Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher Add Aurora, Illinois, to the ever-expanding list of Chicagoland municipalities courting the Chicago Bears.The self-described “City of Lights” and fictional setting of the “Wayne’s World” skits and movies formally made its pitch to lure the Bears, with city leaders sending a “letter of interest” to the NFL team.“Welcoming a historic organization such as the Chicago Bears would enhance our bold vision for Aurora and will provide … a new home to begin the next phase of your storied history,” wrote Aurora mayor Richard Irvin.The Aurora entry — also described by local officials as “throwing [the city’s] proverbial hat in the ring” — arrives amid a “stalemate” for the Bears in Arlington Heights over a tax dispute

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher On Tuesday, the WTA made its boldest step yet in a decades-long battle for gender pay equity on tennis’ top tours — but in some cases, women’s players will need to wait as long as another 10 years for the shift to fully take effect.The new structure will offer full pay equity for combined WTA and ATP 1000- and 500-level events — the sport’s top competitions outside of the majors — by 2027. Non-combined 1000- and 500-level events will offer equal prize money by 2033.“Equality, including equal compensation, is a fundamental principle of the WTA, and it is crucial to attain at this level,” said Steve Simon, WTA chair and CEO.The effort seeks to correct a

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen Thursday’s NBA Draft on ABC and ESPN was the most-watched NBA draft ever, with an average of 4.9 million viewers for the first round. Viewership peaked at 6 million viewers around 8 p.m. ET, when the San Antonio Spurs selected generational prospect Victor Wembanyama with the first pick. This year’s edition was the third NBA Draft to air separate broadcasts on ABC and ESPN since Disney started doing so in 2021. First-round viewership for last week’s draft was up 24% over last year’s first round, which averaged 3.98 million viewers and peaked at 4.5 million.Overall, the NBA Draft averaged 3.7 million viewers across ESPN (both rounds) and ABC (first round only). The average audience was up 23%

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen Atlanta Track Club — the second-largest running organization in the U.S. with roughly 30,000 members — plans to build an indoor track facility in the city that would cost $100 million.The project, according to the Atlanta Business Chronicle, would be paid for by a mix of corporate philanthropic dollars, new-markets tax credits, and community donations. Atlanta Track Club CEO Rich Kenah reportedly hopes to create a “ground zero” for running and make Atlanta one of the fittest cities in the U.S. over the next 25 years. Georgia is currently one of two states along the Eastern Seaboard without an indoor track facility. Proposed features include an exercise physiology laboratory, STEM classes for Atlanta public school students, and a

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen IMG Academy, the Florida boarding school that sold for $1.25 billion in April, set a school record Thursday night with three alums picked in the first round of the NBA Draft.The draft also marked the first time in IMG Academy history that it produced two lottery picks, with the Washington Wizards selecting Jarace Walker (traded to Pacers) at No. 8 and the Orlando Magic selecting Jett Howard, son of former NBA player Juwan Howard, at No. 11. Keyonte George, the reigning Big 12 Freshman of the Year for Baylor, was picked by the Utah Jazz at No. 16 as the third first-round pick from IMG Academy’s 2022 graduating class. IMG Academy has now produced 11 first-rounders since

Go to Source Author: Owen Poindexter Damian Lillard is one of the NBA’s biggest stars, but during the summer he gets active with his other projects. He recently launched an insole company focused on athlete foot health and owns a car dealership outside of Portland. Lillard is also working toward the release of his fifth rap album.  The star point guard joined Front Office Sports to discuss his thriving life off the court, his campaign with Modelo to encourage people to take advantage of the summer, and how he feels just before he has a big game. Listen to the full episode and subscribe at the links above. Lillard on his company, Move Insoles: I have a history of Foot injuries. I’ve had plantar fasciitis,

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen While the NFL is banking upwards of $1 billion in its sponsorships with sportsbooks, players remain barred from using their name or likeness to promote sports betting.The double standard, which also applied to alcohol sponsorships, is “another thing that’s fairly hypocritical” in the NFL, says TeamIFA president Blake Baratz. The agency’s NFL player clients include Carolina Panthers wide receiver Adam Thielen, Washington Commanders’ defensive end Jonathan Allen and Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Rachaad White.“Anheuser-Busch and DraftKings are two big partners. But if you’re a player—it’s fine for the companies to pay the owner, pay the organization and pay the league—but can’t pay the player. I think it’s another thing that’s fairly hypocritical,” Baratz told Front

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey The countdown is on for next summer’s Copa America tournament, which will bring World Cup champs Argentina and other South American powerhouses like Brazil to the U.S. to face off against top North American teams like the U.S. and Mexico.South American soccer federation CONMEBOL announced that the 2024 tournament will be held June 20-July 14 at venues to be selected soon.Last time the Copa America came to the U.S. in 2016, the Rose Bowl, MetLife Stadium, Gillette Stadium, and Lincoln Financial Field were among the 10 host stadiums. That tournament — a special 100th anniversary edition — broke attendance records with nearly 1.5 million fans throughout the 32 games. The USMNT lost to Lionel Messi’s Argentina

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen Aaron Rodgers is allowing fans to invest in Online Sports Database, a startup he co-founded alongside actor Ryan Rottman.The company has raised $4 million thus far and hopes to raise an additional $1.5 million through a crowdsourcing campaign. Rodgers, 39, will make $50 million in his NFL salary this upcoming NFL season as quarterback of the New York Jets.“What we are building is the IMDb (Internet Movie Database) of the sports market,” Rottman told Bloomberg. “We want to aggregate all the sites and consolidate them and make a one-stop shop for all things sports.”The crowdfunding tactic from Rodgers’ startup is similar to the ownership model of his previous franchise, the Green Bay Packers. The Packers are

Go to Source Author: Owen Poindexter Calvin Johnson Jr. only played in the NFL for nine seasons, but he was dominant enough in those years to be elected into the Hall of Fame after he retired.Since then, he has stayed active through his Calvin Johnson Jr. Foundation and his entrepreneurial pursuits, including his cannabis company Primitiv, founded with former Detroit Lions teammate Rob Sims. Johnson’s relationship with the Lions was on bad terms for years over a dispute regarding money the team recovered from his signing bonus after he retired. While that dispute remains unresolved, Johnson has begun to warm back up to the team after team executive Mike Disner proactively reached out.Johnson joined the Front Office Sports Today podcast to discuss his