There's a New Sheriff In Town

College Sports Commission LLC is meant to serve as the enforcement arm within the new structure for college athletics in the post-House settlement era.

April 16, 2025

Power 5 Incorporates New College Sports Enforcement Entity
Sportico’s Daniel Libit and Eben Novy-Williams report: “In a further step toward the anticipated approval of the House v. NCAA settlement, the Power 5 conferences have officially established the new legal entity to oversee enforcement of the updated athlete compensation rules in Division I.

“On Monday, College Sports Commission LLC was registered as a limited liability company with the Delaware Secretary of State. The entity—whose name had not been disclosed until now—is expected to be the central body in a revamped regulatory framework. As reported by Yahoo Sports in February, this LLC is meant to serve as the enforcement arm within the new governance structure for college athletics ushered in by the House settlement.”
^Sportico

Wild Will Have New Arena Naming-Rights Sponsor in 2025-26
SBJ’s Alex Silverman reports: “The Wild are seeking a new arena naming-rights sponsor for the first time in franchise history. The team’s existing naming-rights sponsor, Xcel Energy, has had its name on the team’s home venue in St. Paul, Minn., since the team’s inaugural season in 2000–01. The electricity and natural gas delivery company will remain a team sponsor going forward under a multiyear renewal but is not retaining its naming rights beyond the expiration of its deal at the end of the 2024-25 season.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Caitlin Clark, Fever’s Exhibition Game in Iowa Gets Picked up by ESPN in WNBA First: Sources
Andrew Marchand and Ben Pickman of The Athletic write, “The Caitlin Clark effect has reached the preseason. ESPN will broadcast what is believed to be the WNBA’s first nationally televised exhibition game when Clark returns to Iowa for the Indiana Fever’s game against Brazil’s national team on May 4, sources briefed on the network’s scheduling said.
^{The Athletic}

NBA Regular-Season Audience Down 2%
NBA viewership was down 2% this season, averaging 1.53 million viewers across ABC, ESPN and TNT/truTV. The NBA had been at around 1.6 million the three seasons coming into 2024-25, meaning this regular season was the lowest figure since the pandemic campaign of 2020-21. That season, with a regular season starting just before Christmas and the end of the regular season in mid-May, the league averaged 1.4 million.
^{Sports Business Journal}

SBJ ‘Inside the Industry’ Looks at Women’s Sports
This second episode of the inaugural season examines the growth of women’s sports and women working in the sports industry. Segments focus on Kristi Coleman, president of the Carolina Panthers, Michele Kang, owner of the Washington Spirit, the growth of women’s flag football and the Olympics, and Caitlin Clark’s continued impact on the WNBA and women’s basketball.
^{Sports Business Journal}

ESPN to Broadcast 10 Savannah Bananas Games This Summer on Heels of MLB Opt Out
Along with taking their showmanship on a “Banana Ball World Tour” this summer, the exhibition baseball team will have 10 of its games broadcast on ESPN and Disney platforms, the company announced Monday. That slate will include games at Fenway Park, Camden Yards and the Clemson Tigers’ Memorial Stadium.
^{The Athletic}

Sources: Joe Dumars Finalizing Deal to Be Pelicans' President
ESPN’s Shams Charania writes, “Dumars -- a two-time NBA champion as a player and a title-winning executive with the Detroit Pistons -- returns to his home state of Louisiana and replaces David Griffin as the head of basketball operations for the Pelicans.

“Dumars served as the chief strategy officer of the Sacramento Kings from 2019-22 and has been the NBA league office's executive vice president of basketball operations since 2022.

“Dumars ran the Pistons from 2000-14, winning the executive of the year award in 2003 and building the 2004 championship team.”
^ESPN

NFL Draft Comes to Green Bay, Which is Leaning Into its Local Charm to Welcome the Rapidly Growing Event
SBJ’s Ben Fischer writes, “This year, the NFL Draft is headed to Green Bay for the first time. Hosting a major event there might look like another gamble from a pure commercial or logistics perspective — with a population of around 105,000, the city is by far the country’s smallest major pro sports market (it ranks 69th in TV market size; the next-closest city with a team in a major pro league is Buffalo, at No. 54), with limited hotel rooms and air service, and at least a four-hour drive from any other NFL city. But the appeal is obvious to true-believer football fans, and the NFL has a decade of fan behavior to point to as proof the trade-off is worth it.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Dodger Stadium to Host Baseball, With Surfing and Cricket Outside Los Angeles at 2028 Olympics
AP News’ Beth Harris reports: “The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will feature baseball at Dodger Stadium in its return to the program with surfing and cricket held outside the city as part of an updated venue plan released Tuesday by the organizing committee.

“Surfing will be at Trestles Beach, a renowned collection of surfing spots between northern San Diego County and southern San Clemente in Orange County, about an hour’s drive south of downtown Los Angeles. Cricket will return to the Olympics for the first time in a century at a temporary structure at the Fairgrounds in Pomona, about 35 miles from LA.”
^{AP News}

Mavericks’ Welts Says Team Encouraged That New Arena Ends up in Dallas
Mavericks CEO Rick Welts said they “don’t have a particular location” in mind for a new arena but are “very encouraged that ultimately, we’re going to find that location within the boundaries of the city of Dallas,” according to the DALLAS MORNING NEWS via SBJ. Welts said the Mavs’ “commitment is to find a location and a solution that’s going to work in the city of Dallas before we would explore anywhere else in the Metroplex.”
^{Dallas Morning News via Sports Business Journal}

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New Filings in House v. NCAA Maintain Roster Limits as Settlement Awaits Final Approval
The Athletic’s Justin Williams reports: “During the hearing, [Judge Claudia Wilken of the Northern District of California] suggested exemptions or ‘grandfathering’ of roster spots for all current college athletes under the settlement. The brief does not make any such proposals but instead explains why the settlement parties believe roster limits are a positive for college athletics. It also acknowledges that coaches and programs have been planning and adjusting rosters accordingly since Wilken granted preliminary approval of the settlement last October — indicating, in essence, that it’s too late to roll back that process.”
^{The Athletic}

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