Morning Consult Sports:Real Estate Executive Ted Segal Introduced as Houston Dynamo Owner
 

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June 23, 2021
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Eyes on the Tokyo Games
Today marks one month until the start of the Tokyo Olympics, a Summer Games surrounded by an unprecedented level of uncertainty amid the COVID-19 pandemic. To keep you apprised of the latest developments, we’re adding a Tokyo Olympics section to the daily Morning Consult Sports newsletter that will focus on what’s happening on the ground in Japan, as well as how top athletes are cashing in on their moment in the spotlight.

 

If you have any feedback on the type of content you’d like to see included in this new section, please let us know here.

 

Top Stories

  • The Houston Dynamo introduced Ted Segal, founder and president of New York-based real estate development and financing company EJS Group, as their new owner after he reportedly paid $400 million for the MLS club, the NWSL’s Houston Dash and leasing rights to BBVA Stadium. During the press conference, Segal announced that Jamey Rootes, who served as president of the Houston Texans for two decades, would take over as the Dynamo’s CEO. (Houston Chronicle)
  • The College Football Playoff’s Board of Managers authorized Football Bowl Subdivision conference commissioners to proceed with planning for their proposed expansion to a 12-team field, which will include discussions this summer between the CFP, the New Year’s Six bowl games and broadcast partner ESPN about the feasibility of implementing the new format earlier than 2026, when current contracts expire. CFP Executive Director Bill Hancock has pointed to the 2023 season as the earliest that the format could change. (The Athletic)
  • The Detroit Pistons landed the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NBA Draft for the first time since 1970 at last night’s draft lottery, granting them the opportunity to draft Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham, who is widely regarded as the top player in this year’s class. The Houston Rockets will pick second, followed by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Toronto Raptors, both of whom jumped into the top four based on the lottery results. (CBS Sports)
 

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What Else You Need to Know

Tokyo Olympics
 

NBC Approaches “Moral Hazard” Amid Tokyo Olympics Push During Pandemic

Patrick Brzeski, The Hollywood Reporter

Much of what remains of the Olympic profit bonanza may funnel overseas to the IOC and its broadcast partners, while the brunt of any public health calamity that might occur could likely first hit the Japanese people hardest. The scenario has the makings of an example of the economic principle of “moral hazard” — when an entity has an incentive to increase its exposure to risk because another party will bear the potential costs.

 

IOC’s Olympics Ad Stresses Resilience Amid Tokyo Uncertainty

Alexandra Jardine, Ad Age

As the International Olympic Committee forges ahead with plans for the Tokyo Olympics to take place next month amid continued pandemic concerns, the organization has released a new commercial for the games that focuses on athletes’ resilience over the past year. The spot, called “Stronger Together,” stars top athletes including Usain Bolt, Naomi Osaka, Andre Degrasse, Yusra Mardini and Nyjah Huston, as well as skateboard legend Tony Hawk.

 

Alcohol banned at Tokyo Olympics as 1-month countdown starts

Ayano Shimizu, Kyodo News

Tokyo marked one month until the start of the Olympics on Wednesday, with organizers banning the drinking of alcohol at games venues as they set out measures they hope will allow a safe event to be held amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The organizers had been considering allowing the sale of alcohol at venues by putting in place some restrictions in apparent consideration for Asahi Breweries, one of the games’ major sponsors, officials familiar with the planning said earlier.

 

Tokyo 2020 launch official mobile app to mark a month before Olympics

Michael Houston, InsideTheGames.biz

Tokyo 2020 organisers have announced the launch of the official mobile app for the Olympic and Paralympic Games, to mark a month to go until the Opening Ceremony. The app will allow all information about the Games to be accessed in one place – including event results, competition schedules, the medal table, introductions to sports and venues and news and updates.

 
Media
 

Sources:Fox Sports Could Cancel ‘Fox Bet Live’

Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

“Fox Bet Live,” a weekday afternoon show on Fox Sports’s FS1 cable network, is in danger of being canceled, sources told Front Office Sports. But a Fox spokeswoman said:“Fox Bet Live is not going away.” Rachel Bonnetta, who has been a mainstay with the show since 2018, could also be leaving as host, according to sources.

 

Combate Global MMA events are coming to Paramount+ and CBS Sports Network

Joe Lucia, Awful Announcing

On Tuesday, CBS Sports and Combate Global announced that CBS would be the new English-language home for the company’s events in America. Combate, which rebranded to Combate Global from Combate Americas earlier this year, signed a new deal with Univision in the spring.

 

NBC averages 5.7 million viewers for final round of U.S. Open

Austin Karp, Sports Business Journal

NBC averaged 5.7 million viewers for the final round of the U.S. Open on Sunday from Torrey Pines, which saw Jon Rahm break out of a star-studded pack to win his first major by one stroke over Louis Oosthuizen. That figure is up from 3.2 million for Bryson DeChambeau’s six-stroke win last year, when the event was held at Winged Foot in September due to COVID-19. 

 

Copa América averaging 980,000 viewers per game on Univision networks

Christopher Harris, World Soccer Talk

After ten games in the 2021 Copa América, matches on Univision linear networks are averaging 980,000 viewers per game. That’s greater than the viewership thus far for ESPN’s coverage of Euro 2020, which is averaging 961,000 viewers.

