General
DraftKings Is Said to Be in Talks to Sell to Diamond Eagle
Scott Soshnick and Crystal Tse, Bloomberg
Blank-check company Diamond Eagle Acquisition Corp. is in advanced talks to buy DraftKings Inc., the fantasy sports and gambling company, according to people familiar with the matter. The special-purpose acquisition company, or SPAC, is in exclusive negotiations with DraftKings, said the people, who asked to not be identified because the matter isn’t public.
Michigan House passes sports betting, online gambling bills
David Eggert, The Associated Press
Sports betting and online gambling would become legal at Michigan casinos under legislation approved Wednesday by the House, though Gov. Gretchen Whitmer continues to have concerns that the expansion could syphon revenue from the state’s iLottery. The main measures in the 10-bill package passed on 63-45 and 62-44 votes, with many Republicans and some Democrats in support.
Lululemon Backs Fitness Startup Mirror
Katie Roof, The Wall Street Journal
Fitness apparel maker Lululemon Athletica Inc. has taken a minority ownership stake in Mirror, an at-home fitness startup that sells a tech-enabled mirror, as part of the startup’s planned expansion into meditation and other categories. The deal is part of a wave of venture-capital investment in at-home fitness, a category that has drawn increased attention due in part to stationary bike maker Peloton Interactive Inc., which received substantial funding before going public last month.
Ousted commissioner recants ‘racist’ claims vs. Ice Cube’s Big3 league: sources
Richard Morgan, New York Post
A former commissioner of Ice Cube’s 3-on-3 basketball league is recanting his explosive claims that the league’s co-founder used racial slurs when referring to African American players, The Post has learned. Former Big3 commissioner Roger Mason Jr. has agreed to retract claims that Jeff Kwatinetz, who co-founded Big3 with rapper and actor Ice Cube in 2017, called some of the league’s players “rich n—ers,” according to sources familiar with the out-of-court settlement.
Tokyo governor confronts IOC over moving Olympic marathon
Stephen Wade, The Associated Press
The IOC has a full-blown fight on its hands trying to move next year’s Olympic marathon from steamy Tokyo to the cooler northern city of Sapporo. The powerful Olympic body is up against Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike, who was once viewed as a possible Japanese prime minister candidate and is one of the country’s most astute politicians.
NFL
BABE Becomes Official Wine Sponsor Of The NFL
Kristi Dosh, Forbes
BABE, a sparkling wine-in-a-can recognized as the most photographed wine on Instagram, is coming to 12 NFL stadiums across the country. The official wine sponsor of the NFL, BABE will partner with the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins, Denver Broncos and other NFL clubs.
The 49ers Are Rushing to Overpower the NFL
Andrew Beaton, The Wall Street Journal
When the San Francisco 49ers took defensive lineman Nick Bosa with the No. 2 overall in the NFL draft last April, he had a distinct relief: he wasn’t going to a typical team that had finished 4-12 the year before. The 49ers had largely faltered in 2018 because quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo got injured.
Trent Williams fails Redskins’ physical, and it’s unclear what will happen next
Les Carpenter, The Washington Post
The giant bags and boxes that had been stored around Washington Redskins left tackle Trent Williams’s locker were finally gone Wednesday morning. Friend and fellow lineman Morgan Moses noticed Williams’s backpack in their place.
Jamal Adams slams Jets bosses, professes Cowboys ‘love’ in wild press conference
Zach Braziller, New York Post
Jamal Adams tried his best to thread the proverbial needle, repeatedly saying he was excited and happy to still be a Jet yet admitting he remains hurt and upset that his name was the subject of trade talks. Coach Adam Gase and general manager Joe Douglas tried to speak to the Pro Bowl safety on Wednesday, but Adams declined to have those conversations, feeling he wasn’t ready to clear the air.
‘Frustrated’ Browns QB Mayfield storms away from interview
Tom Withers, The Associated Press
Baker Mayfield’s frustration finally boiled over. The losing is beating him.
NBA
Los Angeles Lakers, Delta extend partnership; now offering ticket exchange service
Jabari Young, CNBC
The Los Angeles Lakers and Delta Air Lines extended their partnership on Wednesday, allowing Atlanta based company to remain the “exclusive airline partner” of the team. To celebrate the deal, Delta and the Lakers agreed to launch “Showtime Seat Exchange,” a charitable trading service which will allow season ticket holders to receive an airline ticket in exchange for tickets to one of the four available Lakers home game.
Golden State Warriors lose Stephen Curry to a broken hand
Dan Woike, Los Angeles Times
The Golden State Warriors announced Stephen Curry has a broken left hand, an injury he suffered in the team’s third blowout loss this season. During the Warriors’ 121-110 loss to the Suns in San Francisco, Curry fell between two Phoenix defenders and had his left hand rolled underneath Aron Baynes’ body once he hit the ground.
Joel Embiid and Karl-Anthony Towns both ejected for fighting
ESPN
The 76ers’ Joel Embiid and Timberwolves’ Karl-Anthony Towns were ejected for fighting in the third quarter of Wednesday night’s game in Philadelphia. The two big men, who have a history of talking trash to each other, shoved each other at the Wolves’ end of the court while the Sixers pushed the ball upcourt, with Towns throwing a punch that missed and then putting Embiid in a headlock.
