Weekend Rap

The U.S. and Mexico will face off in the Gold Cup final tonight at NRG Stadium, with it being the “first time the final of the tournament will be played in Houston.” It also comes “with less than one year to go until Houston hosts its first World Cup matches.” The U.S. faced Guatemala in the semifinals in St. Louis and played in front of a crowd “composed mostly of fans cheering for Guatemala.” USMNT coach Mauricio Pochettino said that the team is “likely to face a similar disadvantage at NRG Stadium.” Expectations are that the “majority of the crowd will be Mexico fans.” Tonight’s final will be the 22nd game the Mexico national soccer team has played at NRG Stadium (HOUSTON CHRONICLE, 7/5).

Sunday will be the eighth time the U.S. and Mexico have met for the championship of the Gold Cup, and in D.C., Steven Goff writes while their “rivalry is not the best in the world,” it is “up there.” The neighboring nations have “engaged in decades of searing matches, often with a chance to win a trophy or improve chances of qualifying for the World Cup.” The winner of tonight’s match will “carry momentum into the run-up to the 2026 World Cup,” which the countries are hosting along with Canada (WASHINGTON POST, 7/6).

Borussia Dortmund coach Niko Kovač indicated that the MetLife Stadium field was “better suited for a round of golf than a match at the Club World Cup,” and the N.Y. area’s “summer heat also was inappropriate for high-level soccer.” Kovač after a 3-2 quarterfinal loss to Real Madrid on Saturday said, “This is not the grass we are used to playing on in the Bundesliga and also in the other two stadiums.” The temperature at the 4pm ET kickoff was 86 degrees Fahrenheit, and “similar temperatures or higher are expected for next year’s World Cup.” Kovač: “My suggestion, that the kickoff time will be a little later” (AP, 7/5).

Meanwhile, standard admission pricing for the Club World Cup semifinal between Chelsea and Fluminense on Tuesday afternoon at MetLife Stadium was “reduced to just $13.40” on Saturday after having been “priced at $473.90 less than 72 hours earlier.” Tickets in the “ordinarily more expensive lower ring are also down to $44.60.” The price changes are part of FIFA’s “latest attempts to increase attendances” for the tournament. The pricing has “often seen dramatic swings, often downwards,” during the Club World Cup (THE ATHLETIC, 7/5).

Galaxy supporter groups are expressing their “frustration and anger over seeing Southern California’s Latino community targeted by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids,” while the club has “not issued any statements in support of fans.” The Galaxy and representatives of the club’s supporter groups “have held closed-door talks, but it didn’t lead to a public statements by the club.” Outside of Dignity Health Sports Park before Thursday’s match against the Whitecaps, fan group Angel City Brigade “displayed signs that read ‘Stop the Raids,’ ‘Free Soil’ and ‘No One is Illegal.’” During the 12th minute of the match, Angel City Brigade “left the stands in protest,” while fellow supporter groups the Galaxians and Galaxy Outlawz “protested silently.” On Friday, fans “decided to organize a fundraiser to support pro-immigrant organizations affected by the Trump administration’s budget cuts.” To raise funds, they “sold T-shirts with an image of a protester in Chinatown confronting an ICE agent” (L.A. TIMES, 7/5).

The Premier Lacrosse League and Women’s Lacrosse League held their All-Star Weekend at CPKC Stadium, with Friday and Saturday having “all the feelings of a weekend sports extravaganza, similar to an NBA or NHL All-Star Weekend.” There was a skills competition, including “challenges for the most accurate and fastest shots.” Players “made time to see youth players at practice,” and the All-Star Games “took place for both respective leagues.” PLL co-founder Paul Rabil and the players “saw this weekend as a chance to grow lacrosse by appreciating their core fans who traveled from all over the Midwest for the games, plus the new fans they gained on the Fourth of July weekend.” The in-stadium consensus “was clear: Players and fans want the leagues to return” to K.C. Rabil acknowledged that “some locals leave town during holiday weekends, which he believes affected attendance, but he was encouraged by the weekend’s results” (K.C. STAR, 7/5).

The UFC is planning to put on an event at the White House over the next year to celebrate America’s 250th anniversary, a spokesperson for the TKO Group Holdings property confirmed to SBJ, after President Trump revealed the idea Thursday night.

Speaking to a crowd in Des Moines, Iowa, before the Fourth of July holiday, Trump brought up UFC as he discussed the anniversary celebration that will take place with next year’s Independence Day holiday.

“We’re going to have a UFC fight – think of this – on the grounds of the White House,” Trump said.

The timing for the event is not yet clear. UFC typically holds 12 PPV cards a year -- one each month -- along with a couple of dozen lower-level Fight Night cards.

Read more >>>

California Attorney General Rob Bonta on Thursday issued a formal legal opinion “declaring that daily fantasy sports platforms constitute a form of illegal online sports betting.” Bonta concluded that the “operation of daily fantasy sports (DFS) contests, such as those offered by DraftKings, FanDuel and similar services, is not permitted under current California law.” The opinion was issued “in response to a request” from Assemblymember Tom Lackey and comes amid “growing scrutiny of fantasy sports operators by lawmakers and tribal gaming interests.” While Bonta’s opinion does “not carry the force of law, it could influence future court rulings and legislative debates” (KTLA.com, 7/3).

