Power Four's Power Grab

Per the SBJ, the Power Four desires more control of the NCAA governance structure, but internal NCAA polling suggests the rest of Division I are unsurprisingly not supportive.

July 18, 2025

P4 Push for Control in NCAA Governance Structure
SBJ’s Ben Portnoy writes, “The Power Four desires more control of the NCAA governance structure, but internal NCAA polling suggests the rest of Division I are unsurprisingly not supportive, according to documents obtained by Sports Business Journal.

“SBJ obtained the nearly 100-page recommendation compiled by the NCAA Division I Decision-Making Working group in June that outlines intimate details of an evolving proposal that would significantly alter how college sports are governed. The documents also include previously unreported feedback recorded by the NCAA’s research team centered on subjects related to potential changes.

“A May poll found, ‘while 83% of autonomy (Power Four) respondents were supportive or very supportive of weighted voting for autonomy conferences, less than 20% of respondents from the other Division I subdivisions indicated such support.’”
^{Sports Business Journal}

WNBA Players Say League’s Proposal for New CBA Falls Short After All-Star Bargaining Meeting
AP News’ Doug Feinberg writes, “Backed by what they said was their largest attendance ever for collective bargaining negotiations, WNBA players met with the league Thursday with the sides far apart in discussions for a new deal.

“All-Stars Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Angel Reese were among about 40 players, most wearing business suits, who took part in the first face-to-face meeting featuring players since December.

“If a deal isn’t done by the end of October, some players, including Napheesa Collier and Reese, have mentioned the potential of a walkout, which could present some immediate problems.”
^{AP News}

Snoop Dogg Becomes Swansea Co-Owner and Investor
Snoop Dogg was the surprise model as Swansea launched their home kit for the 2025-26 season last weekend.

The Swans have now announced that the 53-year-old American star has followed Real Madrid and Croatia legend Luka Modric by joining the club's ownership group.

"My love of football is well known, but it feels special to me that I make my move into club ownership with Swansea City," Snoop Dogg said on the club's website.
^Sportico

Netflix Says Apple-F1 Deal Won’t Shake Up Its Sports Strategy
“Sports are a subcomponent of our live strategy, but our live strategy goes beyond sports alone,” said co-CEO Ted Sarandos, when asked specifically about F1. “We remain focused on ownable, big breakthrough events, because our audiences really love them. Anything we chase in the event space or in sports has got to make economic sense as well.”

Netflix has enjoyed streaming one-off, major events like the Jake Paul-Mike Tyson fight, and also holds the rights to WWE’s “Raw” in a 10-year, $5 billion deal. In 2027 and 2031, the streamer will exclusively host the FIFA Women’s World Cup.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Drew Brees to Be Game Analyst for Netflix’s Christmas Day Game Years After NBC Flameout: Sources
Brees will be on the domestic broadcast for either the Dallas Cowboys-Washington Commanders game or the Detroit Lions-Minnesota Vikings matchup. Brees worked the Netflix international broadcast last year.
^{The Athletic}

Cleveland’s WNBA Team Follows Golden State’s Proven Blueprint
The Cavaliers vs. the Warriors is one of the NBA’s strongest rivalries in recent history as the teams battled in four consecutive Finals in the mid-to-late 2010s. Golden State has carried its formula to its organization’s inaugural season in the WNBA. The Valkyries enter the All-Star break with a 10–12 record and have sold out all 11 of their home games—setting the precedent for the five expansion teams coming from 2026 to 2030, including a team in Cleveland in 2028.
^{Front Office Sports}

Report: Rutgers’ Top AD Pick Withdraws Candidacy
Arctos Operating Partner Brian Lafemina “withdrew his name from consideration” for Rutgers’ AD search yesterday, according to sources. Lafemina “rejected an offer that is believed to be a significant salary increase from his predecessor,” Pat Hobbs, who made “just over” $1M in his last year before resigning in August. He is “expected to remain in the private sector.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

NFLPA Head Lloyd Howell Resigns After Union Controversies
Sportico’s Kurt Badenhausen reports: “Lloyd Howell has resigned as executive director of the NFL Players Association, according to a statement shared by the union Thursday night. The move came as Howell faced increased scrutiny in recent weeks for a series of his decisions and revelations about his business ties.

“In May, ESPN reported that the FBI and federal prosecutors were investigating the union’s financial dealings related to group-licensing firm OneTeam Partners, which was co-founded by the NFLPA and the MLB Players Association. Howell and MLBPA head Tony Clark are both on OneTeam’s board of directors.”
^Sportico

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SEC Coaches and Players Defend Their Dominance Amid Big Ten’s Recent Success
“For all those of you who like to speculate about super-conferences, welcome to one,” Sankey said to open this week’s event. “We have common-sense geography, restored rivalries, record-breaking viewership. If you take the consumed viewership hours on linear TV, almost 40% of that viewership was focused on games involving Southeastern Conference universities and teams. Big Ten was next, right around 30%.”
^{AP News}

Transgender Sprinter Sues Princeton Over Last-Minute Ban
FOS’ Ben Horney reports: “The suit, filed in Mercer County Superior Court July 15, alleges that Sadie Schreiner was unlawfully removed from the list of participants right before the start of her event—the 200-meter race at the Larry Ellis Invitational track meet. Schreiner, who transitioned in high school, was a Division III women’s All-American at the Rochester Institute of Technology, where she had significant success, including becoming a two-time All American.”
^{Front Office Sports}

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