All Bets Are On!

Sportsbook operators view sports futures as a genuine long-term business threat if not curtailed

February 6, 2025

U.S. Sportsbooks Reckon With Super Bowl Rival: Futures Markets
The writing team at Sportico reports: “The 2025 Super Bowl will be the first where any fan in the U.S. over the age of 18 can easily wager through the futures market. The trades are overseen by the federal Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) rather than states, largely because they have not been legally classified as gambling. Sportsbook operators view sports futures as a genuine long-term business threat if not curtailed, sources said.”
^Sportico

LIV Golf Recognized With Automatic Spot in the U.S. Open
LIV Golf received tangible recognition of its place in the men’s professional golf hierarchy on Tuesday when the United States Golf Association created a new exemption category for the U.S. Open. The announcement — giving a spot in the 2025 U.S. Open at Oakmont to the top LIV golfer who is not otherwise exempt in the top three of the individual LIV standings as of May 19 — provides LIV golfers a potential pathway to playing in the major championship for their play in the Saudi-backed league.
^{The Athletic}

Not 1. Not 2. But 3 Women’s Hoop Leagues? Athletes Unlimited, Unrivaled are WNBA Offseason Options
AP News’ Teresa M. Walker writes, “This is [Alysha] Clark’s first season with Athletes Unlimited, which is in its fourth season overall. The three-time WNBA champ couldn’t be closer to home as a Tennessee high school standout who played first at Belmont, then Middle Tennessee. Unrivaled, in its first year, debuted on Jan. 17 and to Clark, that league gives superstar players an offseason option while Athletes Unlimited provides opportunity for other players wanting to hone skills in hopes of making — or keeping their spots — on WNBA rosters.

“Having multiple professional women’s leagues to chose from in the U.S. as WNBA offseason options is more than many women could even dream about 15 years ago.”
^{AP News}

Trump Will Sign an Executive Order Barring Transgender Female Athletes From Competing
President Donald Trump will sign an executive order on Wednesday designed to prevent people who were biologically assigned male at birth from participating in women’s or girls’ sporting events. Trump found during the campaign that his pledge to “keep men out of women’s sports” resonated beyond the usual party lines. More than half the voters surveyed by AP VoteCast said support for transgender rights in government and society has gone too far.
^{AP News}

Super Bowl Secondary-Ticket Prices High But Much Less Than Last Year’s Game
Prices on the secondary-ticket market for Sunday’s Super Bowl in New Orleans are much less than last year’s big game and declining, but still high by historical standards.

The average price for the Kansas City Chiefs-Philadelphia Eagles game at TickPick was $6,552 as of Tuesday. If that amount holds, it would be that website’s third highest for a Super Bowl. The lowest price for this year’s game was just less than $4,000, which has declined about 30% since the matchup was set.
^{AP News}

Settlement Creates $5 Million Fund For NWSL Players After Abuse Scandal
The National Women’s Soccer League will establish a $5 million fund for players as part of a settlement that stemmed from allegations of emotional and sexual misconduct that rocked the league in 2021. The funds will go to players who experienced abuse. The settlement also requires the league to maintain safeguards put into place following a pair of investigations released in late 2022 that found widespread misconduct that impacted multiple teams, coaches and players.
^{AP News}

Colin Cowherd Signs Nick Wright’s Podcast Away From Fox Sports: Sources
The Athletic’s Andrew Marchand writes, “In the continuing trend of top sports media personalities creating their own podcast-centric companies that compete with major networks, Colin Cowherd has signed Nick Wright to bring his podcast from Fox Sports to Cowherd’s The Volume, sources briefed on the move said Wednesday. What is particularly interesting about this move is Cowherd and Wright are the two biggest draws on Fox Sports’ cable channel, FS1. Both will continue to do their weekday FS1 shows on TV.”
^{The Athletic}

Disney Earnings Highlight ESPN Comeback; Iger High on NBA’s Future
FOS’ Eric Fisher reports: “Roughly 24 hours after Fox reported a robust quarter financially, due in large part to success in sports broadcasting, Disney delivered very similar news. The ESPN parent company said it generated a 5% increase in revenue to $24.7 billion for its fiscal first quarter running from October to December 2024 and boosted operating income by 31% to $5.1 billion.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Tom Brady Reflects On Fox work, Raiders Role Ahead of Super Bowl: ‘It’s Been an Awesome Journey’
“I think the mistakes that I have made — and I have made plenty — I have learned from all of them,” Brady said during a Fox Sports media conference call. “You are not happy they have happened but at the same time I understand that when they do happen and I mispronounce words or forget a certain statistic or the preparation was a little off in terms of my thoughts on something and I screw up the analysis, I go back and I want to get it right the next time.”
^{The Athletic}

11 NFL Teams Have Never Had a Black Head Coach. Players Find That Disappointing
AP News’ Howard Fendrich writes, “[Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry] McLaurin, like the majority of NFL players, is Black, and, like some of his colleagues, harbors concerns about the lack of Black head coaches. The Associated Press surveyed more than 65 Black players from 25 teams about the topic, and more than a third — about 36% — were discouraged or disappointed by the number of Black coaches.”
^{AP News}

Ohio State Expected to Hire Tyler Bowen as OL coach, Brian Hartline Favorite For OC: Sources
Virginia Tech offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Tyler Bowen is expected to become Ohio State’s new offensive line coach and run game coordinator, multiple people briefed on the matter told The Athletic on Wednesday. The 35-year-old Bowen, who has been with the Hokies for three seasons, will replace Justin Frye, who spent three seasons in that role with the Buckeyes and left last week to become the offensive line coach of the Arizona Cardinals.
^{The Athletic}

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics Are 1 Year Away. One Venue Remains Uncertain
AP News’ Andrew Dampf writes, “The chaotic preparations for the 2016 Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro were labeled the ‘worst’ ever by a vice president of the International Olympic Committee. The next Olympics, though, might set an unofficial record for running late on preparations.

“That’s because the century-old sliding center being completely rebuilt for the 2026 Milan-Cortina Winter Games is pushing the deadline so tight that the IOC has gone so far as to demand a Plan B option that would require moving bobsled, luge and skeleton events all the way to Lake Placid, New York, if the track in Italy isn’t finished in time.”
^{AP News}

Figure Skating Event Benefiting Victims of DC Plane Crash to Take Place in Washington in March
Organizers on Wednesday announced the “Legacy on Ice” benefit event scheduled for March 2 at Capital One Arena in downtown Washington, home of the NBA’s Wizards and NHL’s Washington Capitals. Twenty-eight members of the figure skating community were among the 67 people killed when an Army helicopter collided with an American Airlines flight and crashed into the Potomac River on Jan. 29.
^{AP News}

Dick Vitale Will Return to Broadcast Duke-Clemson for ESPN on Saturday
Yahoo Sports’ Ian Casselberry writes, “Legendary ESPN broadcaster Dick Vitale is returning to the mic on Saturday. Duke freshman Cooper Flagg is such a sensation that Vitale has to call one of his games. Vitale, 85, will be on the call for Saturday's matchup between No. 2 Duke and Clemson at Littlejohn Coliseum. It will be the first time in nearly two years that Vitale is on a broadcast amid a battle with cancer in his vocal cords that's lasted for more than three years.”
^{Yahoo! Sports}

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