 
NFL
 

Bears partner with Rivers Casino on sponsorship deal

Mark Potash, Chicago Sun-Times

In another sign of changing times, the Bears announced Tuesday they have agreed on a multiyear partnership that will make BetRivers the exclusive sportsbook of the Bears and Rivers Casino in Des Plaines the exclusive casino of the Bears. Last season, the Bears’ sponsorship agreement with online sportsbook PointsBet was their first ever sports betting partnership.

 

Las Vegas Raiders DE Carl Nassib has top-selling NFL jersey at Fanatics in day since announcement

ESPN

In the 24 hours since Carl Nassib became the first active NFL player to come out as gay, the Las Vegas Raiders defensive end’s jersey has been the top-selling item across the league, according to Fanatics. Nassib, 28, made the announcement Monday in a video posted to Instagram from his house in West Chester, Pennsylvania.

 
NBA
 

Pistons land first pick in NBA Draft lottery

Rod Beard, The Detroit News

The lottery luck puts the Pistons in position to draft Cade Cunningham, the consensus top projected player in this draft, which will take place on July 29 at Barclay Center in New York. The addition of Cunningham, a 6-foot-8 multi-faceted wing, would expedite the Pistons’ rebuild under general manager Troy Weaver, who enters his second season with an ambitious plan to restore the franchise to its championship glory years.

 

The NBA will have new rules to limit foul calls on non-basketball moves:What to know and where things stand

Shams Charania, The Athletic

The NBA is planning to implement new rules to limit non-basketball moves used to draw fouls beginning next season, pending final discussion and approvals from the Competition Committee and Board of Governors, sources tell The Athletic. The league office discussed the expected changes, which could begin during the Las Vegas Summer League in August, as part of a meeting with the 30 general managers on Monday in Chicago.

 
MLB
 

M.L.B.’s newest player is a crypto exchange

The New York Times

Global crypto exchange FTX is launching a five-year international partnership with Major League Baseball today, DealBook is first to report. The crypto exchange will become the first company to sponsor a patch on umpire’s uniforms, starting with the All-Star game in July.

 

Sergio Romo pulls down pants as MLB pitchers freak out over sticky checks

Mark Fischer, New York Post

When approached by an umpire Tuesday night for the recently introduced “sticky stuff” screening, Oakland A’s reliever Sergio Romo sarcastically undid his belt and lowered his pants just below his buttock. A couple hours earlier, Washington Nationals pitcher Max Scherzer undid his belt in a similar fashion after Phillies manager Joe Girardi demanded the ace be inspected a third time — all because he saw the ace touch his hair while on the mound.

 

T-Mobile using Yankee Stadium for new creative

Terry Lefton, Sports Business Journal

MLB corporate patron T-Mobile was shooting an ad at Yankee Stadium this week in support of its 8-year-old sponsorship. Sources tell me the stars of the T-Mobile spot are two of the Bronx Bombers’ principal home run threats — Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.

 
NHL
 

Canucks:Expect a seamless transition as Sedins move into new roles as special advisors to GM

Ben Kuzma, The Vancouver Province

Henrik and Daniel Sedin officially embarked Tuesday on the next phase of their remarkable NHL journey, joining the hockey operations department as special advisers to general manager Jim Benning. The Sedins will learn and support all areas of team operations, including player evaluation, development and communication from the amateur to NHL level.

 

The NHL meets Timbaland:Partnership with Beatclub aims to add a hip hop soundtrack to hockey

Sean Shapiro, The Athletic

Through a new partnership with Beatclub, a music marketplace launched by musician and record producer Timbaland, the NHL will have a license to use music in broadcasts, in-arena and on social and digital platforms. It’s Beatclub’s first partnership with a professional sports league.

 
College Sports
 

Supreme Court ruling scrambling NCAA’s consideration of new name, image and likeness rules

Steve Berkowitz, USA Today

“Because of (Monday’s) ruling, this is evolving as we go,” a person familiar with the Council’s deliberations told USA TODAY Sports. “There’s a healthy dialogue that will continue not only tomorrow, but throughout the week. We’re looking for what is the best bridge from now to, hopefully, federal legislation that doesn’t trigger any antitrust issues.”

 

Does the NCAA have a future?

Michael Smith, Sports Business Journal

Jeffrey Kessler, one of the nation’s most prominent athletes’ rights attorneys, declared the NCAA “at the precipice.” He said the organization is “going to have to change their policies” so that it is not violating antitrust laws. Some of the restrictions in the NCAA’s NIL proposal would be antitrust violations, he said.

 

Lawmaker expects California athletes to cash in on NIL by Sept. 1

J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times

College athletes in California who are hoping to profit from the use of their name, image and likeness have a new date they can circle on their calendars:Sept. 1, 2021. Sen. Nancy Skinner (D-Berkeley), who authored the historic Fair Pay to Play Act, which carried with it an effective date of Jan. 1, 2023, has introduced a fresh bill to speed up the start of college sports’ new era in California.

