Tom Brady is No. 1 in the NFL once again. 

The six-time Super Bowl champion has taken over the top spot on the list of highest-paid NFL players of all time with earnings of $303 million through 22 seasons. 

The 45-year-old quarterback — who led the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a 19-16 overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas Day — could have earned $60 million more if he had not signed discounted contracts with his previous team, the New England Patriots.

Brady’s highest single-season earnings came in 2021 at $39.4 million.

• Former New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees is second at $269.7 million. 
• Ben Roethlisberger, who played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, made $267.3 million.
• Indianapolis Colts quarterback Matt Ryan rounds out the top four with $267 million.
• Fifty-three players have made at least $100 million in their careers. 

Being a top earner isn’t new for Brady. 

In August, the 15-time Pro Bowler became the NFL’s highest-paid active player. Brady is set to earn $75 million this year, including $45 million from off-field endeavors, per Forbes. 

Crypto Controversy

A consortium of investors sued FTX founder Sam Bankman-Fried in November, along with several high-profile athletes including Brady, after the collapse of the cryptocurrency exchange.

The investors alleged that Brady and all of those who promoted FTX “took advantage of unsophisticated investors from across the country,” following the exchange’s bankruptcy. 

The suit claims U.S. consumers collectively sustained more than $11 billion in damages.

Brady was named in a second suit that claims paid endorsers should be held accountable for FTX’s downfall.

NHL fans might get to see more action between their favorite rivals.

The league is reportedly considering adding two games to make an 84-game schedule, which would allow more regional rivalry matchups — teams have complained about an unequal amount of divisional rivalry games.

The current schedule sees teams host and visit each opponent in the opposite conference once, three or four games against teams in the same division, and three games against non-divisional teams in their conference.

An 84-game format could keep the league’s original format plus give divisional rivals four games against each other, according to ESPN.

• The extended schedule wasn’t discussed at the board of governors meeting, but is reportedly expected to be a topic at March’s general managers’ meeting.
• The NHLPA would need to approve the expansion. The CBA restricts teams from playing more than 82 games.

More games could mean more revenue – the league still hasn’t fully recovered from the pandemic. NHL commissioner Gary Bettman said the league is on pace for $5.7 billion in revenue for the 2022-23 season. 

Division Decisions

The NHL’s general managers have also discussed how to reduce travel for teams. 

“Why not take advantage of rivalries and save money by scheduling more interdivisional games and more games per stop?” one general manager told ESPN. “The COVID schedule seemed to work.”

The 2020-21 season was shortened to 56 games, with the division boundaries redrawn to avoid cross-border matchups. That season — including some multi-game series — division rivals played each other up to 10 times.

Under Armour is taking a major step as it looks to build out its digital business.

The sports equipment and apparel giant announced Marriott International’s president Stephanie Linnartz as its new CEO on Wednesday, seven months after Patrik Frisk stepped down from the position after two years.

Under Armour founder and executive chairman Kevin Plank said the company is leaning into its priorities of “digitization, product, and brand,” but isn’t looking for a major change in direction.

Plank told CNBC that Linnartz was hired out of the role’s 60 candidates for her previous success in transforming Marriott’s digital presence. 

• Linnartz helped grow Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty program to 173 million.
• She also developed partnerships with the Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula 1 team, the NFL, and the NCAA.

“Digital is 36% of Under Armour’s direct-to-consumer business and remains its fastest-growing channel,” said Poonam Goyal, Bloomberg Intelligence analyst. “Her experience with premier sports leagues and team partnerships might prove to be an asset for Under Armour.”

Underwhelming Results

The news comes as Under Armour continues to struggle. 

The company reported net income of $86.9 million for the second quarter — a sharp decline from the $113.4 million it reported during the same period last year. The company’s stock has lost more than 50% of its value in 2022.

Under Armour ended the quarter with $1.1 billion in inventory, up 29% from the same period last year. The company also cut its full-year outlook.

Shifting to all-grass fields for its 14 stadiums with artificial surfaces stands to be a costly move for the NFL, but it could be a smart, long-term investment.

Across the league, players have voiced their concerns about playing on artificial surfaces, which they claim has led to injuries, including brain injuries leading to chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE). 

In 2013, the NFL agreed to a $1 billion settlement with former players over concussions. In July, the league distributed its last payments toward the settlement after pocketing $18 billion in 2021. All-grass fields could help alleviate any future grievances over injuries on artificial turf. 

• Converting those surfaces to grass fields would reportedly cost the league $11.9 million.
• $500,000 would go toward demolition, new rock underlayment, and irrigation systems.
• Another $350,000 would be allocated toward lay-and-play sod. 

“The NFL needs to make it a mandatory rule that every team should have grass instead of turf,” tweeted Las Vegas Raiders right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor earlier this year.

New Stadiums, Different Surfaces 

The NFL and its teams have had tough decisions to make as new stadiums come to fruition. 

The Tennessee Titans have planned a new domed stadium in Nashville that is projected to cost $2.1 billion, while the Buffalo Bills will open a new 62,000-seat, open-air stadium in 2026.

The Titans have announced that their new stadium will have artificial turf, while the Bills will play their games on an all-grass field.