The WNBA generates more record-setting numbers in its ongoing business boom, but the growth is not entirely a straight line for the league. … Manchester City’s Premier League title, a record-setting fourth in a row, elongates the climb for the U.S.-based owners of other English soccer clubs. … Nelly Korda extends her domination of the LPGA. … Plus: More on the Jaguars, the Cincinnati Open, Sports Illustrated, and the PGA Tour.
Meanwhile, in a Front Office Sports exclusive, writer Robert Silverman details the chaos enveloping the Arena Football League in its latest reboot attempt, and it chronicles the devolving into what is described as a “semi-pro” operation.
—Eric Fisher and David Rumsey
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The 2024 WNBA season has already been seen for some time as an economic watershed for the league, and not just because of the Caitlin Clark (above, left) effect. The early days of the new campaign have helped confirm that notion, but not entirely in positive ways.
Since the May 14 start of the season, the WNBA has seen:
- A new single-game ticket revenue record as the New York Liberty generated more than $2 million from their Saturday win over the Indiana Fever at Barclays Center, according to the Associated Press
- An average attendance of 8,730, a figure up by nearly one-third from the league’s full-season average in 2023 of 6,615
- An ESPN viewership record for the WNBA with an average draw of 2.1 million for the Fever–Connecticut Sun game on May 15
The league’s ongoing growth, however, still contains some elements of controversy. The WNBA is now investigating a sponsorship deal between the Aces and Las Vegas Convention and Visitors Authority in which each player will receive $100,000—a figure higher than the salaries of six players on the team. The basis of the probe, and underlying concern, is whether the Aces will receive an unfair advantage in free agency due to deals such as this.
Aces star A’ja Wilson, however, said the investigation could set an improper tone and impair the broader mission for the WNBA.
“When we’re talking about growing the game. We’re talking about taking that next step; it can’t always be ‘investigate, investigate, investigate,’” Wilson said. “It has to be like, ‘We’re trying to move the needle. We’re trying to make things better for franchises, for players, for teams.’”
Overmatched in Indy?
On the court, the start of the Clark era with the Fever has often been ugly, with the team losing its first three games by an average of 23 points and the former Iowa star struggling at numerous points as she adjusts to the higher level of competition.
As that process continues, the secondary market for the Fever continues to show some marked pockets of softness. Tickets to several upcoming Indiana games can easily be purchased for $5 or less, and in some cases just $1, a situation also fueled by extra seating inventory that the team opened up the entire upper deck of Gainbridge Fieldhouse for home contests. If the Fever continue to be dominated by the rest of the league, the previously white-hot ticket market to see Clark will likely see further softening.
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The English Premier League season ended with a record performance from Manchester City on Sunday, becoming the first club to win the title four years in a row. That first-place finish comes with a nice bonus this year, too. Man City can expect to receive roughly $79 million from the EPL’s system of merit payments, according to The Athletic.
An American Affair
Man City, which is owned by the Abu Dhabi–based City Football Group, had some strong competition throughout the season from several clubs owned by notable American businesspeople and owners of U.S.-based sports franchises. Here’s how EPL clubs with significant U.S. investors ended in the standings:
- 2nd: Arsenal, Stan Kroenke (Rams, Nuggets, Avalanche, Mammoth)
- 3rd: Liverpool, Fenway Sports Group (Red Sox, Penguins)
- 4th: Aston Villa, Wes Edens (former Bucks co-owner)
- 6th: Chelsea, Todd Boehly (investments in Dodgers, Sparks, Lakers)
- 8th: Manchester United, Glazer family (Buccaneers)
- 10th: Crystal Palace, John Textor (multiclub portfolio Eagle Football Holdings)
- 12th: Bournemouth, Bill Foley (Golden Knights)
- 13th: Fulham, Shad Khan (Jaguars)
- 19th: Burnley, New York–based ALK Capital
Everton, which is currently going through a rocky takeover attempt by Miami-based firm 777 Partners, finished 15th.
Next Up
This weekend, Leeds United, the club controlled by the same group that owns the NFL’s 49ers, will face Southampton in a winner-take-all playoff match to earn the final promotion slot into the EPL next season. Leicester City and Ipswich Town have already secured the other two coveted spots, which can be worth roughly $200 million each over a three-year period, for clubs that remain in the top flight.
Meanwhile, Manchester City and Manchester United will face off in the FA Cup final Saturday for the second year in a row. This year, the victorious club will earn roughly $2.5 million in prize money.
The Dark Side
Drawing the short end of the stick and being relegated from the EPL are Luton Town, Burnley, and Sheffield United. The fall down to the second-tier EFL championship comes with a reduction of at least $100 million in revenue distribution that EPL clubs receive annually.
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$2.91 million
Total prize money LPGA golfer Nelly Korda (above) has won in her last seven tournaments, which includes six victories and one tie for seventh place. On Sunday, she won the Mizuho Americas Open at Liberty National Golf Course in New Jersey. Next up, Korda will look to win her second major championship of the year, and seventh event this season, at the Women’s U.S. Open. The tournament, which begins May 30 at Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania, will offer a total purse of $12 million—the highest in women’s golf.
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Orlando and Gainesville ⬆ The Florida cities are among the favorites to land the Jaguars for the 2027 season, should they temporarily relocate during the final year of construction on their stadium plan that is estimated to cost $1.4 billion.
Cincinnati Open ⬆ The ATP and WTA tennis tournament formerly known as the Western & Southern Open has unveiled the next steps of a $260 million facility renovation.
Sports Illustrated ⬇ The media outlet will reportedly not publish a magazine edition in May, marking the first time in 70 years it will skip a month, according to the New York Post.
PGA Tour ⬇ Another member of the policy board has resigned. Mark Flaherty, who was one of five independent directors, stepped down Sunday. That came less than a week after Jimmy Dunne, the architect of the PGA Tour’s deal with the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, walked away from the PGA Tour policy board, which now has six player members and just three non-player members.
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- Simple but to the point: Adidas’s ad for Anthony Edwards after he led the Timberwolves to the Western Conference finals was a play on his nickname. Look here.
- After Joey Logano won the NASCAR All-Star Race on Sunday, Fox’s interview with him was interrupted by a scuffle between Kyle Busch and Ricky Stenhouse Jr. Watch here.
- When Alex Rodriguez became a co-owner of the T-Wolves in 2021, Anthony Edwards once remarked, “I don’t know who that is.” Following Minnesota’s Game 7 win, the two shared a celebratory moment. Check it out.
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 | David Fletcher reportedly used the same bookmaker as Ohtani’s former interpreter.
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 | Harrison’s side says the two sides don’t have a contract, which Fanatics disputes.
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 | Inside the carefully coordinated, multimillion-dollar operation to end the athletes’ rights era. |
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