Go to Source Author: Andrew Cohen After 16 years as a top NBA analyst for ESPN, Jeff Van Gundy has been laid off as part of a reduction of 20 on-air personalities at the World Wide Leader.Van Gundy joined ESPN as an NBA analyst in 2007 after the Houston Rockets fired him as its head coach that same year. He regularly called NBA games for ESPN and ABC, including playoffs and Finals games, and contributed to NBA Draft coverage.  The commentating trio of Van Gundy, Mark Jackson, and play-by-play man Mike Breen will no longer form ESPN “A team” NBA broadcast crew. This recent NBA Playoffs on ESPN was the network’s most-watched playoffs since 2019, with 6.39 million average game viewers. “Jeff Van Gundy

Go to Source Author: Michael McCarthy The painful downsizing at ESPN is unfortunately not over by a long shot. While he likely won’t be part of today’s layoffs, NBA analyst Vince Carter could be leaving ESPN this summer, sources told Front Office Sports.Once ESPN finishes Friday’s stunning layoff of talents such as Jeff Van Gundy, it will closely examine the rest of its long-term talent deals. In a separate exercise that could take as long as 12 months, ESPN management will examine which long long-term talent contracts it wants to keep – and which it will let expire for cost-cutting reasons.  The 46-year-old Carter’s contract is up in September, said sources. He probably won’t be offered a new deal after three years at ESPN.Carter

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey Los Angeles Dodgers controlling owner Mark Walter is consolidating the top women’s professional hockey in North America into a new, unified league with substantial support from the NHL.For the past several years, two entities had been vying for premier status after top players broke away from the Premier Hockey Federation — formally the National Women’s Hockey League — and formed the Professional Women’s Hockey Players Association.The Mark Walter Group and Billie Jean King Enterprises had been supporting PWHPA efforts that included event collaborations with NHL teams. The PHF boosted teams’ salary cap to $1.5 million this past season, had a media rights deal with ESPN, and also worked with NHL teams.Now, Walter and his wife Kimbra

Go to Source Author: A.J. Perez Sage Steele is one of the highest-paid employees at ESPN, a network undergoing another round of mandated cuts to on-air talent. However, the “SportsCenter” anchor’s lawsuit against ESPN and Disney could put her multiyear deal off limits during the ongoing cost-saving measures. “There’s always the potential to add a new claim for retaliation,” employment law attorney Hillary Lynch told Front Office Sports. “It could be seen as a continuing violation of what she’s already asserted.”Steele sued ESPN and Disney in April 2022 for allegations her free-speech rights were violated when she claimed she was suspended for two days after her comments on former NFL quarterback Jay Cutler’s podcast. Steele described Disney’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate as “sick and scary”

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,