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The league collection includes NBA and MLB sports teams from L.A. (Dodgers and Lakers), Chicago (Bulls, Cubs and White Sox) and New York (Mets and Knicks), offering Mitchell & Ness Jerseys, hoodies, t-shires and hats repping the teams and Blackpink.
Other individuals who donated include Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta ($1 million), multiple members of the DeVos family that owns the Orlando Magic ($1 million combined) and multiple members of the Ricketts family that owns the Chicago Cubs ($1.6 million combined). Companies include sportsbooks DraftKings ($502,000) and FanDuel ($482,003.73), and trading platform Robinhood ($2 million), which is pushing into sports futures markets that look a lot like betting.
The Warriors' value is up 14% in the last year, right in line with league average. The Boston Celtics (28%), Brooklyn Nets (25%) led the way among the NBA in value growth, with only the NFL's Tampa Bay Buccaneers (29%) beating them among teams listed in Forbes' 50 most valuable franchises. According to the publication, NBA teams pushed a pair of MLB franchises (the Chicago Cubs and San Francisco Giants), F1 teams (Ferrari and Mercedes) and one NFL franchise (the Buffalo Bills) out of the top 50.
ESPN canvassed 136 teams in the NFL, NBA, WNBA, MLB and NHL from November 2023 to July 2024 on whether they offer accommodations that fans with invisible disabilities say would make their game-day experience better. Of the 136 teams, 120 responded. In the NFL, the Broncos, Texans, Patriots, Cardinals and Bengals did not answer questions. In MLB, the Brewers, Pirates, Mariners and Cubs did not answer. In the NBA, the Timberwolves declined to answer and the Clippers responded before their move to the Intuit Dome. In the WNBA, the Lynx declined to answer. In the NHL, the Panthers, Sabres, Jets and Senators did not answer. (The Utah Hockey Club was omitted because of the team's impending move to Salt Lake City.) Some teams did not answer every question in the survey.
Mike McGraw: Matas Buzelis, the #NBA Draft prospect from Willowbrook, threw out 1st pitch at Wrigley. #Cubs
Matas Buzelis, the #NBA Draft prospect from Willowbrook, threw out 1st pitch at Wrigley. #Cubs pic.twitter.com/2Cl0HPRDTD
— Mike McGraw (@McGrawDHSports) May 18, 2024
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Kyle Filipowski, C-F, Duke: The big man has made Chicago his training base for weeks because his agency is based here. He even has already thrown out the first pitch before a Chicago Cubs game at Wrigley Field. "It was super cool," Filipowski said. Filipowski said his basketball IQ and shooting range are his biggest attributes that can translate to the next level. "Just working out here the last few weeks, I've gotten so much more confident and comfortable shooting the 3-ball at the NBA line," he said.
Miami Heat rookie Nikola Jovic on Tuesday threw out the ceremonial first pitch for the Miami Marlins as they hosted the Chicago Cubs at loanDepot park. Jovic was on hand for the festivities as the Cubs and Marlins continued a three-game series.
Heat first round pick Nikola Jovic throwing out the first pitch tonight before the Marlins-Cubs game. He also exchanged jerseys with Jesus Luzardo and stayed around for some of the action.
— Will Manso (@WillManso) September 21, 2022
(🎥 @BallyMarlins) pic.twitter.com/1x77i6V6NS
The Athletic: Donovan Mitchell was chirping at Marcus Stroman on Twitter after the game between the Mets and Cubs was postponed. @STR0 had other things on his mind... pic.twitter.com/QDsnzoElWv
Donovan Mitchell was chirping at Marcus Stroman on Twitter after the game between the Mets and Cubs was postponed.@STR0 had other things on his mind... pic.twitter.com/QDsnzoElWv
— The Athletic NBA (@TheAthleticNBA) July 15, 2022
Gilbert's group includes the Ricketts family, owners of the Chicago Cubs, and Ken Griffin, an American hedge fund manager. The group's deadline to submit a final bid is Thursday.
Chelsea is one of the most popular—and most valuable—soccer clubs in the world, and it has attracted interest from billionaires on all six inhabited continents. Notable names that have been reported as interested, or that have publicly discussed bids, include hedge fund giant Ken Griffin, Chicago Cubs owner Tom Ricketts, Sacramento Kings owner Vivek Ranadivé, the Saudi Media Company, English businessman Martin Broughton, Swiss billionaire Hansjörg Wyss, British real estate tycoon Nick Candy, Philadelphia 76ers co-owner Josh Harris, and notable sports investor Todd Boehly, whose portfolio includes minority stakes in the Los Angeles Dodgers and Los Angeles Lakers.
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Should a final deal include naming rights, it would need the approval of the NBA, NHL and MLB, a significant potential hurdle, according to two of the people. Any naming deal would also exclude two other RSNs—YES Network (New York Yankees) and Marquee Network (Chicago Cubs)—that Sinclair partly owns, the people said.
Standing alone at a lectern in an empty stadium that can comfortably seat more than 60,000 fans, Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot announced a first-of-its-kind awareness campaign, called "We Are Not Playing." All of Chicago's professional sports teams -- including the Bears, Blackhawks, Bulls, Cubs, Fire, Red Stars, Sky and White Sox -- have agreed to use their platforms and athletes to encourage residents of the city and surrounding area to comply with stay at home restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis.
Customers never win when it comes to carriage disputes between channels and TV providers. And sports fans are big losers in this dispute. Over 40 teams across MLB, the NBA and the NHL have deals with the channels now owned by Sinclair. That includes the New York Yankees, the Chicago Cubs and their new TV network and myriad other baseball, basketball and hockey teams.
From Shohei Ohtani to Naomi Osaka, Rui Hachimura has impressed both on and off the floor, including Cubs pitcher Yu Darvish. He stopped by to see Hachimura's Wizards beat the Pistons Monday. "That's right," Darvish said to the Wizards' Japanese website. "We are going to dinner after the game so I stopped by."
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