General
“They Need To Get Something Done”: As Time Parties With the Benioffs, Meredith Is Still Trying to Unload Sports Illustrated — and the Clock Is Ticking
Joe Pompeo, Vanity Fair
I’ve gone from a pimply kid to the cover of Time magazine? Holy shit!” That was Dwayne Johnson, who was among the hordes of celebrities, politicians, power brokers, and influencers of all stripes who descended on Jazz at Lincoln Center Tuesday night for the annual Time 100 Gala.
Indiana Sports Betting Is Very Close, As Legislature Sends Bill To Governor
Matthew Kredell, Legal Sports Report
The Midwest is moving quickly to adopt sports betting. Indiana passed legislation Wednesday to authorize sports wagering, days after Iowa and Montana passed bills. On the final day of the state’s legislative session, a conference committee made up of Senate and House leaders added mobile wagering back into the Indiana legislation, as Legal Sports Report previously reported was expected.
DAZN launches live sports IP distribution platform
Steven Impey, SportsPro Media
Global over-the-top (OTT) media company DAZN has launched a one-stop-shop for thousands of live sports feeds it believes will represent one of the largest sports distribution networks in the world. Named DAZN Connect, the platform will enable sports rights holders, broadcasters and media partners access to more than 30,000 live sporting events across multiple leagues and competitions.
AAF racks up $500,000 bill to bankruptcy lawyers
Mike Florio, Profootballtalk.com
When calculating the cash that the Alliance of American Football would need to get through its first season, the budget likely didn’t include a line item for “Legal Services (Bankruptcy).” According to Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Daily, the recent financial implosion of the AAF has resulted in the generation of a $500,000 fee from Bracewell, a Houston-based law firm that has received $250,000 for preparing the 269-page bankruptcy filing, and that is owed $250,000 more.
NFL
Steelers lock up Ben Roethlisberger through 2021 with two-year extension
Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports
Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown may be long gone, but Ben Roethlisberger is in Pittsburgh to stay. Months after initial suggestions of a new deal between the Steelers and their longtime quarterback, both sides have agreed to a two-year extension that will keep Roethlisberger in black and gold through 2021, the team announced Wednesday.
NFL Prospects Become Social-Media Stars Long Before Draft
Eben Novy-Williams, Bloomberg
Benny Snell has grown a lot since high school. Lightly recruited when he arrived at the University of Kentucky, Snell left three years later as the school’s all-time leader in both rushing yards (3,873) and touchdowns (48).
Bigger, Faster, Stronger, Smaller: The NFL Draft That’s Rewriting History
Andrew Beaton and Michael Salfino, The Wall Street Journal
At some point early in the NFL draft, a surprisingly small man will walk on the stage, put on a questionably designed cap and awkwardly embrace commissioner Roger Goodell. And at that moment, everyone will be talking about this player’s relatively diminutive stature.
Nashville gets its chance to step up for NFL draft
Barry Wilner, The Associated Press
Broadway in downtown Nashville is as lively a place as any in America. The Las Vegas Strip, Times Square and Bourbon Street have nothing on it. Particularly this week.
Chiefs star Tyreek Hill won’t be charged in child abuse case, but authorities believe a crime occurred
John Breech, CBS Sports
Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill will not be facing any charges following a lengthy investigation by police that started in March after authorities were called to his residence over a child abuse complaint against his son. Although Hill is off the hook legally, Johnson County District Attorney Stephen Howe made it clear that his office was absolutely convinced that a crime did occur at Hill’s house.
Patriots’ Tom Brady tops NFLPA merchandise sales — again
Gabrielle McMillen, Sporting News
Tom Brady-related merchandise topped the NFL sales this past year, according to the NFLPA. It’s the second year in a row the Patriots quarterback has topped the sales list.
No one knows when Dwayne Haskins will be drafted. His view? ‘Don’t know, don’t care.’
Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post
The Haskinses of Highland Park, N.J., Dwayne Sr. and wife Tamara, wanted to nurture their son’s gift without dislodging their family life, but as high school approached, that became complicated. Dwayne Jr.’s gift was throwing a football — he could heave passes 50 yards in seventh grade and had an uncanny knack for diagnosing defenses — and his parents decided the suburbs of Washington, D.C., would be a better launching point for his future than metropolitan New Jersey.
NBA
Russell Westbrook Is A Man Without a Plan
Howard Beck, Bleacher Report
The snapshots and GIFs and viral videos all captured some version of the same joyful scene Tuesday night: Damian Lillard, master of clutch time, connecting from 37 feet as the final buzzer sounded. Lillard, wryly waving buh-bye to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Luke Walton’s attorney says his client’s innocence will be ‘proven in court’
Tania Ganguli, Los Angeles Times
Luke Walton’s attorney issued a statement Wednesday afternoon, saying the former Lakers coach would have his innocence “proven in court.” Attorney Mark Baute also criticized a news conference the previous day in which former Spectrum SportsNet host Kelli Tennant reiterated her accusations of sexual assault against Walton.
Warriors cop to complacency as malaise continues in second home loss to Clippers
Ben Golliver, The Washington Post
Faced with lackluster defensive effort and a strong-willed opponent in a potential closeout game, Steve Kerr decided to break the glass and follow the standard emergency procedures. The Golden State Warriors’ coach played Kevin Durant 42 minutes, the all-star forward’s heaviest load since January.
