MEDIA
Jomboy Media Lays Off Roughly 10% of Workers in Staffing Reversal
Kurt Badenhausen, Sportico
Jomboy Media has laid off roughly 10% of its 60-plus person staff, according to multiple people familiar with the changes who requested anonymity because the discussions are private. The company is dealing with the economic headwinds facing the entire media industry but still expects to increase revenue in 2023 versus last year.
Buzzer to Shut Down App, License Tech to Other Streamers
Jacob Feldman, Sportico
Mobile sports streaming company Buzzer plans to stop supporting its consumer app platform as it transitions into a tech provider for teams, leagues, and networks broadcasting directly to fans themselves.
Barstool Sports, PGA Tour partner to stream Korn Ferry Tour event
Sports Business Journal
Barstool Sports and the PGA Tour hope their partnership to air an upcoming Korn Ferry Tour event will boost visibility for the feeder tour’s players as well as bring new, younger eyeballs to the game, reports SBJ’s Josh Carpenter.
2023 Miami Grand Prix Is Second-Most Watched F1 Race in U.S. History
Andrew Cohen, Front Office Sports
ABC’s Miami Grand Prix broadcast on Sunday drew 1.96 million average viewers, the second-largest live audience for an F1 race in U.S. television history.
ESPN’s NBA studio show will not travel to conference finals
John Ourand, Sports Business Journal
For the first time in at least a decade, ESPN’s NBA studio shows will not travel to the league’s conference finals. Instead, ESPN will continue to produce its pre-, half- and post-game shows for the Western Conference finals from its New York studios.
ESPN’s Anderson apologizes for mocking Whitecloud’s name
Mark Anderson, The Associated Press
ESPN “SportsCenter” anchor John Anderson apologized to Zach Whitecloud, a First Nation member in Canada, on Tuesday after comparing the Vegas Golden Knights defenseman’s last name to toilet paper the previous night.
NFL
Josh Harris’ bid for Commanders still faces hurdles as NFL owners meet to review
Daniel Kaplan, The Athletic
Unique circumstances involved in the proposed $6.05 billion sale could cause some issues.
NBA
NBA CMO Tammy Henault on marketing plans for the Finals, digital growth
Jon Springer, Ad Age
Playoff ratings soar amid a ‘huge platform and engagement viewership shift’.
MLB
Robo umps reach Triple-A, but MLB rollout still uncertain
Jimmy Golen, The Associated Press
Much like the pitch clock that had purists panicking, only to quickly and quietly blend into the flow of the game, automatic balls and strikes could soon be coming to the major leagues. And much like the players themselves, the robo-umps are working their way up through the minors on their way to the show.
A’s pivot to new site for Vegas baseball stadium, lowering public funding request
Howard Stutz, The Nevada Independent
The Oakland A’s and Bally’s Corp. have an agreement in place for the team to build a $1.5 billion stadium on a portion of the Tropicana Las Vegas site, a move expected to reduce the amount of public financing sought for the project to $395 million.
As Minor Leaguers Unionized, One Went to Law School
Scott Miller, The New York Times
Chris Rowley was the first West Point graduate to make it to the majors. Now he’s getting a law degree on a union scholarship.
NHL
Blackhawks ticket sales up after Connor Bedard lottery win
Emily Kaplan, ESPN
The Blackhawks told ESPN on Tuesday morning that they have made $5.2 million in ticketing revenue in less than a day after the team won the 2023 NHL draft lottery.
COLLEGE SPORTS
NCAA President Charlie Baker Continues to Push for NIL Legislation With Lawmakers
Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated
There is growing bipartisan support around a federal bill to help provide more oversight around name, image and likeness.
Gambling’s place in campus culture portends scandals to come
Eric Olson, The Associated Press
East Carolina assistant professor Michelle L. Malkin, who researches ties between gambling and criminality, said placing sports bets has become a part of college culture, more so since the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018 cleared the way for states to legalize sports wagering.
Head of Gaming Commission Says No Evidence That Iowa, Iowa State Games Were Compromised
Avery Yang and Darren Rovell, Action Network
The head of the Iowa Racing and Gaming Commission said in an interview with the Action Network on Monday night that there’s zero evidence of suspicious wagering activity or match fixing involving any Iowa or Iowa State sporting event. The comment comes after at least 41 current student-athletes across the two universities were reported for potentially illicit betting activity.
Georgia’s championship team declines White House invitation
The Associated Press
According to a statement released by the Georgia athletic association on Tuesday, the Bulldogs will not be able to attend a June 12 event with other college teams at the White House.
SOCCER
Lionel Messi returns to PSG, father denies report of Saudi deal
Cindy Boren, The Washington Post
Lionel Messi was expected to resume training with his Paris Saint-Germain teammates Tuesday, and his father denied a report that a “done deal” was in place for the Argentine soccer star to play in Saudi Arabia once his contract with the elite French club expires next month.
The NWSL will add two more teams in 2026, commissioner Jessica Berman says
Jonathan Tannenwald, The Philadelphia Inquirer
Berman told the Washington Post that the league's next round of expansion talks will start later this year. She gave no hints as to which cities the league wants.
GOLF AND TENNIS
The Same Work but a Lot Less Pay for Women. Welcome to Tennis in 2023.
Matthew Futterman, The New York Times
At the Italian Open, women will compete for less than half as much money as the men. Organizers say they intend to fix that, but not for two years.
GENERAL
Aaron Rodgers’ Fund Backed by Josh Allen, Christina Aguilera
Gillian Tan, Bloomberg
RX3, the venture firm co-founded by football star Aaron Rodgers, Nate Raabe and Byron Roth, has raised $150 million from athletes and celebrities for its second consumer-focused growth equity fund.
Shaq Rejects FTX Fraud Suit, Saying Summons Papers Were Thrown at His Car
Joel Rosenblatt, Bloomberg
Shaquille O’Neal is calling foul on the lawyers who chased him for months to serve a lawsuit accusing the basketball legend of duping investors in FTX crypto exchange.
Under Armour sends potential warning sign about retailers’ profits
Melissa Repko, CNBC
It said it expects margins to improve as the year goes on. Under Armour's results could spell trouble for retailers that report quarterly results in the coming weeks.
Jake Paul, Joey Levy’s Betr Acquires Chameleon Betting Platform
Doug Greenberg, Front Office Sports
Betr has acquired the Chameleon platform from Canadian sports technology company FansUnite for $7.45 million. Sixty percent of the transaction was completed in cash, with the other 40% coming in stock.
World’s Fastest Men Will Face Off Again—Finally—in Italy
Rachel Bachman, The Wall Street Journal
Italian Lamont Marcell Jacobs and American Fred Kerley haven’t raced each other since Jacobs’s surprise 100-meter win at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
Forte, Once the Derby Favorite, Failed a Drug Test in September
Joe Drape, The New York Times
The colt went on to become America’s 2-year-old champion and was favored to win the Kentucky Derby until he was scratched from the race with an injury. The doping case still hasn’t been adjudicated.
For Many Big Cities, It’s Their First Rodeo. ‘You Don’t Do That In Cowboy World’
Charles Passy, The Wall Street Journal
Bull riding is becoming more popular in metro areas, and that poses hurdles—trucking dirt through traffic to the arena and teaching manners; no booing.
OPINIONS, PERSPECTIVES AND RESEARCH
How ‘Inside The NBA’ Creates Space To Make The Best Studio Show In Sports
Robby Kalland, UPROXX
We talked with the people that make 'Inside' work, to find out how they create space for the crew to entertain every night.