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Bears unveil plans for domed lakefront stadium...Gatorade adds Mavs' Doncic to athlete roster...Report: Belichick planning big media push in 2024

Bears unveil plans for domed lakefront stadium

MANICA/BEARS
The Bears today unveiled plans for a $4.6B project to put "a fixed-roof domed stadium on a lakefront site" with a surrounding development. The club held a news conference at Soldier Field to unveil plans for "a state-of-the-art, publicly owned stadium, along with additional green and open space with access to the lakefront" on the Museum Campus. Bears President Kevin Warren laid out the team's full "vision for the Museum Campus, a new stadium and a reimagined and downscaled Soldier Field." The cost of the total project with the envisioned hotel, bars and restaurants -- "all the bells and whistles" -- will be "partly funded with 40-year bonds backed by the city’s hotel tax." The remaining debt on the renovation of Soldier Field would be "rolled into that 40-year payback plan." That $4.6B cost "still would not include taxpayer-backed infrastructure improvements needed to make the stadium -- and the whole Museum Campus -- more accessible" (CHICAGO SUN-TIMES, 4/24).

Gatorade adds Mavs' Doncic to athlete roster

Gatorade
Gatorade has partnered with Mavericks G Luka Doncic, adding him to a roster of six other NBA athletes including Basketball HOFer Michael Jordan, Celtics F Jayson Tatum, T'Wolves F Karl-Anthony Towns, Pelicans F Zion Williamson, Bucks G Damian Lillard and Pistons G Jaden Ivey. No specifics about the deal have been made public yet. The Mavericks and Doncic were "previously tied to sports nutrition company BioSteel." Back in 2020, BioSteel was made the Mavericks’ "first-ever official sports drink partner," and a year later, Docnic "took an equity stake in the company as part of an endorsement deal." In Sept. 2023 BioSteel’s parent company Canopy Groth Corporation filed for bankruptcy (DALLAS MORNING NEWS, 4/24).

Report: Belichick planning big media push in 2024

Former Patriots coach Bill Belichick's new media career is set to include him making "millions with an anticipated recurring role with the Manning brothers on ESPN’s 'Monday Night Football with Peyton and Eli,' a book deal, a potential inside football show and possibly a podcast," according to sources. Belichick will start his post-Patriots career tomorrow with the NFL Draft, when he will join "The Pat McAfee Show" as an analyst. As Belichick’s full plans come into focus, the exact amount he will make is "unknown," but it "will be well into the millions," according to sources. His book deal advance is expected to be "well into the seven figures." And while a deal with Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is not yet fully agreed upon, it is "moving in that direction." Belichick "would not be on for every game but would appear pretty regularly during the season." Belichick "could also be part of an undetermined football show" with Omaha and "has discussed starting a podcast with different platforms" (THE ATHLETIC, 4/24).

RELATED: Belichick to work as draft analyst with Pat McAfee Show

EPL set for 'contentious' vote on hard spending cap

The Premier League is "heading towards another contentious vote" on Monday with a majority of clubs "keen to add a hard spending cap to the new 'squad cost' rules that are being introduced for the 2025-26 season." The de facto salary cap would "limit the amount of money any club can invest in their squads by tying it to a multiple of what the lowest earners get from the league’s centralised broadcast and commercial deals." The EPL has "scheduled a meeting on the matter" for tomorrow, with the plan then to "ask the clubs to back the idea in principle at another meeting of the league’s shareholders -- the 20 clubs and the Football Association -- on Monday" (THE ATHLETIC, 4/24).

Manchester United will "strongly oppose moves to introduce the first hard salary cap to the Premier League when new cost controls are raised at the top flight’s annual meeting." ManU’s stance is that there "should be no hard salary cap in the Premier League as it would put English clubs at a disadvantage to the rest of Europe." The EPL has "already agreed to replace its Profitability and Sustainability Rules from the 2025-26 season with a squad cost control," which will "limit clubs to spending 85 per cent of their total revenue on wages, transfer payments and agents’ fees" (London TIMES, 4/24).

Peacock to stream Kentucky Derby Opening Night

By Mollie Cahillane

NBCUniversal’s streaming service Peacock on Saturday will broadcast the Kentucky Derby Opening Night for the first time. Starting at 6pm ET, the show will feature a full night of horse racing with 10 races live from Churchill Downs. Additionally, the 2024 Kentucky Derby and Oaks Post Draw will take place on Saturday for the first time, also streaming on Peacock. The 150th Kentucky Derby takes place on May 4, with 12.5 live hours of coverage across NBC, Peacock and USA Network across Friday and Saturday.

