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The Boston Celtics | For Sale

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BOSTON – (Staff and Wire Service Report with Team News Release) – Investors with deep pockets willing to purchase a champion can line up for bidding on the 2024 NBA Champion Boston Celtics.

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The franchise is available for purchase, according to a team issued news release.  The imminent sale comes on the heels of a record 18th NBA title secured last month, as the league’s most storied franchise defeated the Dallas Mavericks in a five-game NBA Finals.

No purchase price was reported. Earlier this year, Forbes estimated the franchise’s value at $4.7 billion.

The potential sale comes at a time when the Celtics could approach a record payroll — and payroll tax to the NBA — with All-Star and MVP candidate Jayson Tatum discussing a contract that would make him the league’s highest-paid player.

Boston Basketball Partners was formed in 2002 and it completed the purchase of the Celtics on New Year’s Eve of that year from previous owner Paul Gaston for $360 million. Reports at the time indicated the actual sale price was $310 million since $50 million of debt was not assumed by the new ownership group.

 

NFL Liable for $4.7B in Ruling

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LOS ANGELES – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The NFL plans to appeal a ruling by a federal jury in Los Angeles on Thursday that found the league liable for more than $4.7 billion in damages over antitrust violations related to DirecTV’s “Sunday Ticket” packages.

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The jury, after about five hours of deliberations across two days, voted unanimously that the NFL, DirecTV, CBS and Fox colluded to increase the price of the game packages.

The class-action lawsuit began in 2015 with a complaint filed by a San Francisco sports bar named the Mucky Duck that was dismissed in 2017. The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals later reinstated the case, which last year became a class action and covered more than 2.4 million residential subscribers and more than 48,000 businesses that purchased DirectTV’s “Sunday Ticket” package of out-of-market games from the 2011 through 2022 seasons.

If the verdict stands, it would award $4.7 billion in damages to the residential class and $96 million to the commercial class.

The damages could increase to up to $12.3 billion due to federal laws that triple the amount in antitrust cases.

“It’s a great verdict for consumers around America that this jury, despite the star power of the defendants, upheld the antitrust laws which are geared to protect consumers from overcharges,” Bill Carmody, lead attorney for the plaintiffs, told the Los Angeles Times. “Justice was served.”

The plaintiffs argued that NFL teams pooling their broadcasts through “Sunday Ticket” on a satellite provider and selling the package at an inflated price violated antitrust laws in restricting competition.

The NFL argued it has an antitrust exemption for broadcasting that covers “Sunday Ticket,” but the plaintiffs contended that applies to over-the-air broadcasts and not pay TV.

“Sunday Ticket” was offered on DirecTV from 1994-2022 before the NFL reached a seven-year contract with Google’s YouTube TV that began in 2023.

The NFL’s attorneys noted that it’s the only major sports league to offer all local games on free, over-the-air TV. They also said that DirecTV controlled the “Sunday Ticket” package pricing, which was often made free to attract subscribers.

“We are disappointed with the jury’s verdict today in the NFL Sunday Ticket class action lawsuit,” the NFL said in a statement. “We continue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free over-the-air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution of our most popular games, supplemented by many additional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model in all of sports and entertainment.

“We will certainly contest this decision as we believe that the class action claims in this case are baseless and without merit. We thank the jury for their time and service and for the guidance and oversight from (U.S. District) Judge (Philip) Gutierrez throughout the trial.”

Gutierrez could ask the league to consider possible structural changes in the “Sunday Ticket” package. The judge will hear post-trial motions on July 31. The league can contend to Gutierrez that the damages are excessive and unreasonable, and it can appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit and later to the U.S. Supreme Court.

–Field Level Media

Koch Industry Heir Invests in Nets

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BROOKLYN – (Wire Service Report via Sportico) – New York billionaire Julia Koch and her children are purchasing a minority stake in BSE Global, which owns the Brooklyn Nets of the NBA, the New York Liberty of the WNBA and Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

BSE Global announced the pending transaction but did not disclose financial terms. The NBA Board of Governors must approve the deal.

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Sportico reported the Kochs will buy 15 percent of BSE Global, adding that the value assigned to the company’s sports holdings was $6 billion. Under that scenario, the Kochs would pay $900 million for their share.

Forbes ranks Julia Koch as the 23rd-richest person in the world, with a net worth of $65.7 billion. She and her children inherited 42 percent of Koch Industries — one of the largest privately held companies in the nation — upon the death of her husband, David, in 2019.

BSE Global and the teams will remain under the control of Joe Tsai and Clara Wu Tsai. Joe Tsai’s net worth is $8.6 billion, per Forbes.

Kelce’s Invest in Small Batch Brew

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COLUMBUS – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – For the first time, Jason and Travis Kelce are teaming up as significant owners and operators of a business – and of course, it is with one of the fastest growing beer brands in the country, Garage Beer! The small batch brewed, classic light beer was founded in their home state of Ohio and has been growing rapidly across the country.

Jason Kelce and Travis Kelce team up as significant owners and operators of Garage Beer (Garage Beer via PR Newswire).

