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Sports Business

TLs Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 2, 2022

January 2, 2022 by Terry Lyons

While We’re Young (Ideas)

DIGGIES 2022 and Suggestion Box for Baseball

By TERRY LYONS

BOSTON – Back by popular demand, we give you the very first “DIGGIES 2022,” the top start-ups, new companies and other assorted things to anticipate with great expectations in 2022. One thing you can be assured of, Theranos will NOT be on the list.

To begin, we’ll start you off with a “Lucky 7” DIGGIES in sports investments.

Guru.Club – Remember where you “heard it first,” as Guru Club will be making a major impact in dozens of verticals, including sports, ticket sales, and everything associated with the industry. The Boston-based brand loyalty and new wave/social advertising start-up has very reasonable prices and room for growth for all brands.

HYDROW – Boston-based HYDROW is to rowing as Peloton is to cycling, complete with a monthly fee/membership to experience new and innovative content. HYDROW has been a product, engineered and marketed to the very serious “Head of the Charles” level rower. CEO Bruce Smith competed and coached in the Head of the Charles and 2015 World Championships.

Nex/Homecourt – Parent company Nex has two products and one is Homecourt, an application that allows young basketball players to train smarter, learn from the pros, and gear their training while improving skills that are applicable to NBA Combine level. Nex investors include Samsung, Blue Pool Capital, Harris Blitzer Sports Entertainment, Alibaba Entrepreneurship Fund, NBA, soccer great Thierry Henry, WNBA and USA Basketball legend Sue Bird, Harvard star and NBA phenom, now playing in China Jeremy Lin, former NBA MVP and current Brooklyn Nets coach Steve Nash, baseball legend Albert Pujols, actor and entrepreneur Will Smith, Steven Chen, co-founder YouTube, Matt Mullenweg, Co-Founder WordPress, RohamGharegozlou, Founder, Dapper Labs, NBA TopShot, Mark Cuban, team owner, Dallas Mavericks, and executives from Facebook, Uber, YouTube, Disney, and MasterClass.

PGA TOUR Brunch – A brand you’ve read about before in this column, the six days a week e-News to your Inbox is designed to give PGA Tour fans a mobile-first, and mobile-friendly tournament previews, betting odds, news updates and the most important links to content to save you time as you read the news on your device over lunch, brunch or whenever. Compiled and written by this reporter (Terry Lyons) who enjoys weekly competition in a couple Fantasy Golf leagues, too. Sign-Up or gift PGA TOUR Brunch to your favorite golfer or PGA TOUR fan and receive a special 205 discount by visiting HERE. (Notification: PGA Tour Brunch is not affiliated with the Tour and is a publication by Digital Sports Desk and TERRY LYONS)

Real Response – Real Response is designed to help sports organizations empower their student-athletes and give them the tools needed as the marketing world changes via Name, Image and Likeness opportunities (and eventual regulation). RealResponse partners with over 100 collegiate institutions and athletic organizations like the NFL Players Association, and USA Gymnastics. Through surveys, real-time reporting, and a comprehensive documentation repository, Real Response provided over 50,000 athletes a safe space to deliver concerns and feedback to their administration(s) and reps.

ShotTracker – A ‘not too’ oldie but goodie, here, Shot Tracker is growing its influence. ShotTracker is a sensor-based system that automatically captures statistical and performance analytics for (mostly men’s and women’s basketball) teams in real-time. Up-to-the-minute shot charts, optimal lineups, box scores in game, all streaming instantly into coaches and/or video assistants hands. the late David Stern was on it early, via Greycroftinvestment arm, and now Magic Johnson, Seventy-Six Capital and a host of others are onboard.

Too Good To Go – A global start-up from Europe, now expanding in the USA. They work with Restaurants, Bakeries, Grocery Stores and Households to combat the waste of good food. There’s certainly a future application for sports venues, caterers, and vendors.


HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Between college and pro basketball, a few Bowl games, a slew of NHL games, along with airline flights, there’s been more cancellations than a postmaster detailing stamps at the Post Office. Everyone from bus drivers to vendors to NBA referees are quarantining after positive tests from any and all variants of the COVID-19 virus, but somehow, the band plays on.

Schedule makers in the NHL might have an easier time making up lost games, as they now have the gap in the original schedule, pre piously being held for the 2022 Winter Olympic Games. … College conferences will struggle mightily to find dates to reschedule games and we’re already seeing games that were previously planned to be played in the big time sports arenas, now being relegated to the small on-campus gyms. That’s bad for season ticket holders, but possibly good for added home court advantage but the idea of seeing a packed house in Seton Hall’s tiny Walsh Gymnasium screams super-spreader.

