• The NBA suspended Phoenix Suns and Mercury owner Robert Sarver for one year and issued a maximum $10 million fine following a nearly yearlong independent investigation into allegations of racist, misogynistic and hostile conduct against the 60-year-old owner, with the NBA stating the probe found “workplace misconduct and organizational deficiencies.” Sarver, who “repeated or purported to repeat the N-word on at least five occasions spanning his tenure with the Suns,” according to the report, apologized for “words and actions that offended our employees” and will “accept the consequences of the league’s decision.” (The Associated Press) 
• Amazon.com Inc. signed Carnival Corp., Little Caesars Pizza, DraftKings Inc., Audible and Mercedes-Benz as sponsors for “Thursday Night Football,” which debuts exclusively tomorrow on Prime Video. Little Caesars will sponsor the pregame show with an on-screen QR prompt for fans to order delivery, while DraftKings will sponsor a segment on gambling odds called “TNF Predictions.” (Ad Age)
• The Seattle Seahawks’ 17-16 win against the Denver Broncos on ESPN’s “Monday Night Football” was watched by 19.9 million viewers, up 16% from last year’s network season opener and the third-most watched “Monday Night Football” game since 2009. (Deadline) Meanwhile, Alabama’s 20-19 victory at Texas on the season premiere of Fox’s “Big Noon Saturday” averaged 10.6 million viewers, making it the most watched college football game of the 2022 season and the fourth-most watched college football game on Fox, excluding conference championships and bowl games. (Sports Media Watch)

Worth keeping an eye on today (all times local):

• 8:30 a.m. Sports Business Journal’s Sports Facilities & Franchises and Ticketing Symposium begins in Nashville, Tenn.

Should Alabama Be Worried That It Almost Lost To Texas?

FiveThirtyEight

DraftKings, Amazon Ink Thursday Night NFL Tie-up With Betting Options

Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico 

DraftKings has signed a multiyear partnership with Amazon that will make it the exclusive odds provider for Thursday Night Football NFL broadcasts. Starting with this week’s game between the Chiefs and Chargers, Amazon will integrate DraftKings odds and analysis into pregame shows and live in-game action.

Can Al Michaels make streaming the NFL on Amazon Prime Video a Thursday night ritual?

Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times 

Veteran sports broadcaster Al Michaels has a 20-year-old answering machine in his Brentwood home, and it will likely never be thrown out. The device contains several messages from the late Dodgers announcer Vin Scully who died Aug. 2. 

Dwyane Wade leaving TNT’s NBA coverage

Andrew Marchand, New York Post 

Future Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade will not return to TNT this season, The Post learned Tuesday. After three years at the network, the decision was Wade’s, according to sources.

FIFA World Cup Docuseries ‘Moment of Truth’ Set From Whisper, Final Replay and Sony Pictures Television

K.J. Yossman, Variety

Ahead of this year’s FIFA World Cup, set to take place in Qatar in November, Whisper, Final Replay and Sony Pictures Television, in association with soccer-themed streaming platform FIFA+, are producing a 10-part docuseries about the history of the tournament titled “Moment Of Truth.”

Former Gov. Phil Bryant helped Brett Favre secure welfare funding for USM volleyball stadium, texts reveal

Anna Wolfe, Mississippi Today 

Text messages entered Monday into the state’s ongoing civil lawsuit over the welfare scandal reveal that former Gov. Phil Bryant pushed to make NFL legend Brett Favre’s volleyball idea a reality.

The Billionaire Hedge Fund Manager Disrupting NFL Analytics

Andrew Beaton, The Wall Street Journal 

Paul Tudor Jones has co-founded a new company that has invested significant resources in developing technology that it believes can tackle one of the most complicated puzzles in sports: how to build a winning NFL team.

Dallas Cowboys Player Ghosts on Fox Sports Analyst Gig After Tough Loss, Still ‘Radio Silent’

Josh Dickey, The Wrap 

Micah Parsons even had equipment set up in his house to appear Tuesdays on ”Undisputed“ with Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe. 

Navigating NFL without an agent remains tricky proposition

Kyle Hightower, The Associated Press 

Lamar Jackson was still wearing his uniform when he walked into his postgame news conference minutes after the Baltimore Ravens earned a season-opening win over the New York Jets on Sunday. He was coming off a three-touchdown game that had provided the bulk of Baltimore’s points during its 24-9 victory.

Cowboys won’t put Prescott on IR for possible earlier return

The Associated Press 

The Dallas Cowboys are not putting quarterback Dak Prescott on injured reserve after surgery on his right thumb, leaving open the possibility that he could return within the next four games.

Shorting the Receiver Market, the Packers and Cowboys Bet Wrong

Mike Tanier, The New York Times

Aaron Rodgers isn’t the only quarterback who is missing his former wideouts. Just the angriest.

An elf with a mean stiff-arm will take center stage for the Browns

Des Bieler, The Washington Post 

To paraphrase the immortal Vince Lombardi: What the elf is going on out here? Well, what is going on the very center of the Cleveland Browns’ field at FirstEnergy Stadium is a logo. Of an Elf.