The Kelce brothers are passionate about their beer and their business and have talked for years about partnering together in the beverage category. With this passion, they wanted to be thoughtful and find the right opportunity with the highest quality brewery and brand that aligned with their values of how a business should be run. And most importantly, a company built to serve the customer. Jason and Travis believe that beer should be fun, and they want to partner with a brand that embodies the spirit of a neighborhood feel, a light beer all will enjoy. Serendipitously, through a prior relationship, the Kelces’ learned about Garage Beer and for the past two years have been laying the groundwork to join forces with the company.

The brothers join Garage as significant investors, partners, owners, and operators. Jason and Travis will be involved in every aspect of the business, including brewing, distribution, sales, marketing, and national expansion efforts. Retail displays will be in stores shortly along with social content, billboards, and other promotional activities.

The Garage Beer recipe was originally created in Cincinnati, Ohio (where Jason and Travis both played college football for the Cincinnati Bearcats) and the business headquarters is now just north in Columbus, Ohio. The beer is currently sold in Ohio, Kentucky, Tennessee, Indiana, Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Missouri, West Virginia, Idaho, Montana, and New Jersey… with planned expansion into dozens of new states this year.

“People crave quality and simplicity, and Garage Beer nails both for me. We are light beer drinkers and Garage is the best light beer,” said Jason Kelce. “For me, the brand fits my lifestyle, and having a few beers is a great excuse to get the neighbors together.”

“It comes down to quality for me. I think everyone knows I like to have a couple beers now and then, so being an owner of Garage Beer and heavily involved in making the best light beer is exciting, man! There is nothing better to bring people together than an ice-cold beer, and for Jason and me that is what beer is all about – friends, family and fun. I have worked with Andy for years and I really trust the team and their approach to running the business. We look forward to taking Garage Beer to the next level,” added Travis Kelce.

“We want a beer that tastes like beer and one that keeps the stories alive in the neighborhood. Garage prides ourselves on small batch brewing and a commitment to quality. Ever since our first conversation with Travis and Jason, it was clear we had similar opinions about beer, but they also had brilliant, and very funny, business sensibility. Our team better be on their toes now,” quipped Garage Beer co-owner Andy Sauer. “The garage is a symbol for building stronger communities one beer at a time, and I think we can all use more time with friends, family, and neighbors to talk, smile, laugh, and enjoy that time together.”

Bloomberg Joining A-Rod’s NBA Pursuit

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MINNEAPOLIS – (Staff and Wire Service Report) –  Former baseball great Alex Rodriguez and business partner Marc Lore have added a power hitter to their team as they attempt to gain majority ownership of the Minnesota Timberwolves and Lynx.

Billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg, the former presidential candidate and New York City mayor, is joining the prospective ownership group, The Athletic reported. Rodriguez and Lore currently own a 40 percent stake in the franchises, and they are embroiled in a dispute with current owner Glen Taylor as they attempt to gain control of the teams.

Forbes’ real-time billionaires list on Thursday reported the 82-year-old Bloomberg has a net worth of $106.2 billion, making him the 13th-richest person in the world.

Rodriguez and Lore had agreed to buy the franchises from Taylor at a valuation of $1.5 billion and had been buying chunks in 20 percent increments. In March, they owed Taylor more than $600 million as they attempted to buy another 40 percent and gain majority control, but Taylor said he canceled the deal when the partners changed financing groups and couldn’t come up with the money.

The prospective owners said that wasn’t true, and they have entered arbitration with Taylor in an attempt to resolve the issue. Should the deal go forward, Rodriguez and Lore would have until next March to buy the remaining 20 percent at a $300 million tag.

Per The Athletic, Bloomberg would contribute a portion of that $300 million to allow Rodriguez, Lore and their partner group to become 100 percent owners without waiting until March.

Rodriguez and Lore don’t plan to stop with just buying the franchises, should the arbitration go their way and the NBA governors approve their purchase. The Athletic reported they also are hoping to build a new, privately financed arena to replace the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Timberwolves have played at Target Center since the 1990-91 season, making it the second-oldest NBA venue, trailing only Madison Square Garden in New York.

12-Team CFP to Begin Dec.20th

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ATLANTA – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – The first 12-team edition of the College Football Playoff will begin on Dec. 20 and end exactly one month later, with the national championship game set to be played in Atlanta, it was announced Wednesday.

The expanded playoff format will start with four first-round games played at campus sites on Dec. 20 and Dec. 21. Two of those games will be broadcast on TNT, which has a sublicense with ESPN.

The quarterfinals begin on New Year’s Eve with the Fiesta Bowl at 7:30 p.m. ET, followed by a trio of games on New Year’s Day. The Peach Bowl will begin at 1 p.m., the Rose Bowl at 5 p.m. and the Sugar Bowl at 8:45 p.m.

Both semifinals will start at 7:30 p.m. The first, the Orange Bowl, will be played on Jan. 9, and the second, the Cotton Bowl, will take place on Jan. 10.

The championship game is set for 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 20 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Seize the Grey Takes Preakness

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BALTIMORE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Seize the Grey led gate to wire, holding off a charge from Mystik Dan to capture the 149th Preakness Stakes on Saturday at Pimlico Race Course.