THE BOWLS: The concept, formerly known as the College Football Bowl Season, is in deep trouble. Not only are teams cancelling because of COVID-19 concerns (which is unavoidable at this point in time), but the changing tides of college football result more and more in bowl teams arriving without their head coach, a defensive coordinator (who took on a job opportunity elsewhere) or star players who opt-out of the bowl game to work with professional trainers and strength and conditioning coaches to better prepare for the NFL Combine and Draft.

This column tries best not to be by-lined by Captain Obvious, but a MAJOR change needs to be made and the powers-that-be in college athletics and college football need to act now, rather than later.

There is no simple solution.

One thought is to expand the College Football Playoff system from four to 16 teams and draw a line in the turf right there. Only 16 college football teams would qualify for post-season and four pods of four teams each would be established to create a “Final Four” scenario that we currently enjoy.

Purists – a.k.a. lovers of the Bahamas Bowl, the Tailgreeter Cure Bowl or the Jimmy Kimmel Bowl – might lament. The option there would be to create a college football version of the “National Invitational Tournament” (NIT) and have an “on-campus” game or two to create the NIT Final Four which could be played in the likes of Dayton Ohio or Las Vegas.

The NCAA would also have to create a “No Fly Zone” or moratorium against the hiring or firing of college football coaches from November through January 15.

Michigan and Georgia at the Orange Bowl (Photo by Jeff Goldstein)


DIAMOND DUST-UPs: If the College Bowl Season is broken in two, Major League Baseball has been smashed to pieces.

Currently in lock-out mode, MLB players are working-out on their own and have 42 days until Pitchers & Catchers report for Spring Training. Negotiations are on-going for a new Collective Bargaining Agreement to govern the sport for years to come and the process might become quite painful for both team owners and players.

There are drastic steps that need to be taken in the next agreement. Here are a few:

  1. SALARY CAP SYSTEM: MLB, like football, basketball and hockey before it, must negotiate a Salary Cap (minimum and maximum team salary structure) to govern the Majors. Unless on-field miracles occur, there’s easily 15-20 MLB teams that have little to no chance of competing for a World Series title. Every year, there’s one or two surprise teams that might make the Wild Card playoffs and ride a “hot” pitching or a few “hot” bats, but for the most part, the system is so broken, only the big time teams can compete. A Salary Cap system seems unavoidable, but the MLB Players Association will fight, claw and scream their way out of any collective agreement that includes team salary limits, and curtailing the free agency market.
  2. RULES: MLB must address the designated hitter, the extra-inning rules brought on by COVID-19, including seven-inning doubleheaders and the man-on-second-base rule for extra innings. I’d go with the DH in both leagues and that would be a major “get” for the Union as the jobs of aging players unable to play the field would be protected for all 30 teams. On the others, I’d lean hard against the seven-inning twin bills and the “man-on-second-base” rule. Additionally, there needs to be major change in the way relief pitchers are being utilized. While the purists can claim that MLB managers should be able to do whatever it takes to win a ballgame, the use of eight-to-10 pitchers every game is excessive and the TV audience simply tunes out. The DH should go one way or the other. In or out. (It’s currently only in the American League and has been since 1973. That’s 49 years of inequity. … The pace of play also comes in under the area of game rules that need to be addressed in the CBA. Recent reports have noted the Office of Baseball and the MLB Players have been meeting/discussing non-economic or core issues. Here’s a “Six/Fix” for Baseball:
    • Suggestion One: No mound visits in the first three innings unless a pitcher is going to be removed from the game. (Of course, MLB Trainers can assist a pitcher if there’s an injury from a come-backer).
    • Suggestion Two: Limit the number of pitchers to be ‘active” for any one game. Ten or 12 pitchers max. Others can be healthy scratches, ready for the next game.
    • Suggestion Three: Limit shifting. Each position would have a range of space where the defensive players can be positioned. The range could be on electronic notification that would “beep” in a players’ fielding glove if he approached his space limitation area.
    • Suggestion Four: Address bench-clearing. Bench clearing brawls in Baseball are often no more than pushing-shoving or square-dancing, but there’s always the potential for an all-out “Rudy T” moment and serious injury. There is NO REASON players should leave the dugout. a minimum 20-game suspensions would take care of it. Second offense? How about 50 games?
    • Suggestion Five: Bench clearing from the bullpen is just ridiculous. It’s the easiest fix of the bunch. If a reserve pitcher/catcher/coach leaves a bullpen area during an altercation, Baseball should be able to suspend the player for 50 games.
    • Suggestions Six: (This might sound ridiculous, but a cumulative 10-15 minutes every game is spent as batters nervously re-adjust their batting gloves for every pitch). Once a player steps in the batter’s box, he can no longer adjust his batting gloves. Period. First infraction, a warning. Second infraction? Off come the batting gloves for the rest of the game.

