guncurug

Minnesota Senate gave final approval to Vikings new $975 million stadium (Star Tribune via Sports Business News)

Is Florida State heading to the Big 12 as conference roulette rolls on? (Yahoo, Orlando Sentinel)

Is Boise reconsidering its move to the Big East? (CBS Sports)

Fresh on the heel of the Lingerie Football League, we have the Bikini Hockey League (Bob's Blitz)

The USFL returns, but as a minor league on par with the NBA D-League (Sports Business Digest)

New York Times sells remaining interest in Fenway Sports Group, owner of the Red Sox and Liverpool FC (Yahoo)

ESPN is bringing back 30 for 30 for a new season of 15 documentaries starting this fall (NYT)

USA Today is out with its annual database of collegiate athletic finances (USA Today)

Why sports TV rights fees keep growing (Eric Crawford)

The Rick's blog is back as he humorously discusses what the Cards need to do in offseason (Rick Pitino)

ACC-Big Ten Challenge matchups announced featuring Maryland at Northwestern (ESPN)

Is Madison Square Garden ($MSG) a buy right now (Insider Monkey)

Rise of American Football in the Holy Land (Post Game)

 Reality TV comes to Liverpool (NYT)

 Conference rouletter rolls on; this time around it's the conferences other than the Big Six.(CBSSports)

 Perhaps baseball's best closer ever career may be coming to an end due to freakish accident (NYT)

Sacramento's continuing arena problems put Kings closer and closer to moving to Seattle (Seattle Times)via (SBN)

 X Games expanding to six cities on three continents for 2013 (Sports Business)

 Tanking, Incentives and the NBA (Sports Law Blog)

 Allegations against Billy Hunter of the NBPA and what it tells us about US labor law and player unions (Concurring Opinions)

 Minnesota governoralleges secret deal between Vikings and Republican legislators over new stadium for Vikings, paranoia? (Forbes )

Historic Calumet Farm, breeder of nine Kentucky Derby winners is sold for $35 million (C-J)

Another rivalry bites the dust; this time Kentucky-Indiana basketball game won't be played in dispute over location. Louisville would like to take Kentucky's place (abc11)

Should the US and Canada follow the rest ofthe world and ban race day medication? (C-J)

A classic long form look at the Derby from Louisvillian Hunter Thompson (Grantland)

Rosie Napravnik becomes first female jockey to win Kentucky Oaks aboard former Ky Governor's filly (DRF)

From the father of speed figures, it's Bodemeister in the Derby (DRF)

LeBron james is going global by going to Boston.  LRMR Marketing, his and Maverick Carter's marketing company is forming a partnership with Fenway Sports Management, a subsidiary of Fenway Sports Group, the holding company formed by John Henry and Tom Werner that owns the Boston Red Sox, the regional cable television channel NESN, 50% of Fenway Roush Racing, a NASCAR racing team and the iconic English Premier League club Liverpool FC.

The Partnership will be the exclusive means through which LeBron conducts his marketing and endorsement activities worldwide.  In a statement announcing the partnership, Maverick Carter had this to say about his and LeBron's rationale for entering the agreement:

"Tom and John have created an innovative company that owns some of the greatest clubs and biggest brands in all of sports," said Maverick Carter, CEO of LRMR.  "Like LRMR, it is a fast-growing organization with incredible energy and passion for what they're doing. This partnership will allow us to dramatically expand our reach and opportunities, not only in the U.S. but in markets around the world." 


In addition to the marketing and endorsement arrangements, LeBron  and Carter will acquire a ten percent in Liverpool.  Expect to see some interesting global marketing promotions involving James and Liverpool together.  Undoubtedly, a major focus of the partnershipi will be China.  LeBron has been very active there leading up to and following the Beijing Olympics and I'm confident that Henry and Werner would love to see Liverpool colors all over the country.  After all, Liverpool's jerseys are red.  It is one area 

The calendar has not been turned back several months and today is not April 1.  The owner of the Boston Red Sox, New England Sports Ventures, has apparently won a bid to purchase Liverpool FC despite opposition from the current owners Tom Hicks and George  Gillett.  Hicks and Gillett are in default on some 200 million pounds to the Royal Bank of Scotland and have been unable to refinance the debt.  

None of the major European soccer leagues have salary caps or any restrictions on player payrolls that resemble those in place in any of the North American professional sports leagues.  As a result, player salaries regularly outstrip club income, especially at the big clubs competing for both their league championships and the Champions League title, clubs such as Manchester United, Liverpool, Real Madrid, Barcelona and Inter Milan.

UEFA has now adopted Financial Fair Play rules, to be phased in over a six year period, which will require that clubs break even over a rolling three year period if the clubs wish to play in the Champions League or Europa League.  The clubs will also be assessed on a risk basis taking into account salaries and debt.  While this new rule will not eliminate the advantage held by high revenue clubs like Man U and Real Madrid, it will restrain the spending of owners with virtually limitless funds who care more about winning than about the money spent to get there, such as the owners of Chelsea, Manchester City and AC Milan.  It will begin to restore a modicum of balance to European soccer.

Whether the new rule will work as intended will not be known for a number of years.  It is, however, the first attempt at bringing some element of rationality to player salaries in European soccer and is to be commended as such.  There is no salary cap in any major European league that compares to anything found in any North American professional league and, at least partly as a result, the competitive balance of the major soccer leagues in Europe is non-existent.  Each year, the battle for the championship and places in the Champions and Europa Leagues involve mostly the same clubs and the more interesting competition is found at the bottom of the league.  The most intense competition comes at the bottom of the table at the end of the season as clubs battle to avoid relegation and the resultant loss of tens of millions of dollars.  It is usually much more exciting than the same old fight at the top.  Hopefully, over the next decade, this rule will begin to change that.