The NFL Draft is exactly 10 days away, and quarterbacks could go 1-2-3-4 for the first time ever.
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UEFA Champions League/Design: Alex Brooks
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When news broke of a planned Super League that would bring together the most famous European soccer teams in a midweek competition, it set off a clash of powerful interests that extends beyond the soccer world.
FIFA, soccer’s global governing body, and UEFA, which oversees major European soccer leagues, said that players participating in the league would be barred from the World Cup and popular domestic competitions like England’s Premier League.
The issue is even spurring action from the United Kingdom: Boris Johnson’s administration said it would consider any potential steps to prevent the Super League from happening as currently constructed.
The European Super League is ready to defend itself.
- The company created to oversee the Super League sent notice to FIFA and the UEFA that it had filed motions in multiple courts to block attempts to stop the Super League.
- The new league’s financial heft comes from the world’s largest depository bank: JPMorgan Chase is underwriting $6 billion in financing.
- Teams joining the Super League are being lured by a $361 million per-team gift for joining, plus a shared pool of $4.2 billion for infrastructure improvements.
The league is designed around 15 permanent clubs plus five more that would qualify in a given year based on performance.
A dozen teams from England, Spain, and Italy have already signed on, including powerhouses like Real Madrid, Manchester United, Barcelona, and Juventus.
Super League clubs plan to continue to compete in their national leagues, but that may not be possible: Serie A, La Liga, the Premier League, and other soccer leagues have so far remained united against the move.
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Formula 1/Design: Alex Brooks
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Miami has been named home of the second U.S. Formula 1 race in a new 10-year deal, adding to the sport’s October race in Austin.
The Grand Prix circuit around Hard Rock Stadium will not only host the first F1 event in Florida since 1959, but the first-ever in Miami. It’s the 11th U.S. F1 location since the World Championship began in 1950.
Conditions of building the 3.36-mile track include a $5 million community benefit package and the creation of a STEM program. The deal was originally met with hesitation from some residents and elected officials.
The pandemic forced F1 to shorten its schedule to 17 races last year. Liberty Media, F1’s parent company since 2017, says revenue dropped $877 million year-over-year to $1.14 billion in 2020.
Over the past decade, Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has poured “hundreds of millions of dollars” into the team’s stadium.
The ROI is finally starting to hit. In addition to F1’s announcement, Hard Rock Stadium recently hosted Super Bowl LIV and is in the running to be one of several U.S. host stadiums for the 2026 World Cup.
More than 80 million viewers worldwide reportedly watch F1 races.
Organizers say the economic impact from the Miami Grand Prix — expected to debut in 2022 — could reach nine figures.
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USA Today/Design: Alex Brooks
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Amazon’s video game division has canceled of an online role-playing game based on the “Lord of the Rings” series.
First announced in 2019, the game was a collaboration between Amazon Game Studios and China-based video game holding company Leyou Technologies.
Due to contract disputes between Amazon and Leyou’s parent company, Tencent, the game was shelved.
“We love the ‘Lord of the Rings’ IP and are disappointed that we won’t be bringing this game to customers,” said an Amazon spokesperson.
This isn’t Amazon’s first misstep in gaming.
The company emerged as a major player in the industry following the launch of Amazon Game Studios and the acquisition of streaming service Twitch for $970 million in 2014. At the time, it was the biggest acquisition in Amazon’s history.
But despite the bevy of resources and time, the company has been unable to release a successful video game.
After years of development, Amazon planned to fully release “Crucible,” a free-to-play, multiplayer shooting game. However, a beta that failed to meet expectations caused the cancelation of that project in October.
Last year, Amazon was set to debut a game based on colonial America titled “New World,” but its preliminary content was deemed racist and offensive by a consultant, forcing a delay to 2021.
Amazon is spending nearly $500 million annually on its game studio and, so far, has nothing substantial to show for it.
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- Dream Sports, the parent company of Indian Premier League fantasy partner Dream11, is in talks with banks about a U.S. listing, which could raise roughly $1.5 billion, valuing the company at $6 billion.
- Coca-Cola reported quarterly revenue this week, with demand unchanged from a year ago. The company’s hydration, sports, coffee, and tea segment’s volume shrunk 11%, though Powerade’s volume declined just 1%.
- LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s Uninterrupted is bringing a new series to Peacock: “Golden,” a docuseries about U.S. women’s gymnasts on their way to the Tokyo Olympics.
- April Subscriber Giveaway: We’re giving away two tickets to watch a live conversation with former MLB star Wade Boggs on Thuzio on May 6. For every friend or colleague who subscribes to FOS with your custom referral link by the end of April, you get one entry into our giveaway.
- Share in one tap (Email // Twitter // Facebook) or copy-and-paste your custom referral link: [RH_REFLINK]
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U.S. stocks experienced declines across all three major indexes on Monday following a record-setting week. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:
Up:
Manchester United plc (NYSE: MANU) gained 6.74%
GameStop Corp. (NYSE: GME) gained 6.32%
Vista Outdoor Inc. (NYSE: VSTO) gained 5.39%
Down:
Genesco Inc. (NYSE: GCO) dropped 7.34%
Peloton Interactive, Inc. (NASDAQ: PTON) dropped 7.28%
Penn National Gaming, Inc. (NASDAQ: PENN) dropped 6.94%
(Note: All as of market close on 4/19/21)
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The Seattle Mariners host the Los Angeles Dodgers tonight at T-Mobile Park in the first game of a double-header. The Mariners are 5-4 at home, although all of the Dodgers’ losses have been on the road. The Mariners stand at the top of the AL West, with the Dodgers in first for the NL West.
How to Watch:
10:10 p.m. ET on ESPN+
Betting Odds:
Dodgers -1.5 || ML -195 || O/U 8.5
Pick: The Dodgers have started strong with a 13-3 record. Coming off a 5-2 loss to the Padres on Sunday, they’ll look to bounce back with a win against a 10-6 Mariners team. Despite Seattle being 4-1 in their last five games, take Los Angeles to cover and lean over.
Who ya got? Reply to this newsletter with your prediction for the Dodgers-Mariners winner, final score, and home run hitter(s). Nail it, and you get a mention in Tuesday’s FOS PM. Don’t forget to include your Twitter handle.
Shoutout: On Friday, we asked FOS readers to pick the winner, final score, and first goal-scorer of the Barcelona-Athletic tilt. Barcelona handed Athletic a 4-0 loss, and Antoine Griezmann kicked things off with a goal at the 60-minute mark. No one nailed the exact score, but FOS reader Ayaan Esmail (@esmailayaan) predicted a Barcelona win over Athletic.
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