Thibodeau News Sends Shockwaves

ESPN writes, “Thibodeau, who surpassed Pat Riley earlier this season to rank fourth on the franchise list in victories, led the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995”

June 4, 2025

Knicks Fire Tom Thibodeau as Coach After Five Seasons
ESPN’s Chris Herring and Shams Charania write, “The decision comes three days after the Knicks were ousted from the Eastern Conference finals in six games by the Indiana Pacers, their longtime rivals. But it also comes after New York advanced further than expected with a relatively new core of players, knocking out the defending champion Boston Celtics in the second round.

“Thibodeau, who surpassed Pat Riley earlier this season to rank fourth on the franchise list in victories, led the Knicks to back-to-back 50-win seasons for the first time since 1995. He'd been, by far, the club's most successful coach over the past two-plus decades and signed a three-year extension with the team just last summer.”
^ESPN

NBA Playoff Viewership up 3% Headed Into Pacers-Thunder Finals
The NBA Playoffs is averaging 4.2 million viewers heading into the start of the Pacers-Thunder Finals on Thursday night, up 3% from 4.1 million viewers at the same point last season. Those figures are across all games on ABC, ESPN, ESPN2, TNT, truTV and NBA TV.
^{Sports Business Journal}

National Media Rights at Forefront of MLB Meetings
SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo reports: “ESPN is in the final year of its MLB deal, which features “Sunday Night Baseball,” the Wild Card round and Home Run Derby. MLB is weighing the reach of legacy media at fewer dollars versus more dollars from a streamer with lesser reach. Given that all of MLB’s national media rights expire after the 2028 season, any deal would likely be a three-year pact.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

Peyton Manning Joins Denver NWSL Ownership Group
Manning joins a Denver NWSL ownership group led by controlling owner Rob Cohen and minority owner Kaia Borgen Moritz, and including investors Ariel Investments’ Project Level, Borgen Investment Group President & CEO Jon-Erik Borgen, Biennial of the Americas board member Neelima Joshi, Kuvare Holdings CEO & Chair Dhiren Jhaveri, former AllianceBernstein Dir Molly Coors and Gold Medal-winning U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin. In a statement, Manning said he is “excited to help build a club that our city and our state can rally behind.” Denver NWSL will begin play in 2026.
^{Sports Business Journal}

The Panthers Raised Season Ticket Prices 36.5%—and Fans Kept Buying
Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams writes, “‘It was a “testing the market’ move by the franchise, according to chief revenue officer Shawn Thornton, who said fans responded with a renewal rate of more than 91%.

“It’s one of a handful of ways the team has capitalized on its string of recent on-ice success. And it came at a pivotal time—it coincided with the Panthers moving from their RSN deal to an over-the-top broadcast agreement that likely included significantly less upfront cash.”
^Sportico

PWHLPA Votes to Allow Salary Disclosure to Aid in Contract Negotiations
SBJ’s Alex Silverman and Irving Mejia-Hilario report: “An overwhelming majority of PWHL players voted last week to allow salary disclosure throughout the league, giving players’ agents visibility into how much other players are earning and, in turn, how much salary cap space each team has when negotiating with them. This marks a significant change for players and agents, who over the past two years were not granted access to the salaries of other players. The PWHLPA informed the league of its decision Saturday, May 31.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

LA28 Unveils Paralympics Venue Plan
SBJ’s Rachel Axon writes, “LA28’s Paralympics venue plan will leverage some of the Games’ most iconic venues and all events hosted within a 35-mile radius. With several sports clustered together in and around the city, LA28 will have one Paralympic village on UCLA’s campus.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

While Bears and White Sox Stall, Chicago Fire Make Stadium Move
FOS’ Eric Fisher reports: “The Fire have unveiled a plan to build a $650 million soccer-specific stadium at The 78, an undeveloped parcel on Chicago’s South Loop, near downtown, that also has been considered by the White Sox. Targeted to open in 2028, the planned 22,000-seat facility ends a long period of instability for the Fire in which it has played over the years at Soldier Field, SeatGeek Stadium in Bridgeview, Ill., and Benedetti-Wehrli Stadium in Naperville, Ill., never fully fitting in at any of those disparate venues.” 
^{Front Office Sports}

USA Swimming Trials to Return to Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium in 2028
It held the event there last year leading into the Paris Games, marking the first time trials were held in an NFL stadium and twice setting world records for attendance. The return to an NFL stadium will be good preparation for the U.S. team, which will compete in one during the L.A. Games.
^{Sports Business Journal}

EchoPark Automotive Buys Naming Rights to Atlanta Motor Speedway
Speedway Motorsports today is announcing that EchoPark Automotive has bought naming rights to Atlanta Motor Speedway, in a major deal involving two companies within the Smith family’s purview. The arrangement is for seven years and several million dollars, according to a news release from SM, though the track operator didn’t get specific on financial terms.
^{Sports Business Journal}

Edwards Appointed Athletic Director Emeritus, Special Adviser to Chancellor
UC San Diego Chancellor Pradeep K. Khosla announced that longtime Director of Athletics Earl W. Edwards has been appointed as Athletic Director Emeritus and will continue to serve as Special Adviser to the Chancellor. Moving forward, Edwards will continue to provide strategic executive leadership and as a consultant to the Chancellor, while also focusing on key areas such as fundraising and community engagement.

UC San Diego will launch a national search for a Director of Athletics in the coming weeks.
^{UC San Diego}

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SEC Secession From NCAA Would Be Risky Proposition
Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “Last week, Southeastern Conference commissioner Greg Sankey raised eyebrows by saying he’s been asked, “Why are we still in the NCAA?” The comment was made during SEC spring meetings and in the context of Sankey referencing high-level conference discussions. The four power conferences—the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC—seek to obtain 68% voting power in D-I governance matters…”
^Sportico

NCAA Fights Tennessee Hooper’s Request to Play a Fifth Season
Sportico’s Michael McCann writes, “The NCAA on Monday motioned a federal judge to deny Zakai Zeigler’s motion for an injunction in his antitrust lawsuit to keep playing playing Division I basketball as a college graduate who already played four D-1 seasons. The NCAA’s motion sends a warning that Zeigler’s lawsuit could open the door to numerous players staying on teams for years after they graduate—and taking spots away from incoming freshmen.”
^Sportico

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