 

MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred and MLB Unit Exec Director Tony Clark

Filed Under: MLB, While We're Young Ideas Tagged With: Baseball, Sports Biz, Sports Business, While We're Young Ideas

Joe Moore Offensive Line Award Winners Rewarded with NIL Deal

December 29, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

ANN ARBOR – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The Foundation for Teamwork, owners and creators of the Joe Moore Award which honors the most Outstanding Offensive Line Unit in College Football, today announced that it is believed to be the first post season college award program to launch a Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) program for its recipients. Timing is everything and the Joe Moore Award is excited to create a partnership with nine members of the 2021 award winners, the offensive line at the University of Michigan. Michigan was awarded the trophy in a ceremony last week in Ann Arbor and will play the University of Georgia in the College Football Playoffs semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Dec 31.

“We have seen the great amount of exposure that both winners and finalists of all the major college football awards receive throughout the years, but the actual and immediate benefit from winning the award typically goes to the presenter, not the presentee,” said Aaron Taylor, CBS college football analyst and co-founder of the Joe Moore Award. Taylor, a member of the College Football Hall of Fame, played guard and tackle at the University of Notre Dame for the Award’s namesake, the legendary offensive line coach Joe Moore.

“We want to begin to change that dynamic with the growth of NIL for these athletes, and the Joe Moore Award is proud to be what we believe to be the first of the major awards to begin a program which will have long-lasting benefits and a financial upside for our winners, and in many cases for the causes which will be tied to the program. On the field, we’ve always known that when the o-line wins, we all win, and we’re excited to help Michigan’s O-line extend that same principle in our communities.”

The members of the Michigan offensive line will receive 100% of net t-shirt sales, with a portion going to a philanthropic beneficiary. Additionally, the Joe Moore Award will match the players’ charitable gift, up to $10,000, to help further the reach of the winning unit’s impact on their communities. The t-shirts and limited edition merchandise are designed by Make Your Move, an automated digital on-demand order processing and fulfillment partner and are available starting at $20.00 at gomym.com/collections/joe-moore-award.

The charity beneficiaries for the 2021 season are: The Seal Legacy Foundation which is dedicated to providing support to families of wounded and fallen United States Navy SEALs, educational assistance for SEALs and their families, and other charitable causes benefiting the SEAL community; and The AthLife Foundation, a national platform works to ensure that deserving kids from our nation’s most challenged, yet promising communities, can achieve in their future careers beyond sport.

Under offensive line coach Sherrone Moore, Michigan’s starting O-line has featured guard/tackle Karsen Barnhart (2 starts), guard Chuck Filiaga (4 starts), left tackle Ryan Hayes (13 starts), tackle Trente Jones (1 start), left guard Trevor Keegan (10 starts), right tackle Andrew Stueber (13 starts), center Andrew Vastardis (13 starts), and right guard Zak Zinter (11 starts). In addition, tight end Joel Honigford, a converted O-lineman, warrants mention as a key contributor to Michigan’s success.

Michigan led the Big Ten and lists 10th nationally in rushing (223.8 yards per game). The unit has conceded the fewest tackles for loss (27) and third-fewest sacks (10) in the nation this season. Only Army and Air Force, with a combined 204 pass attempts, have allowed fewer sacks. Michigan’s line has paved the way for a 1,000-yard back in Hassan Haskins (1,288 yards) and have another back in range in Blake Corum (939 yards). All five positions earned all-conference honors, with four of the five starters earning first or second-team accolades: Stueber (1st team), Hayes, Vastardis and Zinter (2nd) and Keegan (honorable mention).

 

Filed Under: NCAA, NCAA Football, Sports Business Tagged With: Michigan, NCAAF, Sports Business

NBA Re-Ups with Draft Kings, Fan Duel

November 4, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – The National Basketball Association expanded partnerships making DraftKings and FanDuel Group its “co-official” sports betting partners with both companies having expansive rights to integrate NBA highlights, statistics, and content throughout their sports betting and daily fantasy sports platforms.

As part of the expanded relationships, DraftKings and FanDuel will continue to utilize official NBA betting data and league marks and logos across their sports betting and free-to-play game offerings. Beginning immediately to celebrate the NBA’s 75th Anniversary, DraftKings and FanDuel will create and feature NBA content that includes game highlights.

FanDuel and DraftKings will also become sports betting partners of the NBA in Canada, where they both plan to launch later this season.

“DraftKings and FanDuel are market leaders who have been incredible partners in engaging with the millions of NBA fans who enjoy fantasy and betting,” said Scott Kaufman-Ross, Senior Vice President, Head of Gaming & New Business Ventures, NBA. “DraftKings and FanDuel sit at the center of the continued convergence between media and sports betting, and, together, we are excited to bring these unique content experiences to our fans.”

