General
Tyson Fury signs ESPN fight deal worth reported £80m
Mike Costello, BBC Sport
British heavyweight Tyson Fury has signed a deal with a United States network worth a reported £80m. The deal, which is understood to cover Fury’s next five fights, will see him broadcast on ESPN in the US while remaining on BT Sport in the UK.
NFL
Attorney for Colin Kaepernick sees Panthers, Patriots as potential landing spots for QB
Mike Reiss, ESPN
The attorney for Colin Kaepernick said in an interview with CNN on Saturday night that the quarterback still “absolutely wants to play” in the NFL, and he projected the Carolina Panthers and New England Patriots as two of the best landing spots for him. Mark Geragos spoke with CNN a day after Kaepernick and Eric Reid reached a settlement with the NFL concerning their collusion grievances against the league.
Antonio Brown makes it clear he wants new team, guaranteed money
Mike Florio, Profootballtalk.com
Antonio Brown has taken his quest to move to a new team to a machine that always remains in place. The Steelers receiver published a video on Monday while doing cardio on an elliptical device.
Kyler Murray unsure whether he will throw at combine
Charean Williams, Profootballtalk.com
Kyler Murray is training with his father, Kevin, for the Scouting Combine and his Pro Day. The Oklahoma quarterback, who picked up the Davey O’Brien Award during a ceremony in Fort Worth on Monday afternoon, has not decided whether he will throw next week during drills in Indianapolis, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports.
NBA
Adam Silver’s annual NBA address keys on competitive balance
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press
Milwaukee has the best record in the NBA, Denver has its coaching staff at the All-Star Game and Sacramento is in position to end the league’s longest current playoff drought. Overseeing a league that has wanted competitive balance, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver likes what he’s seeing on those fronts.
NBA All-Star Game Overnights Slip to Low
Sports Media Watch
Overnight ratings fell just a tick for the NBA All-Star Game, but that was enough to send the game to a five-year low. Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game earned a combined 5.0 overnight rating across TNT and TBS, down a tick from both last year and 2017 (5.1 both years).
For Anthony Davis and the Pelicans, the Solution Is to Stop Playing Games
Marc Stein, The New York Times
Some of the most memorable scenes from the N.B.A.’s 68th All-Star Game played out away from the ball, both on and adjacent to the bench of the squad captained by LeBron James. Two very deep 3-pointers from Damian Lillard sparked a comeback from 20 points down that had some of the game’s biggest names bounding farther onto the floor in the celebration than the rules would ever allow in a game that counts.
Why did the NBA pay a YouTube star to fly halfway around the world for All-Star Weekend?
Theoden Janes, The Charlotte Observer
Not so long ago, Bhuvan Bam — a resident of India’s capital territory of Delhi — wouldn’t have been able to find his way to the three-point line on a basketball court or even give you the definition of a layup, much less be able to tell the difference between Lebron James and Stephen Curry. Then last year, he got a call from the NBA that we’d imagine went (very roughly) like this: “Hey Bhuvan, we want to put you on a plane, fly you halfway around the world, and give you great tickets to a Boston Celtics game.”
For Curry, a Return Home Shows He Is Where He Belongs
Scott Cacciola, The New York Times
Stephen Curry was about 25 minutes into a news conference here on Saturday afternoon when a magician who goes by the name Jibrizy sidled up to the dais to do a card trick. Curry, the Golden State Warriors point guard, seemed impressed.
MLB
Rob Manfred: MLB will use pitch clock during spring training
Jack Baer, Yahoo Sports
Like it or not, a pitch clock is coming to an MLB spring training game near you. MLB commissioner Rob Manfred told reporters Sunday that the league would be making use of a pitch clock during spring training, though it will pretty much only be a cosmetic change as it won’t carry penalties.
‘A two-year attack on free agency’: Players’ union chief fires back at MLB
Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post
A day after MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred defended the widespread lack of spending by baseball’s owners on top free agents — and suggested players and their agents should share the blame for the slow-moving market — players’ union chief Tony Clark responded by calling Manfred’s comments “misleading” and referring to the slowdown spanning the past two winters as “a two-year attack on free agency.” Manfred’s “attempts to shift blame and distract from the main issues,” Clark said Monday in a statement released through the Major League Baseball Players Association, “are unconstructive and misleading at best.”
Baseball’s Shifting Financial Equation: Long-Term Security Over Free Agency
Jared Diamond, The Wall Street Journal
Proof that baseball’s financial equation has fundamentally changed isn’t in the number of free agents still available, or Bryce Harper and Manny Machado’s continuing unemployment. The most telling sign is in the behavior of the young talent that isn’t yet on the market.
‘We don’t have any more’: Cubs chairman Tom Ricketts talks about money and budgets
Sahadev Sharma, The Athletic
As the free-agent market continues to linger deep into February, the Cubs are pretty much set with the group they have at Sloan Park. With free agents like Bryce Harper and Manny Machado remaining unsigned, and the Cubs not making moves for either one, it leaves fans wondering one simple question: Why?
Padres make big offer to free agent Manny Machado
Bob Knightengale, USA Today
Manny Machado, one of the biggest prizes on the free agent market, has finally received a contract proposal that may suit his demands. The San Diego Padres submitted an eight-year offer to Machado worth between $240 million and $280 million – which is heavily deferred – two people with knowledge of the talks told USA TODAY Sports.
