Closing Bell

MLB introduced as part of its reserve-clause proposal Thursday a “cornerstone player” mechanism where teams would be able to offer an extra year and a greater percentage of the salary cap to retain their max contract free agents.

Starting in 2027, teams signing a free agent could offer a max of five years and a max first-year salary of 15% of the salary cap ($202M total). Teams re-signing their own player could offer a max of six years and a max first-year salary of 16% of the salary cap ($265M).

Players under the reserve clause (younger players that are not yet eligible for free agency) could sign longer-team deals based on service time, with maxes ranging from 12 years, $500M (no service) to seven years, $304M (five years of service).

Other proposals include 30-year-old players going to free agency after five years as opposed to six; an increase in the minimum salary from $780,000 to $1M for players with at least two years of service; a pre-arbitration bonus pool increase from $50M to $65M; the elimination of qualifying offer and deferred contracts; and arbitration remaining in place.

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Ohio State AD Ross Bjork said that the university hopes “to break ground” on a $125M renovation project for the school’s football practice facility. The project at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center is “aimed at modernizing coaches’ offices, team meeting spaces, conference rooms, the locker room, training room and more.” Bjork said that the current plan is to “build an updated office complex and weight room that would be part of ‘new construction’ within the current framework, while the rest of the building would undergo ‘a total renovation.’” Ohio State has “no plans to relocate the WHAC” (ELEVEN WARRIORS, 6/25). Bjork also said that the school had their “best ticket sales year on record, and their second-best fundraising year, as well as their best sponsorship and licensing year of all time.” He also said that Ohio State has “about 25,000 donors” (Cleveland PLAIN DEALER, 6/25).

Golden State, the company that owns the Warriors and Valkyries, signed a multiyear deal with AI cloud provider Iren Ltd. that will include the Iren badge on all Warriors jerseys beginning with the 2026-27 season as part of a broad agreement spanning the Warriors, Valkyries, G League Santa Cruz Warriors and Chase Center. In addition to the Warriors jersey badge, the deal includes Iren’s designation as the official AI cloud sponsor of the team, branding on Valkyries player warm-ups and Santa Cruz jerseys, prominent visibility throughout Chase Center and presenting sponsorship of the Warriors’ annual City Edition platform (Warriors). Iren replaces online retailer Rakuten as jersey patch sponsor (S.F. BUSINESS TIMES, 6/25).

The WNBPA Board of Player Representatives reelected Sparks F Nneka Ogwumike to serve a fourth term as President. Ogwumike has served as WNBPA President since 2016, winning reelection in December 2019 and again in 2022. Most recently, she led the players in their CBA negotiations with the league. The Board of Player Representatives also elected Lynx F Napheesa Collier to serve as the WNBPA’s First VP, replacing Sparks G Kelsey Plum, whose term expired following her election to the office in 2022. Plum did not run for reelection. Collier has been serving as one of the WNBPA’s VPs since 2022. The election was conducted via a voting process that concluded earlier this week and was certified by the WNBPA Election Committee. The Exec Committee members will begin fulfilling their roles immediately (WNBPA).

Dodge is “increasingly likely to enter NASCAR’s Cup Series in 2027 as a manufacturer” and is “working to finalize its plan,” according to industry sources. Should Dodge begin competing in Cup next season, NASCAR would then “have four manufacturers in its premier division” -- Chevrolet, Ford and Toyota -- for the first time since 2012. Dodge has “long targeted a 2028 return to Cup,” but the possibility of an accelerated timeline has “caught many in the garage by surprise due to the time needed to get a car and engine designed, tested and approved.” Industry sources said that “challenges remain for Dodge to be ready by 2027, but the company has made progress in key areas.” Stellantis, which owns Dodge, has had a “breakthrough in recent weeks in how it would produce engines, considered the more complicated hurdle to overcome.” Stellantis’ popular Ram brand last year announced a return to NASCAR’s third-tier Truck Series. League sources noted that Dodge’s expected return to Cup “will not trigger NASCAR to increase the number of charters available from 36 to 40” (THE ATHLETIC, 6/25).

ESPN re-signed Dave Pasch to an exclusive multiyear agreement, expanding his role across platforms. In addition to calling NBA, college basketball and college football, he will now assist with NFL coverage. More details on his NFL role will be announced in the coming weeks (ESPN). Pasch is repped by WME (SBJ). With the ESPN deal, Pasch is leaving his role as the Arizona Cardinals’ radio play-by-play voice. He has held the role since 2002 (Arizona Cardinals).

Longtime ESPN tennis analyst Chris Evert revealed on social media that she will “not cover Wimbledon for the network this year” after her ovarian cancer has returned. Evert wrote in a post shared on X on Thursday, “I have already undergone surgery as the first step in my treatment and recovery, and will begin chemotherapy in the coming weeks. Because of this, I will not be attending Wimbledon this year, and I will step back from my professional commitments over the next few months to focus on my health.” Evert was diagnosed with ovarian cancer twice before, in 2022 and 2023, and beat it both times. She said that she learned the disease “was back after undergoing CT and PET scans this past weekend.” On Friday, Netflix is set to release a documentary called “Chris & Martina: The Final Set” about Evert and International Tennis HOFer Martina Navratilova’s “simultaneous cancer battles and legendary tennis careers” (USA TODAY, 6/25).

Bears QB Caleb Williams’ application to trademark the “Iceman” nickname “is on hold” after the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office “denied it because of a similarity to a footwear company’s product.” Williams applied for the trademark “in sporting goods and clothing,” but Oregon-based LaCrosse Footwear won a trademark for its Iceman boots in 1988. The office wrote in a letter to Williams that “the applied-for mark and the registered mark(s) create a confusingly similar commercial impression and the goods and/or services are closely related.” The government also “suggested an amendment to his application to use the nickname on sunglasses.” Williams’ other intents stated in his application include “downloadable trading cards, water bottles and a website.” LaCrosse currently “sells a pair of Iceman boot liners on its website for $16,” but does not list any other products with that name. Williams “still has a trademark application pending on an Iceman logo” and can “appeal the initial ruling against his application to trademark the nickname” (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 6/25).

Ticket prices for two World Cup knockout-round matches dropped by at least 40% within hours of losses by Canada and South Korea on Wednesday, according to TicketData.com.

South Korea was expected to advance to the June 28 round-of-32 game in L.A., but the South Koreans’ 1-0 loss to South Africa moved the Bafana Bafana into that L.A. date. As of Thursday morning, the get-in price had fallen to $688, a three-day change of down 59%.

Canada was headed for a July 2 knockout-round match in Vancouver, but the Canadians’ home game plans were ruined by a 2-1 defeat to the Swiss. As of Thursday morning, the get-in price had declined to $581, a three-day change of down 64%.

On this week’s Sports Media Podcast, Fox Sports’ Stu Holden dives into the evolving role of hydration breaks in soccer -- from the World Cup stage to MLS -- and why they might be more impactful than fans realize.

The Lewis family have injected $132M (all figures U.S.) into Premier League club Tottenham Hotspur “with more to come” as the owners seek to provide the club with “the funds to push on to new heights.” After declining three parties interested in buying their stake in the club last year, the Lewis family “made it clear that Spurs were not for sale” and have added another $132M into the club, on top of the previous $132M injected back in October, to “ensure CEO Vinai Venkatesham has the financial muscle to make the changes required.” It “won’t be the last of the money the family put into the club through their investment company ENIC.” It is believed to be an “investment rather than raising debt” as the money “can used for various means” (FOOTBALL.LONDON, 6/25).