March 5, 2021

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Tom Brady is so good that he sets records in the offseason.

Tom Brady Rookie Card Sells for $1.32M

M. Rebilas-USA TODAY, PWCC/Design: Alex Brooks

Tom Brady hit a major milestone this year, and we’re not talking about winning his seventh Super Bowl.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers QB saw his rookie card sell for $1.32 million at auction house PWCC Marketplace this week — the most expensive sale of a football card ever.

Just one of 100, the autographed card is a Playoff Contenders Championship Ticket from 2000. It was one of two cards that received a grade of 9 or higher from Beckett.

“Given Brady’s uncontested status as GOAT in football, this card is an important piece of sports history and of any collection,” said buyer James Park.

The price drowns the $861,000 spent on a one-of-five Patrick Mahomes rookie card in early February. Mahomes’ card had taken Brady’s spot at the top briefly — a different Brady card sold for $555,988 in January.

“This sale was record-setting but also largely predicted,” PWCC Marketplace CEO Brett Huigens said. “The trading card market is rapidly maturing among tangible asset investors, and record prices are becoming increasingly frequent, especially among the market’s most desired issues.”

Global trading card sales grew by 162% in 2020, with more than 4 million sold on eBay.

No Timberwolves Bid for KG as Drama Continues

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY/Design: Alex Brooks

NBA champion Kevin Garnett is no longer in the running to buy the Minnesota Timberwolves, the franchise where he spent his first 12 seasons. 

“Just got the news that this process in trying to acquire the TWOLVES IS OVER,” Garnett wrote on Instagram.

Last year, Timberwolves owner Glen Taylor teased the idea of selling the team, prompting Garnett to organize a group to purchase. The plan failed to come to fruition due to a lack of urgency and poor communication between the parties, according to CBS Sports.   

Garnett and Taylor’s relationship has been fractured for some time. Sources of tension:

  • Taylor’s failure to include Garnett in Minnesota’s front office
  • Issues with how Taylor handled a tribute to late coach Flip Saunders
  • Garnett’s refusal to let the franchise retire his number while Taylor is around 

“Kevin never contacted me at all saying that he was interested,” Taylor told The Athletic. “Nor was his name listed on any of the buying groups that asked for financial information to review.”

Garnett continued to voice his frustration on Instagram: “Crazy that some of these special players that helped build these franchises like a home can never own them, only rent.”  

The Timberwolves are near the bottom of NBA teams in terms of valuation at $1.4 billion, ranking 28th out of 30 teams.

COURSE

Celebrating The NBA's Shotmakers

The NBA All-Star game tips off this Sunday and while the format is different, with the game and skills competition taking place the same night, the MTN DEW 3-Point contest always delivers.

Learn how it all comes together in Sports Marketing Essentials, presented by Pepsi Sports. The free online course consists of eight-lessons, including Branded Events and League Activations, where Eric Robinson, Director at Pepsi’s agency, Genesco, breaks down how they plan and execute league activations including the MTN DEW 3-Point contest during the NBA All-Star Game.

Sign up and complete the course by March 31 to be entered for the chance to win autographed merchandise from Pepsi athletes.

TNT Looks to Continue NBA Ratings Boost

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY/Design: Alex Brooks

After the All-Star Game’s 8% increase in viewership last year and the league’s ratings bounceback this season, Turner Sports is hoping to build on that momentum Sunday.

Turner completely sold out its ads for the ASG broadcast on TNT, which will also feature slam dunk and skills contests. The success comes after the NBA’s 34% uptick in viewership from the previous year in a four-week period ending on Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

  • Turner attracted advertisers by bundling All-Star Game and NBA Playoff commercial time. 
  • Advertisers were also able to book space on NBA.com and Bleacher Report, as per usual for Turner broadcasts.
  • Low ratings for events like the Super Bowl, NBA Finals, and World Series have yet to turn off networks and advertisers. The NFL is finalizing its next round of TV contracts, which are believed to roughly double the value of its previous deals.

TNT will broadcast the midseason competition for the 19th consecutive year — perhaps the only current ASG streak longer than LeBron’s 17th straight start — and the game will be simultaneously broadcast on TBS, another Turner property.

