Steve Cohen's Spending Spree

The Mets have spent more money in Steve Cohen’s four years than Marlins, Pirates and Rays over the past 21.

March 6, 2025

The Mets Have Spent More in Steve Cohen’s 4 Years Than Marlins, Pirates and Rays Over the Past 21
AP News’ Ronald Blum reports: “Since Cohen bought the team from the Fred Wilpon and Saul Katz families in November 2020, the Mets have totaled $1.13 billion in payroll and $228.7 million in tax. And that was even before he lavished a record $765 million, 15-year contract on outfielder Juan Soto that starts this season.

“‘One thing I’ve learned a long time ago, if you want something that’s amazing, it’s going to be uncomfortable,’ Cohen said in December.”
^{AP News}

NFL Legend Bill Belichick is Coaching Practices Again. Only Now He’s a College Rookie at UNC
AP News Aaron Beard writes, “Belichick was hired in December and had a signed contract for a five-year deal — though only the first three years are guaranteed with $10 million annually in base and supplemental salary — a month later. The goal is to build a pro-style model at the college level, creating what amounts to a ‘33rd’ NFL team as general manager and former NFL executive Michael Lombardi put it last month.”
^{AP News}

TKO Group Officially Enters Boxing in Deal With Saudis
TKO Group Holdings today is officially announcing its entry into boxing, bringing UFC CEO Dana White into the sport after nearly a decade of hinting that he could get into the sport. Full details aren’t being revealed today, but TKO says it will create a boxing promotion, serve as managing partner and run its day-to-day operations, in association with Saudi general entertainment authority chairman Turki Alalshikh and the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s Sela subsidiary. White and WWE President and TKO board member Nick Khan will head up the leadership team of the promotion, the name of which TKO is not revealing as of today.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Oakland Ballers Add Too $hort and Billie Joe Armstrong to Ownership Group
Last summer, the Oakland Ballers — a Pioneer League baseball team that played its inaugural season in 2024 — welcomed more than 2,200 fans into its ownership group through a community investment round that raised $1.234 million. On Tuesday, the Ballers announced they opened a second community investment round, intending to raise $2 million. New investors will join an ownership group that now includes Bay Area music legends Too $hort and Green Day’s Billie Joe Armstrong.
^{The Athletic}

FIFA Adds TNT to Air Top Club World Cup Matches
FIFA's Club World Cup this summer will be carried on TNT Sports for 24 of the expanded tournament's 63 matches in an agreement announced Wednesday.

DAZN, a streaming platform better known in the United States for boxing, had in December acquired global rights to the 32-team tournament. DAZN will stream all of the matches for free in a broadcast deal with FIFA reportedly worth around $1 billion. TNT Sports, in the agreement with DAZN, will broadcast group and knockout-stage games as well as the July 13 final on its cable networks TNT, TBS and truTV.
^Reuters

Jai Lucas, Miami Finalize Agreement to Make Him Hurricanes’ Coach, AP Source Says
AP News’ Tim Reynolds reports: “Lucas will be introduced to the Miami community on Monday, said the person, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because neither side revealed any details publicly.

“Lucas is expected to begin a five-year contract. He will be with Duke for its regular-season finale against North Carolina on Saturday, then fly to Coral Gables on Sunday and begin the new job officially on Monday.

“Lucas has been at Duke for three seasons and currently is the Blue Devils’ associate head coach…”
^{AP News}

Michigan State Moves Final Home Football Game in 2025 Against Maryland to Ford Field in Detroit
“I heard from fans, donors, students, and media, all of whom universally raved about their experience at Ford Field,” athletic director Alan Haller said. “We witnessed what the Detroit Lions experience every game, that Ford Field can be a tremendous home field advantage. Our student-athletes dream of playing in the NFL and to have the opportunity to play in that stadium is a thrill for them as well.”
^{AP News}

Griggs Outlines Priorities in First Full Year With Orioles
Among Griggs’ top priorities are bringing an All-Star Game back to Charm City, which last hosted the Midsummer Classic in 1993.

Camden Yards is slated to undergo a $400 million, multiphase facelift following the 2025 season. The Orioles have their sights on enhancements including social, premium and family spaces. This year, the Orioles, who finished 19th in attendance last season, have expanded their Bird Bath Splash Zone to include left field sections 84 and 86.
^{AP News}

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Mandel’s Mailbag: Will Florida State, Clemson Stay in ACC? What’s Ohio State’s Outlook?
The Athletic’s Stewart Mandel writes, “While it’s now more feasible for FSU/Clemson to leave, they still need someone to invite them to leave. There has been no indication during the past 18 months that either the Big Ten or SEC are pining to add those or any other ACC members. The SEC already has schools in those states and more than enough big TV brands to keep ESPN happy. And the Big Ten is finding out how hard it is to keep 18 members spread across the country happy, especially in scheduling.”
^{The Athletic}

Tiered Revenue Sharing Will Forever Change College Sports Conferences
Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams writes, “In the last few years I’ve asked many people at the major conferences—ADs and commissioners—about when they think their leagues will get around to booting their least valuable members. The response is always the same: ‘Never.’

“Never is laughable in this industry, but tiered revenue sharing is a way of addressing this imbalance without the more nuclear option. If Texas and Georgia were to really push for a bigger piece of the SEC revenue pie, it would be hard for Vanderbilt to retain its share. Teasing the idea out further, we may not be far away from a multi-tier leagues—A division and B division—or from conferences using revenue sharing percentages as a lever to nudge less-valuable schools elsewhere. (A rep for the Big Ten declined to comment on the future of the league’s revenue-sharing policies. A rep for the SEC didn’t respond to a request for comment.)”
^Sportico

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