 

Ex-Creighton Bluejays men’s basketball assistant Preston Murphy gets show-cause penalty;program put on two years’ probation

Paula Lavigne and Myron Medcalf, ESPN

Former Creighton assistant coach Preston Murphy was hit with a two-year show-cause penalty for accepting improper payments, a Level I-aggravated violation, uncovered during the FBI investigation that rocked college basketball, the NCAA Division I Committee on Infractions announced Tuesday. During the bribery investigation that led to the arrests of four Division I assistant coaches, a federal indictment in March 2019 accused Murphy of accepting a $6,000 payment from an undercover FBI agent in a meeting with Christian Dawkins.

 

W&M interim AD expresses reservations about Tribe continuing with 23 sports

John O’Connor, Richmond Times-Dispatch

W&M is expected soon to announce its new AD, and he or she will lead a department still trying to work its way past a turbulent period that fractured its student-athletes, alumni and fan base. The interim AD, Jeremy Martin, in a recent farewell letter to the W&M community prioritized uniting around one vision for Tribe athletics and suggested that, because of fiscal constraints, that process will involve difficult choices about how many sports to sponsor.

 
Soccer
 

USWNT match in Austin offered a glimpse of the potential for NWSL in the city

Meg Linehan, The Athletic

It’s a delicate position for Austin FC to be in — only just launching the MLS team and the new stadium, with supporters already hoping for more. And while the answers might currently be worded to ensure there are no promises being made, the club’s front office is in regular contact with the supporters behind the “NWSL to Austin” movement.

 
Racing
 

Formula One extends deal with Fanatics after surge in sales

Reuters

Formula One has extended a partnership with sports merchandise retailer Fanatics after a U.S.-led surge in sales, the Liberty Media-owned sport said on Tuesday. Formula One said sales on its official online store had grown 40% globally in 2020.

 

Ferrari discussing new deal despite dropping Mission Winnow logos

Luke Smith and Jonathan Noble, Motorsport.com

Ferrari Formula 1 boss Mattia Binotto says talks with tobacco giant Philip Morris International over a new sponsorship deal are ongoing despite dropping the Mission Winnow logos for EU races. PMI famously enjoyed title sponsorship with Ferrari through its Marlboro brand from 1997 until a clampdown on tobacco sponsorship in the late 2000s.

 

Japanese MotoGP round cancelled, COTA replaces

Lewis Duncan and Oriol Puigdemont, Motorsport.com

MotoGP’s 2020 visit to Motegi had to be scrapped due to the COVID-19 pandemic, with all of its Pacific flyaways and races in the Americas also cancelled because of the virus situation. The 2021 calendar initially postponed the US and Argentine races to the final part of the year on unspecified dates, while it was hoped MotoGP would be able to have its usual Pacific trek through Japan, Thailand, Australia and Malaysia.

 
Golf and Tennis
 

KPMG:New analytics platform to help narrow divide between men’s, women’s game

Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek

Closing the outrageously wide analytics chasm between the men’s and women’s game seemed a natural fit for the goal of continuing to elevate the women’s game. The KPMG Performance Insights technology platform launches this week at Atlanta Athletic Club, though players and caddies took part in a soft launch, gathering data in the weeks leading up to the event.

 
Esports
 

Overwatch Spending $80,000 For League’s Undersea Cable At University Of Hawaii

Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico

Overwatch League will pay more than $80,000 to the University of Hawaii for the right to fly teams to Oahu four times this summer and access an undersea internet cable connecting the U.S. to Japan. Nicknamed the “Aloha Project,” the partnership was the Activision-Blizzard esports league’s answer to a complex pandemic-related problem:If we can’t fly every team to a single location because of travel restrictions, how can they compete across continents with minimal lag?

 
General
 

Single-event sports betting is coming to Canada after Bill C-218 clears final hurdle

Steve McAllister, Toronto Star

The Senate passed Bill C-218, the Safe and Regulated Sports Betting Act, on Tuesday by a vote of 57-20. It will become law when the bill gets royal assent. Once approved, the provinces will have the authority to license and regulate sports betting, which has seen an estimated $14 billion spent annually by Canadians through offshore (grey market) or illegal gambling (black market) operators.

 

XFL players to get pennies on the dollar for what they are owed

Daniel Kaplan, The Athletic

When the XFL shut its doors March 13, 2020, and a month later filed for chapter 11 bankruptcy, the roughly 450 players on the eight teams each were due, on average, more than $14,000, according to calculations by a players’ group. Instead, they will be getting as little as 4 cents on the dollar of that amount, or $580, and then not until the end of this year or early next, based on a decision of the plan administrator in the ongoing bankruptcy.

 

Topps Raises 2021 Sales Projection Ahead Of Stock Market Debut

Brendan Coffey, Sportico

Trading card maker Topps projects 2021 sales will be as much as $760 million, or around 10% more than projections presented to investors at the start of June, according to SEC documents. Topps detailed its first-quarter financials and outlook for the rest of the year in a regulatory filing this morning. The business said its first-quarter 2021 sales were up 55% to $166.6 million, a top-line figure the company previously disclosed.

 
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