Morning Consult Sports: Week in Review & What's Ahead

By Mark J. Burns

Week in Review

Football

Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck retired from the NFL at age 29. The former No. 1 draft selection said his persistent injury struggles in recent years had “taken my joy away from the game.”

After hosting a fundraiser for President Donald Trump, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross stepped down from the NFL’s committee on social justice at the players’ requests, said ex-Philadelphia Eagles defensive end Chris Long. Ross — who defended his fundraising efforts on behalf of Trump, calling it part of the “democratic process” — released a statement through the Dolphins saying he was focusing more attention on his own social justice venture, the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality.

According to TMZ, rapper and business mogul Jay-Z, who previously held a minority ownership stake in the Brooklyn Nets, will have a “significant ownership interest” in an NFL franchise in the “near future.” However, CBS Sports reported that there are no plans in place to make Jay-Z a part owner of an NFL team.

The XFL unveiled the names and logos of all eight teams heading into the 2020 season, which has a draft scheduled for October before officially kicking off in February. The teams are: the Los Angeles Wildcats, New York Guardians, Dallas Renegades, Houston Roughnecks, St. Louis BattleHawks, Seattle Dragons, Tampa Bay Vipers and Washington Defenders.

Former NFL running back and Texas Longhorn great Cedric Benson died in a motorcycle accident in Texas, his lawyer said. The 36-year-old Benson, who played under coach Mack Brown from 2001-2004, was the only player in Longhorn history to rush for at least 1,000 yards in four seasons, and his 5,540 yards were good for second-best all-time at Texas.

Media

The ACC launched its new linear television network, becoming the fourth Power Five conference with its own dedicated channel. The network, which is owned by ESPN but splits revenues and costs with the conference, should help bring more shared money to the ACC’s membership, which currently receives the smallest distributed amount among the Power Five in addition to the Pac 12.

ESPN is reportedly dropping Michelle Beadle from the hosting chair of “NBA Countdown,” marking the second high-profile ESPN job she’s lost in the past year after her exit from the morning show “Get Up” in August 2018. Rachel Nichols, current host of “The Jump,” and Maria Taylor, who is an integral part of the company’s college football coverage, will split time hosting “NBA Countdown,” sources said.

The WWE entered into a pact with Endeavor Audio to create a podcast network and develop several series around its wrestling superstars, with a scheduling lineup to be announced in the future. The agreement expands upon an existing relationship: Endeavor Streaming already powers the back-end technology of the WWE’s over-the-top platform and Endeavor Audio has worked with twin superstars Brie and Nikki Bella on their podcast show.

A jury awarded almost $15.5 million to former Los Angeles Times sports columnist T.J. Simers after he said he was forced out due to age and health discrimination, including what was later diagnosed as complex migraine syndrome. The judge’s decision for Simers, who worked at the publication from 1990 to 2013 and spent over a decade as a columnist, earning $234,000 annually, is over twice the $7.1 million he was originally awarded in 2015, but on appeal, a judge reduced the amount, which led to him filing his own appeal and being granted a retrial on the damages.

Soccer

FIFA said it has received an “unprecedented” amount of interest from countries contemplating a bid to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup, a list that includes Brazil, Argentina and Japan. Belgium was the most recent and 10th nation to express interest, though a spokesman for the Royal Belgian Soccer Association clarified that the country was only gathering information on the requirements for hosting a tournament and did not intend to submit a bid.

The MLS announced that St. Louis will become the league’s 28th team in 2022. The ownership group, which is led by members of the founding family of car rental company Enterprise Holdings Inc., is the first in league history to be mostly composed of women.

NASCAR

Former NASCAR driver and current racing team owner Richard Childress resigned from his position on the National Rifle Association’s board of directors, making him the fifth person to exit the board since Aug. 1. The resignation comes as members, including Childress, have raised concerns about the NRA’s mismanagement and excessive spending, which included an outside law firm earning $24 million during a 13-month period.

MLB

Sources said that the MLB is banning players from participating in the Venezuelan Professional Baseball League this winter as it seeks clarity about how to comply with the U.S. economic embargo against the country, which went into effect this month after President Donald Trump signed an executive order freezing all assets from the Venezuelan government and prohibiting transactions unless provided with an exemption. MLB’s prohibition applies to major- and minor-league players, but it won’t prevent Venezuelan players from traveling home during the offseason, according to sources.

NBA

After a nearly two-week trial and less than three hours of deliberation, a 12-person jury acquitted former NBA guard and Michigan State alum Mateen Cleaves, who was accused of raping a woman in a motel in September 2015. The 41-year-old Cleaves faced four total charges, including second-degree criminal sexual conduct and third-degree criminal sexual conduct, and could’ve been sentenced to 15 years in prison if convicted.

Tennis

The USTA’s National Tennis Center owes New York City over $300,000 in back rent, according to the city’s comptroller’s office, which says that the USTA under-reported at least $31 million in gross revenue between 2014 and 2017. The terms of the USTA’s lease stipulates that it owes the city “one percent of its net gross revenues in excess of $20 million” in addition to an annual base rent of $400,000, with a recent audit showing that the National Tennis Center reported revenues around $308 million in 2016 and $349 million a year later.

What’s Ahead

The 2019 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Penn. wraps up today with the final televised at 3 p.m. ET on ABC.

The U.S. Open begins tomorrow at USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and continues through Sept. 8.

Duke and Alabama will play in the 2019 Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game on Saturday from Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. ABC will broadcast the matchup, which begins at 3:30 p.m. ET.

The 2019 NFL regular season kicks off with the Green Bay Packers at the Chicago Bears on Sept. 5. The NBC Thursday Night Football broadcast begins at 8:20 p.m. ET.

The AdvoCare Texas Kickoff college football game between Houston and Washington State is on Sept. 13 at NRG Stadium in Houston. It’ll kick off at 9:15 p.m. ET on ESPN.

MLB FoodFest is returning to New York City on Sept. 21-22. The two-day food festival will feature one concession item from all 30 MLB clubs.

The U.S. women’s soccer team’s pay-discrimination lawsuit against the U.S. Soccer Federation is set to go to trial on May 5, 2020. The trial comes nearly three months before the beginning of the Tokyo Olympics on July 24 as well as before what both parties requested: the women’s team wanted a Nov. 2020 trial date while the federation requested the following month.

Events Calendar (All Times Local)

09/04/2019
Accelerating Change: Athlete Health, Wealth, and Performance	3:00 pm

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