Iverson remains Philly icon as 76ers race to perfect start
Dan Gelston, The Associated Press
Allen Iverson is The Answer that finally became the question. Take it away, Alex Trebek!
MLB
In This World Series, It Was All About Home-Field Disadvantage
James Wagner, The New York Times
The home field is supposed to be an advantage in sports. Players sleep in their own beds.
Stephen Strasburg named World Series MVP after historic postseason run
Sam Fortier, The Washington Post
Stephen Strasburg stepped into the dugout while an adoring audience watched for the second night in a row. It was his teammates on Tuesday, celebrating his historic Game 6 start that saved this team’s season, and on Wednesday it was a writhing mass of Washington Nationals fans.
Ex-All-Star slugger Josh Hamilton charged with child injury
The Associated Press
Former All-Star slugger Josh Hamilton has been charged with injury to a child after his 14-year-old daughter told his ex-wife that he had struck her. Hamilton, 38, surrendered Wednesday to the Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, Texas, and was released on $35,000 bond.
NHL
From ‘Smoker’ to ‘The Bobfather’: The evolution of TSN’s Bob McKenzie, the first ‘NHL Insider’
Sean Fitz-Gerald, The Athletic
By the end of the 1970s, editors at The Eyeopener, the student-run newspaper at Ryerson Polytechnical Institute, acknowledged two key landmarks in their newsroom. The first was a black-and-yellow chair known affectionately as the “Drug Chair,” as in: “Anybody who was too high had to sit in the drug chair.”
Soccer
In M.L.S., a Final Without the Favorites
The Associated Press
Nick DeLeon scored the tiebreaking goal in the 78th minute, Quentin Westberg saved a penalty kick and Toronto F.C. advanced to Major League Soccer’s championship game with a 2-1 victory over Atlanta United, the defending M.L.S. champion, in the Eastern Conference final Wednesday night. Nicolas Benezet also scored for Toronto, which knocked off the top teams in the East — New York City F.C. and Atlanta United — to earn a shot at the championship Nov. 10 at Seattle.
Ben Olsen acknowledges that D.C. United could look to make a coaching change
Steven Goff, The Washington Post
Ben Olsen has spent more than half his life associated with D.C. United, first as a rambunctious midfielder, then for one year as an assistant coach and interim boss, and for the past nine seasons as the head coach. “I have woken up almost every morning for the last 20-something years thinking about this club and how I can better this club,” he said Wednesday at an end-of-season session with reporters.
Racing
Horse racing’s tragic, wild ride culminates at Breeders’ Cup
Beth Harris, The Associated Press
Thirty horse deaths over the winter at Santa Anita. The first disqualification for interference in Kentucky Derby history. A horse tossing his jockey at the start of the Preakness and running around the track rider-less.
F1 boss says Miami race faces fresh hurdles
Reuters
Formula One has hurdles to overcome if it is to have a race in Miami in May 2021, the sport’s chairman Chase Carey said on Wednesday after new planning obstacles emerged. The Miami Herald reported that Miami-Dade County commissioners passed a resolution on Tuesday enabling them to prohibit road closures linked to racing events in or near residential areas.
McLaren confirms Askew and O’Ward for 2020 IndyCar lineup
Jenna Fryer, The Associated Press
From the moment McLaren said it was teaming with Sam Schmidt’s IndyCar team, all participants stressed that popular veteran James Hinchcliffe would be part of the team in 2020. Then a pair of young drivers became available and the Canadian was unexpectedly dumped from his ride.
Golf and Tennis
Ashleigh Barty passes $10m of prize money in unprecedented tennis season
Australian Associated Press
Ashleigh Barty is not only the top-ranked player in women’s tennis but also the tour’s richest performer in 2019 after crashing through the $10m prize money barrier for the season. Barty’s one-from-two record so far at the lucrative WTA Finals has taken her on-court earnings for the year to an eye-watering $10.93m.
College Sports
Inside the looming battle between the NFLPA and NCAA for college athletes’ name, image and likeness rights
Alicia Jessop, The Athletic
Since former UCLA men’s basketball player Ed O’Bannon filed his landmark case against the NCAA in 2009, the NCAA has fought to prevent college athletes from profiting off of their name, image and likeness rights. That fight may be coming to an end, but a new one is emerging as the NFLPA has announced its intention to represent NCAA athletes in securing deals for their group licensing rights.
How much are college athletes’ names and images worth?
Ralph D. Russo, The Associated Press
How much are a college athlete’s name, image and likeness worth? And who would want to pay for them?
Esports
These best friends do almost everything together. The Overwatch League is next.
Alex Andrejev, The Washington Post
In June, Lukas Wiklund and Elliot Vaneryd faced each other on opposite sides of the international esports stage for the first time. The childhood friends were going head-to-head in the semifinal match of an Overwatch Contenders tournament, but something bigger than a chance to compete for a championship title was on the line: bragging rights.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
For World Series champion Nats, the team that wouldn’t die, there was no doubt, just hope
Barry Svrluga, The Washington Post
In the end, one last time, they were dead and found life. What was this, the 33rd time that happened this month — one for each of the summers Washington went without baseball? The parade route through downtown Houston had been mapped out, and the Washington Nationals reoriented it to the northeast, to Constitution Avenue.
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