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Arctos Buys 10% of NFL’s Falcons

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ATLANTA – (Wire Service Report) Arctos Partners is adding a fourth NFL franchise to its portfolio by purchasing a 10% stake in the Atlanta Falcons, Front Office Sports and CNBC reported.

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The private equity firm already owns stakes in the Buffalo Bills, Cleveland Browns and Los Angeles Chargers.

The deal with Arctos includes a $10.6 billion valuation for the Falcons. Arctos will acquire the 10% stake in two stages, starting with a 7.5% stake, according to Sportico. A vote on the transaction is planned for October.

According to NFL rules, a private equity firm can invest in no more than six teams and the maximum stake size is 10%.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank owns about 73% of the team but it is unclear whether his shares are involved in the deal with Arctos, according to Front Office Sports.

Arctos, which is owned by the sports management company KKR & Co. Inc., also holds a stake in several franchises in the NBA, NHL and MLB.

–Field Level Media

CBS Sports Mum On Tony Romo

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – CBS Sports president David Berson expressed concern about the brand’s image but did not offer a timeline for a decision about Tony Romo’s future with the network.

CBS held its NFL Media Day on Tuesday without its lead game analyst present. Romo is on leave due to the aftermath of his July 23 arrest in Wisconsin for allegedly operating a vehicle while intoxicated.

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“It’s an evolving situation and we are still assessing,” Berson told reporters Tuesday in New York. “There is no timetable or final decision at this time.”

A 45-minute bodycam video released by authorities showed Romo telling police he had not been drinking, but they found an open bottle of alcohol in his car, and that was enough for CBS to take him off the air, at least temporarily. The ex-Dallas Cowboys quarterback was later cited for refusing to take an intoxication test after his arrest.

Berson and CBS now must handle questions about Romo’s future in their football coverage plans. CBS has elevated former NFL Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt to work aside Jim Nantz in Romo’s place. Tracy Wolfson again will be the sideline reporter for the Nantz crew.

Watt, 37, was the No. 2 analyst for CBS last season, teaming with veteran play-by-play caller Ian Eagle.

“We have to consider the impact on our image and our brand,” Berson said. “That’s very important to us. The focus should be and needs to be on our presentation and this great product and not on any others.

“Fortunately, we have a deep bench and everybody is stepping up.”

Romo, 46, is due in court on Sept. 21, and he likely would not return to the network before then, if he is retained.

Romo was hired by CBS in 2017. He re-signed with the network on a 10-year, $180 million deal that has four years and $72 million remaining.

–Field Level Media

Comcast To Air NFL Red Zone

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PHILADELPHIA – (Wire Service Report) – Comcast, the nation’s second-largest cable television provider under the brand Xfinity, has reached an agreement with Disney to lift the current blackout and resume airing the NFL Network and NFL RedZone to its roughly 11 million subscribers in time for the 2026 season.

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Disney owns 72% of ESPN, which took over NFL Media assets earlier this year. Shortly after the takeover, the contract with Comcast expired and the two parties could not reach an immediate deal.

Xfinity TV subscribers have been in the dark since the end of April.

Financial terms of the agreement were not announced. Disney was believed to have demanded higher fees and additional live game broadcasts, but it is unclear whether Comcast agreed to any of those demands.

The NFL Network was launched in 2003 and, as of June 2023, was available in 51.5 million homes across the United States.

NFL RedZone, hosted by Scott Hanson, was launched in September 2009.
–Field Level Media

Yanks Secure $2.6b in Private Equity

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BRONX – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The New York Yankees are receiving $2.6 billion in a deal with the private equity fund Apollo Sports Capital, the team announced on Tuesday.

The huge capital infusion for Yankee Global Enterprises will allow the team to refinance or retire much of its existing debt and then pursue new ventures, according to The Athletic.

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Hal Steinbrenner remains the Yankees’ managing general partner and the Steinbrenner family maintains full control of the historic franchise. Patriarch George Steinbrenner, who died in 2010, led a group of investors that bought the team from CBS for $10 million in 1973.

“We are continually seeking ways to strengthen our positioning, and this partnership allows us to explore pursuing strategic opportunities,” Hal Steinbrenner said in a news release.

An individual private equity fund can hold no more than a 15 percent stake in a club under the rules of Major League Baseball. The exact percentage of Apollo’s stake was not announced. Forbes’ annual list of MLB franchise valuations listed the Yankees at $8.5 billion in March.

In addition to the baseball team, Yankee Global Enterprises’ assets include the YES Network and stakes in MLS club New York City FC and Italian soccer team AC Milan, all of which could benefit from the new money.

