Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen The first announced team in TGL, the startup golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy, will be based in Los Angeles and include tennis legends Serena Williams and Venus Williams as owners alongside Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian.Los Angeles Golf Club (LAGC) will compete in the TGL’s inaugural season starting in January 2024. Ohanian and his wife, Serena Williams, also own Angel City FC, the NWSL club that plays home games at BMO Stadium in Los Angeles. LAGC is the first of six teams to form the TGL, part of Woods’ and MclIroy’s TMRW Sports endeavor backed by numerous star athletes, major sports executives, and music artists. The PGA Tour is notably partnering with TMRW Sports

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen The NHL is digitally recreating goals scored during the Stanley Cup Final on Roblox, the online video game with over 60 million daily active users.Goals are being recreated as 3D Roblox highlights through the league’s puck and player tracking system, which collects data from sensors in the puck and player jerseys and cameras in arenas. Fans can select which Stanley Cup Final goals they want to be turned into a highlight with Roblox’s in-game NHL players.“The introduction of 3D goal re-creations in NHL Blast furthers our commitment to use innovation to engage with new and existing fans,” NHL EVP David Lehanski said in a statement. “After years of investing in NHL EDGE technology, we are continuing

Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen Game 1 of the NHL’s Stanley Cup Final averaged 2.8 million viewers across TNT, TBS, and truTV—making it the most-watched Stanley Cup Final opening game on cable in 21 years.Parent company Warner Bros. Discovery Sports says average viewership for Saturday’s Game 1 between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights was up 11% over the past five-year average for Stanley Cup Final broadcasts from 2017 to 2021. The Golden Knights won Game 1, 5-2, and have a 2-0 series lead heading into Game 3 on Thursday. Game 1 on Saturday night peaked at 3.3 million total viewers, and it was the second-most watched Stanley Cup Final Game 1 ever recorded on cable television behind the 2002 edition

Go to Source Author: Amanda Christovich Football and basketball players at Power 5 (and for basketball, Big East) schools earn five figures annually from their school’s name, image, and likeness collectives, according to data from Student-Athlete NIL. The data suggests that while players earn significant funds from their collectives, they may not be raking in the multi-million dollar offers rumored across the landscape. But it also shows that the best way for an athlete to cash in is to try their luck in the transfer portal.

Go to Source Author: Doug Greenberg After 15 years as the lead color commentator for NBC Sports’ coverage of the National Hockey League — including the Stanley Cup Final — Eddie Olczyk will be calling his first Final as a member of TNT, which will also be televising the event for the first time.Front Office Sports spoke with Olczyk on the intriguing matchup between the Florida Panthers and Vegas Golden Knights, the atmosphere of the “NHL on TNT,” and the changing landscape of sports television.This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.What does this matchup between two expansion franchises mean for the league right now?It doesn’t matter if you’re a one-seed or an eight-seed, or you’re in an Original Six market

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher NBA commissioner Adam Silver has acknowledged that as far as coaching salaries are concerned, it’s open season.Speaking before Game 1 of the NBA Finals Thursday in Denver, Silver said Monty Williams’ six-year, $78.5 million contract with the Detroit Pistons reflected the league’s market reality: Coaches’ compensation isn’t collectively bargained and governed like it is for players.Williams’ deal — signed this week after the 2022 Coach of the Year was fired by Phoenix last month — is the largest ever for an NBA coach and reportedly could reach $100 million with options and incentives included. The pact immediately amplified concerns that smaller-market clubs could lose out in future bidding wars for top coaching talent.“We’re able to negotiate collectively

Go to Source Author: Daniel Myrick The Stanley Cup Final begins tomorrow between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Florida Panthers. NHL Network host Jackie Redmond joins us to break down the series. But before we hit the ice, there is a lot of news that we need to recap this weekend from the Oakland A’s to the NBA to European soccer. FOS senior writer Owen Poindexter rounds up all of the biggest news of the week to make sure you don’t miss a thing. Related StoriesPanthers’ Steady Rise To Stanley Cup Final Started Two Years Ago Average Ticket Price for Stanley Cup Finals’ Game 1 Exceeds $1K Ottawa Senators’ Sale Process Could (Finally) Be Near an EndFor more on how sports impacts business and culture,

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher Sports and entertainment giant Endeavor — the parent company of UFC, Professional Bull Riders, and the IMG and WME agencies — strongly considered a $1 billion investment in LIV Golf before backing away, according to company chief executive Ari Emanuel.Speaking on Freakonomics Radio, Emanuel said Endeavor was approached by LIV Golf stars Bryson DeChambeau and Phil Mickelson about funding the upstart golf property, and the company began internal discussions for a $1 billion investment. Endeavor’s support would have replaced LIV Golf’s backing from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund, which started in 2021.Emanuel claimed Endeavor scuttled the proposed deal, largely at the behest of PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan, whose organization is currently embroiled in competitive and

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher After months of tension, Major League Baseball’s day of reckoning with regional sports networks has arrived — which could have seismic effects on one of the sport’s key revenue streams.Since early this year, MLB has been actively preparing to take over the local TV rights of 14 teams served by Bally Sports and its bankrupt parent, Diamond Sports Group. Now, Diamond has officially missed its rights payment to the San Diego Padres, prompting the league’s immediate takeover of the team’s local rights.Starting Wednesday, MLB will distribute Padres games on DirecTV, Cox, AT&T U-Verse, fuboTV, Spectrum, and MLB.TV, dispensing with blackouts typically shutting local fans out from watching their teams. With these changes, the ballclub’s local footprint grows

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey Performance apparel brand NOBULL is the latest fitness company to trigger layoffs.NOBULL confirmed to Footwear News that cuts were made. The company’s founders cited “the challenging economic climate” and a desire to “safeguard the brand for the future.”The total number of employees impacted was about 75, according to The Barbell Spin, representing about 35% of the company’s workforce. The cuts came after NOBULL CMO Todd Meleney, the company’s first employee, resigned at the beginning of May.In December, the Boston-based company received backing from the NFL’s investment arm, 32 Equity, adding to funding that valued NOBULL at $500 million in 2021.NOBULL became the presenting sponsor of the NFL Scouting Combine this year, replacing Rebook. The brand also