General
Stadium wants to be America’s biggest sports network. And it doesn’t want to be on cable.
Ben Strauss, The Washington Post
One night in mid-February, the marquee college basketball game on the schedule was Duke vs. Virginia, two ACC powerhouses, both ranked among the top teams in the country, both of whom would later earn No. 1 seeds in the NCAA tournament. The game was broadcast by cable giant ESPN, which beamed the action into some 85 million homes around the country.
Bidder for Disney’s Sports Networks Accuses Charter of Undermining Sale Process
Joe Flint, The Wall Street Journal
One of the bidders for regional sports networks that Walt Disney Co. is selling has lodged a complaint with federal regulators alleging that cable operator Charter Communications Inc. CHTR is undermining the sale process by threatening to drop the channels from its systems. In letters to the Federal Communications Commission and the Justice Department, Big3 Basketball LLC alleged that Charter’s conduct is depressing prices in the auction and suggested the situation could benefit Charter’s largest shareholder, Liberty Media Corp., which is also a bidder.
Vivid Seats buys Toronto company, plans hiring spree
John Pletz, Crain’s Chicago Business
Stan Chia isn’t wasting any time making his presence felt as CEO at Vivid Seats, buying a Toronto-based software company for up to $60 million. Vivid Seats, an online marketplace for sports and other tickets, bought Fanxchange, whose software is used by Groupon, Marriott, American Express and other companies to sell tickets.
How Molly Qerim Rose Deals with the Noise in Her Mediator Role on ESPN’s First Take
Jacob Feldman, Sports Illustrated
If anyone needs 20 minutes of quiet, it’s this woman—the one on TV, there, stuck between Stephen A. Smith and Max Kellerman on First Take. If anyone deserves 15 minutes to herself, joined only by Oprah’s voice or the sound of ocean waves, it’s her, Molly Qerim Rose, the host of ESPN’s loudest show.
Cheating to Make the Boston Marathon? You Can’t Run From This Detective
Jen A. Miller, The New York Times
One was a serial bib forger. Another was a blogger who posted a photo of her running watch, which showed she cut the course of a half marathon, then rode the racecourse again on her bike to recreate the right GPS track.
NFL
Rashard Mendenhall: Ben Roethlisberger is a ‘racist quarterback’
Peter Botte, New York Post
The messy breakup of the Steelers somehow is getting worse. Former Pittsburgh running back Rashard Mendenhall defended traded wide receiver Antonio Brown in his ongoing feud with the franchise Thursday by calling Ben Roethlisberger “a racist quarterback” on Twitter.
Jags’ Fournette arrested over suspended license
Michael DiRocco, ESPN
Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette was arrested Thursday afternoon after a traffic stop and charged with knowingly driving with a suspended or revoked license, speeding and improper window tint on the side and rear windows, according to a police report. Fournette paid a $1,508 bond and was released after spending less than 30 minutes at the Duval County Jail.
NBA
The Warriors’ Biggest Rivals? Injuries and Boredom
Benjamin Hoffman, The New York Times
The Golden State Warriors followed up their second consecutive N.B.A. title — and third in four years — by adding DeMarcus Cousins, the four-time All-Star. It became commonplace to declare that they had ruined the league by removing any suspense to the season.
Grizzlies fire Bickerstaff in major shake-up
Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN
As part of a seismic organizational overhaul, the Memphis Grizzlies fired coach J.B. Bickerstaff and reassigned general manager Chris Wallace on Thursday. Wallace and vice president of basketball operations John Hollinger were demoted to scouting and senior advisory roles, respectively.
The NBA Playoffs Will Determine the Future of the League
Ben Cohen, The Wall Street Journal
Magic Johnson will be tweeting. LeBron James will have enough time to build a wine cellar by hand. The East will be more compelling than the West. And it seems at least within the realm of possibility that some team might beat the Golden State Warriors.
Suns name Jones as GM, Bower as VP of operations
Reuters
The Phoenix Suns officially named James Jones as general manager Thursday, giving him control over all basketball operations for the team. The Suns also added Jeff Bower as senior vice president of basketball operations and retained Trevor Bukstein as assistant general manager.
Sacramento Kings fire coach Dave Joerger despite best season in 13 years
Jeff Zillgitt, USA Today
The Sacramento Kings have fired head coach Dave Joerger, a person familiar with the decision confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The person requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Cavs begin coaching search after parting ways with Drew
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
The Cavaliers’ next coach will inherit a better situation than the one Larry Drew got handed. Drew and the Cavs parted ways Thursday after a challenging, 19-win season that followed LeBron James leaving for Los Angeles and included a rash of injuries to a young roster.
MLB
2026 MLB All-Star Game in Philadelphia
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press
Baseball’s 2026 All-Star Game will be played in Philadelphia to mark the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, a person familiar with the planning told The Associated Press. The person spoke on condition of anonymity Thursday because no announcement had been made.
