Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher There is seemingly no limit to tennis fans’ fever for what is already the sport’s most lucrative major.Less than one week into the main draw of the 2023 U.S. Open, the tournament has already set three single-day attendance records — and remains on track to surpass last year’s record-setting total draw of 776,120.Monday’s single-day attendance of 72,957 set a tournament record that lasted only 48 hours, as Wednesday’s total hit 73,007. That record fell, too, with Thursday’s 73,201.They Built It, They’re ComingThe impressive figures are no accident. The 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world, now features a roof to allow for continuous play, as does its companion, the 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium. And

Go to Source Author: Amanda Christovich Friday produced the realignment aftershock following the decimation of the Pac-12.ACC university presidents have voted to invite Stanford, Cal, and SMU to the conference in 2024. On Thursday night, it was unclear whether the league would send invitations, as UNC said publicly that it was against expansion. The league needed 12 of 15 votes.The ACC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Stanford and Cal will be able to maintain their status as Power 5 schools, while SMU will jump from a Group of 5 to a Power 5 — the latest step in a path to regain the powerhouse football program it boasted back in the 1980s.For Power 5 status, however, the three schools

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher Hollywood remains effectively shut down with the ongoing writers’ and actors’ strikes, but Francois-Henri Pinault continues to proceed with a $7 billion effort to acquire a majority stake in Creative Artists Agency — which would be a landmark deal in both sports and entertainment.Nearly seven weeks after Pinault’s interest in the mega-agency first surfaced, the French billionaire is now reportedly approaching a definitive agreement to acquire majority control of CAA from Texas-based private equity firm TPG, with industry sources telling Front Office Sports the deal is “close.” Negotiations are now expected to conclude in the coming weeks.The $7 billion valuation represents a sizable increase on the prior $5.5 billion from last year, when CAA acquired rival

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher The Baltimore Orioles’ long-running lease negotiations are now focusing on a narrower deal structure — in contrast to the expansive development vision advocated by team managing partner John Angelos.As the Dec. 31 expiration of the current Camden Yards lease approaches, Angelos has pushed for an Atlanta Braves-type mixed-use complex with residential units, hotels, shops, and restaurants, as well as an elementary school in the B&O Warehouse next to the ballpark and a health and wellness clinic. Early this year, Angelos even advocated for a simple, two-year lease extension to provide more time to develop a more complex, long-term agreement. But the administration of Maryland Gov. Wes Moore reportedly remains focused on sealing a long-term lease deal this

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey Lionel Messi’s sensational debut at Inter Miami has the MLS club pushing for its long-awaited $1 billion stadium project.Miami Freedom Park — a 131-acre development built around a $350 million soccer-specific stadium — is now scheduled to open in 2025. Messi is signed with Inter Miami through that year, when he will turn 38. During Miami’s nine-game win streak since Messi’s arrival, its four home matches have been played at the 21,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium. The new venue at Miami Freedom Park will have a slightly larger capacity of 25,000.It’s unclear if the new stadium will be open in time for the start of the 2025 MLS season, which will likely begin in late February. Construction has

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey The 2023 U.S. Open will look to break another attendance record after drawing 776,120 fans in 2022 — the most ever for the main draw of the event.Despite full capacity in 2021, that pandemic-affected edition didn’t break the previous record set in 2019, and fans weren’t allowed in 2020. Although last year’s U.S. Open attendance was higher than this year’s Wimbledon and the French Open, it was lower than the 2023 Australian Open’s draw, which was nearly 840,000.Ticket revenue brought in $167.4 million for the USTA in 2022, according to the organization’s financial report. The majority of that figure comes from the U.S. Open but also includes ticket sales from the 2022 Western & Southern Open

Go to Source Author: A.J. Perez Brett Favre is joining Jason Whitlock’s weekly show on conservative media outlet The Blaze, but don’t expect to hear the three-time NFL MVP’s thoughts on the Mississippi welfare scandal. Favre remains under a gag order in a lawsuit filed by the Mississippi Department of Human Services. He’s among more than 40 defendants in a civil case that seeks to recoup millions of misspent welfare funds.Former NFL defensive player of the year Warren Sapp will also be joining Whitlock’s “Fearless,” a source confirmed to Front Office Sports. Messages left with The Blaze were not immediately returned on Friday. The New York Post was the first outlet to report the additions of Favre and Sapp.In June, attorneys for Favre requested the gag

Go to Source Author: A.J. Perez Bally Sports eliminated its national desk, a decision that cost most of the employees on it their jobs.Eight employees were informed of the cuts on Wednesday, a person with knowledge of the situation told Front Office Sports. The move was part of a new localized video strategy for the embattled regional sports network.The layoffs included multiple veteran managers and writers who were hired in the years since Sinclair Broadcast Group’s heavily leveraged $9.6 billion purchase of the RSNs became official in August 2019. Two of those impacted posted on social media that they had been laid off: Brad Evans, who had been Bally’s executive producer of gaming, and writer Maggie Hendricks. “I am incredibly bummed, because I

Go to Source Author: Eric Fisher The days of college football games played in cavernous concrete bowls with metal benches are increasingly numbered as schools continue to outdo each other with facility renovations and state-of-the-art amenities.At least a dozen Power Five conference schools are currently in the midst of large-scale stadium upgrades, along with a growing number of smaller-conference universities and independents. And rather than attempting more modest renovations, many of the projects are extending well into nine figures — despite wildly different circumstances.A $700 million overhaul to Penn State’s Beaver Stadium, which will stretch over the next four years.$400 million in improvements to Florida’s Ben Hill Griffin Stadium (a.k.a., The Swamp), one of college football’s toughest places for visiting teams.A $337 million

Go to Source Author: David Rumsey Lionel Messi has already made a drastic impact on American soccer, but he still has a key debut ahead.After eight games in the Leagues Cup and U.S. Open Cup competition, Messi will play in his first regular-season MLS tilt on Saturday night when Inter Miami visits the New York Red Bulls.It’s expected to bring in two-to-three times the revenue of an average match, Red Bulls president and GM Marc de Grandpré told Front Office Sports. “It’s our largest-ever MLS gate since we’ve been at Red Bull Arena,” de Grandpré said.The match’s timing involved some luck — the Leagues Cup run delayed a Miami home game — and strategic planning. “The process started when we heard he may be