January 19, 2023

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Philadelphia Flyers defenseman Ivan Provorov, who is Russian Orthodox, refused [[link removed]] to wear a rainbow-accented warmup uniform as part of the team’s LGBTQ+ Pride Night. Provorov cited the need to “stay true” to himself and his religious beliefs — a stance which the NHL and Flyers have backed.

Real Estate Chicago Bears ‘Focused’ Only on New Stadium in Arlington Heights [[link removed]]

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

The new president of the Chicago Bears has made it clear the team is planning to move.

Former Big Ten commissioner Kevin Warren, who will helm the NFL team starting around April, told [[link removed]] reporters that “we’re focused on Arlington Park.”

Warren also spoke of the need to come up with a “very creative solution to our stadium situation and create an atmosphere that becomes a 365-day environment.” The Bears have yet to close a 326-acre land deal for the Arlington Heights racetrack, which they agreed to buy for $197.2 million in 2021. The team also needs to reach a deal with the town, which will likely involve impact studies regarding transportation, traffic, and economic benefits.

Chicago hasn’t given up hope on keeping the team. The city released [[link removed]] renderings earlier this month for a $2.2 billion domed stadium. Former team president Ted Phillips said there was “no Plan B” beyond moving to Arlington Heights.

Big Bear Plans

The team has sketched out designs on a new entertainment district anchored by a $5 billion domed stadium. The team is hoping to build a venue that could host the Super Bowl, College Football Playoffs, and the Final Four.

Since the team’s lease at Soldier Field runs through 2033, the Bears would have to pay a contractual fee if they left before then.

Media Olympic Media Rights Awarded to Warner Bros. Discovery, EBU [[link removed]]

Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports

The Olympics have tied down European broadcasters through the next decade.

The International Olympic Committee signed [[link removed]] a joint agreement with the European Broadcasting Union and Warner Bros. Discovery covering all European territories from 2026 to 2032.

Discovery Communications, which closed its merger with Warner Bros. in April 2022, won European rights to the Olympics in 2015 in a $1.4 billion deal spanning 2018 -2024. Under the new deal, the EBU will offer more than 200 hours of free-to-air coverage of the Summer Games and over 100 for the Winter Games. WBD will be the exclusive pay provider for 49 European territories. The new deal will begin with the Winter Games in Milan in 2026, followed by the Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028. Winter Wondering

The 2032 Games will take place in Brisbane, but the IOC postponed the selection of a 2030 host. Salt Lake City may be the most likely [[link removed]] destination, due to complications with both Sapporo and Vancouver.

The IOC is reevaluating its selection process after the effects of climate change reduced the number of viable host cities. The committee may award hosting duties on a rotating basis instead of picking cities one at a time.

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Teams John Textor’s Company Wants to Take Lyon Public [[link removed]]

OL

Olympique Lyonnais could be going public.

Eagle Football Holdings, which is controlled by John Textor, is planning [[link removed]] to take the Ligue 1 club public via a SPAC merger at a $1.2 billion valuation. The company completed its purchase of Lyon in December, valuing [[link removed]] the club at around $842 million.

Ares Management provided lending for the acquisition, and Iconic Sports Management made a $75 million investment as part of the purchase.

Iconic’s investment reportedly included an agreement for a potential merger between its blank-check company — Iconic Sports Acquisition Corp — and Eagle Football. The transaction isn’t guaranteed, but the Financial Times reported the goal is to go public this year.

Iconic, which raised $345 million when it went public in October 2021, is made up of Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Jamie Dinan, Pisa SC owner Alexander Knaster, former Goldman Sachs trader Edward Eisler, and Tifosy Capital.

Multi-Club Mania

Eagle Football Holdings also owns Belgian second-tier club RWD Molenbeek, Brazil’s Botafogo, and a stake in the Premier League’s Crystal Palace.

There are now more than 70 multi-club ownership groups — including City Football Group, Qatar Sports Investments, and RedBird Capital — but this would reportedly be the first such group to go public.

Gaming Top Five Mobile Games Made $7.2B in 2022 [[link removed]]

Shutterstock

There’s a bright spot for a gaming industry that has seen lackluster profits.

The world’s five top-grossing mobile games generated $7.2 billion in revenue in 2022, an increase of $400 million from the year prior, according [[link removed]] to data analytics firm Sports Lens.

The sales were led by two titles from video game and internet conglomerate Tencent, which posted the strong results despite a crackdown by Chinese regulators on approvals [[link removed]] for new video game licenses and the amount of time children can spend on gaming per week.

“Honor of Kings” posted $2.2 billion in revenue in 2022, up from $1.7 billion in 2021. “PUBG Mobile” generated $1.7 billion in 2022, down from over $2 billion the year prior. Action role-playing title “Genshin Impact” from miHoYo made $1.5 billion in 2022. King.com game “Candy Crush Saga” generated $1 billion in revenue last year. Online game creation platform Roblox rounded out the top five at $862 million in 2022.

Mobile is the fastest-growing gaming category, and the market is projected to exceed a valuation of $215 billion by 2028, per [[link removed]] SkyQuest Technology Consulting.

Attractive Investment

In 2022, Facebook parent company Meta invested [[link removed]] $40 million in Tokyo-based mobile gaming company Playco, per Axios. Playco is aiming to build a game over 1 billion people can play.

Social media giant TikTok has begun pilot-testing [[link removed]] mobile games for its app as a way to create an additional revenue stream through advertising. TikTok has partnered with game developers Voodoo, NitroGames, and others to develop a series of “mini-games.”

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Conversation Starters From buzzer-beaters on the hardwood to Hail Marys in the end zone, Atmosphere Sports is bringing sports back to the center with scores, highlights, and more. Learn more [[link removed]].* During his first two years in the NFL, Chad “Ochocinco” Johnson didn’t want to spend his money, saying [[link removed]] he slept in Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium until then-Bengals coach Marvin Lewis kicked him out. The San Antonio Spurs have reached a naming rights agreement [[link removed]] with Victory Capital for their new performance center, which is part of the team’s $500 million campus project. Today's Action

NHL

07:08 PM

Panthers (-230) at Canadiens (+195)

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08:10 PM

Cavaliers (+235) at Grizzlies (-280)

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10:00 PM

Lightning (-170) at Canucks (+145)

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Wednesday’s Answer

49% of respondents watch Premier League soccer.

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