The NBA has been billing the night as a TV-only event in an effort to dissuade people from congregating in Atlanta, but many fans are ignoring that request.

Conversation Starters

Conversation Starters

  • John Skipper and Dan Le Batard’s nascent Meadowlark Media has talked to a pair of sports industry heavyweights about possible financing: Wasserman and DraftKings. The exploratory talks are “serious” but not finalized, a source told Front Office Sports. Skipper and Le Batard are seeking an estimated $10-15 million for their new “creator-centric” content factory.
  • With March Madness raring to go, the NCAA is ending a regular season in which 10% of games were canceled. Another 10% were postponed and played later. Once the tournament starts, any team that has to sit too many players due to positive COVID-19 tests will forfeit, and their opponent will automatically move to the next round.
  • The NFL added Maia Chaka to its officiating staff for the 2021 season. She’s the first Black woman to be an on-field official in the league’s history.
  • In 2016, the Philadelphia 76ers, Brooklyn Nets, New York Knicks, and Milwaukee Bucks were the four worst teams in the NBA. Today, those same teams are all ranked top-five in the East. Get more stories like this in The Association — a free, daily NBA newsletter. Click here to subscribe.

SPONSORED

Four Champions. Three Title Fights.

Champion meets champion as light heavyweight king Jan Blachowicz makes his first title defense against middleweight champ Israel Adesanya.

Plus, Amanda Nunes and Petr Yan put their belts on the line—all at UFC 259, only on ESPN+. Prelims at 8PM/ET, Main Card at 10PM/ET.

Get UFC 259 and an ESPN+ Annual Plan for only $89.98.

Market Movers

Market Movers

The Labor Department’s February jobs report sparked some optimism, but overall, U.S. stocks closed with mixed results Friday. Here’s a look at how sports-related stocks performed:

Up:

Gravity Co., Ltd. (NASDAQ: GRVY) gained 9.58%

Daktronics, Inc. (NASDAQ: DAKT) gained 7.94%

Fox Corporation (NASDAQ: FOX) gained 6.35%

Down:

Allied Esports Entertainment Inc. (NASDAQ: AESE) dropped 25.38%

fuboTV Inc. (NYSE: FUBO) dropped 6.54%

Hibbett Sports, Inc. (NASDAQ: HIBB) dropped 3.93%

(Note: All as of market close on 3/5/21)

What to Watch

What to Watch

UFC Light Heavyweight champion Jan Blachowicz (27-8-0) will meet Middleweight champion Israel Adesanya (20-0-0) in the octagon for UFC 259 from the UFC APEX in Las Vegas.

Fifteen of Adesanya’s 20 MMA wins have been via knockout. He’ll look to keep his undefeated score in what may be his hardest fight yet.

How to Watch: 

Saturday, March 6

*Watch UFC 259 on ESPN+

Main Card: ESPN+ pay-per-view at 10 p.m. ET

  • Prelims: ESPN at 8 p.m. ET
  • Early Prelims: ESPN+ at 6 p.m. ET

*Sponsored Content

Betting Odds:

Adesanya ML -230 || O/U 2.5

Pick: Coming off an impressive performance against Paulo Costa in September, Adesanya will look to use his striking and fight IQ to disrupt Blachowicz, a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu.

Despite a slight difference in weight, the lighter Adesanya should have no problem handling the power of his opponent, so take Adesanya and the under, as “The Last Stylebender” hopes to add to his knockout total. 

Who ya got? Reply to this newsletter with your prediction for the Blachowicz-Adesanya winner, whether it will go the distance, and if not, what round the fight ends. Nail it and you get a mention in Monday’s FOS PM. Don’t forget to include your Twitter handle.

Shoutout: We asked you to pick the winner and score of Thursday night’s tilt between the Flyers and the Penguins. No one got the exact outcome of Flyers 4 – Pens 3, but Bradley O. (@b_okamoto) and David N. (@sportsgurudave) came closest at 4-2.

Bradley gets bonus points for boldness but none for accuracy on calling a two-point game for James van Riemsdyk.

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Written by Abigail Gentrup, Justin Byers, Owen Poindexter

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