New Bill Wants NCAA Abolished

Per On3, “H.R. 2663, called the ‘Restore College Sports Act,’ would create the American College Sports Association. The entity would replace the NCAA and, ‘oversee and regulate college sports.’”

April 9, 2025

Federal Bill Introduced to Replace NCAA, Limitless Transfers, Shake Up Conferences, Cap Coach Salaries
On3’s Nick Schultz reports: “On the same day the House v. NCAA final approval hearing took place, a transformative federal bill was introduced in the House of Representatives. It would replace the NCAA while also shaking up the college athletics landscape, including with the transfer portal and conference realignment.

“H.R. 2663, called the ‘Restore College Sports Act’ and filed by Rep. Michael Baumgartner (R-WA), would create the American College Sports Association. The entity would replace the NCAA and, ‘oversee and regulate college sports.’ Per the bill, the ACSA would have a commissioner appointed by the President with advice and consent of the Senate. The commissioner would serve four-year terms.
^On3

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How AI Is Changing Live Entertainment: What’s Next for Sports and Ticketed Events?

As AI moves beyond experimentation and into the C-suite, shaping strategy at the highest levels, the real question isn’t what’s possible?—it’s what’s next? Few people have a better vantage point on this than Janette Roush, Chief AI Officer and SVP of Innovation at Brand USA, who has spent her career at the intersection of marketing, technology, and live events.

On April 22 at 12:30 PM EST, Janette joins Damian Bazadona (Founder & President of Situation) for a livestream about where we’re headed, what innovation really looks like in live experiences, and how we stay ahead of change rather than reacting to it.

Tune in for insights on:

• The business case for AI in sports and the arts

• What tech-driven fandom looks like now (and where it’s going)

• How to lead change when the playbook is still being written

Livestream: APR. 22 | 12:30–1 PM ET

NFLers Boost SpaceX Investments, Shrug Off Elon Musk’s Politics
Sportico’s Eric Jackson writes, “Atlanta Falcons safety Jessie Bates has investments in real estate and private equity ventures, among others. But none are as explosive as his investment in SpaceX, an aerospace company founded by tech billionaire Elon Musk. Bates won’t call himself a supporter of Musk—he acknowledges the political weight of such a designation—but he respects the business prowess…”
^Sportico

Florida-Houston Thriller is Best NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship in Six Years
CBS drew 18.1 million viewers for Florida’s win over Houston in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Championship on Monday night, marking the title game’s best figure since Virginia-Texas Tech drew 9.6 million in 2019 (the year before out-of-home metrics were added by Nielsen). The three games in Final Four weekend averaged 16.4 million viewers on CBS, which is the best figure in eight years and up 21% from 2024.
^{Sports Business Journal}

PGA Tour on NBC Easily Tops LIV on Fox in First Head-to-Head Network Battle
The PGA Tour handily outdrew LIV Golf on Sunday as the two tours went head-to-head on broadcast TV for the first time. The tour averaged 1.75 million viewers for Brian Harman’s three-shot win in the Valero Texas Open, while LIV averaged just 484,000 viewers for Marc Leishman’s victory in Miami.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Titans Make Taylor Zarzour New Radio Play-by-Play Announcer
The Titans have hired Taylor Zarzour as their “next gameday voice,” replacing Mike Keith on the radio, according to Nick Suss of the Nashville TENNESSEAN. Zarzour comes to the Titans after years of calling SEC college football and SEC baseball on the SEC Network. Zarzour has been the play-by-play voice of the SEC Network’s team working alongside color commentator Matt Stinchcomb and sideline reporter Alyssa Lang.
^{Nashville Tennessean via Sports Business Journal}

NCAA Women’s Hoops Title Game Audience Down 55%
Sunday’s NCAA Women’s Basketball Championship audience fell 55% from last year’s Caitlin Clark-fueled figure and dropped 14% from Clark’s appearance two years ago, but it still maintained an audience good enough for the third-best women’s title game on record, per Nielsen fast-national figures. ABC and ESPN combined to average 8.5 million viewers on Sunday afternoon for UConn’s ninth NCAA women’s title, a rout of South Carolina that wasn’t really close after the first quarter. The Gamecocks’ win over Iowa last year in the same game in the same window drew a record 18.9 million viewers, while LSU-Iowa two years ago was 9.9 million.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Review: Red Sox Docuseries Debuts, Reveals Athletes’ Deepest Struggles and Pressures
Netflix’s new docuseries on the Red Sox, “The Clubhouse,” which premiered yesterday, provides the “deepest look at athletes’ doubts, pressures, and bouts of loneliness” that has ever been seen in a sports documentary, according to Chad Finn of the BOSTON GLOBE via SBJ.
^{Boston Globe via Sports Business Journal}

Nuggets Fire Coach Michael Malone and Oust GM Calvin Booth in Stunning Move as Postseason Looms
AP News’ Tim Reynolds writes, “Michael Malone, who coached the Denver Nuggets to the NBA title in 2023 and has led the team to eight consecutive winning seasons, was fired Tuesday in a stunning move that comes with less than a week in the regular season. Also out: general manager Calvin Booth, whose contract will not be renewed. The Nuggets said David Adelman will become the coach for the remainder of the season.

“Josh Kroenke, the vice chairman of Kroenke Sports and Entertainment, said ‘it is with no pleasure’ that the Nuggets made the change at coach.”
^{AP News}

Tepper Lobbies for Women’s World Cup in Charlotte
SBJ’s Alex Silverman reports: “Panthers and Charlotte FC owner David Tepper publicly lobbied for FIFA to make Charlotte a host city for the 2031 Women’s World Cup during a 2025 Club World Cup promotional event on Tuesday at Bank of America Stadium. The U.S. is expected to be the primary host of the 2031 women’s tournament, as U.S. Soccer was the only national federation to signal interest in submitting a bid (in conjunction with other unspecified Concacaf members).”
^{Sports Business Journal}

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Adrian Wojnarowski Joining Players Health as Brand Ambassador
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “Players Health, a sports tech company providing digital risk-management services, reporting tools and insurance products to sports organizations, is adding an all-star name to its team. Longtime NBA insider Adrian Wojnarowski is serving as a brand ambassador for Players Health, joining the company’s NIL advisory board, he told SBJ.

“The arrangement began at the Final Four in San Antonio, where Wojnarowski appeared on behalf of the company and moderated a pair of panels during the Silver Waves Media Global NIL Conference.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

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