Apollo Sports Capital is a branch of Apollo Global Management, a New York-based firm with nearly $1 trillion in assets under management. Apollo became the majority stakeholder of Spanish soccer power Atletico Madrid in 2025.

–Field Level Media

Tony Romo Arrested

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MILWAUKEE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Former Dallas Cowboys quarterback and current CBS NFL analyst Tony Romo was arrested in Milwaukee Thursday night on suspicion of operating a vehicle while under the influence, according to a Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office arrest report.

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The 46-year-old was stopped Thursday around 6:18 p.m. and “performed poorly” on standardized field sobriety tests, per the report.

He was taken into custody and booked before being released at approximately 11 p.m., and has a court date scheduled for Sept. 21.

A first-offense OWI is generally a civil offense, not a criminal charge, in Wisconsin, with a citation typically carrying a fine between $150-$300.

The police stop occurred while Romo was traveling southbound on Interstate 43.

Romo is a native of nearby Burlington, Wis., where he was the first Burlington High School student-athlete to be named all-state in three sports: football, basketball, and golf. His high school football team, the Burlington Demons, plays on a field that was named Tony Romo Field in 2020.

Romo has been the lead NFL game analyst at CBS since 2017, paired with Jim Nantz and Tracy Wolfson to cover games.

Signed as an undrafted free agent in 2003 out of Eastern Illinois, Romo spent the next 14 seasons with the Cowboys. He became their starting quarterback in 2006 and led Dallas to five playoff appearances.

A four-time Pro Bowler, he holds a 78-49 record in 156 regular-season games (127 starts). He had a career 65.3% completion rate, amassing 34,183 yards with 248 touchdowns and 117 interceptions.

–Field Level Media

It’s All About Spain

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EAST RUTHERFORD – (Wire Service Report) – Ferran Torres believed it was Spain’s destiny to win this World Cup. And he struck his decisive finish like a man certain of his convictions.

Torres powered home an emphatic half-volley from nine yards out in the 106th minute to lift Spain to their second World Cup title with a 1-0 win over gutsy, 10-man Argentina in Sunday’s final.

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“I think that in the end, the goal belonged to 47 million people, not to me or the 26 players here,” Torres said via an interpreter. “I believe that today destiny was written. It was meant for us to win, far from our fans, but we tried to make them feel as close as possible.”

Torres’ deserved decider came 16 years and eight days after Andres Iniesta also scored in extra time to lift the Spaniards to their first World Cup with a 1-0 victory over the Netherlands.

The winning goal came on La Roja’s 20th shot of the contest against the defending champions, who failed to manage any to that point and struggled to wrest possession away from their superior Iberian opponents.

That was true at even strength and became more difficult when the Albiceleste’s numbers were reduced when Enzo Fernandez’s late challenge of Pau Cubarsi left referee Slavko Vincic no choice but to produce a second caution just before the end of normal time.

Spain remain the only nation ever to win the European Championship and World Cup in successive tournaments, having now done so a second time after their Euro 2024 title. They are also the first World Cup champion ever to concede only once across an entire tournament. And they are the first winner of the UEFA Nations League to capture a world title, having triumphed at the eight-year-old competition in 2023.

“We’ve won everything, everything,” Spain manager Luis de la Fuente said through an interpreter. “And that’s wonderful, with a generation of footballers, I’ll say it again and again, who are an example for Spanish  sport, for Spanish youth, for Spain. Together we are stronger, let there be no doubt about that.”

Lionel Messi’s Argentina failed to earn another title after winning their last three major tournaments, having also captured the 2021 and 2024 Copa Americas on either side of their 2022 World Cup triumph.

The 39-year-old, eight-time Ballon d’Or winner Messi finished the competition with eight goals and four assists, but had little time on the ball until Spain finally took the lead. Even in some nervy late moments for Spain, he never seriously looked like lifting his side to another great moment as he has so many times in the last two World Cup cycles.

“Well, in the end, all finals are difficult, and when you have Messi on the opposing team, you always get nervous,” Torres said. “But ultimately, we’ve always depended on ourselves, on playing our style of football, and I think we demonstrated that once again today.”

Spanish midfielder Rodri won the FIFA Golden Ball for his efforts throughout the tournament, including his help in containing Messi Sunday, despite not tallying a single goal or assist himself.

Emi Martinez made 11 saves for the Albiceleste, who fell short in their bid to be the first consecutive World Cup champions since Brazil won the 1958 and 1962 titles.

