Happy November to everybody. I had a blast last weekend in Jacksonville for Florida/Georgia, and while the Gators did not win, the defensive line looked amazing. I believe we are the highest ranked two-loss team in the initial College Football Playoff ranking, so that says a lot about what Dan Mullen has been able to accomplish in his first year as head coach of the football team that has gone through many years of struggles. Meanwhile, my favorite pro football team — the Miami Dolphins — as well as my NBA team Miami Heat are not doing so well. I am more hopeful about the Dolphins, but with injuries stacking up it could be a long second half of the season.
I’ll be up in New York from Saturday through Thursday, so if you’re in or around the city, hit me up and let’s see if we can meet up somehow, some way.
This week on The Sports Biz:
(1) JuJu Smith-Schuster Signs 6-Figure Deal With The Black Tux;
(2) What’s The Angst Over Florida Amendment 3;
(3) Job Opening: NBPA’s THINK450 Seeks Associate Counsel;
(4) Job Opening: Yahoo Sports Seeks Senior Editor;
(5) Trademark Opposition Filed By LA Angels Is A Terrible Look For The MLB Club;
(6) MGM Opens Wallet, NHL Commissioner Changes His Position On Sports Betting;
(7) $764.5 Million: What Alcohol Beverage Brands Spend Per Year On Sports Sponsorship;
(8) $16M Series B In Jackpocket Includes Participation Former NBA Commish David Stern;
(9) Under Armour’s Q3 Results Lead To Massive Stock Surge;
(10) $7.7 Million Forfeited By Le’Veon Bell And Only 2 Weeks To Change His Mind
And as always, the weekly wrap-up:
Baseball
- Former agent Van Wagenen beat out Rays exec Chaim Bloom and ex-Rangers and Brewers GM Doug Melvin for the job [Brodie Van Wagenen introduced as 13th GM of the Mets, addresses Jacob deGrom’s future and vows to build a team New York will be proud of].
- Surprise, surprise — Scott Boras is concerned [Mets to name Brodie Van Wagenen next GM, and agents have questions].
Basketball
- The email was to partner Munish Sood [ESPN reports agent Christian Dawkins emailed plan to pay Rawle Alkins and family $50,000].
- Regent Bill Ridenour said no one should read anything into the fact that they scheduled a special meeting [Regent: Arizona Wildcats Sean Miller’s job not in jeopardy after recent federal court revelations].
- $1 million donated, a day after 2 people associated with Adidas were found guilty in college hoops corruption trial [University of Louisville Unveils Adidas-Funded Ethical Leadership Project].
Soccer
- 3 agents, including Mogi Bayat, were imprisoned [Five suspects detained in Belgium football fraud probe].
