General
Former marketing executive named new president of USA Gymnastics Liz Clarke, The Washington Post
In naming its fourth president and CEO in the past two years, USA Gymnastics has tapped former gymnast-turned-NBA executive Li Li Leung. Leung, most recently the NBA’s vice president for global partnerships and a former managing director of global sports management firm Helios Partners, succeeds former congresswoman Mary Bono, who resigned in October, after just four days on the job, following vehement criticism of her selection by Olympic gold medalists Simone Biles and Aly Raisman.
Why Budweiser Saved a Super Bowl Spot Starring Charlize Theron for the Oscars Kristina Monllos, Adweek
Earlier this month, Budweiser was planning to air a 30-second spot starring Charlize Theron and touting its Reserve Copper Lager during the Super Bowl. Instead, the Anheuser-Busch brand held off, saving the ad for the Academy Awards as part of a strategy to let its other Super Bowl spot shine.
Q&A: Tom Dundon on $250 million well spent, and his ‘bunch of jerks’ Emily Kaplan and Greg Wyshynski, ESPN
Since becoming majority owner of the Carolina Hurricanes in January 2018, Tom Dundon has been one of the NHL’s most unconventional owners. Look no further than the team’s choreographed victory celebrations, which have ranged from players competing in “duck, duck, goose” to human bowling.
NFL
Todd Gurley ‘more hurt’ than initially thought, says Rams’ C.J. Anderson Des Bieler, The Washington Post
One of the immediate takeaways from the Rams’ 13-3 loss to the Patriots in the Super Bowl was that Los Angeles made a major mistake in not giving the ball more to Todd Gurley. Assuming he was healthy, as the team insisted, how could the star running back not have gotten more than 11 touches for 34 yards?
Pre-’93 NFL pension benefits group receives $100K donation The Associated Press
Two leading advocates for retired NFL players have teamed up in pushing for increased pension benefits for pre-1993 retirees. The Pro Football Retired Players Association, a nonprofit chaired by Hall of Famer Jim Brown, donated $100,000 to “Fairness for Athletes in Retirement, a nonprofit advocating for pension parity in the upcoming negotiations over the league’s next collective bargaining agreement.
Brown meets with Rooney, saying ‘it is time to move on’ The Associated Press
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has ended his lengthy standoff with the team by meeting with president Art Rooney II, though any shot at reconciliation between the two sides appears to be out of the question. Brown, who has asked to be traded, posted a picture on various social media accounts on Tuesday that showed him arm in arm with Rooney at the Palm Beach International Airport.
NBA
David Stern Says New York Knicks Owner Jim Dolan ‘Gets a Bad Rap’ Eben Novy-Williams and Scott Soshnick, Bloomberg
Former NBA Commissioner David Stern, who once said the New York Knicks were “not a model of intelligent management,” doesn’t think the blame lies solely with owner Jim Dolan. Dolan, who oversees the Knicks as chairman of Madison Square Garden Co., “gets a bad rap,” Stern said on the Bloomberg Business of Sports podcast.
NBA, SAP partner on long-form branded reality TV show Andrew Blustein, The Drum
Do you ever go over your fantasy basketball lineup and think, “I bet I could be a general manager in the NBA?” Well, the National Basketball Association and SAP are giving four fans a chance at just that with the co-branded reality TV show GM School.
MLB
Angels owner Arte Moreno says he is interested in purchasing Fox Sports outlets Bill Shaikin, Los Angeles Times
The Dodgers own a television channel that provides year-round coverage of the team, but that channel is unavailable in much of the Los Angeles market. The Angels soon could get year-round coverage too, on a channel already included on every major cable and satellite provider in town.
Manny Machado Gets His Payday, but It Won’t Quell Free Agency Gripes Tyler Kepner, The New York Times
If the San Diego Padres had stayed away from elite free agents this winter, people would have understood. They gave out the richest contract on last year’s free-agent market, yet finished with their worst record in a decade.
Is It 1919 or 2019? Baseball Is One of America’s Hottest Sports Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal
Maybe baseball isn’t dying. The national pastime, pelted with criticism for its long games and sagging attendance, is seeing a resurgence on sandlots, according to new data.
NHL
Snapchat Expands NHL Pact to Add Hockey Highlights, Curated Stories Todd Spangler, The Associated Press
Snapchat is adding more action from the ice under a new multiyear deal with the National Hockey League. The NHL, in association with Disney Streaming Services, is delivering a new weekly highlights show on Snapchat recapping the top 10 plays of the previous week and will produce Curated Our Stories on the platform for select games and marquee events — making the NHL the first pro sports league to use Snap’s third-party curation tools.
Players brace for moves as NHL trade deadline approaches John Wawrow, The Associated Press
Thomas Vanek remembers waking up in Edmonton, Alberta, and turning on the TV in his hotel room to find out where he was heading. It was March 5, 2014, the NHL’s trade deadline day, and Vanek’s bags were packed.
