Top Stories

  • The Alliance of American Football spoke with Colin Kaerpernick about joining the league prior to the kickoff of its inaugural season but balked at the $20 million or more sought by the former NFL quarterback and his representatives, a source said. Kaepernick, who hasn’t played a down the past two seasons following his kneeling protests during the national anthem in 2016, has brought a lawsuit against the NFL, accusing its owners of colluding to keep him off of a roster. (The Associated Press)
  • The NBA, USTA and a group representing the NFL, MLB and NHL have filed complaints with the U.S. government over Saudi Arabia streaming service BeoutQ, accusing it of pirating their live content and petitioning for the kingdom to be placed on a “Priority Watch List” of countries that do not protect intellectual property rights. In some instances, BeoutQ is accused of stealing its feed directly from Qatar-based BeIN Media Group, which holds the regional broadcast rights for many of the events, and replacing the BeIN logo with its own, an accusation also made by Comcast Corp.’s Sky, which claims the service has spread to other parts of the Middle East. (CNN)
  • The NCAA said it’s reviewing its guidelines regarding granting immediate eligibility to athletes who transfer from one school to another before finishing their degree, a type of request that 19 FBS players have been granted since the beginning of the 2018-19 academic year. Football coaches such as Stanford’s David Shaw have criticized the new regulations, saying they encourage a version of “free agency,” while players — who previously had to demonstrate extraordinary circumstances or hardship if they wanted to skip the traditional one-year waiting period — argue that new rules help put themselves on equal footing with coaches who face no penalty when switching positions. (ESPN)

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Events Calendar (All Times Local)

02/19/2019
Commercial Sport and Entertainment Facilities Safety and Security Summit 8:00 am
02/20/2019
Commercial Sport and Entertainment Facilities Safety and Security Summit 7:30 am
02/21/2019
Commercial Sport and Entertainment Facilities Safety and Security Summit 7:30 am
02/22/2019
2019 Sports Industry Networking and Career Conference
Front Office Sports Digital Media Huddle 8:00 am
View full calendar

The State of the Democratic Primary

On a daily basis, Morning Consult is surveying over 5,000 registered voters across the United States on the 2020 presidential election. Each week, we’ll update this page with the latest survey data, offering an in-depth guide to how the race for the Democratic nomination is shaping up.

General

Overtime Banks $23 Million From Spark Capital, MSG Networks, Carmelo Anthony and Others
Todd Spangler, Variety

Overtime, a digital sports-media startup focused on high-school athletes, has raised $23 million in Series B funding as it looks to expand its content footprint and diversify its revenue base. Venture-capital firm Spark Capital led the round, which brings the two-year-old company to $33.5 million raised to date.

From a Church in Philadelphia, Sports Reference Informs the World
James Wagner, The New York Times

While writing a sermon in September, Cheryl Pyrch, the pastor of Summit Presbyterian Church, needed an assist. On the topic of greatness and Jesus Christ, she wanted to open with recollections of greats in other spheres.

NFL

David Stern Jabs NFL, Saying Kaepernick Would Have a Job in NBA
Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick, Bloomberg

Colin Kaepernick, the quarterback whose NFL career was cut short after he knelt in protest during the national anthem, would still have a job if he were a basketball player, according to former NBA Commissioner David Stern. Speaking on the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast, Stern said that public criticism, particularly from President Donald Trump, may be weighing on National Football League owners.

Lucas Oil Stadium, home of the Colts, ranked No. 1 NFL stadium, again
Zachary Horrall, Indianapolis Star

With 10 years in the books, Lucas Oil Stadium outshined the glitz and glamour of brand new stadiums in the latest ranking of the best stadiums in the NFL. Lucas Oil Stadium received top honors in Stadium Journey’s ranking of the best NFL stadiums of 2018 for the seventh time in the last eight years.

NBA

Adam Silver hasn’t ‘given any thought’ to inquiries by NFL owners
Ramona Shelburne, ESPN

NBA commissioner Adam Silver says he hasn’t “given any thought” to inquiries by NFL owners about his willingness to switch leagues and become commissioner of the NFL. While Silver did not explicitly confirm that he had been approached by NFL owners, sources close to the situation told ESPN that several NFL owners have tried to persuade Silver to run their league over the course of his five years as the NBA’s commissioner.

