Reinsdorf Loosens Grip On Sox

Jerry Reinsdorf May Sell Sox After All; Lots Going On in Sports Media

October 18, 2024

Good morning! White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf is open to selling

Reasoning for Reinsdorf's About-Face on Possibility of Selling White Sox Unclear
White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf has “long insisted” he was not interested in selling the team, but following news of him being open to selling the team, what “might have changed Reinsdorf’s mind in the last year is unclear,” according to Paul Sullivan of the CHICAGO TRIBUNE via SBJ. Following what Reinsdorf called a “very painful” season in which the White Sox set a modern-day MLB record with 121 losses, he simply “could be tired of the aggravation and constant criticism over his decision-making.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Diamond Asks Court to Allow RSN-FanDuel Rebrand
As part of the deal reported on SBJ, FanDuel would gain naming rights to all Diamond’s RSNs, all direct-to-consumer streaming apps, and related consumer-facing products, at least through the end of the NBA and NHL schedules. If Diamond staves off bankruptcy, FanDuel would formally commit to multi-year rights fee payments, minimum media and advertising spending, and on-air FanDuel-branded content.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Levine Leichtman Family Completes Purchase of San Diego Wave FC
Per SBJ, the San Diego Wave FC will soon announce that the Levine Leichtman Family Office has completed its purchase of the NWSL club from founding owner Ron Burkle. The deal was reportedly completed in two parts this year, with the average valuation at $113M. When the deal was struck, it was the highest valuation of an NWSL team in a sale, but it has since been eclipsed by the purchase of Southern California rival Angel City FC by Willow Bay and Bob Iger at a $250M valuation.
^{Sports Business Journal}

France’s Richest Man Bernard Arnault and Red Bull Enter Exclusive Negotiations to Buy Paris FC
The Athletic’s Ali Rampman reports: “French billionaire and LVMH chairman Bernard Arnault has partnered with Red Bull to enter exclusive negotiations over buying Paris FC. Agache, the holding company of France’s richest man Arnault, is in discussions over purchasing a majority stake in the French club. Red Bull is advising Agache and is also in negotiations to buy a minority stake.”
^{The Athletic}

Tom Brady Isn’t a Journalist. Does His Raiders Deal Impact His TV Gig?
“I don’t see Brady as a journalist,” Susan Keith, a professor in Rutgers’ Department of Journalism and Media Studies, said in an email to Sportico.

Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams writes, “Brady’s Raiders stake, however, does present other challenges for his new day job. As part of the long-running process, Brady agreed in August to a handful of restrictions that set him apart from other TV analysts, including others in the Fox booth. He is not permitted to attend broadcast production meetings and may not have access to team facilities, players, coaches or other franchise personnel.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

ESPN Signs Analyst Chiney Ogwumike to Four-Year Extension
Former WNBA player Chiney Ogwumike signed a four-year extension with ESPN, making her the first female broadcast personality to work full-time across “NBA Countdown” and “WNBA Countdown.” Ogumike entered broadcasting with ESPN in 2016 before joining full-time in 2018.

While SBJ notes that exact financials have not been disclosed, sources close to the matter confirmed the extension is in the multi-million range, giving Ogwumike one of the most lucrative broadcasting deals of any former female professional athlete.
^{Sports Business Journal}

TNT and Its Sports Platforms to Show New Unrivaled Women’s 3-on-3 Basketball League Games
Per AP News, the new Unrivaled women’s basketball 3-on-3 league will broadcast its games on TNT and its sports platforms. The league announced a multiyear partnership with the network to show more than 45 games from the inaugural season that begins in January. Matchups will be shown three nights a week with twice-weekly games on TNT on Mondays and Fridays. However, games that are played on Saturday will be shown on truTV.
^{AP News}

Tuchel’s Hiring by England Sparks Dismay and Resignation Among British Soccer Coaches
Russell Martin, one of six managers from Britain and Ireland currently leading teams in the Premier League, said there were “loads of English coaches really capable of doing the job as well. Maybe English managers aren’t given enough credit, or maybe they are deemed not good enough by the most important people.”
^{AP News}

Middle East Is ‘New Power Center’ of Global Sports: PFL Founder
In an interview in the FOS studio in New York, PFL founder Donn Davis said PFL sought investors from the Middle East two and a half years ago, notably earlier than other sports entities that have done the same.

“We went to the Mideast early,” Davis says. “We said: ‘global company, global investors.’ Where is the new power center for global sports? The Mideast.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Detroit Pistons 2024-25 Season Preview: Is This Still the Worst Team in the NBA?
Yahoo Sports’ Ben Rohrbach writes, “The Pistons are in a catch-22. They owe a top-13 protected pick to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This pick's protections began in 2021; they will remain until a) Detroit is not terrible or b) 2027. The Pistons have to be better, collectively, and that starts with Cunningham.” Rohrach goes on to write, “The Pistons might as well find out now since Cunningham's $224 million max contract comes due in July.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

SEC Commissioner Greg Sanky Talks Big Ten Landscape and Hoops Tournament Expansion on Paul Finebaum Show
SEC Commissioner Greg Sankey joined The Paul Finebaum Show yesterday and said of the meetings with the Big Ten and the landscape overall: “I think we have a responsibility to continue to make progress. If we can do that with people, that's much healthier and I think [Big Ten Commissioner] Tony [Petitti] and I are both attentive to our conferences, to our working relationship with each other, and our working relationship with the people around us and will continue to be. And if we can bring people into problem-solving, I mean in a big way in Division I, I think that's success.
^{The Paul Finebaum Show via Twitter and D1 Ticker}

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