• The presidents of the Southeastern Conference’s 14 member schools voted unanimously to officially invite the universities of Oklahoma and Texas to join the league, leaving acceptance by the two schools, which could happen today, as the final remaining formality. (ESPN) Meanwhile, Burke Magnus, ESPN’s president of programming and original content, responded to Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby’s allegation that the network sought to facilitate the poaching of other Big 12 schools by another conference, writing that Bowlsby’s cease-and-desist letter “consists entirely of unsubstantiated speculation and legal conclusions.” (Sportico)
• The Detroit Pistons selected Oklahoma State guard Cade Cunningham with the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, followed by the Houston Rockets’ pick of G League Ignite guard Jalen Green at No. 2 and the Cleveland Cavaliers’ selection of Southern California forward Evan Mobley at No. 3. (The New York Times) The Los Angeles Lakers stole some of the spotlight with their acquisition of Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and the No. 22 pick in last night’s draft. (ESPN)
• NBCUniversal Chief Executive Jeff Shell acknowledged on Comcast Corp.’s quarterly earnings call that viewership for the Tokyo Olympic Games has been “less than what we expected” thanks to “a drumbeat of negativity,” but added the broadcaster would still turn a profit on the event despite the “bad luck.” The company pointed to the Olympics as a driver of growth at streaming service Peacock, which increased its monthly average user base by 6 million to 20 million over the past three months. (Los Angeles Times)

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Ahead of Trans Woman’s Historic Olympic Debut, Americans Weigh in on Transgender Participation in Women’s Sports

Alex Silverman, Morning Consult

Transgender athletic participation has been a point of contention in American politics in 2021, with the focus primarily on Republican efforts to ban trans girls from competing against other female athletes in school sports. On Monday, however, the issue will take center stage in a very different context: the Olympic Games.

Sunisa Lee’s Olympic Gold For Team USA Could Be Worth $1 Million

Emily Caron, Sportico

Team USA gymnast Sunisa Lee took home the gold medal in the women’s all-around on Thursday, a victory that some marketers say could come with a seven-figure financial windfall for the 18-year-old star, who just shot her marketability into the stratosphere. With her masterful gold medal performance amid a whirlwind of attention and emotion caused by Simone Biles’ withdrawal, Lee now moves into the role of America’s newest face of the Games.

Historic lows and steep declines continue for Olympics Wednesday

Sports Media Watch

NBC said Thursday that Wednesday’s primetime coverage of the Tokyo Summer Olympics averaged 15.0 million viewers across all of its platforms, down 48% — or nearly 14 million viewers — from the comparable night of the Rio Olympics in 2016 (28.6M). Compared to the first Wednesday of the most recent Olympics, the Pyeongchang Winter Games in 2018, viewership fell a more modest 22% from 19.2 million.

Japan PM Suga denies impacts of holding Olympics on virus surge

Kyodo News

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga said Thursday there is no link between the recent surge in the number of coronavirus infections in Japan and the holding of the Tokyo Olympics. Still, Suga encouraged people to watch the games at home to avoid the greater risk of contracting the virus by gathering in groups to watch the games, including at locations such as sports bars.

Simone Biles’ sponsors show support after Olympic withdrawal

Yaron Steinbuch, New York Post

Simone Biles’ sponsors have vaulted to her side in a show of support following her contentious decision to skip the Olympics gymnastics competition and focus on her mental health. The four-time gold medalist in April signed up with Gap’s Athleta brand for a new apparel partnership, ending an almost six-year deal with Nike.

Olympic merchandise selling well as Japan’s medal haul grows

Kyodo News

As Japan’s impressive medal haul grows, sales of official Tokyo Olympics merchandise such as badges and keyrings have been surging, with fans queuing outside stores to buy them despite mounting COVID-19 infections. While public skepticism about holding the games during a pandemic was strong when they officially opened a week ago, many people in Japan appear keen to get hold of souvenirs of what is likely to be a once-in-a-lifetime event — especially as the country has so far stayed near to or at the top of the gold medal count.

Hulu has added NFL Network to core Hulu+Live TV package, will have NFL RedZone available in an add-on package

Andrew Bucholtz, Awful Announcing

This is an important deal to get done ahead of the start of the NFL season, and it means there’s now one more option for those looking for NFL RedZone (the NFL Network version, hosted by Scott Hanson) without having a cable or satellite package. Other virtual MVPD options there include YouTube TV, fuboTV, and SlingTV, and NFLN and NFL RedZone are available on many conventional (cable or satellite) MVPDs as well.

NFLPA president JC Tretter rips teams’ wristband use for unvaccinated players

Jake Trotter, ESPN

NFLPA president JC Tretter ripped the NFL teams that are forcing their unvaccinated players to wear wristbands, calling it an unnecessary move that publicly shames players. This week, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the NFL and the NFLPA remain at odds over the use of wristbands to identity unvaccinated players.

NBA to celebrate 75th anniversary next season by naming 75 greatest players in league history

Marc J. Spears, ESPN

The NBA will celebrate its 75th anniversary season during the 2021-22 campaign by commemorating it as “NBA 75” and naming a list of the league’s 75 greatest players, commissioner Adam Silver announced at the start of the 2021 draft on Thursday. The NBA says a panel of media, current and former players, coaches, general managers and team executives will select the club.

