• Sinclair Broadcast Group Inc.-owned Diamond Sports Group LLC, which operates the Bally Sports regional sports networks, filed for bankruptcy protection in Texas court, listing between $1 billion and $10 billion each for its assets and liabilities. Diamond said it owes $9 billion to its lenders and has $425 million in available cash as it holds costly rights agreements with professional sports teams, though CEO David Preschlack said the company “will continue broadcasting games.” (Reuters)
• ESPN writer and TV personality Pablo Torre is joining content company Meadowlark Media, which was founded by former ESPN President John Skipper and Miami radio personality Dan Le Batard. Torre, who is still expected to make appearances on ESPN’s daily programming like “Around the Horn” and “Pardon the Interruption,” will likely have some version of a digital program at Meadowlark and contribute to the company’s unscripted programming efforts. (Variety)
• The House Energy and Commerce Committee plans to host a hearing on March 29 to discuss the name, image and likeness rights of college athletes, according to a committee spokesman, who didn’t specify who may be asked to testify in what is considered one of the first steps federal lawmakers are making toward regulation of the nascent NIL era. The hearing would mark the first NCAA-related public meeting in Washington since new NCAA President Charlie Baker started his role earlier this month. (ESPN)

How the Esports Industry Can Accelerate Audience Growth

Morning Consult

NCAA Men’s, Women’s Selection Shows Grab Bigger Audiences

Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports’ joint presentation of the Men’s Selection Show averaged 5.1 million viewers. That’s up 3% from last year’s program. It was the most-watched sports program for the week across any network.

Arbitrator, not MLB, should decide Nationals’ TV money, MASN argues

Ben Strauss, The Washington Post

In the years-long dispute between the Baltimore Orioles and Washington Nationals over TV rights, Major League Baseball is not impartial and should not be allowed to decide how much the Nationals receive in rights fees, the Orioles’ Mid-Atlantic Sports Network argued at an appeals hearing Tuesday.

2023 Women’s March Madness Ad Inventory Sells Out

Amanda Christovich, Front Office Sports

In total, ESPN has galvanized 15 broadcast sponsors and close to 100 advertisers, from Aflac and Under Armour to the U.S. Army. 

YouTube TV Bringing Multiview to March Madness

Ty Pendlebury, CNET

Subscribers will be able to watch up to four preselected streams at once.

Big Ten Tournament leads a decline-plagued Championship Weekend

Joe Lucia, Awful Announcing 

Three of the four most-watched college hoops games this week were from the conference. Purdue’s win over Penn State in the Championship on Sunday led the way with 3.177 million viewers on CBS, followed closely behind by the Nittany Lions’ semifinal win over Indiana on Saturday with 2.805 million viewers, also on CBS.

‘A League Of Their Own’ To End With Four-Episode Second Season At Prime Video

Denise Petski, Deadline

Prime Video has renewed A League of Their Own for a second and final season. Following months of talks with Sony TV, the series will end with a four-episode Season 2, sources have confirmed.

Commanders move on at QB after Taylor Heinicke agrees to deal with Falcons

Nicki Jhabvala, The Washington Post

On Tuesday, former Washington Commanders quarterback Taylor Heinicke agreed to a two-year deal with his hometown Atlanta Falcons to be their backup, according to two people with knowledge of the deal. The contract is worth $14 million — or up to $20 million after incentives.

Michael Irvin Files Third Lawsuit Against Marriott, Video Released

A.J. Perez, Front Office Sports

Hours after the suspended NFL Network analyst dropped his $100 million lawsuit against the hotel chain in a Texas federal court, his lawyer announced a third lawsuit had been filed — seeking an unspecified amount — regarding the incident of alleged misconduct reported by a Phoenix hotel employee.

What’s next for NBA teams and fans with regional sports networks?

Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic

NBA commissioner Adam Silver has expressed optimism that games on those networks will still get on TV for the rest of this season.

Trevor Bauer signing met with little reaction in Japan

Stephen Wade, The Associated Press

The Yokohama team announced his acquisition on Tuesday. Japan’s mainstream newspapers had small stories in their sports sections Wednesday about Bauer, noting his Cy Young Award and the domestic violence case.

