• Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry reportedly agreed to sell his roughly 25% stake in the NBA franchise to Cleveland Browns owners Jimmy and Dee Haslam at a $3.5 billion valuation. The pending transaction, which still requires league approval, marks the second-highest NBA team valuation after new Phoenix Suns owner Mat Ishbia purchased the franchise earlier this month from Robert Sarver for $4 billion. (ESPN)
• Super Bowl LVII reached 200 million unique viewers who watched at least one minute of the game, a 9% uptick from the originally reported figure of 183 million, according to the NFL, which commissioned a study in collaboration with Nielsen. The event’s average minute audience also should have been seen as 136 million viewers, up 20% from the 113 million originally counted by the audience and data firm, per the survey. (Sports Business Journal)
• SeatGeek Inc. will replace StubHub as MLB’s official ticket reseller, effectively immediately, in a five-year deal that will pay the league about $100 million per year through a revenue-sharing agreement, according to sources. All 30 MLB teams, whose official resale ticket rights were held by StubHub since 2007, will reportedly have access to SeatGeek’s data to help expand their fan bases and reach younger audiences. (Forbes)

Lillard’s 71 Points Just Another in NBA’s Year of Outliers

Sportico

NFL And Cinedigm Extend Distribution Deal For Annual Super Bowl Championship Film

Dade Hayes, Deadline

This year’s look back at the Super Bowl, recapping the Kansas City Chiefs’ 38-35 comeback win over the Philadelphia Eagles, will come out digitally on Friday and then as a combo pack with a Blu-ray disc on March 14. 

MLB’s two-game London Series 2023 to air exclusively on Fox, ESPN

Jessica Kleinschmidt, Awful Announcing

The league officially announced the broadcast details of the two-game set between the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals on June 24-25, with games airing exclusively on Fox Sports and ESPN.

Daniel Snyder’s demands anger NFL owners, renew talk of voting him out

Mark Maske et al., The Washington Post

Washington Commanders owner Daniel Snyder and his attorneys have demanded that fellow NFL franchise owners and the league indemnify him against future legal liability and costs if he sells the team, two people with direct knowledge of the NFL’s inner workings and the owners’ attitudes said.

Jeff Bezos Remains in Running for Washington Commanders

A.J. Perez, Front Office Sports

NFL owners have grown increasingly concerned over the pace of the Washington Commanders sale, fueled by reports that owner Dan Snyder won’t allow Amazon founder Jeff Bezos bid for the franchise.

How a disputed $55M loan plays into feds’ probe of Commanders

Don Van Natta Jr., ESPN

A $55 million loan has become a primary focus of federal prosecutors in Virginia who are investigating allegations of financial misconduct by Dan Snyder and the Washington Commanders, multiple sources with firsthand knowledge of the inquiry told ESPN.

Commanders release quarterback Carson Wentz after one season

Stephen Whyno, The Associated Press 

The Washington Commanders released Carson Wentz on Monday, an expected move that puts an end to the one-season experiment with the veteran quarterback that did not work out. 

Beyond the 40-yard-dash: How player tracking could modernize the NFL combine

Sam Fortier, The Washington Post

This week, player tracking will be front and center at the combine, which begins Tuesday in Indianapolis. That’s thanks to Zebra Technologies, a tech company whose products help shorten lines at Chick-fil-A, send email alerts when packages are delivered and scan mobile tickets for fans entering arenas.

NBA, NBPA progressing in talks on reaching new CBA: Sources

Shams Charania, The Athletic 

The sides have extended their mutual opt-out deadline during the process and currently have a March 31 deadline to reach an agreement on a new CBA, have one party opt-out or once again extend the process.

Sources: LeBron James feared out several weeks with foot injury

Dave McMenamin, ESPN

LeBron James is feared to be out several weeks with a right foot injury, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski on Monday. James is undergoing further testing and conversations to learn the full extent of the injury, which he suffered in the Los Angeles Lakers’ victory at the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

Michael Jordan’s Championship Air Jordans, Sneakerdom’s Most Elite Collection, Head to Sotheby’s Sale

Jacob Gallagher, The Wall Street Journal 

The private offering of six MJ-worn sneakers, one from each Chicago Bulls championship game, could smash records, experts say.

LaMelo Ball breaks ankle, latest setback in rough season

Steve Reed, The Associated Press 

LaMelo Ball’s frustrating, injury-plagued season could be over after the point guard broke his right ankle in Charlotte’s 117-106 win over the Detroit Pistons on Monday night.

It’s working: Pitch clock shaves 20 minutes from early games

Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press 

Major League Baseball approved its first pitch clock this season, and every day is a new experience for the players as they try to get used to them this spring. 

The Padres Are Not Worried About Sustainability

Scott Miller, The New York Times

Amid doubt that San Diego could maintain its enormous payroll, the team gave Manny Machado a $350 million extension. “There is a risk in doing nothing, too.”

Why Jaromir Jagr Won’t Quit Playing Hockey

David Waldstein, The New York Times

The former N.H.L. star recently turned 51 and is wrapping up his 35th season playing pro hockey with Rytiri Kladno of the Czech Extraliga. As the team’s owner and its biggest draw on the ice, Jagr knows his hometown club’s survival is all on him.

How a new law could change recruiting for service academy football

Pete Thamel, ESPN

Army standout Andre Carter II will be on an NFL roster next season. But a new law passed will make it more difficult for the next service academy star to do so, and their coaches are pushing back.

Messi named FIFA player of 2022, England women rewarded for Euro campaign

Julien Pretot, Reuters

Lionel Messi was named FIFA player of the year 2022 on Monday as Argentina scooped all major men’s awards after winning a vintage World Cup final last December.

Man United Rout Deepens to 23% as Valuation Debate Rages

Kit Rees, Bloomberg

A slide in Manchester United Plc’s shares deepened Monday, leaving the English Premier League club’s stock nearly a quarter below the record high set this month as the bidding war for the iconic football team drags on.

Diana Shnaider Is Mixing College Tennis With the Pro Tour, for Now

Christopher Clarey, The New York Times

A freshman at North Carolina State, Shnaider, a Russian, is the first woman ranked in the top 100 of the pro game to play college tennis since 1993.

Japan’s Dentsu, others indicted over alleged Olympic contract bid rigging

Satoshi Sugiyama and Kaori Kaneko, Reuters

Japanese prosecutors on Tuesday indicted six companies including advertising giant Dentsu Group and seven individuals over the suspected rigging of bids worth $320 million for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.

‘Yellowstone’ Star Cole Hauser to Become Face of Pro Bull Riders

Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

Hauser, who stars as “Rip Wheeler” on the Kevin Costner TV drama “Yellowstone,” has agreed to a multi-year “strategic partnership” with the pro bull riding tour owned by Endeavor.

Formula One and Tottenham FC to Create London Motorsport Venue

Asli Pelit, Sportico 

Tottenham Hotspur FC has signed a 15-year strategic partnership with Formula One to build an indoor electric kart track at the English Premier League club’s London venue. The deal will lead to a new racetrack underneath Tottenham Hotspur Stadium’s South Stand and is set to open this fall.

Before Russia’s Ouster From International Sports, There Was South Africa

Louise Radnofsky, The Wall Street Journal 

A year after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine got its athletes barred from international sports, there’s renewed attention to the long ban on South Africans.