Barcelona and Real Madrid publicly criticized an agreement between the league and CVC Capital Partners concerning the firm’s proposed $3.2 billion investment in league assets.

La Liga needs a majority of the 42 teams in its first and second divisions to agree to the deal — which would see CVC receive 10% of the league’s revenue — for it to move forward.

• Real Madrid argued that La Liga was effectively offering up rights owned by the clubs: “This agreement, by way of a misleading structure, expropriates 10.95% of the clubs’ audiovisual rights for the next 50 years, in breach of the law,” the team wrote on Thursday.
• Barca critiqued the length and value of the deal, writing, “The terms of the contract that La Liga is describing condemn FC Barcelona’s future with regard to broadcasting rights.”

At a Friday press conference regarding the departure of superstar Lionel Messi, Barcelona president John Laporta noted that, ​”we have received a terrible inheritance from the previous board which means that salaries at the Club represent 110% of income.”

The spat is the latest chapter in an ongoing clash over the financial future of La Liga and European soccer. Real Madrid and Barca have not disavowed their membership in the Super League, which would have created a midweek tournament among Europe’s top clubs.

Messi is now reportedly considering a two-year contract offer from Paris Saint-Germain worth about $35 million per year.

The Cleveland Indians are changing their name, but the team isn’t going anywhere.

The club agreed to a 15-year extension of its lease at Progressive Field, keeping the team in place through 2036. The deal includes two five-year options that could extend it to 2046.

As part of the $435 million deal, the team, city, county, and state will fund ballpark renovations. 

Renovations to the 35,041-seat stadium could start in the next five years, according to team owner Paul Dolan.

• The team will pay $10 million each year of the lease, $4.5 million of which will go toward stadium upgrades and repairs.
• Cleveland and Cuyahoga County will collectively contribute $17 million annually from existing revenue. 
• Ohio will chip in $2 million annually. Gov. Mike DeWine got involved with the lease negotiations to help ensure the team would stay in Cleveland.

The remaining step is for the lease to be approved by the Cleveland city council.

The original lease was set to end in 2023, fueling chatter that the team could relocate if it did not reach a new agreement. 

The team will change its name to the Guardians at the end of the 2021 season.

With the 2022 Winter Games around the corner, Beijing says it wants to make sports a $773 billion industry for China by 2025.

Up 70% increase from 2019 levels, the figure represents an effort to drive the economy by creating jobs and attracting investment. In turn, China has increased sports spending and set new national goals for the sector.

• It plans to increase the number of people participating in regular physical activity to 38.5% by 2025.
• The country wants to make sure every community has gym equipment, with plans to build and renovate more than 2,000 stadiums, sports parks, and fitness centers.
• It plans to have three million people employed as fitness trainers.

Chinese sneaker manufacturers and other sports-related companies saw shares jump after the goals were released last week.

If Beijing’s goals are met by 2025, the sports industry would total 3.3% of China’s gross domestic product, up from 2.5% in 2015.

Beijing already has a $3.9 billion budget for the 2022 Games in February, but with a surge in COVID-19 cases and boycotts looming from countries around the world, there’s a chance Beijing could face the same tough decisions as Tokyo about whether or not to cancel the games.

Mobile gaming company Zynga reported $720 million in second-quarter revenue, up from $680 million in Q1.

The “Words With Friends” developer reached a number of other milestones in the past few days.

• Zynga announced on Thursday it is acquiring “Golf Rival” developer StarLark for $525 million in cash and stock.
• The company confirmed it completed its acquisition of Chartboost, a mobile advertising and monetization platform, in a $250 million cash deal.
• Rollic, a subsidiary of Zynga, announced that it surpassed one billion downloads across its portfolio of games. Zynga acquired Rollic in October 2020.

According to the Entertainment Software Association, 55% of U.S. gamers played more during the pandemic, and 90% said they’ll continue to play as the country opens up.

Those figures line up with Zynga’s results.

CEO Frank Gibeau told The Hollywood Reporter that in May and July there was a drop in users from those that recently started gaming, but “those who joined early on in the COVID-19 pandemic are still playing regularly.”