Sports Biz Rundown (6/1/2020 - 6/5/2020)
Another tumultuous week around the world, with extreme highs and lows. We are committed to bringing awareness and change to racial injustice. As the Sports Biz Group community has always been committed to diversity and authentic thought leadership. We hope and pray that you all stay safe, and please let us know how we can be helpful to you.
The goal of Sports Biz Rundown is to give you a very concise rundown of what happened this week in the world of sports & entertainment. Providing you every Friday with the top sports biz news, events, careers, and more.
Sports Biz News
UPDATES ON SPORTS RETURN
The NBA took a major step toward getting back on the court Thursday, with the league’s Board of Governors approving a 22-team format for restarting the league season next month at the Disney campus near Orlando, Florida. Teams would arrive at Disney around July 7 and play an eight-game slate of games starting July 31 at the ESPN Wide World Of Sports complex. All teams will stay, practice and play at Disney and the NBA Finals. ( ABC News ).
Baseball players reaffirmed their stance for full prorated pay, leaving a huge gap with teams that could scuttle plans to start the coronavirus-delayed season around the Fourth of July and may leave owners focusing on a schedule as short as 50 games. More than 100 players, including the union's executive board, held a two-hour digital meeting with officials of the Major League Baseball Players Association on Thursday, a day after their offer was rejected by Major League Baseball. ( U.S. News ).
RACIAL INJUSTICE
NBA star LeBron James has called out Fox News host Laura Ingraham for her defense of star quarterback Drew Brees.
"He's allowed to have his view about what kneeling and the flag means to him. I mean he's a person," Ingraham said of Brees after his disrespecting the flag comments earlier this week. "This is beyond football," she added. (CNN)
In response to the ongoing acts of police brutality against the African-American community, the National Basketball Coaches Association has come together to establish a new committee dedicated to racial injustice and reform, according to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski. The committee will aim to pursue solutions to ongoing racial issues within NBA cities. (CBS)
SPORTS MONEY
Nets F Kevin Durant has purchased a minority stake in the Union, between 1% and 5%, according to a source. It’s unclear if Durant’s investment in the MLS team is a personal one or through Thirty Five Ventures, a business he co-founded with partner Rich Kleiman. It’s also unclear if the Union’s USL team is involved. Both the team and Thirty Five Ventures declined comment. In December, the Union confirmed a meeting with Thirty Five Ventures after pictures surfaced online of Durant with team officials. (Sports Business Daily)
Cristiano Ronaldo hit another first this week as the first team player to earn more than $1 billion in his career, Forbes reported.
The Juventus star earned $105 million before taxes over the past year, per Forbes, placing him No. 4 on the list of the world’s highest-paid celebrities. He sits behind Kylie Jenner ($590 million), Kanye West ($170M) and Roger Federer ($106.3M). Federer became the first tennis player to earn the top spot among all athletes on the list. (Yahoo Sports)
Sports Biz Pod
Sports Biz Pod, a podcast covering sports business. Two episodes released per week. (On Tuesday) Featuring interviews with athletes, investors, entrepreneurs, and thought leaders in sports & entertainment. (On Friday) Featuring commentary with special guests recapping the week of sports business news, events, and jobs. Produced by the Blue Wire podcast network. Affiliate of Sports Biz Group. www.sportsbizpod.com
Episodes released this week:
Sports Biz Events
UPCOMING EVENTS
We are continuing to update our google calendar with accurate online events and rescheduled physical events.
We are also in the planning process of events, so to collaborate on this, please email [email protected]
Subscribe to the Sports Biz Event Calendar & Newsletter
Sports Biz Careers
ENTRY-LEVEL
Rockstar Interactions: Marketing Event Assistant
NWSL: Coordinator, Business Development/Sponsorship
MID-LEVEL
Bleacher Report: Community Strategist
NY Islanders: Account Manager, Ticket Sales
SENIOR-LEVEL
US Olympic and Paralympic Committee: VP, Communications
Draft Kings: Director, Internal Communications