Over a muddy track, Seize the Grey broke swiftly under jockey Jaime Torres and led the field out to sensible fractions. Seeking to replicate the ride that led Mystik Dan to the Kentucky Derby two weeks earlier, jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. had his mount in an early ground-saving position stalking the early pace with Imagination to the outside.

When the field hit the far turn, Seize the Grey moved on the rail, forcing Mystik Dan to his outside. Now having the ground saving position, Seize the Gray opened up a gap, which Mystik Dan failed to close at the head of the stretch. The winning time for the 1 3/16-mile race was 1:56.82.

Mystik Dan finished 2 1/4 lengths back of Seize the Gray. His loss extends the current Triple Crown drought to six years. Catching Freedom finished third.

Seize the Grey’s win made the 88-year-old D. Wayne Lucas the oldest trainer in history to win a Triple Crown race. Conversely, Torres won in his first Triple Crown start.

–Field Level Media

It’s an NFL Christmas

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NEW YORK – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Treading further into territory once reserved for NBA broadcasts, the NFL plans to continue airing games on Christmas Day beyond the 2024 doubleheader on Netflix announced.

NFL Vice President of Media Hans Schroeder said Thursday the league already has outlined plans for Christmas games in 2025 and 2026. Since Christmas is on a Saturday in 2027, it’s a near certainty regular-season games will be played that day, too.

“Amazon will have their traditional Thursday night game in primetime on Christmas on Thursday next year, and we’ll have another game on Netflix in the afternoon,” Schroeder said on a conference call discussing the league schedule for the 2024 season released Wednesday.

“Netflix will have a game on Friday the year after that (2026). We’ll use how we think about ’25 to form how we go into ’26.”

With Christmas falling on a Wednesday in 2024, the four teams involved were scheduled for Saturday games the week before to emulate the Saturday-to-Thursday game week schedule.

Traditionally, the NBA is the only game competing for airtime with a scarce sports broadcast schedule on Christmas Day. After ratings showed sincere interest from fans in Christmas games in 2023, the NFL claims it decided to commit to more in future seasons.

All three games had more than 27 million viewers according to Nielsen, ratings that piqued the interest of the NFL. The games were peeled out of the full network broadcast agreements and Netflix reportedly bid $75 million for each of its three holiday games.

VP of Broadcast Mike North said the NFL “wasn’t thinking about” scheduling on Christmas 2024 at this time last year.

“When you saw the viewership numbers for Christmas for the tripleheader last year, and the tripleheader the year before — I think it’s four of the last five years that we’ve played on Christmas — the fans have spoken,” North said. “They want the games there and our broadcast partners want the games there.”

–Field Level Media

It’s Mystik “Derby” Dan in Front

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LOUISVILLE – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Mystik Dan, with jockey Brian Hernandez Jr. aboard, won the 150th Kentucky Derby on Saturday in a three-way photo finish, edging Sierra Leone and Forever Young at Churchill Downs in Kentucky.

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Mystik Dan, which started out of the No. 3 post, squeezed through on the rail on the final turn, led throughout the stretch and just held off a charging Sierra Leone and Forever Young by a nose at the wire. Catching Freedom finished fourth.

At 18-1, Hernandez was able to capture his first Kentucky Derby after a short wait for the result to become official. Sierra Leone, the second favorite at 9-2, was ridden by Tyler Gaffalione, while Forever Young, the third favorite at 6-1, had Ryusei Sakai aboard.

Derby favorite Fierceness, at 3-1, finished 15th in the 20-horse field.

The second leg of the Triple Crown takes place May 18 with the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore. The final leg is June 8 in the Belmont Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, NY.

There have been 13 Triple Crown winners, with Justify the last in 2018.

–Field Level Media

PGA Tour: Furyk and “Fluff” Part Ways

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McKINNEY (Texas) – (Staff and Wire Service Report) – Caddie Mike “Fluff” Cowan and Jim Furyk have parted ways amicably after 25 years together. Cowan, who was on the bag for Tiger Woods in the late 1990s, is returning to the PGA Tour.

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Cowan is working with Taiwanese pro C.T. Pan at this week’s CJ Cup Byron Nelson in Texas.

“It’s hard to part ways after 25 years,” Cowan said, per USA Today’s Golfweek. “Sometimes the right thing to do is staring you right in the face and you’ve got to have the guys to do it.”

Furyk, 53, and Cowan have worked together since the 1999 Masters.

The timing of the move for Cowan is based on simple economics, as Furyk has been sidelined with injuries over the past two years. His best finish in three starts on the Champions Tour this season is a T33 at the Hoag Classic in March.

“We play for $2 million. They play for $8, $20, $25 million,” Furyk wrote in a text to Golfweek. “I knew it was a good opportunity for him, and C.T. has been playing pretty good. (Fluff) was hesitant. Because he’s a great person at heart. But I pushed and we both knew it was best for him and his family.”

Pan, 32, has earned $674,187 so far this season, compared to $19,464 for Furyk.

Furyk’s son, Tanner, is scheduled to caddie for the 2003 U.S. Open champion at three to four events this summer.