NHL
Devils keep Rangers guessing over pivotal NHL draft decision
Michael Blinn, New York Post
The Rangers’ fates are tied directly to the neighboring Devils, and New Jersey GM Ray Shero is content playing coy. When Shero steps to the podium to make the first pick in the 2019 NHL draft on June 21 in Vancouver — one selection ahead of Blueshirts GM Jeff Gorton — he will have his pick between American wunderkind Jack Hughes and Finnish scorer Kaapo Kakko.
Soccer
AS Roma owner James Pallotta denies Qatar takeover rumours
Ed Dixon, SportsPro Media
James Pallotta, the owner of top-flight Italian soccer club AS Roma, has rebuffed claims that Qatar Sports Investments (QSI), which counts French giants Paris Saint-Germain amongst its portfolio, has made an offer for the Italian club.
La Liga first sports entity to rank among Spain’s top 100 brands
Kunal Dhyani, InsideSport
LaLiga has emerged as the eighth biggest brand in Spain. There is no other sports’ entity among the top 100 in the country. Spain’s elite football competition has been evaluated at € 487 million ($ 548 mn) by a report by Brand Finance, a valuation and strategy consultancy.
Racing
Fox is moving in on NBC territory: horse racing
Andrew Marchand, New York Post
Fox is getting into horse racing, The Post has learned. The historic Travers Grade 1, $1.25 million race is moving from its longtime home of NBC to Fox for the event on Aug. 24 from Saratoga.
Like all of NASCAR, Martin Truex Jr. wants to see what new rules mean for Richmond
Liz Clarke, The Washington Post
A stock-car racer need not have been born and bred in the Carolinas, like NASCAR’s famed Petty and Earnhardt clans, to appreciate the significance of short-track racing. Martin Truex Jr., the 2017 Cup Series champion and a proud son of New Jersey, can testify with equal conviction.
Golf and Tennis
Brooks Koepka, Bryson DeChambeau Tie for Early Masters Lead
Brian Costa, The Wall Street Journal
If major championships were reduced to betting games between players, Brooks Koepka would be the ultimate sandbagger. As a habit, he hardly ever wins golf tournaments, unless it is one of the four every year that matter most.
Sergio García’s Hunt for the Perfect Caddie
Karen Crouse, The New York Times
The first time that Sergio García’s older brother, Victor, caddied for him at the Masters, García handed him his putter on the ninth hole of the Wednesday par-3 contest and watched him drain a 25-foot birdie attempt. More than a decade later, Victor is again inside the ropes at Augusta National with his brother, but this time he will be shepherding García through the 72-hole tournament, which began Thursday.
John Daly has mastered the art of selling his merchandise outside Augusta National
Sam Farmer, Los Angeles Times
It’s a tradition like no other. Not the Masters, but John Daly selling hats, shirts, pants, towels, pin flags — you name it — out of his luxury bus in the Hooters parking lot.
Meet Corey Conners, who wasn’t even supposed to be at the Masters and now is near the lead
Matt Bonesteel, The Washington Post
For the second week in a row, Corey Conners earned the last available spot in a golf tournament. And for the second week in a row, he’s doing pretty, pretty good.
College Sports
Nick Saban tries to undo damage from his recent comments about players leaving early
Mike Florio, Profootballtalk.com
Alabama coach Nick Saban, who obviously benefits from players choosing not to leave school early, recently launched into a monologue regarding players who make bad business decisions by exiting prematurely. Although Saban didn’t name names, it was obvious that he disagrees with the business decision made last year by former Alabama defensive back (and current Jaguars safety) Ronnie Harrison.
Les Miles trying to get Kansas ahead of the curve
Dave Skretta, The Associated Press
Among all the changes that have taken place at Kansas since Les Miles was hired to resurrect the moribund football program, the easiest to notice is the title of the spring game. It’s called “Late Night Under the Lights.”
Esports
NBA Player Meyers Leonard Announces Investment In FaZe Clan
H.B. Duran, The Esports Observer
Portland Trail Blazers player and avid Twitch streamer Meyers Leonard announced that he has officially invested in FaZe Clan. Leonard has expressed support for the esports team previously by watching their streams and has been seen wearing a Brendan “Jaomock” O’Brien FaZe Clan jersey.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
Ozzie Albies’s New Deal Could Be the Worst an MLB Player Has Ever Signed
Michael Baumann, The Ringer
Contract extensions are coming thick and fast this spring, with teams both competitive and not locking in valued players long term. From 14-year veteran Justin Verlander to rookie Eloy Jiménez, from Mike Trout to David Bote, everyone’s signing extensions. Wednesday it was Matt Carpenter, Thursday it’s Ozzie Albies—blink and you’ll miss the next deal.
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