Top Stories

  • Financial technology startup Social Finance Inc. will reportedly pay more than $30 million annually over 20 years for the naming rights to the National Football League Stadium, developed by billionaire and Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke. The fee for the stadium, which is set to open next summer as the home of the Rams and the Los Angeles Chargers and host site of the 2022 Super Bowl and 2028 Olympic Games, is a record for any sports venue, according to a person familiar with the deal said. (Bloomberg)
  • The NFL is set to meet today with Britney Taylor, the woman who has accused New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown of raping her in 2017 and 2018, according to a person with direct knowledge of the situation. The meeting comes in the early stages of the NFL’s investigation into the allegations, which Brown — who caught a touchdown pass in his first game for the reigning Super Bowl champions — has denied and has so far resulted in no criminal charges being filed. (The Associated Press)
  • Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan said he plans to sell a significant minority ownership stake in the NBA franchise to Melvin Capital founder Gabe Plotkin and DI Capital founder Daniel Sundheim. According to a league source, the process for approval of the deal is underway and is expected to be completed quickly. (The Charlotte Observer)

Chart Review

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

09/17/2019
2019 Game Changers Conference
SportTechie NEXT 2019 7:00 pm
09/18/2019
SportTechie NEXT 2019 9:30 am
09/19/2019
SportTechie NEXT 2019 10:00 am
View full calendar

How Brands Can Navigate the New Era of Politics

Learn More

General

Tyson Fury survives Otto Wallin scare to stay on course for Wilder rematch
Bryan Armen Graham, The Guardian

Tyson Fury stayed on course for a hotly anticipated rematch with Deontay Wilder after surviving a dramatic upset bid from Otto Wallin on Saturday night in Las Vegas. The 31-year-old heavyweight from Manchester overcame a flat opening, a gruesome cut and an unheralded but fearless challenger to take command in the second half of the 12-round fight, winning a unanimous decision by scores of 116-112, 117-111 and 118-110.

Judo champion who defied Iran’s rules now in hiding
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press

Saeid Mollaei has been in hiding since he left the Iranian judo team last month, saying he had been ordered to withdraw from the world championships on political grounds. Now he’s training for next year’s Olympics without a guarantee he can compete.

Ashes 2019: England and Australia bring curtain down on unforgettable summer
Felix White, The Independent

The Oval, English cricket’s destination for goodbyes, consolation parties, victory marches and any other timbre of parting gestures, is used to endings. The embers of summer is what it trades in.

NFL

Inside the NFL’s $5 Billion Bet to Make Football Work in Los Angeles
Andrew Beaton, The Wall Street Journal

Have you ever faced the prospect of spending $1 billion, maybe $2 billion on something—and then decided to shell out $5 billion instead? That is precisely what L.A. Rams owner Stan Kroenke is doing with Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, the extravagant attempt to create a West Coast shrine for the NFL that is under construction here.

Brees ‘concerned’ about injury, to see specialist
Mike Triplett, ESPN

Drew Brees said he doesn’t know the severity of a thumb injury that knocked him out of Sunday’s loss to the Rams in the first quarter, but did acknowledge he was worried about it. “Yeah, I am concerned. I’m hoping it’s not too significant” said Brees, who plans to see renowned hand specialist Dr. Steve Shin in Los Angeles.

Saints, Sean Payton agree on five-year extension that locks him in through 2024 season
Patrik Walker, CBS Sports

Anyone hoping Sean Payton’s days in New Orleans were numbered just had their hopes dashed. The Saints haven’t experienced success over the course of their franchise’s history like they have under the leadership of Payton, who initially joined the team in 2006.

How the Saints-Rams no-call changed the NFL
Adam Kilgore, The Washington Post

Standing in the jubilant visiting locker room about an hour after the Los Angeles Rams had won the NFC Championship, Nickell Robey-Coleman had still not seen the play. A reporter showed him a replay on an iPhone, and Robey-Coleman blurted out what everyone involved and everyone watching already knew.

NBA

Toronto Raptors Introduce Branded Hijabs
Mariel Padilla, The New York Times

The Toronto Raptors have introduced a new line of team-branded hijabs in an effort to be more inclusive to fans of all cultures. The team partnered with Nike to design the hijabs — head coverings worn by some Muslim women — and unveiled them on Twitter, saying the athletic apparel was “inspired by those brave enough to change the game.”

Porn site BangBros submits bid to rename Miami Heat arena
Jeremy Layton, New York Post

A porn site is aiming to penetrate the sports world. Adult entertainment company BangBros has submitted a $10 million bid to own the naming rights for the American Airlines Arena in Miami, according to a statement posted to their Twitter account.

FIBA will look to ease travel burdens at 2023 World Cup
Tim Reynolds, The Associated Press

FIBA will look at adjusting travel demands on teams at the next World Cup, after this tournament in China led to many complaints about the distances that nations participating in the knockout stages had to cover without much time to prepare for games. Some teams faced major travel challenges at the tournament’s most crucial time. And multiple nations argued that the semifinal-game winners — Spain and Argentina — benefited from having two days off before those matchups, while semifinal losers Australia and France had only one day.

U.S. Defeats Poland at Basketball World Cup. But for 7th Place.
Marc Stein, The New York Times

As he trudged back to the locker room in the bowels of Cadillac Arena, needing to deliver one last post-game address to his humbled United States men’s basketball team, Coach Gregg Popovich looked up and felt a need to stop. The United States had just been forced to settle for seventh place in the FIBA World Cup, by beating Poland, 87-74.

MLB

100 losses no novelty this year; same with 100 wins
Noah Trister, The Associated Press

The Baltimore Orioles might lose 110 games and still not end up with the No. 1 pick in the draft. That race, so to speak, is pretty unforgiving this year.