HOF broadcaster Bob Costas said “sports is coming at people, if they want to access it, from so many different directions,” as tech companies like Amazon, Apple and Netflix get into live sports. Costas, appearing today on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” said, “Information and enjoyment in one way or another are coming at people from so many different directions that even network television, which is still at the center of it, but it doesn’t own it, it doesn’t have the complete primacy that it once had.” Costas said that sports being so accessible today “does diminish it to some extent,” as “much of it is, for at least some portion of the audience, transactional now.” Costas touched on gambling and how the growth of sports betting means fans have a “different relationship to how that game plays out than if you’re just rooting for your team.” Costas said when he called games on MLB Network or Turner, he “refused to read the gambling promos.” Costas: “There’s an insidious aspect to it that I didn’t want to be part of.”

Other highlights from Costas’ interview:

• On the intersection of politics and sports: “Anyone who says that politics has no place in sports has to be abysmally unaware of the history here. Because until fairly recently in our nation’s history sports and some aspects of entertainment have been the only avenues … that were broadly accessible to people of color or where someone like Billie Jean King could make a larger statement about women’s rights, not just within sports.”
• On if he misses broadcasting: “I don’t miss what I used to do. I think I can still be effective and still enjoy it in an emeritus role. … I’ve had more than enough times at bat, and many years ago I passed the baton. And I’m generally satisfied and gratified with what my career has been” (“Meet the Press,” NBC, 7/6).

Longtime motorsports official Tim Mayer on Friday announced that he “will campaign for the role of FIA President later this year.” He becomes the “first person to confirm he will challenge incumbent Mohammed Ben Sulayem.” Ben Sulayem was elected in 2021, succeeding Jean Todt, but his first term has been “dogged by mishaps and controversy, particularly related to” F1. Former driver Carlos Sainz Sr. considered a bid for the role, but “ultimately opted against running.” Mayer, the son of former McLaren Team Manager Teddy Mayer, has a “prolific history in motorsport and organizational roles,” across F1, WEC, Formula E and Rallycross (AUTOWEEK, 7/4). Ben Sulayem fired Mayer as a steward in F1 in November. Mayer said that his decision to campaign was “not personal,” but cited “what he said were a series of concerns with the current leadership” (BBC, 7/4).

Team Penske has “promoted a pair of veteran team members to roles atop both its IndyCar and sportscar programs.” Porsche Penske Motorsport Managing Dir Jonathan Diuguid has been named the president of Penske Racing, “overseeing Team Penske’s programs in IndyCar, IMSA and WEC.” Porsche Penske Motorsport Competition Dir Travis Law has been named the competition director of Penske Racing, “similarly overseeing Penske’s IndyCar and sportscar programs moving forward.” The moves come after Team Penske owner Roger Penske fired “longtime righthand man” Tim Cindric, as well as longtime Team Penske IndyCar Managing Dir Ron Ruzewski and longtime Team Penske IndyCar GM Kyle Moyer less than a week before the 109th Indianapolis 500 (INDIANAPOLIS STAR, 7/4).

Lawyers for former Mercury interim coach Nikki Blue filed a lawsuit against the organization on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Arizona alleging “unequal treatment based on race and gender, unequal pay based on race and that her employment was terminated in retaliation for complaints about unequal treatment.” Blue was named the team’s interim coach in June 2023, and she had a 7-21 record in the interim role. Blue claims that the Mercury organization “set her up to fail, making roster decisions in 2023 that made the team noncompetitive.” One of Blue’s lawyers is Sheree Wright, who has “filed other suits” against the Suns and Mercury in recent seasons. Suns and Mercury SVP/Communications Stacey Mitch in a statement said, “This is the fifth lawsuit brought against the organization by Sheree Wright. … Like Ms. Wright’s other cases, this case is completely meritless” (AP, 7/3).

“F1 The Movie” has grossed $237.4M at the box office globally after just over a week of being in theaters, according to IMDb.com’s Box Office Mojo tracker, meaning the film has now roughly been paid for in terms of production. The film was said to cost between $200M-$250M to make. However, the Apple Original Films movie is believed to still have some ways to go to pay off the entire spend including marketing and fees owed to the film distributor Warner Bros. Discovery. The current split is 62-38 between international and domestic; $147M in foreign markets and $90.4M in the U.S. and Canada, Box Office Mojo data shows. The film looks set to come in second at the box office this weekend after the debuting “Jurassic World: Rebirth” from Universal Pictures.

The Texans are donating $500,000 to “help support those affected by the devastating floods that hit the Texas Hill Country” last week, which killed at least 27 people, including nine children (YAHOO SPORTS, 7/5). The Cowboys also are “making a donation to help victims,” pledging a $500,000 donation. Multiple Texas teams issued “statements on the devastating flood in the Hill Country” (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 7/6).