The Pelicans are so sick of talking about Anthony Davis
Ted Holmlund, New York Post

The Anthony Davis drama seems to be wearing a little thin on Alvin Gentry. The Pelicans coach only wanted to talk about the team’s solid 131-122 victory over the Thunder on Thursday night in New Orleans, and not about his disgruntled big man — who had to leave the game in the second quarter because of a shoulder injury.

All-Star: 10 things to know about the weekend
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

With All-Star festivities set to officially begin Friday, here are 10 things to know going into the weekend.

LeBron James Was Supposed to Make the Lakers Great. But When?
Scott Cacciola, The New York Times

Kyle Kuzma had his first interaction with LeBron James a little more than a year ago, when Kuzma was a first-year forward with the Los Angeles Lakers and James was a few months from dragging the Cleveland Cavaliers to another appearance in the N.B.A. finals. Kuzma had reached out by phone, hoping for some tips.

Knicks Come Up Short Again: Not Even the Worst Team of Last 20 Years
Victor Mather, The New York Times

The Knicks won a basketball game Thursday night. That has not happened since Jan. 4.

Warriors coach Steve Kerr fined $25,000 by NBA for ‘verbally abusing’ official which led to ejection vs. Blazers
Michael Kaskey-Blomain, CBS Sports

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is about to be a little lighter in the pocket. Kerr has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for “verbally abusing and confronting” a game official during the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s 129-107 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, the league announced on Thursday.

MLB

Astros GM Jeff Lunhow Says Agreement Was in Place for Bryce Harper Trade Before 2018 Deadline
Michael Shapiro, Sports Illustrated

As we await for Bryce Harper’s new destination in free agency, Astros general manager Jeff Lunhow said on Thursday the six-time All-Star almost came to Houston before the trade deadline in July 2018. “There was an agreement in principle in place and it didn’t get over the finish line for whatever reason, out of our control.

Nationals’ Scherzer, Astros’ Verlander concerned about game
Chuck King, The Associated Press

Two more aces are expressing concern about how major league teams are playing their cards. Washington right-hander Max Scherzer said Thursday there are too many teams trying not to win, and all the rebuilding “poisons the game.”

NHL

How Auston Matthews’ new deal will have ripple effect on Maple Leafs, NHL
Greg Wyshynski, ESPN

Auston Matthews knows about contract hell, and his negotiation with the Toronto Maple Leafs wasn’t it. “I went through a contract thing when I was going to Switzerland that was a debacle. Much more stressful than this,” he said.

Barely Drawing a Whisper Where Hockey Is the Talk of the Town
Lucas Aykroyd, The New York Times

Vacant red seats outnumbered spectators at a recent Toronto Furies home game. Just 310 people showed up that day at Mastercard Centre, the 1,000-seat practice facility of the N.H.L.’s Toronto Maple Leafs. The turnout was typical for the Furies, one of six clubs in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League.

Soccer

M.L.S. Commissioner Don Garber Gets Five-Year Contract Extension
Andrew Das, The New York Times

Don Garber, who in two decades as commissioner has overseen a wave of expansion that has more than doubled the size of Major League Soccer, has signed a five-year contract extension that will keep him in charge of the league through the 2023 season. The league announced the new contract on Thursday. Garber’s previous deal expired after last season, but he had widely been expected to remain in his post.

Landon Donovan ready for debut with San Diego Sockers
Bernie Wilson, The Associated Press

Landon Donovan doesn’t look at it as coming out of retirement, since he never really considered himself retired. Donovan, the former U.S. national team and MLS star, will make his debut for the San Diego Sockers of the Major Arena Soccer League on Friday night against the Tacoma Stars.

PSG breach Champions League rights with Facebook stream
Tom Bassam, SportsPro Media

It appears a technical blunder from Paris Saint-Germain gave a reported 1.4 million domestic viewers access to a free Facebook stream of the French soccer giants’ Uefa Champions League clash with Manchester United, leaving the club in breach of Altice-owned RMC Sport’s exclusive rights deal. PSG had previously agreed a deal with Esporte Interativo and Facebook, the rights holders in Brazil, to stream the game in the territory but a geo-locking error opened up the stream of RMC Sport’s coverage.

