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The parent company of Bally Sports Sun and Bally Sports Florida filed for bankruptcy protection last week, but its television coverage of six of the state’s pro teams - including the Heat, Marlins and Panthers - isn’t expected to be interrupted this season, according to a source briefed on the matter. Whether Bally Sun’s coverage of the Heat, Panthers, Orlando Magic and Tampa Bay Lightning will be interrupted next fall, at the start of the 2023-24 season, is less clear.
For the affected teams, including the Miami Heat, St. Louis Cardinals and Tampa Bay Lightning, the bankruptcy will trigger a number of questions. For instance, what happens with payment owed to the teams during the Chapter 11 process? More concerning, what do local sports media rights look like in the aftermath, and will leagues like the NBA or MLB get involved more directly?
Arctos was co-founded by private equity veteran Ian Charles and former MSG CEO David “Doc” O’Connor. The firm had about $2.9 billion in assets under management as of October, and has already made more than a dozen investments. They include about 17% of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings, and in Fenway Sports Group, the parent of the Boston Red Sox, Liverpool FC and the Pittsburgh Penguins. The group is also nearing agreements to invest in the NHL’s Minnesota Wild and Tampa Bay Lightning.
They were joined by several team owners, such as Joe Lacob from the Golden State Warriors, the Tampa Bay Lightning’s Jeffrey Vinik, and Lerner Enterprises, the family firm behind the Washington Nationals.
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The idea of the Raptors temporarily moving to Tampa Bay and playing out of the Lightning’s Amalie Arena first presented itself during a conversation between Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Kyle Dubas and Lightning GM Julien BriseBois. From there, the idea was handed over to Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment chief revenue officer Jeff Deline and Lightning CEO Steve Griggs. Dubas, who has a close relationship with both Webster and Raptors president Masai Ujiri, downplayed his role in the process.
Based on multiple sources it seems like an arrangement where the Raptors play their games in Tampa at Amalie Arena (home of the Tampa Bay Lightning) and train in the community nearby – the University of South Florida has hosted NBA teams for training camps in the past, as an example – is the leading option if the Raptors can’t get the necessary exemptions from quarantine requirements to travel freely across the border. But even late last week Fort Lauderdale and Nashville were mentioned as options to agents asking about where their clients might be headed.
One Inter-Miami CF player tested positive for coronavirus. The team has chosen not to identify the player but says he did not experience any symptoms before being tested. The virus also hit the NHL on Friday. The Tampa Bay Lightning is shutting down its facility after several players and staff members tested positive for the virus. In the MLB, the Philadelphia Phillies shut down it's training complex in Clearwater, Florida today after players tested positive. The news, according to a local disease specialist, shouldn't deter the NBA or MLS from re-starting the season in a controlled setting in Orlando next month.
One of the benefits of playing in the NBA for Davis Bertans is that it gives the Spurs forward a chance to check out NHL games around the country. Bertans grew up in Latvia playing hockey and remains a big fan of the sport. "In the last couple of months, I've been to four games," said Bertans, who was a face in the crowd at the Dallas Stars' 2-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Lightning on Tuesday at the American Airlines Center. "I try to check the schedule all the time when we go to cities that have hockey teams.
Pierre Jackson and Fenerbahce are parting ways, according to Hurriyet. The American guard landed in Turkey a little more than a month ago. Jackson scored 6 points in the only TBL game played and 3.3 points in 6 Euroleague Top 16 games. Jackson was averaging 29.1 points per game in D-League with Idaho Stampede before landing in Europe.
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Tod Leiweke is resigning as CEO of Vulcan Sports and Entertainment, the arm that oversees ownership of the Seattle Seahawks, Portland Trail Blazers and Seattle Sounders FC. The announcement was made by Vulcan on Monday morning. In a statement, Leiweke says he's leaving to become CEO and part owner of the NHL's Tampa Bay Lightning. Leiweke has been with Vulcan for seven years, starting as CEO of the Seahawks before taking on responsibilities covering the Trail Blazers and Sounders. All three teams are owned by Paul Allen.
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