“Yes, I think the game should have been decided much earlier,” de la Fuente said. “Dibu’s great saves prevented us from winning the game sooner. We could have taken a more comfortable lead. But this is a world championship final, and even with 10 men, you have to suffer at the end. But since we like to suffer, we’ve shown once again that we’re ready for anything.”

What had felt so difficult for the first 105 minutes suddenly looked easy after 37 seconds of play in the second period of extra time.

Pedro Porro curled in an outswinging cross from the left to the back post. Nico Williams won the header and nodded it back into space, and Torres hammered a half-volley at last past the flailing Martinez. It was his only goal of the tournament, making him the seventh player to score during a tournament in which his side never trailed.

An Argentina side that literally hadn’t managed a shot somehow found its way forward in the dying stages.

Messi curled a speculative effort just over the top left corner of Unai Simon’s goal, and after consecutive corners, Giuliano Simeone fired high from just beyond the top of the six-yard box. But for once this tournament, there was no miracle late drama in the Albiceleste’s favor.

Simon, who took home the Golden Glove award, notched his seventh clean sheet in eight matches this tournament and has nine clean sheets in his World Cup career, one away from tying the all-time mark.

–Field Level Media

 

Every Sinner has a Future

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LONDON – (Wire Service Report) – Italy’s Jannik Sinner found another Wimbledon title waiting on the other side of disappointment in Paris.

The world No. 1 successfully defended his championship at the All England Club on Sunday, rallying past Germany’s Alexander Zverev 6-7 (7), 7-6 (2), 6-3, 6-4 on Centre Court. Sinner’s fifth Grand Slam title came in his first tournament since a second-round collapse at the French Open ended his 30-match winning streak.

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It marked the second straight year the Italian star responded to a painful Roland Garros exit by lifting the trophy in London. Last year, Sinner arrived at Wimbledon after letting three championship points slip away against Carlos Alcaraz of Spain in the French Open final.

“There is no better place to play tennis,” Sinner said afterward. “You can feel the nerves Sunday morning waking up and it is a very special day and you never know how many times you will be able to come back on Sunday, so I never take things for granted.”

Zverev gave Sinner little room early Sunday. The German repeatedly leaned on his serve and captured a tight opening-set tiebreaker, ending a run of 14 consecutive sets lost to Sinner.

Sinner answered by taking control of the second tiebreaker. The first break point for either player did not arrive until the third set, more than 2 1/2 hours into the match.

That game also raised the biggest concern of the final. Zverev slipped behind the baseline while trying to change direction on a Sinner drop shot and grabbed his right knee. He kept playing after Sinner crossed the net to help him up, but soon missed a forehand, losing the first break of the match and falling behind 5-3.

Sinner served out the third set, then struck again in the fourth. He held the advantage until match point, when a forehand winner down the line ended the contest and sent him onto his back on the grass in celebration.

“It has been an amazing final once again and it always takes two players and Sascha (Zverev’s nickname) and I tried to give everything we had,” Sinner said. “I am very happy about the win, but also the level that we both played.”

Sinner had a 58-49 edge in winners and committed just 25 unforced errors to Zverev’s 45.

The victory extended Sinner’s winning streak against Zverev to 10 matches and made him the 10th man in the Open Era to successfully defend the Wimbledon singles title.

“I’m very happy that I’m trying to do my best every day,” Sinner said. “Sometimes you have a tournament with a good outcome, and sometimes you just don’t.

“There is no failure if you don’t win a Grand Slam. Now I have five in my whole life. We talk about five Grand Slams, but that’s five days out of so many other days. These are very, very rare days.

“You just want to enjoy it. Today was a very tough day. If I lose, it’s still a great day. Playing a Grand Slam final, it’s so rare and so special.”

Zverev was looking for his second straight major championship. He won the French Open last month.

“At 29 years old, this is the first time that I believe I can actually win this trophy,” Zverev said of the Wimbledon hardware. “… We had a pretty good two months even though we lost this final. An amazing two months.”

–Field Level Media

Boys of Summer / Gone

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – Charles De Ketelaere of Bruges scored a brace and added an assist as Belgium eliminated the United States from the World Cup with a 4-1 win in their round of 16 match on Monday. It was a convincing performance against the co-hosts for Belgium, who advance to play Spain in a quarterfinal match in Inglewood, California this Friday.

After Belgium thoroughly dominated in taking a 2-1 halftime lead, the U.S. ratcheted up the pressure coming out of the break seeking the equalizer. Instead, Belgium built a two-goal advantage when U.S. goalkeeper Matt Freese left his area only to misplay a long ball, leading to a goal into an empty net by Belgium midfielder Hans Vanaken in the 57th minute.

