Closing Bell

The Guardians have hired Marc Taylor Inc. (MTI) to serve as project management advisor for the estimated $202.5M in improvements scheduled to take place at Progressive Field over the next few seasons. The selection comes as the team announces today that a new lease agreement and bond financing for construction has been finalized, committing them to the ballpark until at least '36, with the potential to add an additional decade.

Peoria, Ariz.-based MTI has a long history with not just the club, but ballpark projects in general. The company teamed up with the Guardians during development of the Goodyear Sports Complex, the 13 year-old spring training home that the club shares with the Reds. Overall, the firm has worked on spring training venues for 13 MLB teams: Tempe Diablo Stadium (Angels); Maryvale Baseball Park (Brewers); Surprise Stadium (Royals, Rangers); Scottsdale Stadium (Giants); Peoria Sports Complex (Mariners, Padres); Hohokam Stadium (A's); Charlotte Sports Park (Rays); and Ballpark of the Palm Beaches (Astros, Nationals). The firm also managed projects at the Class AAA Louisville Slugger Field, Phoenix Raceway and ASU's Sun Devil Stadium.

MTI will partner with local consultant, MCM Co., while APB & Associates will oversee DEI initiatives.

Funding for the project is provided by the City of Cleveland, Cuyahoga County, State of Ohio and the Guardians, with no new or increased taxes to the residents. Each year the city and county collectively will contribute $17M, along with $2M from the state and $10M from the Guardians organization. Construction is expected to begin at the conclusion of the '22 MLB season. The Guardians expect to select an architect, construction manager in the next few months. An additional $230M has been earmarked for capital repairs to be done over the course of the lease, which will be covered by the ballpark’s maintenance fund.

The 130 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) colleges as a group received an overall grade of D+ for diversity hiring in '21, with a B- for racial hiring and an F grade for gender hiring, according to a report issued by The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sport (TIDES). The racial hiring grade and overall diversity grade for the FBS remained unchanged from '20. The FBS received an F grade for gender hiring for the third year in a row (see chart). “Women athletic directors at FBS schools make up for only 10 percent of the total, and the grade in this category remained an F," TIDES Dir Richard Lapchick wrote in the report. "Men still comprise an overwhelming majority of athletic director positions with a total of 117 of the 130 DI FBS schools. The percentage of women who held the faculty athletic representative positions decreased from a record-high of 40.3 percent last year, to 37.8 percent this year while the percentage of people of color in this position slightly."

TIDES also provides gender and racial scores for major sports leagues, including the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB, and MLS. The FBS has historically scored among the lowest compared to that group, and it is the only major sport in North America to post an "F" grade in any of the major categories of gender, racial or overall diversity hiring, Lapchick told SBJ. Asked about changes at the FBS since last year, Lapchick said, "There are a couple of additional positions here and there, particularly for people of color, but I think the gender situation remains horrible. The fact they are getting an F in gender in '22, the 50th anniversary of Title IX is particularly embarrassing."

The NCAA, asked to comment on the report, released a statement from NCAA interim Senior VP/Inclusion, Education and Community Engagement Felicia Martin: “These latest data are continued evidence that women and ethnic minorities are not getting the same professional opportunities to advance in senior-level positions within intercollegiate athletics. A significant commitment to efforts supporting diverse hiring practices and intentional and strategic recruiting at NCAA member colleges and universities is critically important for systematic and lasting change. We now have the NCAA Leadership Collective, which is a diverse listing of qualified women and ethnic minorities, to assist university presidents, chancellors, and senior executives. The Leadership Collective is a valuable tool for recruiting and hiring."

A bout between undisputed lightweight champion Katie Taylor and seven-division world titlist Amanda Serrano, dubbed as the "biggest fight in women's boxing history," is officially "on the schedule." The bout is set to "headline a card" at MSG on April 30. It is the "first women's boxing match in history to headline at MSG." The fight, which will be put on by Matchroom Boxing and Jake Paul and Nakisa Bidarian's Most Valuable Promotions, "could be a boon for women's boxing" (ESPN.com, 1/27).

