• Los Angeles Angels dual-threat star Shohei Ohtani is projected to be MLB’s highest-paid player this season, earning an estimated record $70 million, including $40 million in endorsements, ahead of New York Mets pitchers Max Scherzer ($60.3 million) and Justin Verlander ($44.3 million), per Sportico analysis. In 2023, MLB’s 10 highest-paid players are estimated to earn $443 million collectively, up 17% year over year. (Sportico)
• Los Angeles Chargers co-owner Dea Spanos Berberian is reportedly looking to sell a 24% stake in the NFL franchise, including the 15% she personally holds, as well as the remaining equity she has is in a family trust, which is the topic of a legal dispute between Spanos Berberian and her brother and Chargers principal owner Dean Spanos. The Chargers, who declined to comment, are valued at $3.62 billion, according to Sportico. (Sportico)
• Defending women’s college basketball national champions South Carolina advanced to their third consecutive Final Four and will play Iowa, while Virginia Tech, in the team’s first semifinal appearance, will play LSU, with both games scheduled for Friday. The Gamecocks would be the first back-to-back champions since UConn won four consecutive titles from 2013 to 2016. (The Associated Press)

Fair ‘Air’: Ben Affleck stresses the ‘essentially true’ in his new film about the birth of the Michael Jordan-Nike partnership

Sports Business Journal

Gayle King, Charles Barkley Near Deal to Host CNN Primetime Show

Brian Steinberg, Variety

Gayle King and Charles Barkley are finalizing a deal that would have them jointly lead a primetime hour each week on CNN, according to people familiar with the matter. The pact is not complete and there is always the risk it may not come to fruition, one of these people says.

Disney Layoffs Start This Week, Bob Iger Tells Employees As 7,000 Cuts Loom

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter 

There will also be a “larger” round of layoffs in April, and a third round before summer. “There will no doubt be challenges ahead as we continue building the structures and functions that will enable us to be successful moving forward,” the CEO told staff in a memo.

TBS, CBS, viewership in opposite directions again Friday

Paulsen, Sports Media Watch

Friday’s NCAA men’s basketball regional semifinals on TBS — San Diego State’s upset of Alabama and 15 seed Princeton’s loss to Creighton — averaged 4.51 and 4.37 million viewers respectively, both up 71% from last year’s equivalent games (Providence-Kansas: 2.65M; Iowa State-Miami: 2.55M). 

The TV Advertising Market Is Slumping, But Sports Ads Are Booming

Alex Weprin, The Hollywood Reporter

An unrivaled audience, hardcore fandom and good timing could help some media companies boost their bottom line at a time when the rest of the market is down.

YES Network still hopes to launch direct-to-consumer product by Yankees’ Opening Day

Andrew Marchand, New York Post

YES Network is still hoping to have a direct-to-consumer Yankees product by Opening Day on Thursday, The Post has learned. If YES DTC can’t launch by Thursday’s Yankees-Giants first pitch, then the plan is to have it ready shortly after with the expectation for it to be available by sometime in April at the latest.

Creditor chaos at Diamond Sports

John Ourand, Sports Business Journal

There’s another round of negotiations — one among Diamond’s creditors — that is not getting as much press. But it’s a process that also is creating headaches and progressing slowly.

QB Lamar Jackson says he has requested trade from Ravens

Jamison Hensley, ESPN

Lamar Jackson unleashed his latest surprise in his ongoing contract saga with the Baltimore Ravens on Monday, announcing that he had requested a trade from the team just as coach John Harbaugh sat down to speak to reporters at the NFL’s annual league meeting.

Woman who says Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is her father now accuses him of defamation

Don Van Natta Jr., ESPN

A woman filed a federal defamation suit against Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, a longtime Arkansas friend and a Cowboys spokesman, alleging the three men “initiated a deliberate plan” to portray her as an “extortionist” and a “shakedown artist.”

NFL’s Billionaire Owners Want to Let Private Equity Buy Stakes in Teams

Giles Turner, Bloomberg

A group of National Football League owners is pushing to allow private equity firms and institutional investors to buy stakes in clubs, a move that could create more bidders at a time of already skyrocketing values for professional teams.

NFL Sells $1.27 Billion in New Debt Under League-Wide Program

Brendan Coffey, Sportico

The NFL has issued $1.27 billion in new 2023 term notes under the league-wide credit facility, according to a ratings opinion issued by Fitch Ratings Monday evening.

Jim Irsay hopes Daniel Snyder will proceed with ‘normal’ sale of Commanders

Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala, The Washington Post

Indianapolis Colts owner Jim Irsay said Monday he’s hopeful that owner Daniel Snyder will sell the Washington Commanders on terms that are “normal and acceptable,” without unusual demands for legal indemnification, so that other NFL team owners do not need to revisit consideration of voting to remove Snyder from the league.

Chiefsaholic, the Fan Who Dressed as a Wolf, Is Said to Be on the Lam

Kevin Draper, The New York Times

Xavier Babudar, known as Chiefsaholic, missed a Monday court hearing on charges that he robbed a bank in Tulsa, Okla. The court and his bail bondsman are looking for him.

