Sport & Story Daily November 21, 2023

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November 21, 2023

Good morning! Shaquille O’Neal wants to be involved if the NBA ever comes to Las Vegas, cricket might be the next big global sports deal frenzy, and more…

Shaquille O'Neal wants to be involved with potential NBA team in Las Vegas 'with LeBron' or 'without LeBron'
LeBron James has frequently been attached to the NBA's long-rumored expansion team in Las Vegas, but he isn't the only player interested in potentially owning a team there. NBA Hall-of-Famer Shaquille O'Neal expressed interest in running that team: "If there's ever an NBA team that's going to come here, I would definitely like to be involved … With LeBron, without LeBron, I just want to be involved."
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TGL to delay inaugural season until 2025 following venue damage
The TGL will delay its inaugural season until early 2025 after assessing the damage at its SoFi Center that was sustained last week. A power failure at the venue caused part of the competition bubble to deflate, and after officials looked over the damage and consulted with PGA Tour, media and commercial partners, the decision was made to postpone a full year. The reason for the lengthy delay is that TGL's season is dependent on PGA Tour players' schedules. The inaugural TGL season was expected to be complete by April, so a push later into the year would likely conflict with players' schedules that in many cases are based around major championships.
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Professional Fighters League acquires Bellator in industry transformative deal
Professional Fighters League announced it has completed the acquisition of Bellator from Paramount Global, creating a global powerhouse in MMA and accelerating the combined company to become the industry co-leader.
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NFL legend Fran Tarkenton shares decades of business, leadership experience
Fran Tarkenton shared leadership and business lessons he’s learned through his 18 years in the National Football League and more than 50 years as an entrepreneur with the Sandy Springs Perimeter Chamber last week. Tarkenton, who has offices at Tower Place in Buckhead, made the short drive to Sandy Springs City Hall for the chamber’s Signature Luncheon on Nov. 14. His self-named company, Tarkenton, works with clients to support and enhance their brand, services, and processes. He shared stories from his football days with the Minnesota Vikings to illustrate the business and leadership concepts he follows.
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Cricket might be next sports deal frenzy with sale of Hampshire
The owner of one of England’s top cricket clubs is in talks with potential bidders, the latest sign of growing investor interest in the sport outside the big-money league in India. Rod Bransgrove, a former pharmaceuticals entrepreneur, is in discussions about selling Hampshire Cricket Club, a spokesperson for the club’s parent company said. Dialog has opened with several organizations, and the company has been examining a range of options, the spokesperson added, when asked whether Bransgrove could retain a stake in the club.
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Astros, Rockets Decision to Launch Rebranded RSN Runs Counter to Recent Pay TV Exits
Teams across the pro sports landscape are pivoting from a regional sports network model that has dominated local distribution for the last three decades to various ‘stream and beam’ focused strategies.

The Houston Astros and Houston Rockets are not amongst them. The two Texas-based clubs acquired their local home, AT&T SportsNet Southwest, from Warner Bros. Discovery in late September and relaunched the channel as Space City Home Network in early October. The teams plan to continue broadcasting their ’ non-nationally televised games inside of the Pay TV bundle.

The Astros and Rockets acknowledge that they aren’t certain remaining on a regional sports network is the most lucrative path forward. But they are content to be patient, maintain broad cable distribution in the Houston market (i.e., the RSN is not on a sports tier), and let the rapidly evolving media landscape play out before settling on a long-term distribution strategy.

Read more at JohnWallStreet >>>

Paramount Plus just announced a huge Black Friday streaming deal: Get it for $2 per month
Black Friday 2023 is almost here, but the Black Friday streaming deals are already live, and they're fantastic. Paramount + is a favorite streamer for anyone into top-tier NFL and college football games and high-quality original programming. We should also mention that Paramount + is the new streaming home of all Showtime content. Now, Paramount+ is 67% off in a just-announced Black Friday 2023 deal.
cbsnews.com

Two Regular Brothers Netted $800 Million From The NBA In History's 'Greatest Sports Deal'
In 2007, the NBA made a $7.4 billion deal with ABC/ESPN and TNT for broadcasting rights over eight seasons. The arrangement involved monthly payments to the league’s team owners. An intriguing aspect of the payout was the inclusion of an extra recipient beyond the 30 NBA teams—brothers Ozzie and Daniel Silna.
yahoo.com

Explain, laugh, try the ‘tush push': how a German announcer spreads the word about the NFL
You can talk NFL tactics, or you can demonstrate. Even if you’re wearing a suit. Trying the Philadelphia Eagles’ “tush push” on the floor of the studio is all part of a day’s work for the TV crews whose entertaining and educational shows have played a big part in Germany embracing the NFL.
apnews.com

Jason Benetti signs multi-year contract with Detroit Tigers as TV play-by-play broadcaster
The Detroit Tigers promised to be ambitious in their search process for a new television voice of the team. It's safe to say, the franchise accomplished that by hiring one of the best in the business. The Tigers hired Jason Benetti on Thursday as the television play-by-play announcer on the Bally Sports Detroit broadcast, beginning in the 2024 season. He signed a multi-year contract.
freep.com

NFL Looking For Safe Surface Ideas: New England's Gillette Stadium
Busch Stadium's iconic views, food and aesthetics aren't the only things baseball fans may fall in love with if they attend a game there, according to a new ranking. A Betway ranking found the home of the Cardinals is also the cheapest MLB stadium in the country for a marriage proposal. The online sports betting company analyzed the prices of all 30 stadiums in the country. The study measured how much each stadium charged for a scoreboard message and tickets and combined that with the average cost of an overnight stay in nearby hotels.
si.com

High transit rating for Portland's Moda Center
Portland's Moda Center is among the best in the nation when it comes to access to public transportation, according to a recent ranking.
axios.com

Walk Thru Bru outlets brew increased beer sales for Aramark at NFL stadiums
The experiment launched this fall by Aramark Sports + Entertainment to facilitate beer sales at NFL stadiums through the use of Walk Thru Bru self-serve markets has produced positive results thus far. The markets were deployed at four stadiums—Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh, Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Cleveland Browns Stadium and Soldier Field in Chicago—in September, where the company ditched its standalone packaged beer portables in exchange for the self-serve markets that offer a wider variety of choices and allow fans to pick out their beverages, verify their age, pay, and get back to the game faster than ever before.
food-management.com

UNLV Hires NFL Great Randall Cunningham As Coach—But Not for Football
The University of Nevada, Las Vegas athletic department hired alumnus and retired NFL quarterback Randall Cunningham, but not for a job on the football coaching staff. Instead, Cunningham will start an assistant coaching position with the track and field team, specifying in jumps. This won’t be Cunningham’s first experience in the track and field world as he’s coached track athletes in two Olympic Games and seven World Championships.
si.com

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