The presumed fight was the basis for the cover story of this week's SBJ, with Adam Stern noting it "could boost women’s boxing like never before." Industry experts said that the bout "could be one of the most highly skilled and financially lucrative events in the history of the women’s side of the sport." The commitment to holding it in MSG proper instead of the smaller Hulu Theater "shows the investment and expected return that is being put into the fight" (SPORTS BUSINESS JOURNAL, 1/24 issue).

Hyundai is now a founding partner of SoFi Stadium and Hollywood Park under a multiyear deal that includes Hollywood Park, SoFi Stadium, YouTube Theater and American Airlines Plaza, as well as team deals with both the Rams and Chargers. Hyundai’s sponsorship officially began in November and includes numerous branding and display elements, such as its Ioniq 5 electric car, Hyundai Home clean energy ecosystem and 60 vehicle charging stations across the Hollywood Park campus. During Rams and Chargers home games, Hyundai assets will include branding on the Infinity Screen by Samsung and LED ribbon boards, as well as fan giveaways. Legends' Global Partnerships division sourced, negotiated and represented Hollywood Park in securing this partnership (Hyundai).

EA Sports has added playable women’s teams and full rosters to "NHL 22" for the first time, with a patch updated that includes IIHF women’s teams and World Championship competition. Starting today, players can play with female teams in-game. The IIHF Men’s World Championship is also now playable, as 16 international men’s teams and 10 international women’s teams have been added to the game. In the latest episode of "Breaking Ice," the digital series from EA Sports and Uninterrupted Canada, members of the Canadian and U.S. Women’s National Teams discuss their work to create change through sports (EA).

A supervisor in Germany’s Olympic delegation has "tested positive for the coronavirus within the closed loop in Beijing," marking "one of the first cases connected to an athletic team within the bubblelike environment." The positive case was identified on Sunday after a PCR test administered in Zhangjiakou, "where many of the snow events will take place about 100 miles northwest of Beijing." Since Jan. 4, 50 cases have been identified in the closed loop, but officials have linked only "one of them to an athlete or team official" (N.Y. TIMES, 1/27).

Meanwhile, the news that Games officials are continuing the Olympic practice of distributing free condoms, despite the strict social distancing and other restrictions in place, caught the attention of late-night talk show hosts. ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel: “There will be no spectators, and now Olympic officials are warning athletes to avoid handshakes, high fives, or hugs while they're over there. But they’re still planning to hand out condoms, which is confusing. What about people who like to high five after sex? What are they supposed to do?” ( “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” ABC, 1/26). NBC's Seth Meyers: “Organizers of next month's Winter Olympics ... will provide free condoms to athletes, and I'm pretty excited to find out what that event is” ( “Late Night,” NBC, 1/27).

Team USA athletes this morning departed from L.A. Int'l Airport to the Beijing Games, carried by USOPC partner Delta Air Lines’ first Team USA-only charter flight. A tailored in-flight experience includes custom flight attendant uniforms with Team USA x Delta branded mask, shirt, and apron for the in-flight crew (Delta).

Heavyweight boxers Tyson Fury and Dillian Whyte "will meet in the ring after all." An agreement in principle for both Whyte and Anthony Joshua to "step aside and forego planned bouts" with Fury and Oleksandr Usyk, respectively, "fell apart after parties attempted to renegotiate at the 11th hour" (ESPN.com, 1/27).

In the runup to Super Bowl LVI, NBC Sports’ EPL studio show, "Premier League Mornings Live," will air from a set outside SoFi Stadium from Feb. 8-13 on NBC, Peacock and Telemundo (NBC Sports).

FanDuel Group and CBS Sports' Jon Rothstein reached a multiyear partnership, designating FanDuel as the college hoops insider's exclusive sports betting partner. As part of the partnership, Rothstein will create unique content on his social channels, discussing both betting and college basketball (FanDuel).

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