Top NBA Prospect Suggs Scores Robust Endorsement Portfolio Ahead of Draft

Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico

It has been a tough slog for NBA and NFL rookies seeking endorsement deals the last two years. Companies are heavily scrutinizing their marketing budgets as they recover from pandemic-fueled business disruptions. One hoops star bucking the trend is Jalen Suggs, who is widely expected to be a top-five pick in Thursday night’s NBA Draft after one year at Gonzaga. Suggs gained national fame with his 40-foot buzzer-beater to lead the Zags over UCLA in the Final Four in April and has signed deals with a dozen partners already.

Baseball Hall of Fame rejects Curt Schilling’s request to be removed from 2022 ballot

ESPN

The National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum’s board of directors denied Curt Schilling’s request to be removed from the 2022 Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame ballot in an unanimous vote Thursday. Schilling will remain eligible for the BBWAA ballot for the 10th and final time next year.

Canadiens’ sponsors satisfied with owner’s apology after Mailloux pick

The Canadian Press

While a Montreal group that helps victims of sexual assault continues to criticize the Montreal Canadiens’ decision to draft a player convicted of a sex offence in Sweden, sponsors that earlier expressed concerns say they are sticking with the team. Rotisserie chicken company Groupe St-Hubert and financial services firm Desjardins Group said on Thursday they are satisfied with an apology issued a day earlier by team owner Geoff Molson.

John Skipper discussing ESPN’s possible role in Texas and Oklahoma to the SEC adds fuel to the fire of Big 12 interference accusations

Andrew Bucholtz, Awful Announcing

Plenty of outside observers have already connected the dots on that “logical sequence of events” from ESPN acquiring full SEC rights (beginning in 2024-25) last December to Texas and Oklahoma suddenly being interested in joining the SEC. But this comes with extra force because of who’s saying it. 

Sources: Alabama Crimson Tide QB Bryce Young has already signed more than $800K in NIL deals

Alex Scarborough, ESPN

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, who has yet to start a game in his young career, has already signed deals using his name, image and likeness that are worth more than $800,000, according to sources. However, Young has been presented — but has yet to accept — deals worth well in excess of $1 million, sources told ESPN.

Clemson taking multimedia rights in-house

Michael Smith, Sports Business Journal

Clemson has taken its multimedia rights in-house after restructuring its contract with JMI Sports. The Tigers and the San Diego-based agency were in the midst of a seven-year, $68M multimedia rights and campus marketing deal that started in ’17 and was supposed to run through ’24. The contract will still be in place until then but JMI’s rights will be limited to national partnerships going forward.

MLS says Canadian clubs can host homes games for rest of 2021

Reuters

Major League Soccer said on Thursday its three Canadian clubs that set up temporary bases in the United States late in 2020 due to border restrictions associated with COVID-19 can host all their remaining 2021 home matches in Canada.

Red Bull’s call for harsher Hamilton penalty rejected

Laurence Edmondson, ESPN

Red Bull’s attempt to convince the FIA’s stewards to issue a harsher penalty against Lewis Hamilton for colliding with Max Verstappen at the British Grand Prix has been rejected. Hamilton was found predominantly to blame for the incident on July 18 and was given a ten-second time penalty and two points on his superlicence for causing a collision.

USTA, Elevate Sports Ventures Join in US Open Sales Partnership

Randall Williams, Sportico

The United States Tennis Association (USTA) and Elevate Sports Ventures have announced a strategic relationship to support premium sales and services for the 2021 U.S. Open, which is scheduled for Aug. 30 through Sept. 12 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center in Flushing, N.Y. The USTA, the national governing body for tennis in the U.S., owns and organizes the U.S. Open tournament. 

Taiwan Swinging Skirts LPGA canceled for second year due to COVID-19

Julie Williams, Golfweek

The LPGA announced that the 2021 Swinging Skirts, originally scheduled for Oct. 28-31 at Miramar Golf Country Club in New Taipei City, has been canceled again due to ongoing travel and border restrictions as well as the current health concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

NRG and San Francisco Shock announce Therabody partnership

Tom Daniels, Esports Insider

North American esports organisation NRG and its Overwatch League franchise San Francisco Shock have named tech wellness company Therabody as its official recovery partner. As a result of the partnership, Therabody will provide its products to the players of both organisations. 

Kings Guard Gaming joins forces with VSP Global Innovation Center

Henrieta Hyrliková, Esports Insider

NBA 2K League franchise Kings Guard Gaming has announced a multi-year partnership with the vision care company VSP Global Innovation Center. The partnership seeks to promote eye health in the gaming community and leverage emerging technology to improve vision performance for athletes.

Domino’s Disavows AEW’s Bloody ‘Pizza Cutter’ Spectacle on TNT

Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

Domino’s Pizza is disavowing any involvement or knowledge of All Elite Wrestling’s (AEW) bloody telecast in which one pro wrestler seemingly wielded a pizza cutter to slice his opponent’s head open. The fast food giant might also pull its advertising schedule from AEW, which airs Wednesday nights on WarnerMedia’s TNT network.

WWE Q2 Earnings Surpass Estimates

Derrian Carter, Front Office Sports

The WWE announced Thursday that its Q2 revenue increased by 19% year-over-year. Total revenue was $265.6 million, exceeding analysts’ projections of $259.7 million. The media and entertainment company also set records across digital and social platforms — 11.2 billion digital video views and 394 million hours consumed.

DraftKings to partner with Sports & Social to bring ‘upscale’ sportsbook environment to Detroit

Ryan Zuke, MLive.com

The popular sports betting operator is set to announce Thursday morning an agreement with Sports & Social to create a new sports bar in Detroit, pending regulatory approval. While patrons won’t be able to place wagers at the venue – the location has yet to be announced — a DraftKings spokesperson said the vision is to create an “upscale” sportsbook environment.