On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams are joined by Sportico colleague Eric Jackson in a live episode filmed during SXSW in Austin, Texas.
The trio breaks down news items Sportico broke this week, starting with rapper Eminem joining the group looking to bring a WNBA team back to Detroit. Eminem is one of the city’s most prominent celebrities, and he’s joined a group led by Pistons owner Tom Gores, whose NBA team is on the upswing. Others in the group include local athletes (Jared Goff), executives (Mary Barra) and owners of the Lions, Red Wings and Tigers. It’s an all-hands-on-deck approach, and it comes as WNBA prepares to add at least one more franchise.
More from Sportico.com
Next they talk about the latest in the Boston Celtics sale. The next round of bids are due at the end of the week, and there are four groups currently engaged in the process. They are: 1) Steve Pagliuca, a Celtics minority partner and the likely front-runner; 2) the Friedkin Group, which owns two European soccer teams; 3) Philadelphia Phillies minority owner Stan Middleman; and 4) STG managing partner William Chisholm. It’s unclear whether all the groups are fully funded, and the group discusses the oddities of this sale. The Celtics are one of the league’s most visible, successful and valuable franchises, but they don’t come with the real estate or media opportunities that are driving sports team valuations right now.
Next they talk about random takeaways from conversations at the Sportico House at SXSW. NBA star Chris Paul, Olympian Gabby Thomas, former NFL player Colt McCoy, Texas football coach Steve Sarkisian and Men in Blazers founder Roger Bennett were among those that spoke during the two-day event. They covered athlete billionaires, new media strategies, start-up leagues, and more.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
Sign up for Sportico’s Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
#Sporticast #Breaking #News #SXSW
