Tag: sports business

What’s next for NBA teams and fans with regional sports networks?

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The NBA has not been affected by the recent turmoil hitting regional sports networks across the country. The league has felt it as sharply as any other North American pro sport. In all, 18 teams have contracts with RSNs whose future short- and long-term contracts are uncertain, between turmoil with Diamond Sports Group and Warner Bros. Discovery. Diamond Sports has deals with 16 NBA teams across the country through Bally Sports Networks. Tuesday, the company filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, as expected. NBA Commissioner Adam Silver has expressed optimism that…

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NCAA men’s tournament viewer’s guide: March Madness is back on TV — here’s what to know

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You’ve probably heard the age-old adage about broadcasters and reporters never wanting to become the story, but CBS and Jim Nantz are going to shatter the maxim this month. This year marks the final dance for Nantz as the lead broadcaster of the NCAA men’s basketball tournament. He’ll depart his courtside chair with a resume hard to surpass in college basketball. Heading into this year’s event, Nantz has called 354 NCAA Tournament games, including 96 Final Four games. His career includes being part of 37 NCAA Tournaments and 32 Final…

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Manchester United takeover, ‘stage two’: What is happening?

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Manchester United’s prospective buyers are due to hold face-to-face talks with Raine, the bank handling the sale for the Glazer family, and club officials at Old Trafford in the next fortnight. These discussions are being billed as “stage two” of the process: a deep dive into the club’s finances, when all of United’s commercial secrets are revealed, to select eyes, under a cloak of secrecy. Terms like ‘data rooms’ and ‘due diligence’ have been bandied about and there will be face-to-face meetings with key staff in London and Manchester, with…

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NFL Black Friday game to stream for free on Amazon Prime

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Amazon Prime will have the best deal on Black Friday. The streaming service will stream the league’s first-ever Black Friday game for free. Here’s what you need to know: The holiday game will be played on November 24th at 3 PM ET. Participating teams will be announced at a later time. Charissa Thompson will host the pregame show alongside Tony Gonzalez, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Richard Sherman, Andrew Whitworth, Taylor Rocks and Michael Smith. Al Michaels and Kirk Herbstreit will call the match with Kylie Hartung serving as the sideline reporter. the…

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NWSL players and clubs coming to FIFA for the first time: Why EA Sports is investing more in women’s sports

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The Women’s National Soccer League will go virtual. Starting March 15th across all platforms, the NWSL’s 12 teams will be available on “FIFA 23,” EA Sports and the league announced Monday. Here’s what you need to know: The addition of the NWSL to FIFA 23 marks the first time that the Women’s Soccer League has been featured in a FIFA match. All NWSL teams will be present for Kick Off, Championship Mode, Live Season/Co-op Seasons, and Online Friendlies. FIFA 23 will feature four NWSL stadiums, along with authentic kits, stars,…

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Sheikh Jassim’s Manchester United takeover bid, the Qatar issue and what it means for Ratcliffe

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The sale of Manchester United took a significant step forward late on Friday when the Glazer family received a bid from the son of the former prime minister of Qatar. Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, the chairman of Qatari bank QIB, submitted a bid to complete a full takeover. He is going head-to-head with Ineos billionaire Jim Ratcliffe for ownership of the club, although it’s possible there are other unknown bidders in addition to them. It is unknown how much Sheikh Jassim, who says he is a lifelong Manchester…

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XFL and Betting: How Sportsbooks Offer Odds to Teams That Never Played

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When the XFL begins its season on Saturday, once again, a crucial difference from the short-lived 2001 and 2020 iterations will be readily apparent: Fans are increasingly betting on games with sportsbook offering bets for the new league. Many sports bets have odds of playing in this weekend’s four contests, over/under and who will win the title. BetMGM favorites are the Seattle Sea Dragons and Arlington Renegades at +450, with the Orlando Guardians the longest shot at +800 (odds of +450 mean the bettor is risking $100 for a chance…

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The Premier League’s Manchester City statement — a line-by-line annotation

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The Premier League has charged Manchester City with several alleged breaches of its financial rules after a four-year investigation. It announced the extraordinary news on Monday in a 735-word statement which listed details of the 100 alleged breaches. The statement — published without fanfare on the Premier League’s website, below articles on Harry Kane, Sean Dyche and FPL tips — said City have been “referred to an independent commission” over the alleged rule-breaking. But what is the commission? What are the rules City are alleged to have broken? And what…

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Remembering Billy Packer: Jim Nantz and More on Long-Term Voice Work on the Final Four

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Jim Nantz first met Billy Packer in 1979, two months after Magic Johnson and Larry Bird played in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship game that was watched by an estimated 40 million Americans. The NCAA golf tournament that year was at Bermuda Run Golf Club in North Carolina, and the Packer family lived off the eighth green. “It happened the night before the golf tournament, and I was completely in awe that I was in the same room as Billy,” Nantz said Saturday afternoon from Kansas City, where he will…

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NFL enjoys huge wild-card ratings, with a stronger slate up next: Sports on TV

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I’m among those guilty of initially thinking the Seahawks–49ers wild-card game should have been in prime time on Saturday rather than a late-afternoon kickoff. That was after the L.A. Chargers took a 27-0 first-half lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars, but in my defense, it wasn’t a misguided sentiment in the moment: The 49ers’ 41-23 win over the Seattle Seahawks (which averaged 27.46 million viewers for Fox’s late afternoon kickoff) absolutely did look like the more compelling game. After all, Jags quarterback Trevor Lawrence had tossed four first-half interceptions and things…

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