The future of a Super League in European soccer faces yet another hurdle.

Last year, a judge said FIFA and UEFA couldn’t sanction teams for participating, but the ruling was reversed on Thursday — a legal blow for the three remaining clubs: Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid.

• The Madrid court found that teams could move forward with the plan even if they faced punishment by other governing bodies.
• In a statement to multiple outlets, a UEFA spokesperson said the organization “welcomes” the ruling and is “considering its implications.”

There is, however, the possibility for a further appeal.

A Fraught Start

The European Super League was officially announced about a year ago, on April 18, 2021. It would have included 12 founding members and featured midweek competition in addition to the teams’ participation in other leagues. 

But by the time the announcement was a day old, a deluge of public criticism forced most of its teams to abandon the concept. 

Florentino Perez, Real Madrid president and also the head of the Super League,  has consistently claimed the idea is not dead yet. But currently, only the three clubs remain interested.

Thirteen women have each filed claims against the FBI alleging that the government agency failed to properly investigate former USA Gymnastics team doctor Larry Nassar. 

The claims — filed for a combined total of $130 million — allege the FBI’s handling of Nassar was “a law enforcement failure of historic proportions,’ according to attorney Jamie White. 

The former Michigan State sports doctor and longtime USA Gymnastics team doctor pleaded guilty in 2017 to sexually abusing hundreds of girls and women, including Simone Biles, McKayla Maroney, and Aly Raisman. As a result, Nassar is serving up to 175 years in prison.

• Nassar abused all 13 women after July 2015, when the FBI was first alerted.
• It took 17 months after July 2015 for Nassar to be arrested by Michigan State police.
• More claims are expected to be filed. 

The FBI has an opportunity to respond to the victims’ claims within six months. A response is warranted before the 13 victims can file a formal lawsuit against the FBI.

Held Accountable 

In 2018, Michigan State University agreed to pay $500 million to 332 girls and women abused by Nassar while he worked at the university.

Roughly 500 abuse victims of Larry Nassar reached a $380 million settlement in December 2021 with USA Gymnastics, the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee, and their insurers. It ended a four-year legal battle and is one of the largest settlements ever for victims of sexual abuse.

Charlotte, North Carolina, has landed a major player in a growing sport: The city will be the landing spot of a 1.9-acre pickleball complex — the very first Rally location.

Co-owned by world-ranked pickleball player Megan Charity, Rally will include four indoor and four outdoor courts, private-event areas, a full-service restaurant, and bars. Charity will lead pickleball programs for professional players and amateurs.

As of February, around 4.8 million people play the sport, nearly double from five years ago.

As pickleball continues to grow, business opportunities do, too — there are only about 10,000 places to play in the U.S. Rally joins a number of other investors capitalizing on the growth.

• Chicken N Pickle has locations in Texas, Missouri, Kansas, and Oklahoma and plans to open an Arizona venue. It offers indoor and outdoor courts, rooftop bars, craft beers, and a full-service restaurant. 
• Electric Pickle, set to open in Tempe, Arizona, next year, is a roughly 15,226-square-foot venue featuring nine pickleball courts, a bar, restaurant, retail store, and entertainment stage.
• In Charlotte, Sports Connection offers 14 indoor and four outdoor courts.

Professional Pickleball

In 2018, the Professional Pickleball Association Tour formed, then was later acquired with Pickleball Central by Tom Dundon, the owner of the Carolina Hurricanes. 

A second pro tour sanctioned by USA Pickleball, the sport’s governing body, was launched by the Association of Pickleball Professionals in 2019. The prize purse for the 2019 USA Pickleball National Championships was $80,000.

Activision Blizzard is no longer facing a class-action lawsuit in California that claimed the video game publisher misled investors regarding allegations of sexual harassment and discrimination against its female employees. 

The lawsuit — filed by shareholders in August 2021 — was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Percy Anderson, who found the investors failed to provide evidence of false statements made by Activision.

Anderson also ruled that Activision didn’t have a duty to disclose investigations by three separate government agencies: the California Department of Fair Employment and Housing, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Activision’s legal jeopardy regarding sexual misconduct and harassment is far from over, as it faces an ongoing investigation. Recently, the company has taken steps to combat its ongoing issues. 

• It added two women, Lulu Cheng Meservey and Kerry Carr, to its board.
• Meservey serves as VP of communications at Substack, while Carr is a senior VP at Bacardi.

The investigation could also stand in the way of Microsoft’s deal to acquire Activision for $68.7 billion. The deal, announced in January, is currently under regulatory review.

Steady Business 

Activision generated $2.1 billion in revenue in Q4 2021, compared to $2.4 billion in revenue for the same period the year prior. The company reported 371 million monthly active users in Q4.

Full-year revenue for Activision reached $8.8 billion, up from $8 billion in revenue in FY2020.