Red Sox on track for $13M luxury tax despite mediocre record
Ronald Blum, The Associated Press

The Boston Red Sox are on track to pay a $13.05 million luxury tax for a season in which they are likely to miss the playoffs. The World Series champions’ payroll for purposes of the tax increased from $239.7 million on opening day to $242.8 million on Aug. 31, according to calculations by the commissioner’s office obtained by The Associated Press.

Baseball’s Oldest Team Is Also Its Most Old-School
Jared Diamond, The Wall Street Journal

In an industry increasingly populated by young stars, young managers and young executives, the Washington Nationals have the oldest roster in baseball. They have two 35-year-olds in their starting rotation (Max Scherzer and Aníbal Sánchez), a 36-year-old on their bench (Howie Kendrick) and, at age 42, the sport’s oldest active player in their bullpen (Fernando Rodney).

Ichiro Suzuki Is Saying Farewell, Yet Still Perfecting a New Craft
Brad Lefton, The New York Times

Mike Redmond, the Colorado Rockies’ bench coach, laughed at the improbability of a member of the 3,000-hit club devoting himself to the unheralded role of throwing batting-practice pitches. “I am sure he won’t settle for anything less than becoming the absolute best B.P. pitcher,” Redmond said, smiling in amazement at the newest pursuit of Ichiro Suzuki, whom he once managed with the Miami Marlins.

NHL

NHL suspends Capitals’ Kuznetsov for 3 games
ESPN

Washington Capitals forward Evgeny Kuznetsov has been suspended three games for inappropriate conduct, the NHL announced Saturday. Kuznetsov tested positive for cocaine at the 2019 IIHF World Championship on May 26.

Soccer

Procter & Gamble Will Buy 9,000 Tickets to Support Equal Pay for Women’s Soccer
Jack Neff, Ad Age

Procter & Gamble’s Secret deodorant will spend $200,000 to buy 9,000 tickets to National Women’s Soccer League games in September and October as part of the brand’s growing effort to support equal pay and opportunity for women’ soccer players. Secret will buy 1,000 tickets at one home game for each of the league’s nine teams, offering the seats to women’s organizations, youth sports teams, not-for-profit organizations and other local partners.

Billionaire Joe Mansueto takes full ownership of the Chicago Fire
Tim Bannon, Chicago Tribune

The Chicago Fire have a new boss. Joe Mansueto, the billionaire chairman and founder of investment research firm Morningstar, has taken full ownership of the Major League Soccer team.

Women’s World Cup Drew Nearly $100 Million in TV Ads
Alexandra Bruell and Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal

Advertisers shelled out almost $100 million on U.S. TV commercials in and around the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, exceeding expectations. The flood of ad dollars highlights the appeal of the tournament on Madison Avenue and its ability to drive revenue for TV networks.

What Does a Great Player Look Like Now?
Rory Smith, The New York Times

All of a sudden, it feels as if the future is at hand. Kylian Mbappé has replaced Neymar as the centerpiece of Paris St.-Germain’s bid to conquer world soccer.

Racing

NASCAR shocks gun industry as it appears to block some firearm ads
Sara Murray, CNN

NASCAR rejected advertisements for its souvenir programs from multiple firearms companies earlier this summer as part of what is being seen as a “gradual shift” in its position on guns. The move may be another example of how major companies are adjusting as the nation grapples with guns in America.

Horse Racing’s Tough Year Keeps Getting Tougher
Joe Drape, The New York Times

Horse owners, trainers and racetrack executives are supposed to take care of their athletes, equine and human. When they do not, both are at risk.

Golf and Tennis

Tiger hints he may play in Presidents Cup
Bob Harig, ESPN

Tiger Woods will be in Melbourne, Australia, for the Presidents Cup as captain of the United States team in December. What remains to be decided is whether he will participate as a player.

College Sports

The Most Valuable College Apparel Deals: UCLA Leads As Gear Companies’ New Mindset Thwarts Rivals
Daniel Kleinman, Forbes

UCLA may be coming up short on the field, but the Bruins are winning in an entirely different arena: apparel deals. Three years ago, they locked up college sports’ most lucrative apparel contract, with the Under Armour deal netting them an average of $12.7 million in cash and product allowance per year.

AP Top 25 Reality Check: Gap between elite and rest grows
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press

Before the season there was talk of a clear dividing line in college football between the elite programs, true national championship and perennial playoff contenders, and everybody else. Through three weeks of the college football season, not much has changed.

Countable on One Hand: The Women Leading Power Five Athletic Departments
Alan Blinder, The New York Times

The first three games of Pittsburgh’s football season wouldn’t seem like an exhibit of social change: a conference game against Virginia, a home matchup with Ohio and the 100th round of a rivalry with Penn State. But when Heather Lyke, Pitt’s athletic director, scrutinized the schedule, she noticed something beyond big matchups: The Panthers’ first three opponents were Division I universities where women were in charge of sports.

Esports

Nissan’s working with leading esports teams on concept gaming chairs
Kyle Hyatt, CNET

Keeping yourself firmly planted when doing some spirited driving while also keeping comfortable for long drives are both essential job functions for a car seat. That’s why manufacturers spend vast sums of money developing them, especially for high-end and sports cars.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

NCAA’s argument against Fair Pay for Play has no merit and Week 3 mismatches prove it
J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times

Let’s assume California Gov. Gavin Newsom had better things to do with his Saturday than keep track of college football results from around the country. With sincere hope that is the case, we will make it easy for him and his staff in Sacramento.

Morning Consult