Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe have reportedly submitted world-record bids at Wednesday’s deadline to purchase Manchester United from the Glazer family.

Sky Sports reports that Sheikh Jassim is submitting a bid in excess of $6.2 billion, while the Financial Times reports that Ratcliffe is doing the same. Some sources are pegging both bids at around $6.8 billion.

Either way, if the Glazers accept one of the two, it would far eclipse the world record for a sports team purchase set last summer when Rob Walton bought the Denver Broncos for $4.65 billion.

The new sky-high bids for United would still fall short of the $7.2 billion valuation the Glazers said they were looking for when they began exploring a sale of the club — but they’re still more than the reported first bids, which came in around $5.5 billion.

Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe made visits to Old Trafford last week and began preparing their next round of bids after walking away from the grounds with positive momentum.

They may have some company, however: Sky also reports that there will be at least five bids and as many as eight in total — though not all seek to buy the club outright. In fact, at least half will be for a minority stake or financing options for other parties.

Nike posted a solid increase in third-quarter revenue driven by robust demand in North America. 

But the company’s net income fell amid the financial impact from inflation, supply chain shortages, and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. 

The Swoosh announced encouraging results for its fiscal third quarter ending Feb. 28.

• Revenues rose 14% from the year prior to $12.4 billion. North American revenue rose double-digits, but revenue from China dropped 8% due to a change in the nation’s COVID policies.
• Net income slid 11% to $1.2 billion. Diluted earnings per share were $0.79, off 9%.
• The Nike brand’s digital sales were another strong point, rising 20%.

The Swoosh’s third-quarter results topped analyst expectations, noted CNBC, and could’ve been even better if not for the global supply chain crises. 

Nike told financial analysts it would’ve had a stronger holiday selling season had there been enough merchandise on hand. To tackle the problem, it’s moving up buying timelines.

But with so much global uncertainty, Nike held off on giving an outlook for the year.

“We are focused on what we can control,” said Matthew Friend, Nike’s chief financial officer, on a post-earnings conference call. “There are several new dynamics creating higher-levels of volatility.”

You couldn’t script a better ending to a game-changing World Baseball Classic — or for its MVP.

With two outs in the top of the ninth of a one-run championship game between the U.S. and Japan, Mike Trout stepped into the box to face Los Angeles Angels teammate Shohei Ohtani.

After working the count full with multiple 100-mph fastballs, Ohtani put Trout away with a killer slider for the save, lifting Japan to its third WBC title — two more than any other nation.

The Japanese phenom — who finished the WBC hitting .435 with a 1.345 OPS, four doubles, and a homer while pitching a 1.86 ERA with a 0.72 WHIP and 11 strikeouts in 9.2 innings — was awarded tournament MVP.

His triumph will only amplify speculation as to where he could sign as a free agent in 2024, assuming the Angels again fail to capitalize on his generational talent.

The 2021 American League MVP will make $30 million this year — the largest salary ever for an arbitration-eligible player.

This season, MLB’s top-paid pitchers, Max Scherzer and Justin Verlander, will each make $43.3 million. The top hitter, Aaron Judge, will make $40 million.

Considering Ohtani’s immense talent on both sides of the ball, a record salary extrapolated over a long-term contract could easily make him baseball’s first $500 million man.

Teams in the mix could include the big-spending New York Mets, Los Angeles Dodgers, San Diego Padres, and New York Yankees.