December 30, 2022
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In today’s Leadoff, Boston’s mayor makes a case for an NWSL team, two CFP schools invest millions of dollars in their training facilities, and the Big Ten’s commissioner is a top candidate to be the Chicago Bears’ next president. Click here to listen [[link removed]].
College Athletics Big Money on Line for Coaches in CFP Semifinals [[link removed]]
Cheryl Evans-USA TODAY NETWORK
Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh has already netted more than $2 million in bonuses for leading the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and College Football Playoff semifinal berth.
It will take two victories before Harbaugh is eligible for another seven-figure payout. Wins over TCU in the Fiesta Bowl on Saturday and another in the CFP title game on Jan. 9 would trigger [[link removed]] a $1 million bonus.
Harbaugh received $500,000 for winning the Big Ten East Division title, $1 million for the overall conference title and another $500,000 for making it to the College Football Playoffs. He also took in $50,000 for winning [[link removed]] Big Ten coach of the year.
Harbaugh’s compensation [[link removed]] — minus the aforementioned bonuses — is $8.05 million for the 2022 season, the first of a reworked five-year contract announced [[link removed]] in February.
Georgia coach Kirby Smart is up to $850,000 bonuses so far, according [[link removed]] to USA Today. Georgia faces Ohio State in the other playoff semifinal, the Peach Bowl, on Saturday. Ohio State coach Ryan Day earned $250,000 for making it into the playoff, and could earn $100,000 more by advancing to the title game. TCU coach Sonny Dykes bonus structure isn’t known. As a private school, TCU does not release contract information. He recently received [[link removed]] an extension through 2028. Pay Rebound
Harbaugh agreed to cut his compensation about half for the 2021 season to around $4 million as part of renogotiated contract. He also renounced $1.5 million in bonuses that were funneled to athletic department staffers who had their pay cut as a result of the pandemic.
Real Estate Rams Plan New HQ After Owner Buys $325M L.A. Property [[link removed]]
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
The owner of the Los Angeles Rams has purchased another piece of real estate, which will serve as the location of a new team headquarters and practice fields.
Stan Kroenke — whose net worth is $12.9 billion, per [[link removed]] Forbes — has purchased [[link removed]] an outdoor shopping mall in the Woodland Hills neighborhood of Los Angeles for $325 million.
Kroenke’s latest real estate investment follows his purchase of an indoor mall in March for $150 million and a building in June next to a plot of land he already owns [[link removed]] for $175 million.
Kroenke plans to turn one of his new properties into a 34-acre practice field and team headquarters. The facility could be surrounded by a commerce area, which may include hotels. Costs associated with the development could reach at least $1 billion. Kroenke also owns the Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, Colorado Rapids, and Arsenal.
A new team headquarters for the Rams comes after Kroenke opened SoFi Stadium in September 2020. The $5 billion stadium — which is also home to the Los Angeles Chargers — is the NFL’s largest venue.
Costly Move
In October, NFL owners unanimously voted to approve [[link removed]] a plan for Kroenke to cover the majority of costs associated with an $820 million settlement regarding the Rams’ move from St. Louis in 2016.
The NFL’s 31 other owners have already paid $220 million of the settlement after the league gave each team roughly $7 million from national revenue payouts.
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Teams A-Rod, Lore Buy Another 20% of Minnesota NBA, WNBA Teams [[link removed]]
Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez are taking the next step in the process of becoming majority owners of the NBA’s Minnesota Timberwolves and the WNBA’s Minnesota Lynx.
The pair have exercised [[link removed]] their option to purchase the next 20% of the teams, according to The Athletic. They entered an agreement [[link removed]] to buy the teams in May 2021 for $1.5 billion, starting with a 20% installment.
Lore and Rodriguez’s reported deadline to inform current majority owner Glen Taylor — who purchased the team for $88 million in 1994 — was Saturday. They reportedly have until March 15 to close the transaction.
The next installment for Lore and Rodriguez would be another 40% of the teams, an option that can be exercised until Dec. 31, 2023.
Forbes last valued [[link removed]] the Timberwolves at $1.67 billion.
Splitting for Seattle?
Meyer Orbach, who owns 17% of the teams, sued Taylor for $300 million shortly after the deal over a potential move — it was reported [[link removed]] that Lore and Rodriguez were interested in moving the Timberwolves to Seattle.
Taylor has expressed confidence that the teams will stay in Minnesota, but there is no legal language in the existing agreement guaranteeing it. Breaking the team’s lease at Target Center, which ends in 2035, would cost $50 million.
A federal judge dismissed [[link removed]] Orbach’s claims in July 2021.
Conversation Starters Milan “Mimi” Bolden-Morris — a first-year offensive graduate assistant at Michigan — is reportedly the first [[link removed]] female to hold that position in Big Ten history. On Monday, Tulane will face [[link removed]] off against USC in the Cotton Bowl — its first “major” bowl game appearance since 1939. New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft has purchased [[link removed]] a $23.75 million penthouse condo in Palm Beach, Florida — a record for the area.
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What to Watch
The Tennessee Volunteers (10-2) face the Clemson Tigers (11-2) on Friday night at Hard Rock Stadium in the Capital One Orange Bowl.
How to Watch: 8 p.m. ET on ESPN
Betting Odds: Tigers -4.5 || ML -195 || O/U 60.5
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