LIV's Norman 'very open' to expanding to 72 holes

LIV Golf CEO & Commissioner Greg Norman indicated during a press conference today that he is now "'very open-minded' to the idea of expanding tournaments" on the circuit from 54 to 72 holes, but said there is an "economic impact about putting television on for 72 holes." His comment is significant because, like LIV's team competition and shotgun starts, the 54-hole length of tournaments "has been a defining feature." LIV player Jon Rahm said he "hoped a 72-hole format might help unite" LIV and the PGA Tour. Seated with Norman at the presser, Rahm spoke of a "level of comfort" with the 72-hole format but "agreed that a longer format had to make financial sense" for the PIF, with the decision "coming at a business rather than athletic level" (WASHINGTON POST, 4/24).

Sports travel generated $52.2 billion in spending

By David Broughton

Total direct spending associated with the sports travel sector was $52.2 billion last year, and Americans took a record 204.9 million sports event-related trips, according to the State of the Industry Report that the Sports Events and Tourism Association (Sports ETA) shared with its more than 700 members today at the trade organization's conference in Portland.

The analysis is based on data from this spring’s Sports ETA membership survey; Longwoods International (traveler spending and visitor profiles); Bureau of Economic Analysis and Bureau of Labor Statistics (employment and wage data, by industry); Bureau of Transportation Statistics (U.S. domestic itinerary fares); U.S. Travel Association (domestic travel data); STR (lodging data); and official event attendance.

The study was overseen by Tourism Economics and is a continued collaboration with Northstar Meetings Group Sports. It found that youth and amateur sports generated 63% of the total room nights in the U.S. -- topping other travel categories such as convention and leisure. The 73.5 million room nights generated was 6.5% higher than 2019. The lodging sector accounted for 21% of all sports-related travel spending, which is important because lodging taxes are a primary funding source for most destination marketing organizations.

Speed Reads....

The LPGA and Ladies European Tour signed a new multiyear partnership with Nikon making the company's COOLSHOT Rangefinders the Official Rangefinders of both tours (LPGA).

UFC and law firm Morgan & Morgan signed a multiyear renewal of their U.S. marketing partnership in which Morgan & Morgan will activate its brand within a selection of UFC assets. Morgan & Morgan in 2022 became UFC’s first-ever legal industry partner and its inaugural Official Law Firm Partner (UFC).
 
New York Road Runners has named Peloton the presenting sponsor of its "NYRR Set the Pace" podcast beginning May 2024. The podcast, hosted by Peloton instructor Becs Gentry will join NYRR CEO Rob Simmelkjaer, will be available on Apple Podcast, Spotify, and iHeart, with select episodes also available as Outdoor workouts on the Peloton App starting this summer (NYRR).

US Sailing has named GoPro the Official Action Camera of US Sailing & The US Sailing Team through the 2024 season (US Sailing).

Around the World....

The Football Association named Rugby Football Union COO & CFO Sue Day Dir of Women's Football, replacing Baroness Sue Campbell in December. Day, who was "central to England winning the bid to host next year's World Cup" will be leaving the RFU eight months before the tournament kicks off (London TELEGRAPH, 4/24).

Manchester on July 27 will host UFC 304, which will be the "first sporting event to take place" at the city's new Co-op Live Arena opening this month. While no fights have been announced for the event, one or both British champions Tom Aspinall and Leon Edwards are "likely to feature" (BBC.com, 4/24).

Manchester City inked a multiyear partnership with digital collectibles marketplace Quidd, which last month signed its first Premier League club in Newcastle United. The deal will allow fans the opportunity to unlock a number of real-world rewards, including official team merch, hospitality tickets and experiences such as an exclusive opportunity to watch a first team training session at the City Football Academy. Quidd will release a range of special edition digital collectibles to celebrate the new deal (Quidd).

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Social Scoop....

Daily Download....

The RBC Canadian Open is releasing an eight-part docuseries, "A Win for Canada," which relives PGA Tour player Nick Taylor's win at the 2023 event.

Daily Digit....

46% -- The percentage of QBs picked in the 1st-round of the NFL Draft between 2000 and 2019 that have signed a second contract with the team that drafted them according to ESPN content producer Paul Hembekides. He found that the C position has the highest "hit" rate at 92% (X, 4/24).