March 21, 2023

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Roger Goodell is set to stick around awhile. NFL owners are expected [[link removed]] to finalize a multiyear contract extension for commissioner next week, per Adam Schefter.

Real Estate ‘Home of 7 MPH Fastball:’ Meet Topgolf for Baseball [[link removed]]

Courtesy of Home Run Dugout

The success of Topgolf is spawning a new category of “sports entertainment” startups.

The baseball entertainment venue “Home Run Dugout” is poised to open its second location in Katy, Texas, on March 30th.

Like Topgolf, Home Run Dugout [[link removed]] combines sports, food, and entertainment in one upscale setting and boasts Hall of Famer Nolan Ryan as a strategic investor.

Unlike the batting cages of old where you donned a rented helmet and tossed tokens into a batting machine, the 46,000-square-foot facility will feature “indoor soft-toss baseball” and several amenities:

Full-service restaurant Three bars serving 20 craft beers 12 virtual-batting bays A “Biergarten Baseball” mini-field for wiffle ball Live music and concert stage Dog park

Co-founded by Nick Hermandorfer and Tyler Bambrick, Home Run Dugout won’t take aim at hardcore hardball and softball players — the new venue bills itself as the “Home of the 7 MPH Fastball.”

This will be Home Run Dugout’s first standalone venue following the maiden location [[link removed]] at Dell Diamond minor league baseball stadium in Round Rock, Texas.

The 76-year-old Ryan, who hurled a record seven no-hitters, is beloved in the Lone Star state after pitching for both Texas Rangers and Houston Astros. Other investors include Lagniappe Capital Partners and BCS Capital.

Topgolf, meanwhile, has grown to over 80 venues around the world.

The company is set to open a new three-level venue later this year in Pompano Beach targeting Florida’s Gold Coast between Miami and West Palm Beach.

College Athletics No. 1 Seed Knockouts Raise Questions Over NCAA Tournament Structures [[link removed]]

Adam Cairns-The Columbus Dispatch

During the first week of March Madness, four men’s and women’s top seeds were knocked out — the Purdue and Kansas men’s teams and the Stanford and Indiana women’s team.

Purdue was only the second men’s 1-seed in history to lose to a 16-seed. On the women’s side, Ole Miss and Miami made history, too — a women’s NCAA tournament hasn’t seen multiple 1-seeds lose before the Sweet 16 since 1998.

One-seed upsets on the women’s side are likely even more surprising than they are on the men’s — because of differences in the tournament setups. The men’s Rounds of 64 and 32 are played at neutral sites, but the women’s games are played at the home courts of the top 16 seeds. Miami and Ole Miss both upset their opponents on the road.

The structure has become a recent subject of debate.

Home-court rounds help the women’s tournament cut down on costs and ensure that games are played in places where fans are passionate about the women’s game, but women’s fans have begun to wonder whether a home-court advantage is unfair in the tournament.

That’s part of why the NCAA decided to switch [[link removed]] the Sweet 16 rounds from four sites to two this year: In addition to an improved atmosphere, the regionals are supposed to provide a more neutral environment (even though one of this year’s sites will be South Carolina, home state as the reigning champion Gamecocks).

Meanwhile, men’s fans have wondered whether on-campus games could be more electric. The 12-team College Football Playoff will test-drive the concept [[link removed]] of early-round campus games in 2024.

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Real Estate Angels Owner Could Revive Talks on Land Deal Surrounding Stadium [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The city of Anaheim may be reopening talks on a deal with the Angels that brought down its previous mayor.

Angels owner Arte Moreno plans [[link removed]] to meet with Anaheim mayor Ashleigh Aitken — and while Moreno wouldn’t specify the nature of the meeting, the team and city have some major unfinished business.

Last year, the city agreed to sell Angel Stadium and the surrounding land for $320 million to a company controlled by Moreno, which planned to develop the land with housing, parks, and retail.

In May, the city council unanimously voted to cancel the deal following corruption allegations against former mayor Harry Sidhu. Sidhu is under investigation by the FBI for allegedly passing confidential information to the team in the hopes of securing a hefty campaign donation.

The Angels lease runs until 2029, with a series of three-year options that can extend it to 2038, providing the team leverage in any potential talks. City council members have considered [[link removed]-] challenging the lease arrangement.

Moreno said he would sell the team following Sidhu’s resignation, but later reversed course after meeting with potential buyers. He recently claimed [[link removed]] to have three offers north of $2.6 billion for the team, a sum which set an MLB record.

While the city could develop the land independently, doing so would require the Angels’ permission.

Meanwhile, the Anaheim Ducks, who play in the nearby Honda Center, are beginning construction on a development that will include homes, offices, restaurants, shops, parks, and a concert hall.

Deals 777 Partners Seeks Capital Raise From Newcastle Owners [[link removed]]

Newcastle United FC

A disruptive force in soccer ownership is looking to raise capital — and could be tapping one of sports’ most controversial ownership groups.

777 Partners has reportedly held preliminary talks with at least five different parties about financial investment per Bloomberg [[link removed]] — including Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which owns a majority stake in Newcastle United FC.

The Miami-based private equity firm also reportedly spoke with PCP Capital Partners, which helped broker the sale of Newcastle in 2021 and holds a minority stake in the club.

Bloomberg notes that the discussions are in very early stages and with no guarantee of any debt or equity being raised.

After its high-profile acquisition of Genoa CFC — Italy’s oldest soccer club — in 2021 [[link removed]], 777 Partners has made its name by investing in several clubs around the world.

In Feb. 2022, it bought [[link removed]] 70% of Brazilian side Vasco de Gama. Less than a month later, it acquired [[link removed]] a controlling stake in Belgian club Standard Liège. 777 also owns France’s Red Star FC, a 15% stake in Spain’s Sevilla FC, and recently struck a deal for the option to acquire [[link removed]] 70% of Australia’s Melbourne Victory FC within five years.

Earlier this year, the firm was in talks to invest [[link removed]] in Premier League side Everton — but owner Farhad Moshiri has now said the club is not for sale.

777 hopes to be profitable by the 2023-24 soccer season on a collective $373 million in revenue across its portfolio of clubs.

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Conversation Starters From March bracket busters to magic at The Masters, Atmosphere Sports is the ultimate streaming destination for businesses that want constant sports news, live scores, and highlights. Learn more [[link removed]].* Jason Sudeikis and the cast of hit Apple TV show “Ted Lasso” visited [[link removed]] the White House on Monday to discuss mental health. Lamar Jackson, who hasn’t spoken [[link removed]] to the media about his NFL future since December, is teasing an upcoming “exclusive interview with himself” on YouTube channel Lamar Jackson Entertainment. LIV Golf has “ stripped [[link removed]] broadcast crews’ healthcare and other benefits,” according to labor union IATSE, which represents workers in TV production. FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY They Said What?

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

“There’s a whole generation of people that don’t even know me as the champ. They think I’m an actor. They have no idea that I did this 20-year career boxing, and I look this way not because I was born like this, but because I was punched in the face a lot.”

— Mike Tyson on his fame and people’s perception of him after his last fight in 2005. You can listen to Tyson talk about that, his new cannabis business, and more on Front Office Sports Today.

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

Today's Action

NBA

06:40 PM

Cavaliers (-140) at Nets (+120)

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NCAA

09:00 PM

Oklahoma (+230) at UCLA (-275)

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NBA

06:40 PM

Pistons (+600) at Hawks (-850)

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Monday’s Answer

62% of respondents have extended a business trip into a family vacation and 16% haven’t yet but want to.

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