Player Retention is Top Priority

Sport & Story Daily July 31, 2025: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

AP News writes: “In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.”

July 31, 2025

AP Photo/Julio Cortez, File

Coaches Race to Master Art of Retention Amid NIL, Revenue Sharing and Transfer Portal Challenges
AP News’ Maura Carey writes, “Whether it was an ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 coach taking the podium at media days, one theme remained consistent: In an era where revenue sharing and NIL opportunities can swiftly steer athletes toward the transfer portal, programs across the country are racing to master the art of player retention.

“Its importance is clear to Arkansas coach Sam Pittman, who has seen all but five players from his 2023 recruiting class leave for different programs.”

“Here’s what it’s not because of: the way they’re treated, because of the way they’re developed, because of the way they’re taught,” he said. “That’s not the reason. It could be playing time. It could be finances. Probably the majority of it is finances, but you’d have to ask those guys.”
AP News

Getty Images

Aston Martin F1 Valued at $3.2B in Latest Sale Amid Surging Investor Interest
Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings Plc, the listed carmaker, said today that it has “agreed to sell its minority stake” in the racing team for about $146M. Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark said that a binding letter of intent “has been signed with a buyer” at a $3.2B valuation.
Bloomberg News via Sports Business Journal

ESPN Cuts Ties With Shannon Sharpe Following Settlement of Sexual Assault Lawsuit, AP Source Says
AP News’ Joe Reedy writes, “The decision comes less than two weeks after Sharpe resolved a lawsuit that accused him of sexually assaulting a woman during their relationship. The person spoke to the AP on condition of anonymity because the decision has not been announced.

“The 57-year-old Sharpe called the accusations ‘false and disruptive’ at the time they were levied and hoped to return in time for the NFL season. Instead, ESPN opted to move on from the brash four-time All-Pro tight end who won three Super Bowls during his 14-year career.”
AP News

Amazon, TNT Post Near-Identical NASCAR Ratings in Debut Season
NASCAR’s two new media-rights partners drew nearly equal average race viewership figures this season. The rest of the Cup Series’s regular season and playoffs will air on NBC Sports platforms, following 10 races split between Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports platforms.
Front Office Sports

Tiki Barber Out in CBS NFL Shakeup as He Joins Giants’ Radio Team for Season
The New York Post’s Jenna Lemoncelli writes, “Tiki Barber’s NFL game days will look mighty different this year. The former Giants running back is joining the team’s radio broadcast, the franchise announced Wednesday, the same day Barber, 50, noticeably was left off CBS’s broadcast roster for the upcoming season. The three-time Pro Bowler had served as an ‘NFL on CBS’ game analyst since 2019.”
The New York Post

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Former Trail Blazers, Oregon Industry Leaders Form Group Vying to Keep Team in Portland
A group that cuts across Oregon’s captains of industry and former Trail Blazers is pushing Gov. Tina Kotek and Mayor Keith Wilson to “heed NBA Commissioner Adam Silver when he says Rip City ‘likely needs a new arena’ to keep the team here,” according to Jonathan Bach of the Portland OREGONIAN. The newly formed group called Rip City Forever said that it will “bankroll a group of subject matter experts to examine the cost, size and location of a new venue.”
The Portland Oregonian via Sports Business Journal

Buffalo Sabres Home Arena to Remain KeyBank Center After Reaching 10-Year Naming Rights Extension
AP News’ John Wawrow reports: “The new deal will kick in next year and run through 2035-36. The Cleveland-based bank has a large regional presence in Buffalo, and took over the downtown arena’s naming rights after acquiring First Niagara Bank in 2016. As part of the extension, the bank’s name will be featured on the Sabres’ helmets for away games starting this season.”
AP News

Mayor Calls Commanders RFK Stadium Deal ‘a BFD’ for D.C.’s Future
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “Though not one of the key teams in the NFL’s still-legal Tush Push, the Commanders are looking to move their proposed $3.8 billion stadium project over the goal line with a sweetened offer to District of Columbia officials. As team officials, including team president Mark Clouse, testified before the council Wednesday in a five-hour, sometimes contentious hearing, the club detailed in writing an enhanced proposal for the planned project at the site of RFK Stadium.”
Front Office Sports

Mexico City is Out for NASCAR’s 2026 Schedule; Chicagoland Likely In: Sources
The Athletic’s Jordan Bianchi writes, “Not going back to Mexico City leaves NASCAR without an international Cup race in 2026, as the logistics of getting the series to the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez circuit in Mexico’s capital, along with finding a date that works for NASCAR, the teams and the track, proved challenging.”
The Athletic

South Carolina Gets New Deputy AD
Breaking news via CollegeAD Sources: UC Riverside AD Wesley Mallette to join South Carolina in Deputy AD role.
CollegeAD, X/Twitter

Sources: Georgia Tech is Hiring Troy AD Brent Jones as the School's New Executive Deputy Athletic Director
Jones is a veteran administrator who has worked at Ole Miss, Southern Miss and Georgia Southern. He's been the Troy AD since 2019.
ESPN, X/Twitter, D1 Ticker

St. Louis Blues. Creative Director
The St. Louis Blues are seeking an innovative, strategic, and highly motivated Creative Director to help lead the video brand identity of our NHL franchise across all platforms, including in-game, digital, and broadcast. This leadership role will shape the look and feel of the team’s storytelling, fan engagement, and marketing initiatives—from in-arena video content, episodic storytelling, game-day and digital content to advertising campaigns, merchandise branding, and community outreach. Apply Now.

Portland Trail Blazers @ the Rose Quarter. Senior Director, Marketing Strategy & Campaigns
As the Portland Trail Blazers’ Senior Director, Marketing Strategy & Campaigns, you will be a solution-oriented, strategic collaborator driving the planning, coordination, and execution of major marketing campaigns. You will serve as the central orchestrator across Brand, Content, Creative, and Fan Development teams to ensure alignment of messaging, timing, and goals—helping to translate big-picture vision into day-to-day execution. Apply Now.

NBA. Broadcasting Partnerships Lead
As the NBA enters a new frontier with its media rights, this position will play a critical role in developing both existing and new broadcasting partnerships with a focus on enhancing both the linear and digital presentations of all content, shows, and games. Apply Now.

Los Angeles Lakers. Executive Director, Corporate Partnerships
The Executive Director, Corporate Partnerships, is a proactive, high-energy sales executive with a deep love for the sports industry. This is a high-pressure, high-reward role. This position will leverage a positive reputation in the sports industry with the Lakers’ iconic brand to generate team revenue. It is ultra-responsive, corporate-client focused, and is responsible for business development and client relationship management, while maintaining the Lakers brand guidelines. Apply Now.

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Illustration by Lorenzo Gordon, photo by Getty Images

NCAA Trying to Block 24-Year-Old Rutgers Transfer From Playing
Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “The NCAA contends the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit should avoid becoming “the first appellate court in the nation to invalidate sensible limits on how long student-athletes can play college sports” and thus should reverse a trial court’s preliminary injunction allowing 24-year-old Rutgers transfer Jett Elad to play for the Scarlet Knights this fall.

“The argument was featured in a brief filed by the NCAA last Friday. The brief disputed testimony by Rutgers head football coach Greg Schiano, whose remarks about Elad’s NIL opportunities and potential NFL career were dismissed as reliant on ‘self-interested, non-expert [and] subjective beliefs.’”
Sportico

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