De Ketelaere was credited with the assist, which came after a pair of goals that asserted the Red Devils’ superiority in the first half. The Atalanta forward scored in the ninth and 33rd minutes, both times taking advantage of an overmatched United States backline to leave Freese with no chance.

“We played with mastery, with willingness and with determination,” Belgium coach Rudi Garcia said. “We showed a great face to the world.”

U.S. midfielder Malik Tillman tied the  game at 1-1 in the 31st minute when his free kick from just outside Belgium’s box was deflected and found the back of the net with Belgium goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois diving in the opposite direction.

It finally gave the partisan sellout crowd of 66,925 something to cheer about, but the momentum was very short-lived.

Less than two minutes later, De Ketelaere connected with a header off a cross from Leandro Trossard. It was the second time De Ketelaere got between American defenders Tim Ream and Antonee Robinson, this time out-jumping Ream for the clean header.

His first goal came in the ninth minute, when the U.S. failed to clear their lines despite having numerous players in the box. Nicolas Raskin, starting in place of Kevin De Bruyne, collected the ball on the edge of the penalty box. He sent a short cross to De Ketelaere, who easily converted after sneaking between Ream and Robinson.

“I think when you concede goals that easily against a team of that quality and that caliber, it’s going to be difficult,” U.S. midfielder Tyler Adams said. “We gave them good chances, or even half-chances, and they finished them.

“It was just a little bit too easy today.”

It marked the seventh and eighth international goals for De Ketelaere, who also scored in Belgium’s 5-2 win over the USMNT in a March friendly in Atlanta. He was predictably named the player of the match.

“It is something you dream of as a kid,” De Ketelaere said. “Being a decisive player in a knockout game is a dream come true.”

The American backline that had been considered the team’s weakness entering the World Cup appeared overwhelmed by the step up in competition from the outset against the ninth-ranked Belgians.

“Today we did not show our real quality,” U.S. coach Mauricio Pochettino said. “We started in a really poor way. Wasn’t our day, in a collective or an individual way.”

Garcia made four changes to his starting XI from his team’s dramatic 3-2 win over Senegal in the round of 32. He said that after going to extra time to get past Senegal, some players were still not fully recovered as of Sunday and that he did not settle on his starting lineup until hours before the Monday match.

“I wanted speed in the attack,” Garcia said. “They wanted to have a high press, and that’s what we did, not them.”

The Red Devils were aggressive from the outset, logging their first shot attempt in the first minute, forcing a diving save from Freese. Belgium captain Youri Tielemans also failed to convert an excellent look a few minutes later.

Pochettino brought on Giovanni Reyna to begin the second half in an attempt to find more scoring opportunities. However, the U.S. were forced to substitute off star Christian Pulisic in the 59th minute after the forward was injured attempting to line up a shot attempt and instead kicking the leg of a defender.

Another mistake by the U.S. backline led to Belgium’s fourth goal when Romelu Lukaku scored in second-half stoppage time after a turnover by Chris Richards.

“There’s so many different thoughts and emotions that are running through me at the minute that I’m not even thinking tactically or what could have been different or what should we have done,” Ream said.

“It’s just one of those that I probably won’t be able to personally think about for a few days, until I really sit back and allow the emotions to subside.”

Pochettino added, “It just hurts to be eliminated.

“We did not play at the level that we had shown in the past. In spite of that, we are very proud of our whole campaign together. And today hurts.”

–Derek Harper, Field Level Media

Folarin Balogun Back in Action

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SEATTLE – (Wire Service Report) – After a dream start to the World Cup they are co-hosting, the United States are one win away from their first quarterfinal appearance since 2002.

They’ll have the added benefit of being able to play star forward Folarin Balogun on Monday in the round of 16 against Belgium after FIFA made the unexpected move of overturning his automatic red-card suspension Sunday.

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After Belgium’s football federation released a lengthy statement decrying FIFA’s decision, which concluded with a promise to investigate “all potential options,” national team coach Rudi Garcia said at a press conference that the integrity of the game was top of mind.

“I didn’t know that at the FIFA World Cup, the fifth of July is now first April and that it’s April Fool’s Day. It is news to me,” Garcia said via a translation.

“I am a head coach, I will focus on my team on tomorrow’s game regardless of the 11 starting players from the U.S. I will focus on my team, the pitch tomorrow and for us to get the victory so we can reach the quarterfinals.”

Both Garcia and goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois said nothing changes in Belgium’s gameplan in reaction to the Balogun decision.

