February 17, 2023

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FOS is teaming up with the Pac-12 to give you the VIP experience at the Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Tournament in Las Vegas from March 8-11. One lucky winner gets two all-tournament passes with club access, a four-night stay at an MGM Resorts hotel, and much more. Get all the details here [[link removed]].

Real Estate Bears Finalize Arlington Heights Land Deal for Potential Future Stadium [[link removed]]

Chicago Bears

The Chicago Bears are one step closer to building a flashy new stadium.

This week, the team announced that it’s finalized its purchase of Arlington Park, a 326-acre enclave in suburban Arlington Heights.

The construction of a new stadium is one of the main priorities for incoming Bears president and CEO Kevin Warren [[link removed]], who will begin official duties in the spring. The franchise is worth $5.8 billion — the fifth-most-valuable team in the NFL, per [[link removed]] Forbes.

The Bears said in a letter that there’s still no guarantee the land will be used for a new stadium.

If the plans do go forward, the Bears hope to build a stadium as well as “a regional hub for entertainment, shopping, and community events.”

It’s unclear who will fund the project, however. “If we construct a state-of-the-art stadium, we will not seek taxpayer funds, locally or otherwise, for the structure,” the letter said. But the team does expect public funding assistance for infrastructure related to the project, like roads.

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker said he isn’t in favor of a stadium development plan that would provide tax relief [[link removed]] for the team. The Bears suggest the project will bring $9.4 billion in economic impact to the area.

Teams Tottenham Owners Reportedly Not Interested in Selling [[link removed]]

THFC

It looks like Tottenham Hotspur is not on the market after all.

Following reports earlier this week that MPS Sports Capital was preparing a $3.75 billion bid for the Premier League club, the BBC reported [[link removed]] that Tottenham owner ENIC Group isn’t interested in selling and is committed to the club’s long-term plans.

Tottenham is, however, thought to be in discussions with investors about stadium redevelopment.

Sky Sports reported that MPS, which has stakes in the X Games, McLaren Racing, and several other soccer teams, has not even approached Tottenham.

ENIC Group, which is owned by British billionaire Joe Lewis, controls [[link removed]] 86.58% of the club.

Despite injecting [[link removed]] $187 million into the team in May 2022, the owners have faced criticism for a lack of investment.

“Since opening in the stadium in April 2019, we have spent more than [$600.4 million], putting us in the top quartile of spending in the Premier League — and we have made significant investments in the women’s team, too,” the Spurs said [[link removed]] earlier this month in response to a letter from the Tottenham Hotspur Supporters’ Trust.

PRESENTED BY PITCHBOOK

Living and Investing With Intention

Introducing Driven with Michelle Wie West [[link removed]], a new video series from Front Office Sports in partnership with PitchBook, where the former golf pro sits down with some of her favorite athletes to discuss their journeys as investors and what it takes to win.

In the second of three episodes, Michelle sits down with fellow Stanford graduate, 5x Olympian, 3x Gold Medalist, 1x Bronze Medalist, mother of three and co-founder of p1440, Kerri Walsh Jennings.

Learn how the beach volleyball star became an entrepreneur, the challenges she faced as a first-time CEO and the importance of the relationships she made along the way.

Watch the full episode [[link removed]] now.

Real Estate MLB Commissioner: Las Vegas the ‘Focus’ for A’s [[link removed]]

Stan Szeto-USA TODAY Sports

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred revealed that the Oakland A’s have used the transition period in Oakland’s government to further explore their options in Las Vegas.

“The focus [since December] has been on Las Vegas,” Manfred said at a press conference Wednesday, noting that new Oakland mayor Sheng Thao — who was sworn in on Jan. 9 — needed “time to get settled” before fully engaging on the stadium negotiations with the team.

The A’s are in talks on two potential stadium sites in Las Vegas: the Bally’s-owned Tropicana site and billionaire Phil Ruffin’s Las Vegas Festival Grounds.

Manfred referred to Oakland’s infrastructure funding as a “threshold issue.”

The team and city have negotiated a framework in which the A’s would pay for a new ballpark and surrounding housing, parks, retail, and office — which would cost an estimated $12 billion. The city would pay for infrastructure improvements in the surrounding area.

Oakland officials have said [[link removed]] that they have already been granted $375 million in funds toward the project and outstanding grants for another $100 million. The city could also issue a limited-obligation bond for $150 million.

Leagues Chinese Super League Requires Women’s Club Teams For Entry [[link removed]]

FIFA

Chinese Super League clubs are now required [[link removed]] by the Chinese Football Association to establish a women’s soccer team in order to participate in the upcoming season, start date to be determined.

“This women’s team should take part in the Chinese Women’s Super League or the second- and third-tier league,” Xinhua News Agency reported.

A similar requirement was implemented during the 2019 season, when the CSL had 16 teams. It now has 18, though four folded over the last four seasons.

In October, the General Administration of Sport — China’s national sports agency — announced [[link removed]] ambitions to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup in 2031.

China is the current [[link removed]] AFC Women’s Asian Cup Champion, a title the country has won nine times since 1986. Its women’s team is ranked 14th in the world and will participate in the Women’s World Cup later this year.

Earlier this week, the CSL renewed [[link removed]] its title sponsorship agreement with insurance company Ping An in a reported one-season, $14.7 million deal. Ping An has been the title sponsor of the league since 2014.

SPONSORED BY TEMPLE UNIVERSITY'S STHM

How NIL is Impacting College Education in Sports

Since the NCAA passed its landmark ruling in July 2021 allowing college athletes to profit off their Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) the impact has been great and far reaching.

One area within this new frontier that has not been widely discussed, however, is how universities are creating opportunities within the classroom to learn more about NIL.

In our latest webinar, Owen Poindexter (Front Office Sports) sits down with professors Thilo Kunkel and Amy Giddings (Temple University), along with recent graduate and current NIL Agent, Matt Lupi, to discuss The NIL Effect: Inside & Outside the Classroom [[link removed]].

Learn how Temple’s School of Sport, Tourism and Hospitality Management (STHM) is leading NIL research, reimagining course curriculum, and giving students new tools to pursue a career in the ever-changing, billion-dollar industry of sports.

Register now [[link removed]].

Conversation Starters A judge has ruled that Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund and PIF’s governor, Yasir Al-Rumayyan, are subject to subpoena requests [[link removed]] from the PGA Tour. The most viewed NBA All-Star Game ever was in 1993 in Salt Lake city, pulling in [[link removed]] 22.91 million viewers on NBC. ESPN+ offered [[link removed]] subscribers exclusive coverage of Tiger Woods’s first-round play at the Genesis Invitational on Wednesday and will do so for most or all of Woods’ round on Friday. The New York Red Bulls are set to build the “premier training complex in all of Major League Soccer.” Take a look [[link removed]]. Front Office Sports Today They Said What?

Patrick Breen/USA TODAY NETWORK

“We are prepared no matter what happens … to make sure that games are available to fans in their local markets.”

-MLB commissioner Rob Manfred on the league potentially taking over broadcasts if Diamond Sports Group goes bankrupt and cannot afford to pay MLB teams for local media rights.

Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

Today's Action

NBA

10:00 PM

Clippers (-9000) at Suns (+1500)

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NHL

07:08 PM

Blackhawks (+205) at Senators (-245)

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NHL

07:08 PM

Penguins (-105) at Islanders (-115)

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*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See [[link removed]] for details.

Question Of The Day

Do you plan on watching any of this year's Women's March Madness college basketball tournament?

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Thursday’s Answer

26% of respondents work on their golf game 1-3 times a month; 16% work on their golf game 4+ times a month.

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