New Jersey’s sports betting industry turned in a solid performance in August, posting a sports handle of $293,594,862. The Garden State is starting to give Nevada a run for its money — with help from its strong online sector. Since April, New Jersey’s sportsbook handle has been keeping pace with […]
888 Holdings Profits Plummet as Brexit Worries Loom
The Gibraltar-based gaming company, 888 Holdings PLC, reported its pre-tax profit dropped 63% in the first six months of the year, and cut its dividend by 29%. And that may have been the good news. Reading 888 Holdings’ CEO’s Sept 10 comments, one might think the company hit one out […]
California Dunks on the NCAA with Passage of Fair Pay to Play Act
In an all-out challenge to the NCAA, the California State Assembly passed the Fair Pay to Play Act on Monday, 72-0. The bill, now one step closer to becoming law, would allow college athletes to receive payment for endorsements and profit off the use of their name, likeness and image […]
How Many Wrecks Before Formula Racing Bans Sausage Curbs? (VIDEO)
Australian driver Alex Peroni hit a raised “sausage” curb in the closing stages of a race at Monza track in Italy on Saturday, sending his Formula 3 car skyward. Amazingly, he walked away from the wreck with only minor injuries. But, calls to remove the controversial barriers have intensified. Race […]
Goodbye Jay-Z Rule: NBA May Allow Smaller Ownership Stakes Again
The NBA notified owners that it is considering loosening team ownership rules. The proposed change could basically nullify the current “Jay Z Rule,” which sets the minimum team ownership stake at one percent. According to Bloomberg, the NBA notified owners of a potential change to team ownership rules last month. […]
Women’s US Open Update: Upsets, Coco, Tears and McCoco (VIDEO)
Teen phenom Coco Gauff met her match in top seed Naomi Osaka in the third round of the US Open. But Coco and partner Caty McNally — collectively known as “McCoco”– remain undefeated in women’s doubles. It’s been a week of upsets in the US Open Women’s Singles. US qualifier […]
Kansas City Cheers Pending $1 Billion Royals Sale
The Kansas City Royals are about to be sold and no one could be happier than Kansas City. The estimated $1 billion sale to Kansas City native John Sherman should close sometime in November. Earlier this week, The Athletic broke the rumor that owner David Glass was in talks to […]
US Open Coco-Mania: Gauff Beats Babos, Next Up McCoco Doubles
Cori “Coco” Gauff had fans on the edges of their Louis Armstrong Stadium seats on Thursday for her 6-2, 6-4,6-4 win over Timea Babos. But before her third-round singles match against No. 1 ranked Naomi Osaka, Gauff will team up with Caty McNally for her first round of US Open […]
Coco Gauff Wins Nail Biter, Advances to Second Round of US Open
The dramatic match between Coco Gauff and Anastasia Potapova was a dream come true for ESPN and the US Open. In the end, Gauff dug deep for the 3-6, 6-2, 6-4 win, to advance to the second round. The match didn’t start the way Coco Gauff, or her sponsor New […]
Call Me Coco: ESPN, New Balance Rooting For Coco Gauff in US Open
Among her growing fan base, Coco Gauff has both ESPN and New Balance rooting for her. But that won’t necessarily lessen the pressure for the 15-year-old as she heads into the US Open. Cori (aka Coco) Gauff is a long shot in the US Open. Ranked 141 in women’s tennis […]
Matthew McConaughey Joins MLS Austin FC Ownership Group
Matthew McConaughey and three other Austin notables have signed on as owners of Austin FC. Austin’s MLS expansion team will start competing in 2021, becoming the first major league sports team in Texas’s fourth largest city. Actor Matthew McConaughey is among four Austinites who joined Austin FC’s ownership group. The […]
MLB Sleeve Patches Could be the Envy of the NBA
According to a recent study, an MLB sleeve patch would be seen almost three times more than the current ads sewn on NBA jerseys. That exposure time could be worth as much as $11 million per MLB team annually. The NBA started a three-year jersey ad pilot program in 2017. […]
Moneyball Effect: Intentional Walks Are Disappearing from Major League Baseball
The rate of intentional walks in Major League Baseball this season is down nearly 20 percent compared to last year, and down 36 percent since 2010. The mystery behind IBB’s (intentional bases on balls) declining popularity, however, may be nothing more than the flip side of the “Moneyball effect.” The […]
CBD Companies Score Sports Endorsement and Sponsorship Deals
Flush with venture capital, CBD companies are hunting for new sports-related endorsements and sponsorships. After the 2018 Farm Bill legalized hemp, the US market for marijuana’s non-psychoactive cousin — Cannabidiol, or CBD more colloquially — is exploding. On a temperate February morning, driver RC Enerson made advertising history when he […]
STUDY: Premier League Odds Often Wrong After Coaching Change
The English Premier League’s season begins on Friday. Sports gamblers may want to pace themselves, however, to take advantage of midseason odds discrepancies that researchers predict are more likely to occur after a team sacks their coach. A recent study in The Quarterly Review of Economics and Finance found that […]
Zion Williamson’s $75M Sneaker Deal Breaks NBA Rookie Record
Zion Williamson just signed a 5-year $75 million sneaker deal with Nike’s Jordan Brand, setting an annual NBA rookie shoe contract record. According to ESPN, the $15 million-a-year deal tops LeBron James’ rookie shoe deal, which was roughly $12 million per year. Kevin Durant scored a $9 million-a-year sneaker contract […]
MLB Umps Blew 34,294 Calls Last Year. Would Robot Umpires Do Any Worse?
Major League umpires miscalled 34,294 balls and strikes in 2018, according to a recent academic study. Maybe that’s why the Atlantic League, an independent minor league, recently introduced robot umpires — or more accurately, technology-assisted umpires — which are being met with both cheers and jeers around the batter’s box. […]
NFL Owners Continue Push for More Regular Season Games
Adding games to the regular season schedule has been an NFL priority for nearly a decade. So no one was surprised when New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft pushed the idea of an 18-game season at a recent collective bargaining session, according to The Wall Street Journal. Two more games […]
The Most Valuable Sneakers in History Are For Sale
Sotheby’s is hosting its first-ever rare sneaker auction. The collection, offered up by Stadium Goods, features the only known, unworn, pair of Nike “Moon Shoes,” a pair of navy suede Air Jordan 11s commemorating New York Yankee Derek Jeter’s retirement, and more. Some of the shoes going up for auction […]
Minnesota Vikings Owners Jump on Esports Franchise Bandwagon
Owners of the Minnesota Vikings recently announced their acquisition of an esports franchise. The Wilf family is among a growing number of major league team owners looking to apply their sports franchise expertise to esports. The Wilfs signed an agreement with Activision Blizzard to launch a Minnesota-based Call of Duty […]