Expanding on its existing partnership dating back to 2014, FanDuel will now become the exclusive presenting partner of the weekly NBABet Show each Monday night on NBA TV. As part of the new deal, fans will be able to choose to see FanDuel odds displayed on the Games page of NBA.com.

“For the past seven years the NBA and FanDuel have architected the platinum standard of partnership between a professional sports league and mobile sports gaming operator,” said Amy Howe, President & CEO of FanDuel Group. “Combining the star power of the NBA with our industry leading platform has resulted in innovations that have significantly enhanced the fan experience. We are proud of the deep working relationship we have built with the NBA, and that this agreement will celebrate a decade of official partnership.”

DraftKings, whose business relationship with the NBA dates back to 2019, will now become the exclusive presenting partner of NBABet Stream, the NBA’s betting-focused telecast on NBA League Pass and the NBA TV App. NBABet Stream presented by DraftKings will air its first game this Friday, November 5. In addition, DraftKings will activate on-site at tentpole NBA events, including the NBA All-Star Game, Rising Stars, NBA All-Star Saturday Night and NBA Draft presented by State Farm.

“The NBA season only just tipped off, and yet we have already seen the immediate impact of the sport among our customer base with significant reengagement along with healthy new betting activity across all of our states,” said Ezra Kucharz, chief business officer at DraftKings. “All of this signals the rising demand for NBA basketball in its 75th anniversary season among sports bettors and daily fantasy players, and we are pleased to continuously collaborate with the league on new offerings like our NBABet Stream integration.”

The NBA will collaborate with both DraftKings and FanDuel in support of its ongoing commitment to responsible gambling, which includes public education via social media messaging and public service announcements, public advocacy, and the enforcement of strict standards and limitations on betting-related advertising across NBA and partner platforms. Both DraftKings and FanDuel will also work with the league on best-in-class practices to protect the integrity of NBA games.

Filed Under: NBA, Sports Business Tagged With: Draft Kings, Fan Duel, NBA, Sports Biz, Sports Business

Sports Biz: Costacos Goes Digital

October 21, 2021 by Terry Lyons

SEATTLE – (Staff Report from Official News Release) – Award-winning artist John Costacos, who established a genre of sports art with his famed sports personality poster creations, along with co-founder and CEO Justin Moorad and Digital Art Director Mike Campau, unveiled a new blockchain-based digital collectibles company, the Costacos Collection.

The Costacos Collection is partnering with an initial lineup of legendary NFL, MLB, and NBA players and their charitable foundations, including Warren Moon, Troy Aikman, Jim McMahon, Roger Clemens, Will Clark, and others to be announced in the coming weeks. The Costacos Collection – the predecessor of which sold over 30,000,000 posters from 1986-96 – utilizes the blockchain medium to help the world’s greatest athletes capture their most significant moments, tell their most meaningful stories, and create new digital experiences to connect with fan communities. In addition to re-imagining John’s revered poster art, the Costacos Collection is creating new digital art as NFTs, with the tokens serving as the ticket to the company’s upcoming Hall of Fame Metaverse.

The Topps Company will also be a partner of the Collection, drawing on content from its vast historical archives and working with Costacos to create new content with Topps’ current-athlete partners.

CostacosCollection.com will serve as the gateway to the company’s listings as well as post-sale experiences, which will include communities and experiences exclusive to NFT owners. The company plans to fill the gap where Big Tech’s social media has failed: enabling fans to connect with and support their heroes directly. Through community engagement features, museum-style social displays, games, raffles and giveaways, trading and staking based on live and AI-generated sporting events, and the bridging of the digital with physical items and events, the company is pursuing a vision not held back by any one particular partnership or association.

“We believe in the long-term power of the technology,” said CEO Justin Moorad. “With a chain-agnostic approach, we’re able to form partnerships across the ecosystem – from the highest-quality art minted securely on Ethereum, to games built on Solana, to opportunities for proprietary fungible tokens, the Costacos Collection is building technology that positions our athletes at the center of the evolving landscape.”

John Costacos’ posters included imagery, slogans, and nicknames that stuck with players for the rest of their careers, including his first poster, Kenny Easley’s “The Enforcer”, the Oakland A’s “Bash Brothers,” Charles Barkley’s “Get Off My Backboard,” Jerry Rice’s “Goldfingers,” Michael Jordan’s “Space, The Final Frontier,” Joe Montana’s “The Golden Great,” Jim McMahon’s “Mad Mac,” Walter Payton’s “Chicago Vice,” Rickey Henderson’s “Man of Steal,” Troy Aikman’s “Strong Arm of the Law,” and many others with athletes such as Jackie Joyner-Kersee, Ken Griffey Jr., Bo Jackson, John Elway, Karl “Mailman Malone, Dominique Wilkins, and Magic Johnson. In addition to working with legacy athletes, Costacos will create new digital artwork with a growing number of today’s future Hall of Famers, Rookies of the Year, and Heisman-level college athletes.

