- The latest episode of the SBJ Sports Media Podcast sees co-hosts Austin Karp and Josh Carpenter dig into the Knicks’ return to the NBA Finals and what it means for ESPN. They also discuss what would be the best Stanley Cup Final matchup for NHL and offer takeaways from the Indy 500 and the Coca-Cola 600. Karp also interviews Landon Donovan and Tim Howard to talk about their podcast and the FIFA World Cup.
- Sacramento announced Thursday its official pursuit of an MLB expansion team as stakeholders seek a lead investor, reports SBJ’s Mike Mazzeo, with $1.8 billion in local contributions already raised.
- Despite the closest finish in Indianapolis 500 history, Fox saw a 6% decline for its second year with the Brickyard, as the race on Sunday afternoon averaged 6.64 million viewers, writes Karp.
- Lloyd Howell received nearly $6.8 million in salary and $7.3 million in total compensation/disbursements across three fiscal years for his brief and tumultuous two-year tenure as executive director of the NFLPA, reports Mazzeo.
- T-Mobile is increasing its investment in golf through a new multiyear deal with the USGA that covers the U.S. Open, U.S. Women’s Open and other championships the organization hosts, writes Carpenter.
- Carpenter also notes that LIV Golf dropped a handful of premium streaming features around its South Korea event this week as the league continues to evaluate its future.
- CBS Sports signed a four-year deal to carry all matches from the top division of women’s soccer in England, the Women’s Super League (WSL), reports SBJ’s Alex Silverman.
- Just Women’s Sports closed an investment round led by David Blitzer’s Bolt Ventures as the women’s sports calendar enters what founder and CEO Haley Rosen calls “the heart” of a pivotal year, writes SBJ’s Irving Mejia-Hilario.
- The “claw” overhead structure for the Freedom 250 card that is starting to make mainstream headlines is the product of the UFC trying to find the best way to show fights with unobstructed views of the White House, notes SBJ’s Adam Stern.
Speed reads
