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Paige Bueckers, Disruptor
Sport & Story Daily Feb. 24, 2025: Per Sportico, "Bueckers has earned more than a million dollars in NIL deals and used her own fame to ensure those in her considerable orbit benefit, too."

Paige Bueckers’ influence all started at the nationally televised 2021 ESPY Awards, when she was only 19 years old
February 24, 2025

Paige Bueckers Uses ‘Ripple Effect’ to Shape Business Strategy
Sportico’s Eric Jackson writes, “Paige Bueckers, then 19 years old, got on stage at the nationally televised 2021 ESPY Awards show in New York City after winning Best College Athlete in Women’s Sports and demanded change.
“In a scene that has been replayed on timeless occasions across social media, Bueckers used her own milestone moment to speak about racial disparities in sports business. Specifically, the University of Connecticut women’s basketball star asked for more sponsorship dollars and media opportunities to go to Black players.
“In hindsight, this was Bueckers laying the foundation for her strategy around name, image and likeness (NIL), which the NCAA only started to permit earlier that month. Bueckers, who signed with talent agency Wasserman soon after the speech, has earned more than a million dollars in NIL deals and used her own fame to ensure those in her considerable orbit benefit, too.”
Sportico

Billionaire Justin Ishbia Abandons Bid for Twins to Boost His Stake in White Sox: Sources
Chicago-area billionaire Justin Ishbia has dropped his pursuit of the Minnesota Twins, The Athletic has learned, and will instead buy more shares from other limited partners to increase his existing minority stake in the Chicago White Sox.
The Athletic
Linda Henry Out as Investor in Boston NWSL Club
Boston Unity Soccer Partners investor Linda Henry is “backing out” from the group and the NWSL club it is vying to bring to White Stadium amid “controversy surrounding its public-private plan with the city.” Henry’s announcement comes as the public-private plan to rehab the 76-year-old White Stadium in Franklin Park has “divided the community” and “become a central issue in the mayoral campaign.”
Boston Herald via Sports Business Journal
NASCAR Reportedly in Deep Talks With Stellantis About Joining Series
NASCAR has said that it’s in deep discussions with automakers looking at joining its circuit, and two reports have pegged Dodge/Ram parent company Stellantis as one that could enter as soon as next year. NASCAR news site Catchfence.com a week ago and The Athletic last night both reported that Dodge is working to re-enter the racing series initially through the third-tier Craftsman Truck Series, where every vehicle uses the same spec engine.
Sports Business Journal


Getty Images
4 Nations Face-Off Finale Tops Any NHL Audience Over Last 30 Years
SBJ’s Austin Karp reports: “ESPN drew 9.3 million viewers for Canada’s overtime win over the U.S. in the final of the inaugural 4 Nations Face-Off on Thursday night, a figure better than any NHL game on record (dating back to 1994).
“The best all-time for an NHL game (dating back to Nielsen metric reconfiguration in 1994) was the 8.9 million that NBC drew back in 2019 for Game 7 of the Blues-Bruins Stanley Cup Final. Prior to that data reconfiguration, the record for most-watched NHL game was Canadiens-Blackhawks in Game 7 of the 1971 Cup Final at 12.41 million viewers on CBS.”
Sports Business Journal
Source: ESPN Says Opt-Out of MLB Deal Was its Decision
ESPN disputes the notion that its TV deal opt-out with MLB was mutual, a source with knowledge of the network’s thinking told SBJ Friday.
The source said ESPN executives informed MLB executives that they were opting out at 9:45am ET on Thursday. ESPN President Jimmy Pitaro then followed up with MLB commissioner Rob Manfred in the afternoon. All of that, the source said, occurred prior to Manfred’s memo to owners informing them that MLB was opting out of its ESPN deal. A source with knowledge of MLB’s position did not dispute ESPN’s version of the timeline.
Sports Business Journal


AP Photo/Gary McCullough
Jaguars Hire Rams’ James Gladstone as GM, Reuniting Him With Coach Liam Coen
Gladstone, 34, held the position of director of scouting strategy in LA since 2019, working alongside Rams general manager Les Snead during the draft process. He’s been with the Rams since 2016 and was viewed as a key member of the scouting department.
Cleveland’s Andrew Berry is the youngest GM in NFL history, with the Browns hiring him at age 32 in 2020.
AP News
Ex-NFL Star Clinton Portis Joins DeSean Jackson’s Staff at Delaware State as Running Backs Coach
Clinton Portis, who rushed for just under 10,000 yards over nine NFL seasons and was a two-time Pro Bowl selection, has been named DeSean Jackson’s running backs coach and run game coordinator at Delaware State.
Portis joins Jackson, Norfolk State coach Michael Vick and Tennessee State coach Eddie George as former NFL stars to take jobs at historically Black universities. Deion Sanders coached at Jackson State before heading to Colorado.
AP News


Getty Images
Atlanta United Draws Large Crowd For Home Opener
Atlanta United’s season opener against CF Montreal on Saturday will go down as “one of the world’s five-most attended soccer matches this weekend” with 65,520 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Atlanta United has led MLS in attendance every season since it started in 2017.
Sports Business Journal

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AP Photo/Mark Humphrey, File
Tennessee AD ‘Disappointed’ Nebraska Cancels Home-and-Home Series in 2026-27 on Short Notice
Nebraska canceled two nonconference games against Tennessee as part of a plan to recoup lost revenue from reduced seating capacity during major renovations of Memorial Stadium in 2027, athletic director Troy Dannen announced Friday.
The Cornhuskers and Volunteers had been scheduled to meet in Lincoln on Sept. 12, 2026, and in Knoxville on Sept. 11, 2027.
AP News
Can U.S. Soccer’s Support Kick Year-Round College Model Into Gear?
Sportico’s Daniel Libit and Luke Cyphers write, “The quarter-century movement to establish year-round men’s collegiate soccer has gained new momentum in the past year, with the U.S. Soccer Federation having discussed with the Big Ten and ACC ways to launch a pilot program.
“Since mid-2024, the two power conferences have held regular talks with soccer’s national governing body about initially inviting 32 schools to participate in a two-semester trial run, seeking to bypass the traditional NCAA legislative process that has halted previous attempts to put the year-round model into play.”
Sportico
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