Capitals-Rangers – Top moments from “Big City Greens Classic”

ESPN

In a first-of-its-kind broadcast, the Capitals and Rangers were animated in real time.

Indiana Is Here to Crash the Women’s Basketball Party

Adam Zagoria, The New York Times

The Hoosiers, led by the 6-foot-3 forward Mackenzie Holmes, have a No. 1 seed for the first time in program history.

Beard declines to discuss Texas exit at Ole Miss intro

The Associated Press

Mississippi on Tuesday introduced new basketball coach Chris Beard, who repeatedly declined to discuss specifics regarding his December domestic violence arrest that led to his eventual firing at Texas.

Georgia’s Smart insists he has not lost control of program

Charles Odum, The Associated Press

Georgia coach Kirby Smart insists he has not lost control of a program that has produced back-to-back national championships but has been rocked by offseason arrests and a car crash that claimed the lives of a player and a recruiting staffer.

FIFA expands 2026 World Cup again to create 104-game program

Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press

The governing body of soccer increased the size of the 2026 tournament for the second time — six years after the first — by approving a bigger group stage for the inaugural 48-team event. By retaining groups of four teams instead of moving to three, FIFA has created a 104-game schedule that will last nearly six weeks in the United States, Canada and Mexico. 

Global Players’ Union Calls for Equal Conditions and Prize Money at Women’s World Cup

Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal

A letter outlining the proposals, signed by 150 players on 25 women’s national teams, was sent by Fifpro to FIFA in October.

Five-star Haaland leads Manchester City to 7-0 rout of Leipzig

Lori Ewing, Reuters

Erling Haaland became the third player in Champions League history to score five goals in a game as he led Manchester City to an unrelenting 7-0 rout of RB Leipzig in the second leg of their last-16 tie on Tuesday.

Liverpool to raise season ticket prices, fans cry foul

Pearl Josephine Nazare, Reuters

Liverpool will nudge up the price of its season tickets next season for the first time in eight years due to rising costs, the Premier League side said on Tuesday, in a decision the club’s Supporters Board called “cruel and unjust”.

As controversy engulfs U.S. Soccer and family, Gio Reyna heads back to USMNT

Steven Goff, The Washington Post

Amid a firestorm featuring his parents and World Cup coach, Gio Reyna accepted an invitation to return to the U.S. men’s national soccer team next week, people familiar with the situation said Tuesday.

Pro Golfers Are Hitting Balls Way Too Far. Some Say It Has to Stop.

Alan Blinder, The New York Times

Driving distance has been steadily increasing, and a proposal on Tuesday by the U.S. Golf Association and the R&A could affect elite players within three years.

LIV Golf’s attempt to trademark logo blocked by Miami nightclub, you can’t make this stuff up

Greg Gottfried, Golf Digest

Looks like Greg Norman has taken another L this week … this time to Florida Man. A trademark application from the Saudi-backed league has been denied by Miami Beach’s LIV nightclub, the renowned discotheque in the Fountainbleu Hotel.

Former Olympian Kara Goucher Alleges Assault by Banned Running Coach Alberto Salazar

Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal 

Goucher says the incidents occurred in 2006 and 2009. Salazar was banned for sexual misconduct by the U.S. Center for SafeSport in 2021.

Why Under Armour is revamping ‘Protect This House’

Jade Yan, Ad Age

The campaign—which modernizes an old slogan—is the sportswear brand’s first work with its lead global creative agency Zambezi. 

Nike is facing a PR nightmare as Kyrie Irving, Ja Morant, and now Tom Sachs face scandals – but experts say partnerships with celebs and athletes will never go away

Matthew Kish, Insider

On Monday, Curbed published a blistering expose centered around the sordid life of Tom Sachs, an artist, designer, and Nike collaborator whose latest sneaker was released last month. The story marks the third time in the last few months that a Nike collaborator became a public relations nightmare overnight.

Michael Jordan’s ‘Last Dance’ sneakers are going up for auction

Jessica Golden, CNBC

An iconic pair of Air Jordan sneakers is going up for sale and is expected to be the most expensive pair of sneakers ever to appear at auction, estimated to sell for between $2 million and $4 million.