The Pro Bowl is gone, and the NFL is tapping Peyton Manning for an event that elevates youth sports.

The week-long event will be rebranded as “The Pro Bowl Games” and feature top AFC and NFC stars facing off in skills competitions, culminating in a flag football game. 

• The series of competitions will take place in Las Vegas, with the flag football game happening on Feb. 5 at Allegiant Stadium, a week before Super Bowl LVII. ABC and ESPN will broadcast the game.
• The league has not yet announced the other contests, describing them as “challenges where players showcase their football and non-football skills.”
• Peyton Manning and his Omaha Productions will partner with the league and ESPN on the revamped games. Manning will also be part of the coaching staff for the culminating flag football game.

Last season’s Pro Bowl drew 6.7 million viewers across ABC, ESPN, and DisneyXD — a 16-year low.

Raise the Flag

The Pro Bowl Games aim to grow youth interest and participation in football.

“We’re thrilled to use The Pro Bowl Games as a platform to spotlight flag football as an integral part of the sport’s future,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL executive vice president of club business and league events.

The league noted that “flag football has been a critical piece of the NFL’s participation and development strategy, due to its highly accessible and inclusive qualities.”

The week will also include games between top boys’ and girls’ flag football teams from around the country.

Juventus’ losses are extending beyond the pitch, with the Serie A club recording the largest financial deficit in the Italian league’s history.

The club reported a $246.1 million loss for the 2021-22 season — its fifth consecutive annual deficit. Over the past three years, Juve has recorded a combined loss of $517.45 million. 

The club primarily attributed the loss to the pandemic and media revenue impacts due to last season’s early knockout from the UEFA Champions League. 

Juve generated $22.21 million from the 2021-22 season-ticket campaign, a decline from pre-pandemic seasons due to leaving more tickets available for “single-access” Championship matches. The club also offered discounts to season-ticket holders to compensate for matches closed due to the pandemic.

As of June 30, 2022, the club’s net financial debt totaled roughly $148.05 million. 

• One year prior, Juventus’ financial debt was around $376.15 million. 
• Last year, the club also announced plans to raise roughly $474 million through a new share offering. It was approved by the Extraordinary Shareholder Meeting in October and completed in December.

Executive Trouble

Juventus sits eighth in Serie A and is coming off its first trophyless campaign in more than a decade. 

Fans have called on the club to fire manager Massimiliano Allegri, but Juventus president Andrea Agnelli said in December that Allegri was here to stay — Allegri is the highest-paid coach in Serie A with a contract that runs through June 2025.

Fans’ efforts have ramped up recently, with #AllegriOut trending on Twitter.

Manchester City owner City Football Group has reportedly made an offer of around $190 million to acquire Brazilian soccer club Esporte Clube Bahia.

The deal is reportedly for a 90% stake in the team, with an option to add another 5%. Sports Illustrated reported last week that pending legal documents that make it official, the deal is done.

• Bahia president Guilherme Bellintani previously told Brazilian media the deal was valued at $126.4 million. 
• The Serie B team reportedly has a good chance of being promoted to the top division this season.

The news comes just over a year since a law passed allowing Brazilian soccer clubs to seek outside investments.

CFG now has full or partial stakes in 12 soccer clubs including New York City FC, Melbourne FC and Manchester City — the world’s sixth-highest-valued soccer team at $4.25 billion. 

In South America, the company also has a stake in Uruguay’s Montevideo City Torque and a deal with Club Bolivar.

Most recently, CFG acquired an 80% stake in Italian Serie B’s Palermo in June.

Silver Lake’s Stake

Earlier this month, it was revealed that Silver Lake increased its stake in City Football Group by 4.1% to 14.54% sometime between early 2020 and January 2022, becoming the company’s second-largest shareholder. Silver Lake purchased its initial 10% stake for $500 million in 2019.