Go to Source Author: After being knocked out of the FA Cup by Southampton, Arsenal returned to St. Mary's to beat Saints and close in on a most unlikely top-four place. Go to Source Author:
Gundogan steps up in De Bruyne’s absence but tougher tests await Man City
Transfer Talk: Man United turn to Hoffenheim’s Baumgartner
The Evolution of the Buccaneers Super Bowl Odds: From 50-1 to NFC Champions
Go to Source Author: Katie Richcreek Dylan Buell/Getty Images. Pictured: Tom Brady Tom Brady in the Super Bowl? A familiar sight. Tampa Bay in the Super Bowl? Not so much. The Buccaneers are making their first trip to the Super Bowl since the 2002 season — the only other time they’ve made the championship game in their 45-year franchise history. Bookending their lone appearance (and win)? Brady’s first and second (of six) Super Bowl victories. Given their lackluster 2019 season and Jameis Winston’s pending departure, it was no surprise to see the Bucs open as longshots to make Super Bowl 55. At 50-1 odds with a 1.9% implied probability, there were only 10 teams with worse betting chances than Tampa Bay. Then Brady made his big decision. Immediately
NBA Odds & Picks for Timberwolves vs. Warriors: Keep Backing Golden State in Rematch
Go to Source Author: Phillip Kall Garrett Ellwood/NBAE via Getty Images. Pictured: Stephen Curry. Timberwolves vs. Warriors Odds Timberwolves Odds +8 Warriors Odds -8 Moneyline +285 / -355 Over/Under N/A Time 10 p.m. ET TV ESPN Odds as of Tuesday at 11 p.m. ET and via FanDuel. The Minnesota Timberwolves will hope Wednesday’s matchup with the Golden State Warriors goes much differently than last time. In the Warriors’ 130-108 blowout win on Monday night, Minnesota looked helpless on both sides of the court. Whether the Timberwolves can bounce back will rest on the shoulders of their backups since Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell are likely to miss again. On the other side, each Warriors game shows their offense’s reliance on the play of Stephen Curry. His shooting prowess forces teams to focus their defense on him so much
Kobe Bryant’s two legendary NBA careers
Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame College Basketball Odds & Pick: Here’s How to Back the Fighting Irish (Jan. 27)
Go to Source Author: Pat McMahon Mitchell Layton/Getty Images. Pictured: Nate Laszewski. Virginia Tech vs. Notre Dame Odds Virginia Tech Odds +1.5 Notre Dame Odds -1.5 Moneyline -110 / -110 Over/Under 140 Time | TV 7 p.m. ET | ACC Network Odds as of Tuesday night and via PointsBet. Virginia Tech heads to South Bend for a tricky road test against Notre Dame on Wednesday night. The No. 20 Hokies are coming off a surprising 18-point defeat at Syracuse on Saturday. Hokies fans were hit with more bad news on Monday morning, when it was announced that starting guard Tyrece Radford was suspended indefinitely. pic.twitter.com/ukVaHmAMcx — Virginia Tech Men’s Basketball (@HokiesMBB) January 25, 2021 Losing Radford is undoubtedly a big blow, but head coach Mike White has tremendous backcourt depth, so his absence won’t hurt the Hokies as badly
Box Breaking’s Big Bucks
Go to Source Author: Justin Byers The sports card craze isn’t slowing down. Loupe Tech, Inc., a trading card e-commerce platform with a streaming component, has secured $3 million in funding. The platform’s first funding round was led by Upfront Ventures, which also recently invested in memorabilia trading app Rally. Entrepreneur and rare card collector Nat Turner also got in on the action. Turner is fresh off the purchase of third-party authentication company Collectors Universe, announced last week. Loupe’s platform, which launched in October, offers users the ability to seamlessly buy and sell sports cards. Its tech also allows card enthusiasts to livestream “box breaking,” a growing trend in which a seller opens a buyer’s card on video. The trend is a key reason why sports cards
European Soccer Takes Hit
Go to Source Author: Justin Byers The financial strength of European soccer clubs has withered as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The top 20 clubs in Europe generated about $10 billion last year, down 12% from about $11.3 billion in 2018-2019, according to Deloitte’s “Money League” report. The health crisis has hampered a large portion of the revenue streams clubs rely on. Drops in broadcast and matchday revenue are the main sources of financial decline. Despite the losses, FC Barcelona retained its top position, generating the most revenue across European soccer clubs. However, the club’s financial hit was still drastic. The Spanish club brought in about $870 million in 2020, a significant decrease from the record-setting $1 billion the year before. Real Madrid was just
New NBA Investors?
Go to Source Author: Abigail Gentrup NBA ownership might be within reach for a new batch of investors. As team valuations continue to rise, the league is looking to expand its potential investor base by turning to private equity. NBA owners have agreed to plans to allow investment funds to buy into franchises. There are reportedly limits, however: Private equity and other investors may own up to 20% of each franchise Funds may own stakes in no more than five teams Franchises cannot have more than 30% of equity held by investment funds “This provides the NBA, its member teams, its entire infrastructure with financial optionality,” said Chris Lencheski, chairman of private equity consulting company Phoenicia. One fund was already approved for ownership last spring. Dyal Homecourt Partners hopes