“As an athlete of color and an entrepreneur, and as someone with roots in Seattle personally and professionally, nothing exuded cool more than a Costacos poster,” said Hall of Fame quarterback Warren Moon. “The Costacos Collection will now be able to recapture that cool in digital art, which is going to be fun for all the veteran athletes from all sports who became part of his ‘must have collection’ as well as for a new generation who will be engaging with this unique artwork for the first time. It’s an honor to be part of this unveiling.”

“My relationship with every athlete came from listening to their creative process and thinking of what we, as fans, would want to see, and that process has never really changed over the years,” Costacos said. “The growth of digital technology gives us an exciting chance not just to offer pieces in digital form, but to take them and retell the story with the athlete’s input now 20 years later with additional custom content.”

“John Costacos and his artwork helped expand the reach of the most legendary athletes of a generation to fans who knew us for being in unique artwork sometimes more than what we did on the field,” said Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez. “Now being able to revisit that artwork as NFTs will open new doors for fans who can collect the pieces yet again. I know for the LatinX audience that craves connecting with its heroes, this will be a fun and unique experience that should open more opportunities for NFTs as well.”

Born and raised in Seattle, Washington, Costacos attended the University of Washington and graduated with a degree in Finance, notably with no formal education in graphic design, photography, printing or art. A lifelong sports fan, John and his brother Tock had a fascination with mixing sports and pop culture in a time when the two areas rarely shared a stage. He created T-shirts of his alma mater’s football team titled “Purple Reign,” a reference to the Washington Huskies’ purple colors and Prince’s song “Purple Rain,” and quickly sold out of his initial run of 20,000 T-shirts. That led to a second project when John dreamed up the slogan “Real Men Wear Black” and put it on a T-shirt for LA Raiders fans. That popular design, with no marketing budget, was a massive commercial success. It sold out in very short order and got the brothers an invite to the Raiders headquarters in El Segundo, California, where they met All-Pro defensive back Lester Hayes, who asked them to create “Lester’s Court,” modeled after a reference to “The Judge” nickname Hayes earned while playing at Texas A&M and an allusion to the very popular “The People’s Court” television show. The images were shot in a courthouse with Tock dressed in San Francisco 49ers colors, presenting footballs marked with game dates of Hayes’ interceptions. The Hayes imagery was wildly popular and the pair started to pursue poster-making in full force, beginning with local Seattle Seahawks star Kenny Easley. The Easley poster led to another poster of Chicago Bears sensation Jim McMahon, and the business skyrocketed from there.

Costacos was out of the art and sports world for almost two decades until 2016, when he was commissioned to relaunch his unique point of view for a poster of then-rising star Russell Wilson, to raise money for Wilson’s “Why Not You” Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to education, children’s health and fighting poverty.  The fundraiser for the release of the poster, hosted by ESPN’s Kenny Mayne, netted $435,000, highlighted by the auction of the first two printed posters for $30,000 each. In 2018, Costacos created a poster of New York Yankees slugger Aaron Judge for Adidas to announce their endorsement deal with him. It was prominently featured on billboards and bus stops across New York City and became a must-have piece for thousands of fans. The interest in the original Costacos pieces has also never waned, as evidenced by UFC President Dana White purchasing 40 original Costacos works in a New York art gallery for over $100,000 alongside Hall of Famer Alex Rodriguez who spent nearly $40,000 himself on a series of posters the last time the original pieces were on public sale a few years ago. These recent instances, along with the encouragement and persuasion of a growing list of elite athletes and collectors, raised the itch for Costacos to get back in the game.  But this time Costacos, ever the pioneer, presents a unique twist to the traditional, combining his rare mix of artistic vision and his penchant for capturing sports figures, into breath-taking, cutting-edge digital form.

Filed Under: Sports Business Tagged With: John Costacos, NBA, NFL, Sports Biz, Sports Business

Sports Biz: NBA Extends HBCU Support

October 21, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

NEW YORK –  (Staff Report from Official League News Release) – The NBA will extend and expand its ongoing commitment to Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) with new programs designed to create greater opportunity for students and alumni, encourage economic advancement and further celebrate their rich traditions.  As part of this partnership, the NBA will develop new programs and events focused on the HBCU community – specifically around professional development, career advancement and increased support and awareness for HBCU athletics and institutions.

