The NFL’s stance toward sports betting officially changed on Thursday as the league announced sportsbook partnerships with Caesars Entertainment, DraftKings and FanDuel. 

The three deals are worth close to $1 billion combined and each spans five years, a source with knowledge of the agreement told Front Office Sports.

The NFL is the last of the major U.S. sports leagues to partner with a sportsbook. Back in 2009, the NFL was one of the driving forces behind preventing Delaware from launching parlay betting through the state’s lottery system.

“I would probably tell you that I think society has probably had a little bit of a change with respect to gambling in general,” NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters at a league annual meeting in March 2017. “I think we still strongly oppose it in that room, and otherwise, legalized sports gambling. The integrity of our game is No. 1. We will not compromise on that.”

That stance slowly changed after the U.S. Supreme Court declared the Professional and Amateur Sports Protection Act unconstitutional in May 2018, a decision that effectively allowed every state to launch regulated sports betting.

Twenty-five states and Washington, D.C. have approved some form of sports betting to date.

“Working closely with Caesars, DraftKings, and FanDuel, we will provide fans new and different ways of interacting and engaging with the sport they love,” said Renie Anderson, the chief revenue officer and executive vice president of NFL Partnerships.

As part of the deal, the three sportsbooks will be able to integrate their betting platforms into NFL Media properties, like NFL.com and the league’s app.

DraftKings and FanDuel also gained the ability to add NFL highlights and the league’s Next Gen Stats to their platforms.

All three will be able to offer ”NFL-themed free-to-play games,” according to the NFL. Caesars, which was already the league’s official casino sponsor, retains its exclusivity when it comes to the use of NFL trademarks on its properties.

Six months ago, Jake Paul knocked out former NBA dunk champion Nate Robinson. 

His next challenger? A guy making his boxing debut.

Paul will meet Ben Askren — a former Bellator and ONE welterweight champion who retired from MMA with a 19-2 record following hip replacement surgery — Saturday night at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.

This will be Paul’s third fight. He’s 2-0.

There’s been plenty of the usual pre-fight buildup for this one. Askren talked of committing “homicide” in their press conference on March 26. He didn’t disclose how much he will make from the fight, but said it will probably be “the biggest payday” of his career. 

Askren’s net worth is said to be $10 million as of January; he won $263,500 in his last fight.

A slew of others are cashing in on the celebrity boxing trend, too.

• Oscar De La Hoya said that he’s making a boxing comeback in July under Snoop Dogg’s Fight Club banner.
• Lamar Odom is slated to face singer Aaron Carter in the ring this June.
• Zab Judah announced Celebrity Boxing Championships earlier this month, commentated by Young Joc and former boxing world champion Charles Hatley.

Paul vs. Robinson was the undercard for Mike Tyson vs. Roy Jones Jr., which sold over 1.6 million pay-per-views and generated more than $80 million in revenue. It was one of the top eight PPV events of all time, JS Communications told FOS.

The fight will be carried on all PPV platforms, including cable, satellite, telco, and streaming.

Looking to build on its biggest year yet, the National Women’s Soccer League opened with a flurry of excitement — and tension.

In a year of few events with fans and diminished broadcast numbers across most sports, the NWSL nearly tripled its viewership record with help from new deals with CBS and Twitch, as well as an infusion of interest from athlete and celebrity investors. 

The uptick in popularity lured Google, Verizon, and Procter and Gamble as corporate sponsors. 

Naomi Osaka, Serena Williams, Abby Wambach, and Brittany Matthews, fiancee of Chiefs’ quarterback Patrick Mahomes, bought into NWSL teams at the ownership level in the last year. The 10-team league, which debuted Racing Louisville FC and Kansas City this year, will expand to Sacramento and Los Angeles next season. 

The league’s first week produced considerable headlines, not all of which were positive.

• Four red cards were given out in four minutes in a match between Kansas City and the Portland Thorns after Kansas City’s Kristen Edmonds hit Portland’s Morgan Weaver amid a scuffle over the ball. Edmonds was suspended for two games.
• The NWSL is investigating claims by Sarah Gorden of the Chicago Red Stars of racial profiling by a security guard after a match against the Houston Dash.
• The opening weekend also had a number of first career goals, including one by Trinity Rodman, the daughter of former NBA star Dennis Rodman, who plays for the Washington Spirit. 

With live fans returning, the NWSL will look to keep its momentum through the Challenge Cup, which lasts through May 8, and into the regular season at a time when it’s getting more attention than ever.

As fans pour back into MLB ballparks across the country, new systems, protocols, and technology has been put in place to make the experience seamless.

That said, fans of the Los Angeles Dodgers, San Francisco Giants, Cincinnati Reds, and Arizona Diamondbacks have voiced complaints about long waits for concessions.

“The Diamondbacks home opener at Chase Field was the worst experience I’ve ever had at a baseball game,” Kristopher Bare tweeted. “Spent $200 on two tickets that were supposed to be ‘all you can eat’ seats and spent two-plus hours in line waiting.” 

Recently implemented all-digital concession ordering is the culprit for much of the issues. At the start of this season, MLB offers fans the ability to order concessions through its MLB Ballpark app, hiccups have pushed some teams to revert to traditional operations. 

“Dodger Stadium will continue with walk-up ordering, as in past seasons, with social distancing and all health and safety guidelines enforced,” the Dodgers said in a statement.

The at-home experience has been smoother. MLB.TV, the league’s streaming service, had its most-watched Opening Day in history this month. Subscribers watched 121 million minutes of live games, a 26% uptick from last season’s Opening Day high.