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Rose appeared on a live edition of the "Joe and Jada Unfiltered" podcast last week and said the "only sports that have salary caps are Black led" as he talked about his problem with the system. He named leagues like MLB, NASCAR, golf and tennis that do not have salary caps. Though he failed to mention that the NHL has a salary cap as roughly two dozen NHL players are Black. "The second thing is they have no after high school restrictions," he continued. "So, that’s a residue of slavery because we’re going to get money off of you for multiple years for free. There’s no way around it. So, what happened in the game, it became so obvious because of social media and because of information, it’s like ‘We’re making a billion dollars, we gotta pay them something.' That’s how it ended up happening."
This statement was not even correct when it was made. Years before, MLB had absorbed a small number of teams from defunct baseball associations only later to recognize the records from those leagues in their entirety. Now, with the NFL’s recent decision to accept AAFC statistics, the wobbly plank purporting to hold up the NBA’s justification has collapsed entirely. The NBA’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge ABA records does not make sense. After all, the ABA boasted major-league talent. Indeed, the rival association won most of the 155 exhibition games played between the two entities.
Mike Vorkunov: Wasserman has a number of major clients in the NBA (Evan Mobley, Klay Thompson, Sabonis) and WNBA (Paige Bueckers, Breanna Stewart, Brittney Griner) and MLB (Matt Olson, Giancarlo Stanton, Zack Wheeler, Yoshinobu Yamamoto)
A major private equity firm bought the leading sports investment firm, the companies announced Thursday. KKR took control of Arctos Partners in a deal valued at $1.4 billion, giving the private equity giant a significant foothold in professional sports. Arctos holds an extensive portfolio of ownership stakes across every major North American sports league, from the NFL and NBA to MLB, and in the NHL and MLS. In the NBA, it holds minority stakes in the Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, Utah Jazz and several others, including a stake in the Washington Wizards, which it acquired in December. It bought an 8 percent stake in the Los Angeles Chargers last year and also holds shares in the Los Angeles Dodgers and the Chicago Cubs. It also has a percentage of the soccer giant PSG.
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With nine MLB teams still likely poised to abandon Main Street Sports Group, three sources said Friday their exit could create financial flexibility for Main Street to avoid immediate liquidation and pay NBA and NHL teams reduced rights fees the remainder of this season. “What is bad from MLB might be good for us,” said an NBA and NHL team source asking for anonymity due to the sensitivity around the topic, which has many industry stakeholders on edge.
The NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS, NASCAR, UFC and WWE have unveiled an agreement with Fanatics, the White House and America250 that will see an exclusive USA 250 patch and logo featured on athlete uniforms and performance gear, as well as in the venues where they compete during marquee moments throughout 2026.
Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal reported Wednesday that “multiple” NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball franchises are in “emergency talks” with Victory+ ahead of the potential shuttering of Main Street Sports Group, operator of the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs. Per previous reporting, Main Street has until the end of this month to line up a buyer before the nine MLB franchises with which it is partnered — all of whom opted out of their deals earlier this month — leave for good.
The commissioners of four major U.S. sports leagues are in conversations over being present at the Oval Office next week when President Donald Trump unveils the latest plans regarding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Four people briefed on the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter, confirmed to The Athletic that the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, the NHL’s Gary Bettman and MLB’s Rob Manfred are currently set to attend the event. The exact date may be subject to change in accordance with the president’s schedule and the schedules of those expected to be in attendance. The White House and the four major leagues did not respond to requests for comment.
The commissioners of four major U.S. sports leagues are in conversations over being present at the Oval Office next week when President Donald Trump unveils the latest plans regarding the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States. Four people briefed on the planning, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the matter, confirmed to The Athletic that the NFL’s Roger Goodell, the NBA’s Adam Silver, the NHL’s Gary Bettman and MLB’s Rob Manfred are currently set to attend the event.
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The drama and instability surrounding the Main Street Sports Group RSNs may soon be enough for its rights partners. The NBA, NHL and Major League Baseball teams who have deals with Main Street Sports Group, owner of the FanDuel Sports Network RSNs, are in one form or another preparing to move on from the company, according to a Wednesday night article by Tom Friend of Sports Business Journal. Friend cited sources as saying that the MLB Cardinals — who did not receive their December rights fee payment from Main Street — have already told the company that they are opting out of their contract, and that at least six of the eight other MLB clubs in business with the company are expected to do the same.
Main Street Sports Group has missed its January payments to numerous undisclosed NBA teams, sources told SBJ today, as its delicate sale to DAZN and uncertain future has now trickled from MLB to pro basketball. In December, Main Street missed a payment to the St. Louis Cardinals, which triggered a Dec. 18 phone call from the NBA league office to all 13 FanDuel Sports Network teams -- alerting them that their January payments were in jeopardy. That prediction turned out to be prescient, when several of the NBA teams, if not all 13, did not receive their scheduled rights fee payments these past few days.
Main Street Sports Group has missed its January payments to numerous undisclosed NBA teams, sources told SBJ today, as its delicate sale to DAZN and uncertain future has now trickled from MLB to pro basketball.
Teams with local broadcast rights deals through Main Street Sports Group are expected to soon receive a proposal outlining a go-forward plan should DAZN complete its acquisition of the embattled regional sports network operator, a team executive told SBJ. Teams would then face a pivotal decision: accept DAZN’s proposed business plan — including any revised financial terms — or pursue alternative local distribution models. Sources said DAZN will conceivably ask teams to accept reduced rights fees as part of the sale, with the idea their payouts will still be more lucrative than what teams can fetch through over-the-air packages or through MLB TV.