Sport & Story Daily June 5, 2024

Stay Ahead of the Game

June 5, 2024

Good morning! The Sports Betting Mess Grows

Lifetime Ban Is More Proof of Sports’ Complicated Betting Relationship
FOS’ Eric Fisher writes, “The spring of gambling reckoning across the sports industry has hit another major inflection point, signaling that the difficult coexistence between legal betting and league operations isn’t going to fade anytime soon. 

“MLB suspended five players Tuesday for betting on baseball, including a lifetime ban on Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano (above), with each in the group wagering on major league games in blatant violation of league rules. The latest cases continue to show the uneasy relationship between the growth of legal sports betting and leagues working to maintain competitive integrity.”
^{Front Office Sports}

Microsoft Warns of Russian Olympic Disinformation Campaign
Margaret Fleming of FOS reports: “The Microsoft Threat Analysis Center released a report Sunday claiming it has detected Russian campaigns set on disrupting the Paris Olympics.

“The two main goals of the pro-Russian groups are to tear down the reputation of the International Olympic Committee and make the Games feel unsafe by spreading rumors of violence, Microsoft said. The efforts target France, President Emmanuel Macron, the IOC, and the Games. The IOC is allowing Russian athletes to compete in Paris under a neutral flag, but they cannot actively support the war against Ukraine.”
^{Front Office Sports}

NHL Utah Receives 34,000 Deposits Ahead of Tickets Going on Sale This Week
The new Utah-based NHL franchise owned by Smith Entertainment Group and set to begin play in the 2024-25 season has received more than 34,000 ticket deposits, according to the franchise’s Chief Commercial Officer Chris Barney. Barney, who serves in the same role for the Jazz, said 92% of those who placed hockey ticket deposits are not Jazz season ticket holders, and 63% haven’t attended any events at Delta Center in the past year.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Sport & Story Honored With 6 Trophies at the 45th Annual Telly Awards

WMT Digital Acquires Aloompa, Combining Two Leaders in Live Event Tech Solutions
WMT Digital has acquired Aloompa, a leading mobile app provider for live event experiences. Drew Burchfield, who co-founded Aloompa in 2008, will board WMT Digital as a vp, with his entire team also joining the company. WMT focuses on technology solutions for fan engagement, storytelling, data applications and revenue platforms.

“There’s so much cross opportunity between the entertainment space and the sports space and the larger event space,” Andres Focil, founder/CEO of WMT Digital, notes, pointing to one of the company’s clients, Snapdragon Stadium in San Diego, as an example.

Diamond RSNS Near Naming-Rights Deal as MLB, NBA Turn Up the Heat
Diamond Sports Group has confirmed that it reached an agreement in principle on a new naming-rights sponsor for its 18 regional sports networks, a move necessitated by the looming expiration of the company’s legacy deal with Bally’s Corp. Per Sportico, Diamond did not disclose the identity of its new business partner, but Bloomberg this week reported that FanDuel was stepping in to replace Bally’s.
^Sportico

Mike Joy Intends to Return to Fox’s NASCAR TV Booth For 2025 Season
Mike Joy, Fox Sports’ lead NASCAR play-by-play announcer, says he intends to return to the booth next year as the network starts the sport’s new media rights cycle.
 
As SBJ notes, Joy’s deal with Fox is said to be up after this year, and it was unclear whether he had signed a contract extension. However, given his tenure and prominence, his wishes would likely carry some weight with Fox executives. 
^{Sports Business Journal}

Company Town: How Nationwide Saved Pro Sports For Columbus
“Columbus had no image,” said Brian Ellis, president and COO of Nationwide Realty Investors, who has been with the company for 35 years. “Our downtown hadn’t seen any significant development for well over a decade. It was stagnant. And we just made a decision to be really aggressive.” 
^{Front Office Sports}

Report: JJ Redick Front-Runner Over James Borrego for Lakers Head Coaching Job
JJ Redick is the front-runner to be the next head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers, but no decision on the position has been made, The Athletic's Shams Charania reports via Yahoo Sports.

Redick is reportedly the favorite for the job over fellow candidate James Borrego, the associate head coach of the New Orleans Pelicans. A former NBA player, Redick is currently a broadcast analyst for ESPN. The Lakers still have multiple steps planned in their head-coaching search, per the report.
^{Yahoo! Sports}

Inter Milan Names Giuseppe Marotta President
Italian Serie A club Inter Milan’s new American owner, Oaktree, appointed veteran soccer exec Giuseppe Marotta as the club's president today, as the investment firm "began its reign in earnest." Marotta, "one of the most experienced directors in Italian soccer," has served as Inter Milan's CEO since joining the club in December 2018.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Mavericks GM Nico Harrison Signs Multiyear Contract Extension
The Dallas Mavericks have signed general manager Nico Harrison to a multiyear contract extension. The team announced the deal Tuesday, two days before they play the Boston Celtics in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. Terms of the extension were not disclosed.
^ESPN

NCAA’s Billion Dollar Settlement Faces Google Book Deal Hurdles
As Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “The future of college sports hinges on whether a 74-year-old judge approves or rejects a multibillion-dollar settlement to transform college sports into a pro sports model, with students paid to play, along with salary caps and other features that would fade whatever line still exists between college and the pros. Don’t expect U.S. District Judge Claudia Wilken to instantly grant approval. In fact, there’s a real chance she could reject the deal.”
^Sportico

Thanks for reading!

Sport & Story Daily is the sports industry’s daily resource for business news. In addition to serving up exclusive trends, Q&As, and columns, the newsletter connects reads to top platforms and stories from across the sports landscape.

Was this email forwarded to you? Sign up here!

Feel free to read our Privacy Policy