NBA-Owned European League a Go?

New Euro-League in the Works; Vince Nicastro Talks Tourney Expansion + More

December 10, 2024

Good morning! NBA-owned European league, Big East expansion & Soto mania

NBA, FIBA in ‘Serious Conversation’ About New European League, FIBA Secretary General Says
FIBA, the international governing body for basketball, said, “Next month will show where we are headed in this matter” regarding a potential NBA-owned league in Europe. Andreas Zagklis, the secretary general for FIBA, said he and his staff would remain in “serious conversation” with NBA commissioner Adam Silver about starting a new league that could initially compete with the Euroleague.
^{The Athletic}

BIG EAST Deputy Commissioner Vince Nicastro Talks Streaming Deals, Tournament Expansion, and More
BIG EAST Deputy Commissioner and Chief Operating Officer Vince Nicastro joins On the Fly Podcast Host Gene DeFilippo for an insightful conversation about his 30-year career in college athletics and the rebuilding of the BIG EAST Conference in 2013. The two also touch on conference and tournament expansion, streaming partnerships, the unique culture of the BIG EAST Men's Basketball Tournament at Madison Square Garden, and more.

‘Obvious Weak Point’: Refs Remain an NBA Gambling Concern
FOS’ Ben Dowsett writes, “The NBA is less than two decades removed from the Tim Donaghy incident, arguably the biggest refereeing scandal in pro sports history. An FBI probe showed he’d bet tens of thousands of dollars on NBA games across multiple seasons, including those he officiated. Some say another scandal is possible or even likely.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Juan Soto Agrees to Record $765 million, 15-Year Contract With Mets, AP Source Says
Megastar outfielder Juan Soto and the New York Mets agreed Sunday to a record $765 million, 15-year contract, an AP source reported. The deal could escalate to $805 million and is believed to be the largest in team sports history. The person spoke anonymously because the agreement was subject to a physical. Soto would reportedly have the right to opt out of the contract after the 2029 season if the Mets don’t at that time increase the average annual value by $4 million annually.
^{AP Sports}

Levy-Elevate Tie-Up ‘An Offensive Decision’
These two companies were already very familiar, beginning with the 49ers (where Elevate Chairman Al Guido is also club president). The Niners are original investors in Elevate and have been Levy clients since 2018. The 49ers and Levy were also co-investors in mobile tech company VenueNext, which was sold to Shift4 in 2021.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Army-Navy, CBS Sports Agree to 10-Year Extension
CBS Sports, Army and Navy have agreed to a 10-year extension of the network's multiplatform rights for the annual Army-Navy Game presented by USAA that will run through 2038, the academies and network have announced. CBS Sports has been the exclusive home of Army-Navy since 1996, while the current deal was slated to expire in 2028. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Central Michigan Tabs Army Assistant Matt Drinkall as Next Head Coach
The Athletic’s Matt Baker reports: “Drinkall replaces Jim McElwain, who retired from coaching after his sixth season at the school. Drinkall was the Black Knights offensive line coach this season during their run to the American Athletic Conference championship. His position group is one of three finalists for the Joe Moore Award, given to the nation’s top offensive line.”
^{The Athletic}

Tulane Coach Jon Sumrall Intends to Stay Put as UNC Remains in Contact With Bill Belichick 
Tulane football coach Jon Sumrall posted on social media Sunday night he intends to stay at the school after drawing interest from North Carolina, where mutual interest with former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick continued through the weekend.
^{The Athletic}

Rays’ Opener Moved Back a Day, Giving More Time to Prepare Temporary Steinbrenner Field Home
The Rays’ opener against the Colorado Rockies was pushed back until March 28 to give Tampa Bay an extra day to adapt the New York Yankees’ Steinbrenner Field. The team is playing home games at the Yankees’ spring training facility in Tampa, Florida, this year because Hurricane Milton damaged Tropicana Field in St. Petersburg on Oct. 9.
^{AP News}

Is the College Football Playoff Bracket Fair? Here Are Some Tweaks That Would Have Changed Things
AP News’ Eddie Pells writes, “Where those teams landed in the College Football Playoff bracket was based on a formula created by conference commissioners. That jumbled up the pairings — there are some big gaps, for instance, between where a team is seeded and where it’s ranked — and made a strong case for tinkering in the future.”
^{AP News}

Alabama’s $83.3M Football Budget Couldn’t Buy the Tide a CFP Berth
Sportico’s Anthony Crupi writes, “Ironically enough, in passing over Alabama the committee inadvertently undermined the spending power of one of college football’s most storied programs. According to the university’s financial records for the 2022-23 academic year, Alabama spent $83.3 million on football that same season, or some $7.7 million more than also-ran Florida State.”
^Sportico

Michigan State Athletic Director Leaving the Number of Scholarships Up to Head Coach Smith
Michigan State AD Alan Haller says he’ll let Football HC Jonathan Smith make the call on how many scholarships the Spartans will award next season. “He feels comfortable this first year going with 85 scholarships with a roster limit of 105 (with 20 walk-ons). And then we'll add about a million dollars worth of scholarships (20 to 25 scholarships) to the women's side to really strengthen some of our successful women's sports over the last couple of years and keep pace with other Big Ten schools …”
^{The Lansing Journal via D1 Ticker}

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