March Madness is almost over, and reporter Amanda Christovich joins Front Office Sports Today to break down what looks to be an unusual men’s Final Four. Then we talk with INFLCR founder and CEO Jim Cavale about the future of NIL regulation.
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Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
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PHOENIX — A group led by Josh Harris has submitted a bid to purchase the Washington Commanders, sources told Front Office Sports.
Harris, who owns the Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils, entered a bid between $5.5 billion and $6 billion, one source with knowledge of the process told FOS.
A couple of hours after the first report that Harris had bid on the Commanders, ESPN reported that Canadian real estate executive Steve Apostolopoulos had also bid $6 billion.
FOS was unable to confirm Apostolopoulos’s bid. One source said while Apostolopoulos may have bid, there are questions over whether he has the financial wherewithal to be considered a serious contender for the Commanders.
Harris visited the team’s facilities before last month’s Super Bowl. In the weeks since, Harris rounded out his group with fellow billionaire and D.C.-area native Mitchell Rales and NBA legend Magic Johnson.
Harris had been a contender for the franchise since owner Dan Snyder and his wife, Tanya Snyder, announced in November that they had hired Bank of America to explore options that could lead to a full or partial sale. Snyder purchased the Commanders for $800 million in 1999.
A spokesperson for Harris declined to comment.
The other billionaires interested in the club include Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta, and Apostolopoulos.
The news comes during what is expected to be the final day of the NFL’s annual owners’ meetings, where multiple owners told FOS that they were in the dark about the sale.
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The new bids to buy Manchester United are in — and they’re reportedly lower than the Glazer family’s asking price.
Although Man United’s current owners want approximately $7.4 billion, it doesn’t preclude an eventual sale.
Both Qatar’s Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani and British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe — the initial two public finalists to buy the storied club — increased their offerings from around $5.6 billion, but remained below the $7.4 billion threshold, according to ESPN .
Finnish entrepreneur Thomas Zilliacus, who entered the fray after the bid deadline was extended last week, also reportedly lodged a bid whose value is unknown.
Before the deadline extension, Sheikh Jassim and Ratcliffe both submitted bids exceeding $6.2 billion — which alone would make the sale the most expensive ever for a sports team.
While that could be seen as a disappointment to the Glazers, one of the bidders is possibly closer than previously thought. According to Sportico, Sheikh Jassim’s bid is “in the ballpark” of the Glazers’ asking price — and Ratcliffe couldn’t match it.
It now falls to U.S. bank the Raine Group — which is facilitating the sale — to either request another round of bidding or name a preferred bidder.
Man United expects to have “clarity” on the ownership situation by season’s end in late May.
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Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports
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MLB players make relatively little in sponsorship money from American companies compared to other top athletes, but the sport’s biggest international star is still cashing in.
Shohei Ohtani is the top-earning MLB player this year, per Forbes, after adding his $30 million salary with the Los Angeles Angels to the $35 million he makes in endorsements.
That latter figure, by far the highest among MLB players, draws from both American companies like New Balance, Fanatics, and Topps, as well as Japanese ones such as Kowa, Seiko, and Kose.
Ohtani is also due for a significant raise as a free agent after this season. As both one of MLB’s best hitters and pitchers, he could be the first player to land a deal worth more than $500 million.
Following Ohtani is New York Mets ace pitcher Max Scherzer, who is being paid handsomely by two NL East teams. His contract with the Mets pays him $43.3 million this year, while the Washington Nationals are tacking on an additional $15 million in deferred payments from a $210 million deal signed in 2015.
Third overall is New York Yankees’ slugger Aaron Judge, who makes $4.5 million off the field plus $40 million annually from the Bronx Bombers.
Angels star Mike Trout, the only other player to top $1 million in off-field earnings with $4 million, was fifth overall after adding in his $35.5 million salary. The Mets’ Justin Verlander was one spot ahead with his $43.3 million contract and $1 million in additional earnings.
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- Team owners at the NFL owners meeting are divided on a proposal to flex schedule Sunday afternoon games to Thursday nights starting in Week 14 with a 15-day notice for teams being rescheduled.
- So far, 2023 women’s March Madness has set records for first- and second-round attendance and viewership, regionals attendance, plus the two most-watched Sweet 16 games ever.
- Georgetown’s new men’s basketball head coach Ed Cooley put his 5,800-square-foot, four-bedroom Rhode Island home up for sale after 12 seasons at Providence. The house is listed at $1.9 million.
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The New Orleans Pelicans take on the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday night.
How to watch: 10 p.m. ET, TNT
Betting odds: Pelicans +9 || ML Pelicans +304 || O/U 235.5
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