Bryce Harper is the biggest story at Phillies camp, even though he’s not a Phillie or in camp
Dave Sheinin, The Washington Post
On the night before the Philadelphia Phillies’ first full-squad workout of spring training, as he was still batting around in his head what his message to the assembled players would be, Gabe Kapler’s phone kept buzzing. Each time, it was another news-headline push notification telling him something that, owing to some well-sourced insider knowledge, he strongly suspected to be untrue: that the Phillies were closing in on a deal to sign Bryce Harper.
Giants manager Bruce Bochy to retire after this season
Janie McCauley, The Associated Press
Bruce Bochy has always managed with his gut. Those same instincts told him it’s nearly time to retire. Bochy announced Monday this will be his last season managing the San Francisco Giants, his 25th in all as a big league manager.
Red Sox owner John Henry says spending more tends to helps teams win
David Schoenfield, ESPN
In apparent contradiction to his own commissioner, Boston Red Sox owner John Henry said Monday that, while there is not a perfect correlation between a bigger payroll and winning, “spending more money helps.” His Red Sox had the highest payroll in the sport in 2018 and won their fourth World Series title since Henry became principal owner of the franchise in 2002.
NHL
Hurricanes turn Don Cherry’s ‘bunch of jerks’ rant into T-shirt
Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
The Carolina Hurricanes’ elaborate home-ice victory celebrations have attracted a vocal minority of detractors, and none have been as vocal as Canadian curmudgeon Don Cherry. The “Hockey Night In Canada” commentator has ripped the choreographed on-ice celebrations in the past, but he went off on the team when the Hurricanes followed a Friday night win over Edmonton by pretending one of their players had hit a game-winning home run with his hockey stick.
Soccer
LAFC Moves Primary Ticketing From SeatGeek To Ticketmaster
Eric Fisher, SportsBusiness Daily
LAFC has shifted its primary ticketing to Ticketmaster after using SeatGeek for its inaugural season last year. Season-ticket holders have been notified of the switch, and single-game sales have begun on the team’s website.
Ex-Man United winger Nani joins Orlando City of MLS
The Associated Press
Former Manchester United winger Nani has become the latest 30-plus star to join Major League Soccer after a career in Europe, agreeing to a three-year contract with Orlando City. The team said Monday that Nani was given a free transfer from Portugal’s Sporting Lisbon and will be a designated player who counts only partially against the team’s salary cap.
Racing
Fox’s Daytona 500 Gets Ratings Bump Over Last Year’s Race
Denise Petski, Deadline Hollywood
Sunday’s Daytona 500 with Denny Hamlin’s win scored a 5.5/11 overnight metered-market rating, up 8% over last year’s (5.1/11) record low, on Fox, according to Nielsen and Fox Sports. The closing stage at Daytona International Speedway was marred by multiple crashes toward the end of the race, which might have given it a ratings boost.
Golf and Tennis
Martina Navratilova criticized for comments about trans women in sport
James Masters, CNN
Tennis great Martina Navratilova has been criticized after claiming it is a form of “cheating” for transgender women to be allowed to compete in women’s sport. The 18-time Grand Slam winner wrote in The Sunday Times that it was “insane” that “hundreds of athletes who have changed gender by declaration and limited hormone treatment have already achieved honors as women that were beyond their capabilities as men.”
College Sports
North Carolina vs. Duke: UNC coach Roy Williams says Blue Devils’ freshman Zion Williamson is ‘a different bird’
Kyle Boone, CBS Sports
Stopping Duke star Zion Williamson is a task no opposing coach has had success doing this season, and North Carolina’s Hall of Fame coach Roy Williams knows it’s not a simple challenge. “Zion’s a different bird, there’s no question about that,” Williams said Monday.
Esports
How brands like Wendy’s and the NFL are marketing on Fortnite
Seb Joseph, Digiday
When about 10 million players watched DJ Marshmello’s live set within Fortnite over Super Bowl weekend, you could almost hear the wheels in the industry’s brains start turning. The event — better than any halftime show — gave a glimpse into how Fortnite could eventually evolve into a brand-new stage for advertisers.
Game streamer Ninja will have his own toy line
Jon Fingas, Engadget
You can’t usually show support for a game streamer in the real world outside of t-shirt and stickers, but Wicked Cool Toys is kicking things up a notch. It’s introducing a line of toys themed around streamers, starting with Twitch superstar Tyler “Ninja” Blevins.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The NFL’s franchise tag is a scam. It’s time to kill it
Adam Stites, SB Nation
Le’Veon Bell turned 27 on Monday. The former Michigan State running back was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers with a second-round pick in 2013, and by the end of the 2014 season he was a first-team All-Pro.
NBA All-Star Weekend provided a potent reminder that this is now the world’s game
Jerry Brewer, The Washington Post
If you still need Giannis Antetokounmpo to be the cute, aw-shucks Greek Freak, living a level of stardom beyond his dreams, he will oblige. He can still wear that mask, even though it defies what he has become: an edgy NBA superstar who openly wants to be the best and who just might be hiding a cudgel behind that wide smile.
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