Closing Bell

The NFLPA paid Exec Dir Lloyd Howell $3.6M in the fiscal year ending in February, a year in which strong investment returns pushed the union’s net assets above $1B for the first time, according to a new disclosure form filed with the U.S. Labor Department.

This is the first full year in which Howell’s compensation has been disclosed since he began in July 2023. Howell’s compensation, which included $3.34M in salary, was less than the $8.4M payout given in fiscal 2024 to his predecessor, DeMaurice Smith, but considerably higher than Smith’s annual salary for most of his 14-year tenure.

The union reported total revenue of $739.4M from March 2024 to Feb. 2025, up 80% over the prior year, driven heavily by selling securities. Expenses also grew, but less dramatically, up 48% to $575.8M.

With a $163.6M surplus, net assets grew 24% to $1.03B, the first time that figure eclipsed the 10-digit barrier. Also, total assets grew 19% to $1.38B.

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NCAA President Charlie Baker said the NCAA has had “good conversations” with TV partners CBS and Warner Bros. Discovery “about adding teams to the men’s basketball tournament.” The current 68-team field “could grow to either 72 or 76 teams as soon as next year.” Baker, who spoke at the Big 12 spring meetings at the Waldorf Astoria Orlando, said, “I think our goal here is to try to sort of either get to yes or no sometime in the next few months because there’s a lot of logistical work that would be associated with doing this if we were to go down this road.” Baker’s case for a larger field “centers on balancing the need to include teams that win their conference tournament without snubbing at-large teams that are among the nation’s best 68.” Meanwhile, Baker said that he “has not heard much” about a presidential commission on college sports since plans fizzled last week (THE ATHLETIC, 5/29).

CBS Sports unveiled its college football schedule for 2025 on Thursday, which included “among other highlights the selections for the first four weeks of the Big Ten on CBS.” Both Penn State’s first game of the season and Oregon’s “toughest nonconference game get things started in Week 1 and Week 2,” before Big Ten conference play “steps into the iconic” 3:30pm ET slot with USC at Purdue for Week 3 and Michigan at Nebraska for Week 4. Week 4 also features the first doubleheader of the season for CBS Sports, as the Apple Cup rivalry between Washington and Washington State will get a primetime kickoff at 7:30pm. CBS gets started in Week Zero with a primetime showdown between Stanford at Hawaii in Honolulu. Army-Navy “will be in its historic spot on the calendar, this year taking place on Dec. 13 in Baltimore” (CBSSPORTS.com, 5/29).

NBC Sports kicks off its 2025 college football season with seven Big Ten and Notre Dame games across NBC and Peacock in the first three weeks of the season. Week 1 coverage begins on Aug. 29 as Illinois hosts Western Illinois at 7:30pm ET exclusively on Peacock. The next night, “Big Ten Saturday Night” returns on Aug. 30 with Michigan hosting New Mexico at 7:30pm ET on NBC and Peacock. In Week 3, Peacock will present two exclusive Big Ten matchups as Maryland hosts Towson at 3:30pm and Ohio State hosts Ohio at 7pm on “Big Ten Saturday Night.” In a late season Black Friday special, Purdue will host Indiana on Nov. 28 at 7:30pm on NBC and Peacock. NBC Sports’ 35th consecutive season broadcasting Notre Dame games is headlined by primetime games against Texas A&M on Sept. 13; USC on Oct. 18; and Navy on Nov. 8 -- all on NBC and Peacock (NBC Sports).

The Capitals said Thursday that “no decision has been made” on LW Alex Ovechkin‘s future in the NHL after an email “was sent to season-ticket holders calling next season his last.” The team’s social media clarified that the email “was mistakenly sent by someone in the corporate sales department.” Ovechkin turns 40 before the start of the season and has stated his intention to play in 2025-26 (AP, 5/29). The email to season ticket holders read, “OCTOBER - the start of Capitals hockey and Alex Ovechkin’s FINAL NHL SEASON” (THE HOCKEY WRITERS, 5/29).

ESPN national NFL reporter Kimberley A. Martin has re-signed with the company as part of a new multiyear deal. Martin, who joined ESPN in 2020, will continue to appear weekly on “Sunday NFL Countdown,” as well as shows like “Get Up,” “First Take,” “SportsCenter” and “NFL Live.” She is repped by Montag Group’s Alex Flanagan. Prior to ESPN, Martin had stints with Yahoo Sports, the Washington Post, Buffalo News and Newsday.

Valeas Capital Partners has acquired a majority stake in event ticket and guest management company TicketManager. As part of the agreement, Valeas is committing $110M to support TicketManager’s growth plans. TicketManager co-founder and CEO Tony Klopp and COO Ken Hanscom will retain a minority interest in the company. The transaction is expected to close in June 2025. TicketManager is partnered with more than 500 global brands and is integrated with approximately 400 venues and teams (TicketManager).

The Greensboro (N.C.) Aquatic Center, Greensboro Sports Foundation, Oak View Group and the Big 12 this afternoon will announce that the city has been selected to host the 2026 Big 12 Conference Swimming and Diving Championship. The five-day event next February 24-28 will mark the first time the venue will host the championship and only the second time the event will be held at a site that is not the home facility to one of the conference’s schools.

The Irving, Texas-based Big 12 will have seven men’s programs and 10 women’s programs compete in Greensboro, and the schools and spectators are projected to generate an estimated 4,900 room nights.

As the landscape of college athletics continues to evolve and conferences expand the footprint of where their championships take place, “Greensboro is aggressively pursuing a diverse portfolio of Power 4 and elite conference championships across all sports,” said Greensboro Sports Foundation President Richard Beard, noting that the city won the bid process “without providing financial incentives, rebates or funding via North Carolina’s Major Events, Games, and Attractions Fund,” a $17M fund that began last summer to lure events to the state.

Since opening in 2011, the 2,500-seat GAC has extensive experience in hosting collegiate, Olympic Trials and other major championships.

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