The NBA is committed to supporting the growth of the next generation of leaders from the Black community.  HBCUs – which produce 20 percent of the country’s Black college graduates but only account for three percent of all colleges in the United States – have historically been under-resourced, averaging one-eighth the size of endowments of historically white colleges and universities.  The NBA’s programming will advance educational, career and economic opportunities in collaboration with HBCU networks, and will focus on three areas:

New Fellowship Program for Career Development:

  • Starting in 2022, the NBA and its teams will offer a new paid fellowship program for undergraduate and graduate students.  The program, which will be led by the NBA Foundation, will offer HBCU students the opportunity to gain real-life insights and professional experience around the business and operations of basketball.  The students will work in positions at the league office and NBA and WNBA teams, and be matched with a league or team employee mentor as part of their experience.  Applications for the program will open on Careers.NBA.com in the coming months.

NBA HBCU Classic:

  • Building off the success of NBA All-Star 2021, the NBA and the National Basketball Players Association (NBPA) will once again highlight the HBCU community during NBA All-Star 2022 in Cleveland.
  • The celebrations will be highlighted by a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) matchup between Howard University and Morgan State University men’s basketball teams.  The game will be played at the Wolstein Center in Cleveland on February 19, 2022 and will be broadcast live.
  • During NBA All-Star, more than $1 million will be contributed in support to the HBCU community through the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), UNCF (United Negro College Fund) and academic institutions.  Additionally, HBCUs will be showcased through unique content, storytelling and special performances.

Additional Programs:

  • The NBA, G League and Basketball Africa League will leverage their pre-Draft combines and showcase events for HBCU players, coaches and athletic trainers.  These engagements will increase exposure and opportunities to pursue professional basketball careers.
  • The league will expand the NBA’s targeted referee development strategy to leverage existing programs and focus on identification, training and educational opportunities for HBCU students and alumni in the officiating pipeline.
  • The NBA 2K League will host events with HBCU networks to introduce students to careers in gaming and esports, creating pathways for students to pursue careers in the growing industry.
  • HBCU alumni and Black entrepreneurs will partner with the league as part of the NBA’s commitment to onboarding more minority-owned businesses as league licensees.
  • The NBA will air special alternate game telecasts this season featuring interactive enhancements on League Pass and will work with HBCU schools to provide special experiences around those select games.

These new efforts will bolster the league’s support of HBCUs and their students through additional scholarship programs, business case competitions, mentorship, networking and internship opportunities with partners, teams, the NBA Foundation and other members of the NBA family.  Former NBA Commissioner, the late David Stern, served as a founding member of the TMCF Board of Directors for more than 30 years.

Filed Under: NBA, Sports Business Tagged With: HBCU, NBA, Sports Biz, Sports Business

NBA Today to Debut on ESPN in October

September 21, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

BRISTOL, CT – (Staff, Wire Service and Official News Release reporting) – On the eve of the upcoming regular season, a new show, “NBA Today,” an hour-long panel discussion show, will debut on ESPN this October 18. Malika Andrews will host “NBA Today,” joined by network NBA analysts Kendrick Perkins, Chiney Ogwumike and Vince Carter along with ESPN senior writer Zach Lowe. Various ESPN network and ESPN.com basketball reporters will join the show when appropriate. The show will air weekdays from 3-4 ET.

Embed from Getty Images

“NBA Today” replaces “The Jump,” which ESPN canceled amid controversy surrounding host and longtime basketball reporter Rachel Nichols involving comments she made about former colleague Maria Taylor.

Andrews, 26, joined the network in 2018 and has seen an increasingly visible role in ESPN’s coverage of the NBA. ESPN said Monday her new role is part of a multiyear contract extension, but details were not disclosed. Taylor left ESPN for a multi-million dollar deal at NBC Sports.

Filed Under: NBA, Sports Business Tagged With: ESPN, NBA on ESPN, Sports Biz, Sports Business

While We’re Young (Ideas) – Sept. 19

September 19, 2021 by Terry Lyons

TL’s Sunday Sports Notebook

By TERRY LYONS

HERE NOW, THE NOTES: Aside from the amazing drone tour of the Dallas Cowboys’ training town in Frisco, Texas, this year’s version of “Hard Knocks” on HBO seemed a bit stale. … The answer? The Indianapolis Colts will be the featured NFL team during a special “in-season” edition of “Hard Knocks,” starting Nov. 17. The producers promise to “deliver the signature all-access coverage in the first show of any kind to document an NFL franchise in-season and in real time,” and to “follow the Colts as they navigate the challenges of an NFL season and battle for a playoff berth.” … The challenge for the creators of “Hard Knocks” will unfold when the Colts won-loss record is known to all following NFL week 10 on November 14th. Plans call for new episodes to premiere each Wednesday through the end of the Colts’ season which concludes January 9th at Jacksonville. … Here’s hoping they don’t screw up the best theme song on the current sports landscape with David Robidoux’s opus of excellence with THIS THEME.


