ESPN is betting on itself Wednesday night. 

The network is set to broadcast its first alternate sports betting presentation for an NBA game. The presentation will be a special derived from ESPN’s sports betting show “Daily Wager,” which debuted in 2019.

The game at the center of the “BetCast” pits the Brooklyn Nets against the Philadelphia 76ers. The “Daily Wager Special” arrives as sports betting becomes less taboo among broadcasters and sports organizations and is now legalized in 25 states and Washington, D.C. 

“You can have a normal conversation about betting,” Daily Wager commentator Doug Kezirian told Variety. “And it will not feel dirty or shady or anything silly like that — period.”

Both ESPN+ and ESPN2 will broadcast the special, while ESPN will host a traditional broadcast. The usual “Daily Wager” crew will host; ESPN analyst and NBA champion Kendrick Perkins will also have a hand in the coverage.

A big part of the draw for the broadcast will be customized graphics designed to immerse viewers and tip-off and halftime shows geared towards betting.

“We know the sports fan is evolving in how they use our games and our information, and we need to evolve with them and provide them with alternative experiences,” ESPN vice president of basketball production Mike Shiffman said in an interview.

ESPN previously tested a betting-focused presentation in January during its megacast of the NFL Wild Card matchup between the Baltimore Ravens and Tennessee Titans.

Chiney Ogwumike first made a name for herself in three Final Four appearances with Stanford. Since then, the two-time WNBA All-Star’s success off the court has been as impressive as her presence on it. 

The No. 1 pick in the 2014 WNBA draft, the Los Angeles Sparks power forward continues to add “firsts” to her resume. 

In 2018, Ogwumike signed a multiyear contract with ESPN, becoming one of the youngest commentators to be named a full-time NBA analyst. In 2020, she became the first Black woman and WNBA player to host a national radio show for the network.

“The way I’ve approached partnerships is taking opportunity over compensation,” Ogwumike told Front Office Sports. “Prove ourselves as valuable, and then the compensation comes.”

Through Ogwumike’s business and broadcasting ventures, public speaking engagements, and success on the court, the 29-year-old has built a seven-figure empire, according to her agent, Allison Galer. Last month, Ogwumike signed a fully protected two-year deal with the Los Angeles Sparks that will pay her an average of $114,695 per year, according to Spotrac. Her agent, Allison Galer, said Ogwumike was able to take a pay cut in her salary thanks to her other jobs, putting her team in a position to win.

Outside of playing, commentating, and hosting a daily talk show, Ogwumike works with Adidas, AT&T and DoorDash — the latter made her the first WNBA player in over a decade to have a solo, non-basketball commercial.

Ogwumike is also adding “executive producer” to her list of titles. She pitched and produced an ESPN documentary series about the 2020 WNBA bubble slated for next month. The series highlights the WNBA’s successful campaign to elect Raphael Warnock to the Georgia senate, ousting former Atlanta Dream owner Sen. Kelly Loeffler from office.

“I want to continue to tell more stories and keep pushing boundaries in broadcast and business,” Ogwumike said.

Racing has taken a left turn on environmental issues, and sponsors that have historically shied away from the sport are giving it a second look.

As a sport that celebrates the burning of fuel, racing is a strange fit for any potential sponsor that associates itself with environmentalism. That has been changing, however, particularly through Formula E, an electric vehicle race series.

• Sponsors of Extreme E, a Formula E-sponsored off-road series in climate change-impacted regions include clean energy company AFC Energy, plastics biodegrader Poly Materia, and plant-based burger-maker Neat Burger.
• NASCAR’s Green campaign includes initiatives around biodiesel, solar farms, and oil recycling.
• The Roush Fenway Racing team announced it had gone carbon neutral in February. In 2019, Formula I stated plans to have a net-zero carbon footprint by 2030.

The climate-friendly association also lends Formula E and Extreme E a different aesthetic than that of traditional racing. While NASCAR brings in mainstream brands such as Coca-Cola, Busch, and Geico, Extreme E has attracted luxury brands like Moncler, LuisaViaRoma, and Zenith.

Automakers who compete in NASCAR’s races have also been quick to align themselves with racing’s new environmentally friendly side. Nissan, Mercedes, Jaguar, and Porsche are all fielding Formula E teams.

The Tokyo Olympics will be a pivot point for U.S. men’s gymnastics — one that could lead to stumbles in future years.

The U.S. team has relied on the NCAA system for talent, but that pipeline is shrinking due to cuts by NCAA programs looking to save costs in a challenging financial year. The University of Iowa and University of Minnesota both recently shed their gymnastics programs, leaving five men’s programs among the Big Ten schools and 11 at the Division I level. 

Only a handful of scholarships for men’s gymnastics are available in Division I schools, and the total number of boys and men enrolled in USA Gymnastics, the sport’s U.S. governing body, has shrunk from 13,000 in 2007 to 11,000. The reduction could portend future struggles: 26 of the 36 men’s gymnastics Olympians since 2000 came from NCAA programs. The team has not medaled since winning the bronze in 2008.

If the men’s Olympics team is looking for a big moment in Tokyo to give the sport a jolt, it will have to do so under unusual circumstances. The pandemic left many gymnasts on their own when it came to training, which made regular assessments by team leadership more difficult.

The biggest long-term problem may be the general popularity of the sport. While female gymnasts have enjoyed fame and endorsements — Simone Biles, for example, has deals with Nike, Beats By Dre, United Airlines, and many more — men have struggled to capture the American audience in recent years.

The team hopes to use Tokyo to vault to greater popularity, but it’s far from certain they’ll stick the landing.