Happy Sunday Morning!

Killer heat waves are upon us this summer. Here’s a friendly reminder to drink lots of water, especially when outdoors during the day. Here are fifty reasons you should drink water.

NEWS: In an unprecedented move, Major League Baseball stepped in to take over the broadcasting of the San Diego Padres' local games after Diamond Sports Group missed its rights payments to the team. Following Diamond Sports' bankruptcy filing in March, Diamond Sports Group decided to halt further rights payments for the Padres' local games.

In response, MLB announced it would begin broadcasting and producing the Padres' local games from Wednesday. According to MLB's chief revenue officer, Noah Garden, this provides an opportunity to "reimagine the distribution model, remove blackouts on local games, improve the telecast, and expand the reach of Padres games by more than 2 million homes."

Why it Matters: This shift marks a significant turning point in sports broadcasting and distribution, with potential implications for other teams and the broader MLB landscape.

On Friday, a Judge ruled that Diamond Sports Group must pay four MLB teams (Twins, Guardians, Rangers, and Diamondbacks) in full after filing for bankruptcy in March. This is after the sports broadcast giant claimed to be in more than $8 billion in debt.

In Case You Missed It: The Denver Nuggets defeated the Miami Heat in the first game of seven on the road to win the NBA Finals. Nikola Jokic made history on Thursday night by providing 14 assists tonight (and a whopping 27 points of his own), which is the most assists by a Center in a Finals game in NBA history. Previously, it was Bill Russell with 13 assists on 04/25/1969 vs. Los Angeles Lakers.

Also, Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Last Night: Last night, the Vegas Golden Knights defeated the Florida Panthers in Las Vegas for game one. This series is a big deal for the Golden Knights, who were established in 2017 as part of the NHL expansion.

Headlines:

• Tom Brady, Travis Scott, and Michael Rubin mentor Upcoming Quarterbacks in the NFL

• Soccer is more popular than ever in the United States

• Everyone is asking where will Messi end up in 2024?

Tom Brady, Travis Scott, and Michael Rubin mentor Upcoming Quarterbacks

Tom Brady, Travis Scott, and Michael Rubin spent the afternoon sharing some of their incredible wisdom with a group of star rookie quarterbacks including #1 overall pick in the NFL, Bryce Young, as they transition from college to the pros. The group spent the afternoon at Michael Rubins home.

The trio discussed the importance of business, branding, a strong mindset, and more in Los Angeles. A video surfaced of Tom Brady speaking to the newly selected NFL Quarterbacks not to be discouraged, even in the face of hardships. The 7x Super Bowl champion has overcome failure several times throughout his legendary career.

What’s next for Brady? Tom Brady will join FOX Sports as the network's lead NFL analyst in 2024. Fox offered him a massive 10-year, $375 million contract last year. He is also in the process of becoming a minority stake owner of the Las Vegas Raiders.

Where will Messi end up in 2024?

Lionel Messi, recent world cup champion and one of the biggest stars in soccer these days is leaving his club, PSG (Paris Saint-Germain), after winning the 11th Ligue 1 title for the team. This was confirmed by a Paris Saint-Germain Coach on Thursday. Since the summer of 2021, Messi has played for the French team PSG but now he is ending his time there by leaving this summer. There are no confirmed transfers yet, but potential candidates are popping up, all in a race to sign the world cup star.

A return to FC Barcelona, while being a fan favorite, for Messi may not happen due to competing offers. Talks about signing Messi to Al-Hilal, a Saudi club, have become more and more plausible considering the transfer of rival Christiano Ronaldo to Al-Nassr. Anything could happen. Even a transfer to the MLS in the form of playing for Inter Miami has a slight possibility, but isn’t likely.

If Messi decides to transfer to Al-Hilal, it is believed he could be paid nearly $537 million per season for a two-season deal. Paying the Argentinian $1.1 billion for playing for the Saudi Arabian team will make Messi one of the highest-paid football player ever. Wouldn’t mind Messi joining Inter Miami for one or two years.

Soccer is More Popular than ever in the United States

The United States lost the FIFA World Cup last year, but Soccer is more popular than ever before in the United States. Of the Forbes Top 20 Worlds Most Valuable Soccer Teams in the world, three of the teams on the list were in the MLS. Major League Soccer valuations continue to rise as well as revenue and attendance.

What made Soccer so popular in the US? There are numerous reasons we could contribute this increase in popularity to, but two of the big reasons are participation in schools and immigration. In 2021 and 2022, more than 800,000 students played on high school soccer teams compared to 1969 and 1970. Soccer was ranked 11th in popularity, with fewer than 50,000 students playing high school soccer. (NFHS)

Soccer Ball World says the increase of immigrant populations in the United States, specifically in the Midwest and the South, has changed the way Americans think about soccer.

Owners of Multiple Major U.S. Sports Teams

We found an interesting graphic by Sportico which highlights that there are many sport team owners in the United States (actually, a lot) who own more than one professional team.

Key Takeaways:

• Stan Kroenke owns teams in the NBA, NFL, NHL, & MLS (he’s the Denver Nuggets owner)

• Only 6/23 of the owners mentioned in the list do NOT own an MLS team. Only 6/23 of the owners mentioned above DO own an MLB team

• 9 NFL owners also happen to own MLS clubs

Fascinating Deep Dives:

How Consistent Was Every Premier League Lineup This Season? (Five Thirty Eight)

Wrexham Makes U.S. Debut at TST $1 Million Event This Week (Sportico)

The Nuggets Said They Weren’t Favorites—Then Proved They Are in Game 1 of the NBA Finals (WSJ)

Looking for Sports Biz Jobs?

Applied Sports Science Apprentice - Houston Texans - APPLY NOW

Account Executive, Business Development - Tennessee Titans (Nashville · TN) - APPLY NOW

Corporate Partnerships Manager (Lakeland, FL) - Detroit Tigers (Lakeland · FL) - APPLY NOW

Sponsorship Activation & Entertainment Intern - Minot Hot Tots (Minot · ND) - APPLY NOW

Coordinator, Partnership Activation - Huntsville City FC (Huntsville · AL) - APPLY NOW

People Operations Manager - San Francisco 49ers (Santa Clara · CA) - APPLY NOW

Senior Finance Manager - Legends (Holmdel · NJ) - APPLY NOW

Want to find more sports business jobs? We highly recommend checking out Teamwork Online. It’s a free sports business job posting site.

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