The Nets’ Glow-Up Came Early, and It May Fade Too Soon
Kelly Whiteside, The New York Times
As Nets center Jarrett Allen stood at his locker in a pink Sonic the Hedgehog T-shirt, his teammate Jared Dudley was across the room dishing on him. “To be honest with you, Jarrett Allen is probably the key to this franchise moving forward,” Dudley told reporters Tuesday night after the Nets were handily eliminated by the Philadelphia 76ers, four games to one, in the first round of the N.B.A. playoffs.
MLB
C.C. Sabathia Nears 3,000 Strikeouts in a Triumph of Reinvention
Tyler Kepner, The New York Times
The two most similar pitchers to C.C. Sabathia in major league history, according to Baseball Reference, are Andy Pettitte and Mike Mussina, both Yankees stalwarts. Pettitte taught Sabathia the cutter late in his career.
NHL
Hurricanes stun defending champion Capitals in 2OT in Game 7
Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press
Justin Williams returned to the building that was the scene of his only Game 7 loss and left the ice relieved and redeemed after knocking off his old friends and defending Stanley Cup champions. The man who earned the “Mr. Game 7” moniker shook Alex Ovechkin’s hand after the Carolina Hurricanes’ stunning 4-3 double-overtime victory over the Washington Capitals and beamed with pride in his upstart team’s latest triumph that added another piece to one of the craziest first rounds in recent NHL history.
Columbus eager to get back to business after stunning hockey world
Frank Pingue, Reuters
The Columbus Blue Jackets are through marveling at their stunning sweep of the Tampa Bay Lightning as they set their sights on a second-round Stanley Cup Playoffs clash with the Boston Bruins. Columbus stunned the hockey world by eliminating Tampa Bay in what was the franchise’s maiden playoff series win and also the first four-game sweep of a regular-season National Hockey League champion in an opening-round series.
Soccer
Notre Dame to host competitive soccer match for first time
Ryan Gaydos, Fox News
Notre Dame University will host a competitive soccer match for the first time in its 90-year history when Liverpool FC faces Borussia Dortmund this summer, the school announced Tuesday. The legendary European soccer clubs are set to meet July 19.
Racing
Smith family plans to take Speedway Motorsports private in $734 million deal
Katherine Peralta and Brendan Marks, The Charlotte Observer
The Smith family wants to take Speedway Motorsports Inc. private in a deal worth more than $734 million, according to a securities filing Wednesday. In a letter to shareholders Tuesday, SMI CEO Marcus Smith said that Sonic Financial Corporation has submitted a non-binding proposal to acquire all of the outstanding shares of Speedway Motorsports, which owns eight NASCAR race tracks nationwide including Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord.
Golf and Tennis
Tiger’s Masters-Winning Bridgestone Golf Balls Are All Sold Out
Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams, Bloomberg
Tiger Woods’s victory at the Masters has been a boon for sponsor Bridgestone Corp., which sold out of the model of golf ball he used in his first major victory since 2008. Seven days after the historic win, Bridgestone said every Tour B XS ball it produced had been sold, either to consumers or retailers.
Woods says he’ll play new PGA Tour event in Japan
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press
Masters champion Tiger Woods is adding to his international travels at the end of this year, announcing Wednesday night that he will compete in Japan for the first time in 13 years at the new Zozo Championship. Woods said on Twitter that he was excited to play the new tournament and described Japan as “one of my favorite countries.”
College Sports
Commissioners say no significant change ahead for College Football Playoff
George Schroeder, USA Today
This shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, but there’s still no momentum for significant change to the College Football Playoff — either to the size of the four-team field or to how the teams are selected. Expansion was not part of the conversation at the annual meeting, when the 11 FBS conference commissioners and Notre Dame athletic director Jack Swarbrick — the management committee — meet to review all aspects of the Playoff.
Twist in FBI hoops case could put Sean Miller back in hot water
Dan Wetzel, Yahoo Sports
The name came up unexpectedly — “Sean Miller.” It was so unexpected that the moment it was uttered on a FBI-secretly recorded video of a business meeting that was played Wednesday in federal court, the head of judge Edgardo Ramos lifted up.
Esports
Sources: Streamer NICKMERCS Partners With NFL for Draft Appearance, Activation
Trent Murray, The Esports Observer
Streamer Nick “NICKMERCS” Kolcheff has partnered with the National Football League to appear at the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, Tennessee beginning on Thursday, April 25 according to sources. Kolcheff will be on site during the NFL Draft streaming Fortnite with NFL players Marcus Mariota and DeAndre Hopkins.
The Rise of Live-Streamer Style
Luke Winkie, The New York Times
Matt Haag wasn’t exactly dressing to impress during his teenage years on the competitive Call of Duty circuit. The 26-year-old recalled, sheepishly, the basketball shorts and Payless kicks he wore on flights to tournaments around the country back in 2008.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Milwaukee can’t stop talking about the Bucks. The team hopes to create a dialogue about race.
Candace Buckner, The Washington Post
There’s a Jewish man getting a haircut in a black-owned barbershop in the nation’s most segregated metropolitan city. He’s Peter Feigin, president of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks, and in the nearly five years of living in the city he has come to Gee’s Clippers so that Gaulien Smith, a black man, can tame his head of thick, brown hair.
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