Racing

Jimmie Johnson to make his NASCAR broadcast debut on FS1
A.J. Perez, USA Today

Jimmie Johnson is set to follow his former Hendrick Motorsports teammates Jeff Gordon and Dale Earnhardt Jr. into the broadcast booth. For now, it’s just for one race, the FS1 telecast of the NASCAR Xfinity Series contest on Feb. 23.

How NASCAR is using AR and 360-degree video
Sahil Patel, Digiday

Heading into the 2019 season, NASCAR is investing more in emerging formats such as augmented reality and 360-degree video. This year, NASCAR plans to do 10 live 360-degree video streams to give viewers a look inside the race cars of various drivers during races.

‘Bubba’ Wallace has begun making a name for himself on the NASCAR circuit
John Cherwa, Los Angeles Times

Desi Wallace was sitting around the pit area with her son Darrell, known better by his nickname Bubba, unusual for an African-American man in the South. He had just won a K&N development series race at Richmond (Va.) Raceway and they were watching his crew load equipment onto the truck.

Golf and Tennis

Matt Kuchar defends paying caddie $5G after winning millions in tournament: ‘You can’t make everybody happy’
Kathleen Joyce, Fox News

Pro golfer Matt Kuchar defended paying his caddie $5,000 for his services after Kuchar took home $1.296 million for winning the Mayakoba Golf Classic in November. Kuchar, 40, told Golf Channel at the Genesis Open on Wednesday that he indeed paid local Mexican caddie David “El Tucan” Giral Ortiz, who was replacing Kuchar’s regular caddie, John Wood, $5,000 and offered him an additional $15,000 but he turned it down.

College Sports

College Basketball Says Goodbye to the RPI, Hello NET
Laine Higgins, The Wall Street Journal

If you follow college basketball only casually until the NCAA tournament begins, there’s a good chance that the only thing you know about the 2018-19 season is the existence of a very large Duke freshman named Zion. But with the regular season winding down, fans are starting to wonder whether their teams will attract an invitation to March Madness.

Kansas fears formal NCAA investigation stemming from FBI case involving college basketball
Dennis Dodd, CBS Sports

Kansas officials are concerned that a formal NCAA infractions case may be developing into the basketball program after a recent reinstatement ruling, several sources told CBS Sports. Sources at Kansas, those close to the reinstatement process involving forward Silvio De Sousa and familiar with the NCAA process, said a door could be opening to one of the first formal infractions cases to stem from the wide-ranging FBI investigation into college basketball.

Esports

NBA 2K League Increases Season Two Prize Pool to $1.2M
Trent Murray, The Esports Observer

The NBA 2K Database-Link-e1521645463907 League will provide a $1.2M prize pool for its 2019 season, up from last year’s inaugural prize pool of $1M. The money will be distributed through the same system of tournaments as last year. The season-opening THE TIPOFF tournament will award $120K, two in-season tournaments will each provide $180K, and the remaining $720K will be distributed through the league’s playoffs.

Call of Duty was the best-selling console franchise in 2018
Justin Binkowski, Dot Esports

Call of Duty is still the king of console video games—as if there was ever any doubt. Call of Duty was the No. 1 selling console franchise worldwide in 2018, according to Activision’s fourth-quarter and 2018 financial results report.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

‘Ain’t no maybe about it’: LeBron James will one day own an NBA team. Here’s how
Joe Vardon, The Athletic

LeBron​ James​ loves​ to​ say​ that​ his illustrious​ NBA career, his​ rising from childhood poverty in Akron to​ the​​ best, most famous basketball player of his time, goes against all odds. In the past five seasons alone, he’s cemented his legacy by returning to Cleveland and capturing a title for the Cavaliers.

Trevor Bauer’s radical idea on MLB contracts could benefit everyone
Bob Nightengale, USA Today

In one swoop Thursday morning, Trevor Bauer made the Cleveland Indians cringe, the unemployed free-agent class think and the players’ union listen. In addition to airing his grievances about the arbitration process and the “character assassination” he endured, Bauer presented his own radical idea for getting the money he believes he’s worth.

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