DIAMOND DUST-UPs: In the category of “you heard it here first,” keep an eye out for San Diego Padres minor league prospect James Wood, the 62nd overall pick in the MLB Draft now playing for the Padres’ entry in the Arizona Complex League. Wood is batting .372 after a 3-for-3 Saturday (Sept. 18th) which included a home run. The left-handed hitting, righty throwing, 6-foot-7, 19-year old baseball prospect out of the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Florida caught some attention in July when he signed a $2.6 million signing bonus with the Padres. … Speaking of padre, James’ father is Kenny Wood, an East Hampton H.S. (‘89) and University of Richmond (1990-1993) basketball star who went on to play professional ball overseas. … James Woods’ uncle is Howard Wood, an East Hampton, Long Island basketball star who played at Tennessee and was a second round draft pick by the Utah Jazz in 1981.

IN THE COMPANY OF TED: Boston Red Sox 1B/3B Bobby Dalbec hit his 20th double of the 2021 season on Saturday. In addition, the Red Sox rookie has five triples, 23 homers, and 75 RBI this season. The only other Red Sox rookies to top 20+ 2B/5+ 3B/20+ HRs and 75+ RBI are: Ted Williams (1950), Walt Dropo (1950), Fred Lynn (1975), and Nomar Garciaparra (1997). … For Dalbec, as of September 18, 22 of his last 31 hits have gone for extra bases (8 2B, 2 3B, and 12 HR).


WHAT’s BREWIN? The Boston Bruins’ rookies open the 2021 Prospects Challenge with a 5-2 victory over the Buffalo Sabres’ rooks in Buff. … Stockholm, Sweden native Jesper Froden (two goals and an assist) and Samuel Asselin (one goal, two assists) led the Bruins in scoring. Asselin played 25 games with the Providence Bruins last season. The club plays a 1pm game against the New Jersey Devils’ rookie team September 19th.


CHAMPIONS LEAGUE: What is a sport without a Champions League? FIBA’s Champions League regular season draw has been set and Kalev/Cramo (EST), Nutribullet Treviso (ITA) and U-Banca Transilvania Cluj Napoca (ROU), and Prometey (UKR) advanced to the group stage of the regular season, starting on October 4. It is the first time Estonia will field a team. … The FIBA Champions League is not to be confused with EuroLeague Basketball, the more prominent and competitive European pro entity based in Barcelona.

ARE YOU READY for 2023? On the national team front, FIBA will begin staging its qualifying for FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 in a few months, with teams from each of the regions playing in six “windows of qualifiers” over 15 months. In a recent meeting, the Executive Committee for FIBA confirmed the return of the regular format of the qualifiers for each continent, but reserved the right to create “bubbles” in certain sub-regions due to the on-going global pandemic. … National teams will be busy prepping for the qualifiers, then competing in both 2023 (Worlds) and 2024 (Olympics).


IN-To-IT at INTUIT: We’re providing the 2024-25 LA Clippers’ season marketing slogan free of charge. Yes, they’ll be “In-to-It” at the Intuit Dome, the future home of the Clips which officially broke ground on Friday. The club’s owner, Steve Ballmer, who upped the ante for NBA franchise value when he dropped $2 billion for the Clippers, is now plunking down a cool $1.8 billion to fund the 18,000-seat arena which is expected to be ready for the 2024-25 NBA season.

NO REBOUND, NO RINGS: Long Island product Matt Doherty will head back to his root on October 7th to promote his new book, “Rebound: From Pain to Passion.” The former NCAA champion, NCAA (Notre Dame, UNC, SMU) head coach, Indiana Pacers’ scout and basketball ops head at the A-10 Conference, will do a full and surely inspirational Presentation and then allow time for Questions and Answers and book signings from 7-9pm at the popular Wantagh, NY Mulcahy’s concert hall.

EDITOR’S NOTE: While We’re Young (Ideas) usually posts the lead item and reserves the Notebook section for subscribers ONLY. This week, it’s the opposite.

Filed Under: Sports Business, While We're Young Ideas Tagged With: Sports Business, While We're Young Ideas

Buffalo Bills to Rebuild (Stadium)

June 21, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

ORCHARD PARK – The Buffalo Bills are planning to build a new outdoor stadium in the Buffalo suburbs of Orchard Park, multiple media reports said Friday.

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The facility would include partial covering for seating and would require up to five years to complete, with official opening no sooner than 2025 but more likely in the Fall of 2026 or 2027.

The WROC-TV report said downtown Buffalo was given strong consideration as a building site, but remaining in Orchard Park is more cost effective.

“The team still needs to obtain government approvals in a variety of areas, including funding. All of which could delay the timeline,” read the report.

