Go to Source Author: Owen Poindexter The Tampa Bay Rays have a vision for a new home in St. Petersburg. The team, which has lived with an uncertain stadium future for years, released details and renderings of a proposed new home east of their current stadium, Tropicana Field.  The proposal, developed with architecture firm Populous, calls for a fixed roof that can let in diffused light, large glass side windows which could be opened and closed, and a turf field.The roughly 30,000-capacity venue with no upper deck seating would likely cost more than $1 billion.Pending approvals, the Rays could move to the new stadium in 2028, after their lease at Tropicana expires the previous year.  The team is working with real estate firm Hines, who

Go to Source Author: A.J. Perez Alberta joined Onatario as the second Canadian province to halt wagers on UFC over integrity concerns.  Minutes after the Alberta Gaming, Liquor & Cannabis announced that decision on Friday, the UFC cut a fighter and at least temporarily sidelined a coach involved in a Nov. 5 fight where irregular betting patterns were detected.  “Along with the safety and health of its fighters, UFC believes there is no more important component of professional mixed martial arts than the integrity of the sport,” the UFC said in a statement. “UFC will continue to take all necessary and appropriate steps to ensure compliance with and enforcement of its policies and those of the jurisdictions in which it operates.” The Alberta Gaming, Liquor

Go to Source Author: Doug Greenberg Tom Rinaldi is probably the busiest person in the sports media world at the moment. As part of his work for Fox Sports, Rinaldi is simultaneously covering the World Cup in Qatar, as well as NFL and college football games all around the United States. His nine-day stretch of travel from Nov. 21 through Nov. 29 is the stuff of sports media legend. 9 days of work for Tom Rinaldi, per @richarddeitsch:1️⃣ World Cup in Qatar2️⃣ 18-hour flight to NJ3️⃣ Fly from NJ to Dallas4️⃣ Cowboys-Giants, Thanksgiving5️⃣ Fly from Dallas to Ohio6️⃣ Michigan-OSU, fly to KC7️⃣ Chiefs-Rams8️⃣ Fly back to Qatar9️⃣ U.S.-Iran, Tyler Adams feature pic.twitter.com/tL5XtRa4vq— Front Office Sports (@FOS) December 2, 2022 In the span of less than a

Go to Source Author: Michael McCarthy Tom Crean is returning to ESPN, Front Office Sports has learned. The former men’s basketball coach at Georgia, Indiana, and Marquette will rejoin the network as a national college basketball analyst starting Dec. 7. Crean will pull double duty, calling games and serving as a studio analyst. He worked at ESPN during the 2017-18 season before coaching the Georgia Bulldogs from 2018-22. Over the last few months, Crean has immersed himself in film and player study as well as the impact of NIL. During an interview with Front Office Sports, the 2016 Big Ten Conference coach of the year pronounced himself ready to go.  “The game has changed completely. There’s a 1,000-foot level of what people want you to think

Go to Source Author: Justin Byers A subsidiary of Sinclair Broadcast Group is underperforming ahead of a probable shakeup. Diamond Sports Group — the owner of Bally Sports’ regional sports networks — has reported a 10% decline in subscribers in 2022 as it faces a potential change in ownership or structure. The drop in subscribers has been attributed to consumers transitioning from linear TV to streaming.  In August, Diamond — once believed to be valued at $3 billion — hired investment banks LionTree and Moelis & Company, leading to speculation that Sinclair could sell its broadcast provider of local sports or that the company could be facing bankruptcy.  New York-based LionTree facilitated Comcast’s sale of NBC Sports Washington in September to Washington Wizards, Capitals, and

Go to Source Author: Abigail Gentrup A Tennessee Titans stadium tax fund is projected to generate nearly $3 billion over 34 years. The fund is scheduled to pay for Nashville revenue bonds on the proposed $2.1 billion Titans stadium, collecting $2.9 billion through 2056, according to Metro Nashville — not including the state’s $500 million commitment. The tax fund is set to pay off $760 million in revenue bonds from the Metro Nashville Sports Authority and will be used toward a capital improvements fund for stadium work in the future. Including the stadium, ticket taxes, and city water/sewer funds, the fund is projected to bring in $1.1 billion over the 34-year span.A new 1% hotel tax in Davidson County is expected to collect $19 million

Go to Source Author: Michael McCarthy If there’s to be a ceasefire between the warring PGA and LIV Golf Tours, then LIV Commissioner Greg Norman must be removed from his leadership role. That was the hardball message from Tiger Woods Tuesday at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas. According to Woods, if there’s any chance for the rival tours to co-exist, then Norman has to be out of the picture as LIV’s commissioner and chief executive. The feuding tours would also have to settle their dueling lawsuits, he added. “I think Greg has to go first of all,” Woods said. “Then obviously the litigation against us. Then our counter-suit against them…Then we can talk. We can all talk freely.” When the 46-year-old superstar speaks, everyone

Go to Source Author: Abigail Gentrup Two Middle East-based consortiums are reportedly interested in Liverpool FC after the Premier League club’s owner announced earlier this month it would “consider new shareholders.”  Fenway Sports Group, which purchased the team for around $343.56 million in 2010, has reportedly held discussions with consortiums from Saudi Arabia and Qatar about a $3.6 billion takeover.  Forbes last valued the club at $4.45 billion — the fourth-most valuable in soccer.  Saudi Arabia’s sports prime minister Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal said the government “will definitely support” private-sector Liverpool bids.Prince Abdulaziz would also back a bid for Manchester United, whose owners recently announced plans to look at “strategic alternatives” for the club. Under FSG — which is also reportedly in discussions with

Go to Source Author: Owen Poindexter Miami-Dade County is turning up the heat in its search for a new arena name. In a motion filed Tuesday, the county has asked a federal bankruptcy court for permission to immediately end its arena naming rights deal with fallen crypto giant FTX. The crypto exchange won the rights to the Miami Heat’s home in March 2021 in a 19-year, $135 million deal. Miami-Dade County, which owns the arena, has collected around $20 million on the contract to date, and could be in line for another $16.5 million in fees as a result of FTX filing for bankruptcy. “Miami-Dade County continues to supply valuable marquee naming rights and other benefits to the Debtor, to the detriment of the County’s

Go to Source Author: Michael McCarthy The U.S. men’s national team’s first match at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar drew nearly 12 million television viewers. While it was the most streamed Group Stage match in Fox Sports history with an AMA of 563,000 viewers, overall it lagged behind the last two appearances for the Americans. But, given the rarity of playing in the fall — and the 2 p.m. ET kickoff on a Monday — it’s not exactly an apples to apples comparison. The 1-1 draw between USA and Wales averaged a combined 11.71 million viewers on Fox Sports and Telemundo Monday. Fox’s English-language coverage averaged 8.3 million viewers across broadcast and digital platforms. Telemundo’s Spanish-language coverage averaged 3.4 million viewers. The match peaked at