February 23, 2023
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Things are starting to heat up in the bidding war for Manchester United — and the Glazer family appears to be the biggest winner as they sift through final proposals. Senior writer Owen Poindexter digs into the renowned football club’s impending sale and much more in the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.
Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].
Leagues LIV Golfers Allowed to Play In All Four Majors After All [[link removed]]
Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports
LIV Golf stars have scored a significant victory in their rebellion against the PGA Tour.
LIV Golf players will be eligible to compete in all four major tournaments this season after the PGA of America [[link removed]] issued its 2023 eligibility requirements Wednesday, providing a green light.
LIV stars Phil Mickelson, Brooks Koepka, and Martin Kaymer won the PGA Championship before defecting to the Saudi-backed golf tour.
The PGA Championship was the last holdout among the four majors. The latest in the seesaw battle between the dueling golf tours.
Despite previous signals that LIV defectors would be banned from participation in 2023, the PGA of America said they could tee it up at Oak Hill Country Club in Rochester, New York, from May 18-21.
“Sadly, the current division in the professional game is not good for the sport or the future of the game. We hope there might be some resolution soon,” said PGA of America chief executive officer Seth Waugh.
The PGA of America’s decision came only one day after the Royal & Ancient Golf Club of St. Andrews said LIV players were cleared to play in the 151st Open Championship at Royal Liverpool from July 20-23.
Augusta National Golf Club and the USGA previously said [[link removed]] LIV golfers would be eligible for the 2023 Masters and U.S. Open.
Law New U.K. Soccer Watchdog Has Power to Block Breakaway Leagues [[link removed]]
Premier League
The biggest soccer league in the world will be overseen by the U.K. government.
The U.K. is following through on a recommendation made by a committee in 2021 to introduce [[link removed]] an independent regulator to oversee soccer in the country, the government announced on Thursday.
The regulator’s main purpose will be to “reform the culture of governance in English football clubs and mitigate the risk of clubs being entirely lost to fans and communities.”
English soccer team Bury FC collapsed in 2019 due to financial problems, becoming the first English soccer team to cease operations in 27 years. Macclesfield Town was expelled [[link removed]] because of high debts in 2020.
The creation of the regulator also appears to be motivated by the attempted European Super League, which six Premier League clubs joined and then later renounced. The regulator would have the authority to ban teams from joining any breakaway competitions.
Earlier this month, the Premier League charged [[link removed]] Manchester City with more than 100 financial violations between 2009 and 2018, which some saw as an attempt to show English authorities that there was no need for an external regulator.
The U.K. addressed this notion in announcing the regulator, saying, “The government is not convinced that an industry regulator would be genuinely independent from the influence of clubs, or could be sufficiently held accountable for its actions and performance.”
It’s not clear if the regulator will be established in time to influence the sale [[link removed]] of Manchester United, which took in its first round of bids last week.
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Tech NBA Top Shot Maker Faces Lawsuit for Unregistered Securities [[link removed]]
NBA Top Shot
Dapper Labs, the owner of NBA-branded NFTs, and its CEO Roham Gharegozlou are facing a lawsuit that alleges its video-based digital collectibles NBA Top Shot Moments are unregistered securities, not fan products.
A motion to dismiss the 2021 lawsuit was denied [[link removed]] by U.S. District Court Judge Victor Marrero on Wednesday.
“Plaintiffs adequately allege that Dapper Labs’ offer of the NFT, Moments, was an offer of an ‘investment contract’ and therefore a ‘security,’ required to be registered by the SEC,” the judge wrote [[link removed]] in his decision.
“Courts have repeatedly found that consumer goods — including art and collectibles like basketball cards — are not securities under federal law,” Dapper Labs SVP Stephanie Martin told The Verge after the ruling. “We are confident the same holds true for moments and other collectibles.”
The plaintiffs also accuse Dapper Labs of “propping up the market for Moments as well as the overall valuation [[link removed]] of NBA Top Shot” and the value [[link removed]] of its Flow token by preventing money withdrawals by users.
While the tokens aren’t securities, they were ruled “necessary to the totality of the scheme at issue.”
Marrero added: “Not all NFTs offered or sold by any company will constitute a security, and each scheme must be assessed on a case-by-case basis.”
Dapper Labs has three weeks to respond to the lawsuit.
Conversation Starters ESPN will air [[link removed]] an hour-long championship pregame show on ABC before the NCAA women’s basketball national championship. Michael Irvin’s lawyer is seeking [[link removed]] expedited discovery in federal court to obtain footage of an incident with a Phoenix hotel employee. After securing his second Super Bowl victory with the Kansas City Chiefs, Eric Bieniemy was introduced [[link removed]] by the Washington Commanders as their new assistant head coach, offensive coordinator.
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The five-lesson course includes a lesson on Building Expressions and Connections, where Meta’s Angel Gonzalez sits down with Sportsmanias CEO Vicente Fernandez and House of V CCO Justin Allen to discuss how augmented reality can unlock new immersive experiences [[link removed]] for athletes and fans alike.
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What to Watch
The Memphis Grizzlies (35-22) take on the Philadelphia 76ers (38-19) on Thursday at Wells Fargo Center.
How to Watch: 7:30 p.m. ET on TNT
Betting Odds: 76ers -3.5 || ML -165 || O/U 230.5
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