“Of course, it was the day prior to the game so that was a bit of a surprise,” Courtois said via a translation. “Had it been done earlier we would have been able to be more mentally prepared, perhaps.

“They have 11 players too. There’s not only Balogun. We just have to play on the pitch, be on the pitch and do what we do, play football and try and win this game.”

Balogun scored the first goal of the Americans’ 2-0 victory over Bosnia and Herzegovina in the round of 32, but he was sent off in the 64th minute after a VAR review led to his red card — the protocols for which were misapplied. Referees were not supposed to use slow-motion replays and stills to judge the severity of his contact with Tarik Muharemovic.

A team cannot appeal a red card to FIFA, but on Sunday the governing body cited article 27 of its disciplinary code, which says “the judicial body may decide to fully or partially suspend the implementation of a disciplinary measure.”

Balogun is now considered on probation for one year. The suspension of discipline would be revoked if he “commits another infringement of a similar nature and gravity.”

The USMNT was preparing to face Belgium without its leading goal-scorer of the tournament (three). Coach Mauricio Pochettino, who confirmed that U.S. Soccer pleaded its case to FIFA, concentrated on the argument that Balogun’s red card was wrongly applied in the first place.

“We were punished enough against Bosnia to play with 10 men for 30 minutes, in a decision that was unfair,” Pochettino said. “It’s not because I’m the head coach of the USA. … I think 99.9% of people agree it was an unfair red card.”

Amid the potential distraction and the joys of playing well at a home World Cup, the Americans must be ready for a top-flight goalkeeper in Courtois and a balanced Belgium attack. Romelu Lukaku, Youri Tielemans and Leandro Trossard have two goals apiece to pace the team, while five different players have contributed one assist.

After pushing through the group stage in underwhelming fashion (two draws, then a win over New Zealand), Belgium fell behind 2-0 to Senegal, one of Africa’s best teams. But Lukaku and Tielemans broke through Senegal’s defense in the 86th and 89th minutes to force extra time, Tielemans drew a penalty at the 120+5 mark and he completed the improbable comeback by converting from the spot.

Belgium understand that, with or without Balogun, the U.S. will be a dangerous opponent.

“We always prepare for all the possible strikers,” Courtois said. “I think (Balogun) is a very fast striker. Obviously a different profile than maybe (Ricardo) Pepi, but I think they are all good strikers. Also with (Sergino) Dest playing on the right wing, (Christian) Pulisic can play there. A lot of quality up front. They arrive well in the box. They create a lot of 1-v-1’s with the goalkeeper.”

They’ll also be up against a partisan crowd in a soccer-crazed part of the country, at a stadium that seats roughly 67,000.

“We’re very fortunate to have such amazing support as we’ve had. Specifically Seattle has been unbelievable in hosting us,” midfielder Tyler Adams said at training this weekend. “So it’s exciting to come back to a place that feels familiar, that obviously we had the win over Australia, to know that we can expect that same energy again in the biggest moment in our careers is really special.”

-Field Level Media

Stanley Cup Scores in Ratings

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NEW YORK – (Wire Service Report) – The high-scoring Stanley Cup Final turned into a ratings win for ABC, which drew the highest viewership for the NHL’s championship round in seven years, the network announced.

The Carolina Hurricanes’ six-game win over the Vegas Golden Knights attracted an average of 5.2 million viewers. The last time more people tuned in to see the Stanley Cup Final was in 2019, when 5.3 million on average watched the St. Louis Blues top the Boston Bruins in seven games.

The decisive game of the Hurricanes’ title run brought in 5.9 million, the highest for a finals Game 6 since 2019. The Game 6 rating more than doubled the audience that saw the Florida Panthers lift the cup after winning Game 6 against the Edmonton Oilers last year.

The 2025 finals were carried on the Turner networks. The Sunday clincher saw a 40% viewership rise from the last time ABC had the finals, in 2024, another series featuring the Panthers and Oilers.

The peak for the Sunday game was 7.2 million late in the contest as Carolina wrapped up the second championship in franchise history.

The first five games of the 2026 finals all featured at least six total goals, with both teams pulling off comebacks and two contests extending into overtime. Only the finale, a 3-0 Hurricanes victory, bucked the trend of both teams scoring multiple goals.

Ratings on ABC and ESPN for the entire 2026 playoffs were the highest ever for the company, averaging 2.2 million across 43 games, the networks announced. That figure was up 127% from 2025 and up 19% from 2024. ESPN aired the NHL playoffs from 1994-2002 plus each year since 2021.

–Field Level Media