Thorns and Timbers to the NWSL Players Association’s Support the Players National Emergency Trust and local youth sports. Oregon-based Directors Mortgage and Union Wine Company also ended their deals with both teams following the investigation.

Quiet Investment

Arctos Sports Partners was recently found to be an owner of the Timbers and Thorns after the deal went essentially unreported until October. The private equity firm and other undisclosed investors acquired a 15% stake in the teams at an enterprise value of $600 million.

Formula 1 did not support the financially struggling W Series this year, but is looking to launch a potential rival next year.

F1 is exploring adding an all-female racing series as soon as 2023. It would have no affiliation with the W Series, which ended its 2022 season three races early due to financial difficulties.

• The new series would be for drivers aged 16 to 22 and include around 12-to-15 drivers.
• The series would seek to place drivers in Formula 2 and Formula 3.

F2 has had one female driver this year, Tatiana Calderon, while F3 doesn’t have any. No female driver has raced in F1 since Lella Lombardi at the 1976 Austrian Grand Prix.

W Takes an L

The W Series, which coordinated with F1 to race in the same locations and weekends as F1 for much of its season, shut down earlier this month, canceling a race in Austin, Texas, alongside the U.S. Grand Prix and two races in Mexico City.

The series said that “the required funding due to the business from a recent contracted investment was not received.”

Mercedes F1 driver Lewis Hamilton criticized F1 owner Liberty Media for not doing more to support the W Series.

“I think we need to be doing more,” said Hamilton, “with Formula 1 and Liberty doing so well, it’s not a lot for them to be able to help out in that space.”