Aaron Hernandez’s Brother Arrested For Allegedly Throwing Brick At ESPN Headquarters

TMZ Sports

Aaron Hernandez’s older brother, Dennis “D.J.” Hernandez, was arrested last week after he allegedly threw a brick at ESPN’s headquarters with a note attached to it, TMZ Sports has learned.

Nikola Jokic has high praise for Joel Embiid despite fizzled matchup

Ohm Youngmisuk, ESPN

With Embiid sitting out due to a right calf injury, Jokic delivered his 29th triple-double of the season to lift the Denver Nuggets to a 116-111 win over the Philadelphia 76ers at Ball Arena.

MLB Took a Slow Route to Developing a Speedier Game

Lindsey Adler, The Wall Street Journal

The changes that fans will see at the major-league level this season were the result of nearly 10 years of planning.

Sabres’ Russian player won’t take part in Pride night warmup

John Wawrow, The Associated Press

Ilya Lyubushkin is citing an anti-gay Kremlin law and fears of retribution at home in Russia for electing not to participate in the Buffalo Sabres’ pregame warmup on the team’s Pride night, when players are expected to wear rainbow-colored jerseys in support of the LGBTQ+ community.

‘Nobody is looking for a handout’ for new Senators arena: Bettman

Josh Pringle, CTV News Ottawa

NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman says it will be up to the new owners of the Senators to decide whether to build a new arena at LeBreton Flats or at another location in Ottawa. And the commissioner says he did not ask for any public dollars to help build a new arena during a meeting with Mayor Mark Sutcliffe.

March Madness 2023: Eliminated Early, SEC Nabs Tournament-High $34 Million

Eben Novy-Williams and Lev Akabas, Sportico 

An SEC team won’t win the NCAA men’s basketball tournament, but the league will eventually take home roughly $34 million from its March Madness success, more than any other conference.

Texas names Terry as full-time coach after Elite Eight run

Jim Vertuno, The Associated Press

Texas on Monday named Rodney Terry as full-time head basketball coach, removing the interim tag after he led the Longhorns to the Elite Eight following the midseason firing of Chris Beard. 

Men’s Final Four Ticket Prices Plummet with Texas Schools Out

Doug Greenberg, Front Office Sports

Ticket purchase prices for the national semifinals are averaging $421, while the all-sessions tickets — providing access to both the semifinals and championship game — are going for an average $705. The get-in price for all sessions is $229.

College athlete influencers confront security concerns

Eric Olson, The Associated Press 

John Muffler of Florida-based Aequitas Global Security said athletes who have experienced sudden popularity as influencers must understand they are at risk of attracting followers with nefarious intentions. Muffler, a retired U.S. Marshals Service chief inspector, specializes in risk mitigation and threat assessment and has written about problems influencers can encounter.

FIFA to pay clubs $355 million for sending players to 2026 and 2030 World Cups

Rohith Nair, Reuters

FIFA’s compensation paid to clubs that release players for the men’s World Cup has been increased by nearly 70% to $355 million for the 2026 and 2030 tournaments, the global soccer governing body and the European Club Association (ECA) said on Monday.

NWSL Crushes Attendance Record with Media Deal Looming

Owen Poindexter, Front Office Sports

Nearly 31,000 fans packed into San Diego’s Snapdragon Stadium, 22,000 saw Alyssa Thompson’s first goal for Angel City, and a total of more than 90,000 fans came to the league’s first six games — an average of 15,002 — over the first weekend.

Chelsea FC Reports $149M Net Loss Due to Sanctions

Doug Greenberg, Front Office Sports

Premier League giant Chelsea is still feeling the effects of sanctions against its previous owner. In its annual financial results report, Chelsea FC Holdings Limited reported a net loss of almost $149 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2022.

Tiger Woods partners with Mike Trout to build golf course in MLB All-Star’s New Jersey hometown

Patrick McDonald, CBS Sports

The new course will feature a trendy clubhouse, a wedding chapel and five-star accommodations.

Patriots owner Robert Kraft campaigns against antisemitism

Deepa Bharath, The Associated Press

New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft faced the camera during a video call, pointing to a small, sky-blue lapel pin on his blazer. The pin is the symbol of a $25 million “Stand Up to Jewish Hate” campaign launched Monday by the 81-year-old billionaire through his Foundation to Combat Antisemitism, aiming to raise awareness nationwide about soaring incidents of antisemitism online and in person. 

Meet the Monarch Collective, a New $100 Million Women’s Sports Fund

Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico 

Angel City founder Kara Nortman and former Causeway partner Jasmine Robinson are launching a new fund to invest in professional women’s sports franchises and adjacent businesses. The Monarch Collective is looking to raise $100 million for what it believes is the first private equity fund specifically backing women’s sports. 

WWE likes its hand in potential sale, media rights negotiations

David Bourne and Austin Karp, Sports Business Journal

WWE’s media and content strategy puts the company on solid ground as it considers a possible sale and negotiates its next media rights deal, company officials say, pointing to increased viewership and record live event gates as two areas that will help WWE as it steers through this unprecedented level of change.