Four fans injured in FedEx Field railing collapse sue Commanders

Nicki Jhabvala, The Washington Post 

Four people injured at a game at FedEx Field because of a railing collapse sued the Washington Commanders and three other defendants on Friday, each seeking awards in excess of $75,000.

Chris Paul launches a new vegan snack brand with GoPuff

Mark Wilson, Fast Company 

Good Eat’n snacks are entirely plant-based and flavor-blasted—and only available from the grocery delivery startup.

Luka Dončić Embroiled in Unusual Trademark Dispute With His Mother

Michael McCann, Sportico 

Luka Dončić wants control of his name under trademark law but someone he knows well is standing in his way is: his mom.

Kershaw, Dodgers win another NL West title, blank D-backs

Jack Thompson, The Associated Press 

Last year, the Los Angeles Dodgers went all the way to the last day of the regular season, won a whopping 106 games, and still lost the NL West title to the San Francisco Giants. This time, Clayton Kershaw and the Dodgers left no doubt.

Nashville Predators will be featured on third season of NHL Network’s ‘Behind the Glass’ docuseries

Joe Lucia, Awful Announcing 

The New Jersey Devils and Philadelphia Flyers were featured in the first two seasons of Behind the Glass, which went on hiatus during the previous two seasons.

Disney Could Grab $700M from College Football Ads

Michael McCarthy and A.J. Perez, Front Office Sports 

The Walt Disney Co. is poised to reap a windfall from college football ad sales on ESPN and ABC this year. This season’s coverage should generate well over $700 million in combined ad sales from more than 350 advertisers over Disney’s linear and digital networks, sources told Front Office Sports.

Chelsea Owner Boehly Says Decision to Fire Tuchel Was About Vision Not Results

Tom Maloney and Erik Schatzker, Bloomberg 

Chelsea FC owner Todd Boehly said his decision to fire manager Thomas Tuchel was about finding someone who bought into his ownership group’s vision for the club, and not about the team’s lackluster start. 

Switzerland launch bid to host 2025 Women’s Euros

Mark Gleeson, Reuters

Switzerland on Wednesday launched a bid to host the next Women’s European Championship in 2025, saying it had the right credentials to stage the 16-team event.

Bayern Munich fans protest match delays due to Queen Elizabeth II’s death

Mark Ogden, ESPN 

Bayern Munich fans protested against football supporters being impacted by the death of Queen Elizabeth II, unfurling a banner during the Bundesliga side’s 2-0 Champions League win over Barcelona calling for the game’s authorities to “Respect Fans.”

London Marathon Joins Boston in Welcoming Nonbinary Runners

Talya Minsberg, The New York Times 

Five of the six largest marathons in the world will soon allow runners to compete without registering as men or women. The London Marathon changed its policy on Wednesday.

Top college player leaves team to make pro debut at LIV Golf

Josh Berhow, Golf.com 

A top college player is heading to LIV Golf. David Puig, a senior at Arizona State, announced on Instagram on Monday that he’s turning pro but will stay at ASU to finish his degree.

No. 1 Alcaraz already back in Spain for Davis Cup Finals

Tales Azzoni, The Associated Press 

It was a quick turnaround for tennis’ new No. 1. Hours after celebrating his first Grand Slam title at the U.S. Open, Carlos Alcaraz arrived back home to try to help Spain in the Davis Cup Finals.

LIV Golf’s season-ending team championship includes match-play head-to-head knockout playoff and $50 million purse

Mark Schlabach, ESPN

Golfers will compete for $50 million, the richest purse in the sport’s history, in LIV Golf’s season-ending team championship, which is scheduled to be played at Trump National Doral Miami from Oct. 27-30. Twelve four-man teams will compete for a $16 million first-place prize.

Esports are growing – and so is Atlanta’s role in the industry

Emil Moffatt, WABE

Thousands of Georgians already work in the video game industry, and with the continued worldwide growth of esports, many more are hoping to get in on the action. Atlanta sports franchises are hoping an investment in the industry will help attract a younger generation of fans too.

The Harlem Globetrotters are returning to TV for the first time in more than 40 years

Sarah Whitten, CNBC 

The world-famous exhibition basketball team known for its spectacular ball handling and humorous antics will appear in a weekly show called “Harlem Globetrotters: Play it Forward” on NBC.

Barstool Sports, Michael Rapaport Drop Dueling Claims In Bizarre Defamation Dispute

Winston Cho, The Hollywood Reporter 

An agreement ends the breach of contract fight but allows the actor to appeal a prior ruling dismissing his defamation claims.

Kadokawa chairman arrested on graft suspicion over Tokyo 2020 Olympics

Tim Kelly, Reuters

Japanese prosecutors arrested Tsuguhiko Kadokawa, the chairman of publishing company Kadokawa Corp on Wednesday on suspicion of paying bribes related to the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the Jiji news agency said. 

How an aspiring math teacher created go-to advice for prop betting

Mark Selig, The Washington Post 

In 2020, Pete Smaluck built software that could teach middle-schoolers math through NBA stats. Students could pick their favorite player or team, and the software would generate a worksheet with relevant questions.