Soccer
U.S. Soccer president Cordeiro: Confederations Cup is no more, Gold Cup might be discontinued Joey Gulino, Yahoo Sports
As part of the annual U.S. Soccer general meeting, federation president Carlos Cordeiro said that the FIFA Confederations Cup won’t be played again, and the reverberations could be felt in the biennial CONCACAF Gold Cup. The Confederations Cup has been contested every summer before the World Cup since 2005, collecting the reigning continental champions along with the current World Cup champion and upcoming host nation for an eight-team tournament.
U.S. Soccer President’s American Ambition Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal
The president of U.S. Soccer acknowledges the federation doesn’t actually know how many young soccer players it has playing under its umbrella. He does know that participation isn’t growing.
Jurgen Klinsmann received $3.35M settlement from USSF The Associated Press
Jurgen Klinsmann received a $3.35 million settlement of his contract with the U.S. Soccer Federation, according to the USSF’s tax filing. His replacement, Bruce Arena, was given a $300,000 settlement during the fiscal year that ended March 31, 2018, according to the filing, which was released Monday.
Manchester City hail purchase of Chinese club as ‘exciting new chapter’ Jamie Jackson, The Guardian
Manchester City’s parent company have announced the joint-purchase of a seventh club, Sichuan Jiuniu FC, who play in China’s third tier. City Football Group (CFG) have bought the Chengdu side together with China Sports Capital and Ubtech.
Racing
Daytona 500 Finishes With New Record-Lows Sports Media Watch
After an increase in the overnights, the Daytona 500 ended up in record-low territory. Sunday’s Daytona 500 earned a 5.3 rating and 9.2 million viewers on FOX, per Nielsen fast-nationals — flat in ratings and down 1% in viewership from last year (5.3, 9.3M) and down 20% and 23% respectively from 2017 (6.6, 11.9M).
Golf and Tennis
Martina Navratilova dropped by LGBT group over trans athletes row Rob Picheta and James Masters, CNN
An LGBT group has cut ties with tennis great Martina Navratilova after she said it was a form of “cheating” for transgender women to be allowed to compete in women’s sport. New York-based Athlete Ally, which supports LGBT sportspeople, called the comments transphobic and removed the 18-time Grand Slam winner from its advisory board and as an ambassador.
Serena Williams and a group of ‘outsiders’ will present at the Oscars Kate Feldman, New York Daily News
Serena Williams, who has as much impact off the tennis court as on it these days, is headed to Hollywood next. Or, at least, to a celebration of Hollywood. The world-renowned athlete, who recently appeared in a Super Bowl commercial for Bumble and made a surprise cameo on “Lip Sync Battle” last month to reprise her role from the 2016 music video for Beyoncé‘s “Sorry,” will be one of the eight non-actors to present at the Oscars on Sunday, the New York Times reported.
College Sports
Want tickets to Duke-UNC? Prepare to pay Super Bowl prices. Des Bieler, The Washington Post
It’s cliche to call some high-interest event the “hottest ticket in town,” but in the case of Wednesday’s Duke-North Carolina men’s basketball game, it’s fair to describe it as the hottest — and priciest — ticket in sports right now. The cost of gaining admission to Cameron Indoor Stadium, at least on the secondary market, has reached Super Bowl levels.
Esports
Royale rumble: ‘Apex Legends’ smashing ‘Fortnite’ records Jake Seiner, The Associated Press
For the first time since its meteoric rise, “Fortnite” is no longer a no-doubt victory royale atop the video game industry. “Apex Legends” — a battle royale from Electronic Arts — has charged into the market and smashed “Fortnite” records for downloads and viewership since its release three weeks ago. Tyler “Ninja” Blevins and other streaming stars have powered that surge, as has the emergence of an 18-year-old “Apex” superstar.
Overwatch League Season Opens With More Hours Watched, Lower Average Viewership on Twitch Max Miceli, The Esports Observer
The Overwatch League season kicked off with an increase in total hours watched over last year on Twitch, but it failed to match the previous season’s average viewership totals. Across three official OWL broadcasts (English, Korean, and French), live coverage of week one drew a total of 6.27M hours watched from Thursday to Sunday, up from 5.59M last year.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
With Manny Machado’s deal, reports of baseball’s demise might have been exaggerated Thomas Boswell, The Washington Post
Baseball always seems to be a danger to itself. Perhaps I’ve covered too many work stoppages, decades of slow play and years of cheap, PED-inflated home run records, as well as the pointless lunacy of canceling the 1994 World Series. So my gut-level reaction seldom centers on what’s best for one team but instead what’s good for a game I’ve enjoyed all my life and hope is preserved intact for the future.
AAF’s reported payroll issues prove why Colin Kaepernick was right to balk at league Charles Robinson, Yahoo Sports
Five days. Two wins versus professional football leagues. First the NFL. Now the fledgling Alliance of American Football. Not a shabby week for Colin Kaepernick.
19 Sports Media Talents Set to Break Out in 2019 Bobby Burack, The Big Lead
Each year there are a variety of sports media talents that break out and elevate their stature. This past year it was highlighted by Laura Rutledge, Maria Taylor, and Liam McHugh.
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