Trans Athletes in the Olympics?

Though IOC president Kirsty Coventry says she wants to meet with Trump to share the committee’s values, many think it’s about his desire to keep trans athletes from competing in the Olympics

March 24, 2025

Olympics-ΙΟC's New President Coventry Wants Sit-Down With Trump on LA 2028 Games
Coventry told Reuters that she believed "sharing with him our values and where we want to be, how we want LA to be successful and being very clear on the different priorities (within the IOC)."

Trump has banned transgender athletes from competing in sports in schools in the United States, which civil society groups say infringes on the rights of trans people. Trump has said he would not allow transgender athletes to compete at the LA Games, but the IOC currently allows transgender athletes to take part in the Olympics.

Trump's executive order also instructed the State Department to pressure the IOC to change its policy, which allows trans athletes to compete under general guidance preventing any athlete from gaining an unfair advantage.
^Reuters

Women’s Elite Rugby Set for Inaugural Season
Women’s Elite Rugby “begins its first season this weekend” as the Boston Banshees travel to face the New York Exiles on Saturday at 3pm ET, and all games “will be available for free” on streaming platform DAZN. Born out of six of the top clubs from the former Women’s Premier League, other teams competing in the league include the Bay Breakers, Twin Cities Gemini, Chicago Tempest and Denver Onyx. The timing of the league’s start “was intentional,” as many WER players “are also preparing for the 2025 Rugby World Cup,” which will take place in England from August 22 through Sept. 27.
^{Boston Globe via Sorts Business Journal}

Whitesell Plans to Take WME Football After Endeavor Go-Private
Endeavor Executive Chairman Patrick Whitesell is finalizing a deal to acquire WME Football from WME Sports after Silver Lake completes its go-private acquisition of WME parent company Endeavor on Monday, sources familiar with the deal said.

The new standalone football agency, whose brand is still to be determined, will be owned by Whitesell personally, though he intends to bring in agents and others as investors. Furthermore, Whitesell will be stepping down from his titles and active management roles at WME, but will continue to be a shareholder, sources said.
^ESPN

The CW to Use NASCAR Studio Tool for Remote Call
SBJ’s Adam Stern writes, “NASCAR Productions produces the races for Nexstar, but The CW hired its own broadcast talent and is doing its own marketing and advertising. For the first five races of the season, The CW’s on-air broadcast team, including its pre- and post-race talent and pit reporters, attended the races on site. But for this Saturday’s Hard Rock Bet 300 at Homestead-Miami Speedway, announcer Adam Alexander and analysts Jamie McMurray and Parker Kligerman will call the action from Concord, N.C., about 15 miles outside of Charlotte proper.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

ESPN Looks to Brackets to Bust Sportsbook Slump
SBJ’s Bill King writes, “Many in legalized sports betting states who filled out brackets in ESPN’s ubiquitous tournament challenge contest this week were greeted by a congratulatory pop-up fronted by falling confetti after they hit the submit button -- along with an invitation to wager on their chosen winner at ESPN Bet, with odds for that team featured prominently. With a single tap, they could move to ESPN Bet, where a pre-populated betting slip awaited.

“This NCAA Tournament could be mission critical to ESPN Bet, which has fallen short of the expectations of both Penn and ESPN.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

SMU Hires Maryland’s Damon Evans as New Athletic Director, School Announces
The athletic director search followed SMU replacing President R. Gerald Turner — who also announced plans to step down from his role — with former Texas President Jay Hartzell.

“Our goal was to find a leader who shared our vision for the future of SMU Athletics - one of continued and even greater national prominence. We found that in a world-class athletic director with experience leading in both the Big 10 and SEC conferences, and who will bring bold, innovative ideas to our campus,” search committee co-chair and Board of Trustees Chair David B. Miller said in a news release.
^{The Dallas Morning News}

Texas Fires Coach Rodney Terry After Longhorns Make Another Quick Exit From NCAA Tournament
The move comes two years after Terry led Texas to the Elite Eight in the 2022-2023 season when, as an assistant coach, he took over the program at midseason after then-coach Chris Beard was arrested on a felony family violence charge and was fired. The charge against Beard was later dismissed.
^{AP News}

Sabres Searching For Lead Commercial Executive
The Sabres are searching for an executive to lead commercial operations for the team who would report to COO Pete Guelli. The team confirmed the search is taking place but did not provide a specific title or job description. N.Y.-based Elevate’s talent division is leading the Sabres' search. The move would mirror Guelli’s hire of Jason Hartlund as CCO of the Bills, the other Terry Pegula-owned sports franchise he oversees.
^{Sports Business Journal}

A Major Test For The A’s And Rays
SBJ’s Bret McCormick writes, “Other teams from the biggest American pro sports leagues have had similar experiences during the past decade. The NFL’s Chargers played three seasons at the L.A. Galaxy’s Dignity Health Sports Park before moving to SoFi Stadium, while the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes played two seasons at Arizona State University’s 4,600-capacity Mullett Arena before the franchise effectively moved to Utah.

“But having two teams do so at the same time is an unwanted experiment for MLB, which declined to speak for this story. It will also further financially challenge two of baseball’s poorest-performing businesses and could affect the league’s expansion plans.”
^{Sports Business Journal}

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McNeese Lost Coach, Scored Upset, Will Land His $1M Buyout
Sportico’s Eben Novy-Williams writes, “[Will] Wade signed a new five-year contract in the middle of his first season at McNeese. His base salary in the deal is $700,000 per year, half paid by the school and half paid by the McNeese State University Foundation, according to a copy of the contract, obtained via records request. The agreement also included priced buyouts for what he would owe the school if he left in any of the first four years. That fee was $1.25 million in Year One, $1 million in Year Two, $500,000 in Year Three, and $350,000 in Year Four.”
^Sportico

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