Sport & Story Daily February 26, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

February 26, 2024

Good morning! First Iowa’s Caitlin Clark, then Duke’s Kyle Filipowski—some are calling for the end of fans rushing the courts

Duke Star Filipowski Hurt as Wake Forest Fans Rush Court After Upset: ‘I Absolutely Feel Like It Was Personal’
“Although our event management staff and security had rehearsed postgame procedures to protect the visiting team and officials, we clearly must do better,” Wake Forest athletics director John Currie said. “I appreciate the postgame comments of Duke head coach Jon Scheyer and I am in complete agreement that something more must be done about the national phenomenon of court and field storming and Wake Forest looks forward to being a part of those conversations,” Currie said.
^{theathletic.com}

Sham Gods: The Rapidly Growing World of Sports Impersonators on X
As Front Office Sports’ AJ Perez writes, “In December, an X account impersonating ESPN reporter Adam Schefter posted that Panthers owner David Tepper was on convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein’s client list and that ‘internal discussions’ were underway to remove Tepper. That lie stayed up on X for six hours and compiled more than 2 million views as ESPN feverishly tried to get hold of anyone at X to get the post taken down, a source at the network tells FOS. 

‘This is completely false,’ the real Schefter wrote under his imposter’s post. ‘X needs to respond to defamatory untrue statements like this.’

Elon Musk’s decision to bastardize verification badges has led these kinds of accounts to flourish. The blue check became more ubiquitous and lost some of its meaning once Musk opened it up last year to anyone willing to part with $8 a month.” 
^{frontofficesports.com}

Warriors, Coach Steve Kerr Agree to 2-Year Contract Extension: Sources
With less than a half-season remaining on his current coaching contract, Steve Kerr has finally agreed to a contract extension with the Warriors—two years, $35 million, as team sources confirmed to ESPN late Friday night.

As The Athletic’s Anthony Slater writes, “Kerr is in his 10th season coaching the Warriors, having won four titles. He’s the third longest-tenured coach in the NBA, trailing only Erik Spoelstra and Gregg Popovich. This contract makes him the second highest-paid coach on a per season basis ($17.5 million), trailing only Popovich.

The shortened length of it is notable. Kerr’s contract now lines up exactly with Steph Curry’s deal. Curry has two years and $115.3 million remaining after this season. He will be 38 by the time it expires. Kerr’s extension sets him up to ride out the Curry era, as the Warriors attempt to reposition themselves as title contenders before the window slams shut.”
^{theathletic.com}

'Just so Excited Man': Chicago Cubs Thrilled About Return of Free Agent Cody Bellinger
As USA Today’s Bob Nightengale writes, “Bellinger, who spent the winter rudely discovering that teams around the league were skeptical whether his 2023 comeback season was a fluke, agreed to a three-year, $80 million contract late Saturday night, hoping to prove everyone wrong.

It was a massive discount from the $200 million-plus contract he was originally seeking, but he now has the opportunity to show the world he’s still one of the elite players in the game with his bridge-style contract.”
^usatoday.com

Sports Broadcasts Should Remain Political-Free Zones
As Barrett Sports Media’s Andy Masur writes, “If there’s one entity in sports broadcasting that needs to stay out of the fray, and be ‘politic proof’ it’s the sports broadcast and telecast. The booth needs to remain pure. It needs to be a sanctuary for fans and broadcasters alike. There aren’t many fans that are tuning into a baseball, basketball, football or hockey broadcast to learn about your opinions about anything else but the game. Fans look to escape that when listening to or watching a game.”

Masur notes that politics doesn’t refer to being a Democrat or Republican, per se, but more so it’s about touching on hot-button issues. The example he gave was Kenny Smith’s comments about the Steph Curry/Sabrina Ionescu 3-point shootout in saying, “She should have shot it from the women’s line; that would have been a fair contest” even though Ionescu held her own with 26 points which would have qualified her for the men’s finals in the event.
^{barrettsportsmedia.com}

Murky Future: Everything You Need to Know About the A’s Move to Las Vegas
As Front Office Sports reports in their newsletter, “The A’s are set to begin an incredibly awkward MLB season. They are preparing to move to Las Vegas but will play at least one more season at the much-maligned Oakland Coliseum amid fan protests…

The relocation was meant to end a 20-year saga in which the team has sought a new home while largely ignoring its current one falling into increasing disrepair.”
^{frontofficesports.com}

Luka Dončić, the Mavericks and Their Seven-Game Win Streak Demand Our Attention
As The Athletic’s Tim Cato writes, “Dončić is a potential MVP candidate, one who, in another situation, could be considered this season’s frontrunner. He just helped lift his team to the sixth seed, and he has been the team’s lifeline throughout this injury-riddled season, one where his co-star has often been absent. But when Irving is there, and now with a team that might actually defend in a manner never seen before in the Dončić era, there is much that relies on his own commitment to that end. And, like he has most of this season, he’s living up to it.”
^{theathletic.com}

UCLA Expected to Hire Eric Bieniemy as Offensive Coordinator: Sources
Per The Athletic, “Bieniemy joins new UCLA coach DeShaun Foster’s staff. Foster, who is in the school’s Hall of Fame for his running back career, replaces Chip Kelly, who left the Bruins to take an offensive coordinator job under Ryan Day at Ohio State. Bieniemy, a Southern California native with many local ties, spent three years on the Bruins’ staff from 2003 to 2005.”
^{theathletic.com}

Tennessee and Virginia Score Win in NCAA NIL Recruiting Ban Case
As Sportico’s Michael McCann reports, “In a stunning rebuke of NCAA amateurism, U.S. District Judge Clifton Corker issued a preliminary injunction Friday barring the NCAA from enforcing any and all rules prohibiting college athletes and recruits from negotiating compensation for NIL with collectives and boosters. 

Unless the NCAA successfully appeals the trial judge’s order to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, the injunction will remain in place for months—or possibly longer—depending on when a trial is held for Tennessee & Virginia v. NCAA.”
^sportico.com

Sankey Goes Deep on SEC-Big Ten Partnership
Preconceived ideas that the strategic partnership between the Big Ten and SEC is a precursor to a runaway league may be overstated -- at least in SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey’s mind. “Stop seeing shadows in the room that aren’t there,” Sankey said.
^{sportsbusinessjournal.com}

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects reads to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

And feel free to read our Privacy Policy