Sport & Story Daily July 2, 2024

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July 2, 2024

Good morning! Celtics Sale Wicked Smaht? ☘️

Ownership Group of NBA Champion Boston Celtics is Putting Team Up For Sale
Despite defeating the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals last month to capture the franchise’s 18th championship, Boston Basketball Partners LLC said it intends to sell the majority of its shares in 2024 or early 2025. The balance of its shares would then close in 2028.

Wyc Grousbeck, whose family leads the ownership group, is expected to remain the team’s NBA governor until the sale is complete.

“The controlling family of the ownership group, after considerable thought and internal discussion, has decided to sell the team for estate and family planning considerations,” the statement said.
^{AP News}

Nick Saban To Make $500K Annually in Alabama Advisory Role
FOS’ Alex Schiffer writes, “In a post-retirement advisory role, the legendary coach will make $500,000 a year from the program he led to six national championships. Saban will make $41,666 a month off 40-hour work weeks [reported via the Tuscaloosa News]. 

“Saban retired after the 2023 season, his 17th season at Alabama, in which he turned the Crimson Tide into a juggernaut. At the time of his retirement, Saban was making over $9 million per season, but the base salary was just over $300,000 because of the contract’s structure.” 
^{Front Office Sports}

Texas Tech Officially Unveils 10-Year Deal With Adidas
Texas Tech’s 10-year deal with Adidas “officially ends” Under Armour’s almost two-decade-long run with the athletic program, according to Irving Mejia-Hilario of the DALLAS MORNING NEWS via SBJ.
^{Sports Business Journal}

TNT Sports to Air Mountain West Football Package
Per SBJ’s Ben Portnoy, the Mountain West is adding a new television partner. The league and TNT Sports signed a multi-year agreement today that will reportedly see 14 Mountain West games broadcast on truTV and Max this year. The first game in the package will be the Aug. 29 contest between San José State and Sacramento State. Financial details of the deal are not yet available.
^{Sports Business Journal}

How Tiny Uruguay Became a Soccer Giant
As Yahoo! Sports’ Henry Bushnell writes, “[Diego] Rossi is from the capital, Montevideo; [Nicolás] Lodeiro is from a border town, Paysandú. Rossi grew up in the 21st century, and Lodeiro in the 20th. Rossi played at Peñarol, and Lodeiro at its archrival, Nacional. They took distinct paths to the upper reaches of their sport, to their national team, to famous European clubs. But they shared a commonality that explains why their country, Uruguay, the 135th biggest in the world, has won more World Cups than England and more Copa Américas than Brazil.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Why ESPN Is Attempting to Enter the ‘Sports Tourism’ Business
Front Office Sports’ Michael McCarthy reports: “Dubbed ‘ESPN Experiences: Take Me Out to the Ballparks,’ the five-day, four-night trip from Aug. 29 to Sept. 2 will take tourists to Fenway Park in Boston, Yankee Stadium in New York, and Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Plus, they’ll get a private tour of the Jackie Robinson Museum in the Big Apple, an MVP tour of ESPN headquarters in Bristol, Conn., and meet-and-greets with on-air talents...”
^{Front Office Sports}

Former Marlins GM Kim Ng Hired as Senior Adviser for Athletes Unlimited Softball League
AP News’ Cliff Brunt writes, “Kim Ng made her mark as a trailblazer in the male-dominated world of Major League Baseball.

“In 2020, the Miami Marlins made her the first female general manager in the four major North American professional sports leagues. She kept the position for three seasons and the Marlins reached the playoffs her final year.

“Now Ng, who played softball at the University of Chicago, will use her skills to directly uplift women’s sports. She’s been hired as a senior adviser for the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, which will launch in 2025.”
^{AP News}

Utah DC Morgan Scalley Renamed Kyle Whittingham’s Eventual Successor
Utah on Monday announced defensive coordinator Morgan Scalley as its “head coach in waiting” to succeed Kyle Whittingham whenever the longtime Utes coach, 64, decides to retire. According to a release from the school via The Athletic, Scalley’s amended contract was agreed upon on Nov. 23, 2023. ESPN reported that Scalley will make at least $5 million a year when he’s promoted.
^{The Athletic}

Texas, Oklahoma Ready For New Era as They Make Monumental Shift to SEC
Texas and Oklahoma are “finally making their long-awaited conference switch” to the SEC, according to Jim Vertuno of the AP via SBJ. College sports have been “building toward the era of major realignment." The Texas and OU break from the Big 12 “helped trigger myriad conference shifts with more on the way.” By the first kickoff of the 2024 season, “11 so-called Power 4 programs will be in new conferences.” Both schools originally planned to join the SEC in 2025 but ultimately reached a financial deal with the Big 12 for an early exit (AP, 6/30).

Rice VP/AD Tommy McClelland Joins On the Fly Podcast to Discuss NIL, the AAC, and More
Tommy McClelland, Vice President & Director of Athletics at Rice, recently joined On the Fly Podcast host Gene DeFilippo for a wide-ranging conversation on leadership, mentorship, and the evolving landscape of college athletics. The two discussed his career ascension from being a walk-on student-athlete at Northwestern State to his current position, the significance of NIL, Rice’s competitive positioning within the American Athletic Conference, and more.
^{Apple and Spotify}

NCAA, USA Gymnastics Discussing Overhaul of Men’s Championships
Eben Novy-Williams of Sportico reports: “The NCAA is in active talks with USA Gymnastics about how to revamp its collegiate men’s gymnastics championships, conversations that could lead to coordinated major events, shared personnel, or cross-selling partnerships.

“The talks are part of a pilot program run through Team USA aimed at preserving the critical pipeline between college sports and the Olympics. Stakeholders on both sides are seeking more visibility and more financial sustainability for men’s gymnastics…”
^Sportico

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