Filed Under: NFL, Sports Business Tagged With: Buffalo Bills, NFL, Sports Biz, Sports Business

USA Basketball Expands Deal with MGM

June 10, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

LAS VEGAS – (Source: Official News Release) – USA Basketball and MGM Resorts International, a leader in the sports and entertainment industry, announced an expanded, multi-year partnership, tipping-off this July in Las Vegas. As part of the partnership, MGM Resorts will be the Official Training Camp home of the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams, as well as an Official integrated resorts partner of USA Basketball and an Official USA Basketball exhibition tour partner.

As the new training camp home of the USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Teams, MGM Resorts, in partnership with USA Basketball, will host four additional countries in Las Vegas, creating a must-see international basketball competition prior to the teams’ departure for Tokyo.

Fans will have the opportunity to watch seven USA Basketball Men’s and Women’s National Team exhibition games July 10-18, as both teams take on top international opponents in preparation for this summer’s historic competition. The lineup includes a rare opportunity to see both the USA Men’s and Women’s National Teams play live on the same day, July 16 and 18, as well as opportunities to see three additional matchups between the other foreign national teams. Each of the five days of exhibition games will be doubleheaders. Tickets go on sale Wednesday, June 16 at 10 a.m. PDT, and ticket information is available online at https://axs.com/USABasketball.

“USA Basketball is proud to expand its partnership with MGM Resorts. We’re excited to bring our national teams to their properties as we prepare for the challenging competition that lies ahead this summer,” said Jim Tooley, USA Basketball CEO. “Training camps are such an important foundation for our preparation and having such a strong commitment from MGM positions us for great success.”

Lance Evans, Senior Vice President of MGM Resorts, Sports, said, “MGM Resorts and Las Vegas have an extensive history with USA Basketball. This expanded partnership will allow us to showcase our resorts as we host multiple USA Basketball games at Michelob ULTRA Arena at Mandalay Bay, as well as a variety of USA Basketball-related activities. We look forward to offering hoops fans another reason to visit the Sports Capital of the World.”

Filed Under: Sports Business Tagged With: Sports Biz, Sports Business, Tokyo Olympics, USA Basketball

Sports Biz: Bruins Extend Radio Deal

May 14, 2021 by Digital Sports Desk

BOSTON – (Source: Official News Release) – Greater Boston-area radio station – 98.5 The Sports Hub – and the Boston Bruins announced today a new multi-year extension to their partnership. As the flagship station of the Boston Bruins and the Boston Bruins Radio Network, the station is proud to broadcast all Bruins games for years to come.

In addition to broadcasting all Bruins games, 98.5 The Sports Hub will continue to air 30-minute pre- and post-game shows along with the two-hour weekly program, “The Hockey Show” which airs on Saturday from 9am-11am during season.

“The Sports Hub consistently delivers quality game broadcasts and comprehensive hockey coverage for our fans, and they have been crucial in joining our efforts to grow the game of hockey throughout New England,” said Bruins team president Cam Neely.

“We are thrilled to continue our longstanding partnership with the Boston Bruins and to be able to share our passion for the Bruins with our loyal New England fans,” said Mary Menna, VP & Market Manager, Beasley Media Boston.

“When the Sports Hub launched in 2009, we were committed to bringing our Bruins programming to another level,” said Sports Hub program director Rick Radzik. “Now, 12 years into our relationship, we’ve both achieved some great successes. I’m very pleased that we will continue to provide listeners with the excellent Bruins coverage they’ve come to expect.”

98.5 The Sports Hub, the country’s top sports station and the #1 station in Boston with men and adults.

Filed Under: Boston Sports, Bruins, Sports Business Tagged With: Boston Bruins, Sports Biz, Sports Business

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TL's Sunday Notes | March 30

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While We're Young (Ideas) and March Go Out Like a Lyons
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Gotta Give Pitino the credit. Constant and Full-Court Press made the difference and his players were in condition to wear down UConn. digitalsportsdesk.com/st-johns-defeats-mighty-uconn/ ... See MoreSee Less

Gotta Give Pitino the credit.  Constant and Full-Court Press made the difference and his players were in condition to wear down UConn. https://digitalsportsdesk.com/st-johns-defeats-mighty-uconn/
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Groundhog Day!

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Groundhog Day!

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TL's Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 12 - Digital Sports Desk

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In each round-up, there are far too many questions and not nearly enough definitive answers to the woes facing the New England clubs, the Celtics included. It might be time for some major shake-ups at...
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The first Sunday Sports Notes of 2025 | Including Some Predictions

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TL's Sunday Sports Notes | Jan 5 - Digital Sports Desk

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KEY DATES IN 2025: Everyone needs to circle these dates on their sports calendar: KEY DATES IN 2025: Everyone needs to circle these dates on their sports calendar:
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