Unless there’s a settlement over the next several weeks, the NFL — along with Los Angeles Rams owner Stan Kroenke — face a jury trial that could lead to hundreds of millions of dollars in damages over the Rams’ 2016 move from St. Louis.

On Sept. 13, a judge denied a bid by the defendants to dismiss the case ahead of the Jan. 10, 2022 trial date. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for Friday.

Sports attorney Daniel Wallach told Front Office Sports that the judge denying summary judgment will likely serve as the “come-to-Jesus moment” for the NFL, making a settlement with the plaintiffs much more likely.

A $1 billion figure could be a “starting point” for the plaintiffs to settle ahead of the trial, Wallach said.

St. Louis, St. Louis County, and the St. Louis Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority filed the lawsuit in 2017.

Wallach warned of major damages if a St. Louis jury finds Kroenke and the NFL liable for breach of contract and unjust enrichment:

• The Rams’ increased in value from $1.45 billion in 2015 to its current valuation of $4.8 billion, according to Forbes.
• The plaintiffs claim the city, county, and state have lost more than $100 million in hotel, property tax, sales tax, and ticket tax revenues since the Rams left town.

If the judge allows the jury to consider the valuation increase along with the $550 million relocation fee, punitive damages — which multiply damages as a deterrent – could surpass $10 billion.

La Liga’s top clubs were unable to stop a vote approving an investment from CVC Capital, so now they are attacking the agreement itself.

Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Athletic Bilbao said they are “challenging” the deal in separate statements, implying that it violates Spanish law. 

The deal “infringes the applicable rules set out (and in particular, amongst others, the Royal Decree Law 5/2015),” Barcelona wrote, adding, “it was adopted as part of a highly irregular and disrespectful process.” 

The decree, passed in May 2015 with support from Barcelona and Real Madrid, sought to make media rights revenues distributions to Spanish soccer clubs more transparent and equitable. 

• In August, La Liga’s teams approved a $117.3 million deal in which CVC would purchase a stake in a holding company that would house the league’s media rights.
• CVC would receive 11% of La Liga’s media revenue for 50 years. It would also provide $2.9 billion to league clubs as an interest-free loan.
• The deal was approved with only the three challenging clubs opposed after CVC included a provision allowing individual clubs to opt out of the deal.

Barcelona issued a report on Monday which the club said shows that the deal with CVC “makes no sense for FC Barcelona given the cost involved, the returns, the duration of the agreement, and the obligations and commitments it contains.”

CVC has been aggressive in accruing sports investments, including stakes in United Rugby Championship, Six Nations Rugby, and International Volleyball Federation. The firm is close to selling a 10% stake to Blue Owl at a $15 billion valuation.

Boom Entertainment raised $15 million in an initial funding round that included New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, Golden Nugget Online Gaming, Rush Street Interactive, and former MGM Resorts International chairman Jim Murren.

Formerly known as Boom Sports, the company builds and operates games for an audience of 3 million users. NBC Sports Predictor is its most successful game, but it also works with leagues, sportsbooks, and retailers. 

A focus on sports wagering is at the forefront of Boom’s business model, with the new funding helping it “create and change the way sports fans bet.”

• The company hired DraftKings’ former director of sportsbook operations Chris Fargis in July.
• Last year, it partnered with Penn National Gaming to launch a consumer-facing sportsbook.

The Series A round was led by Sands Capital. Previous investors include ESPN analyst Adam Schefter, Palo Alto Venture Partners managing partner Peter Ziebelman, and BTIG executive Richard Jacklin.

Boom plans to debut casino games in the near future with help from Golden Nugget and RSI. CEO Stephen Murphy says the company wants to be offering 150 games within the next two to three years.