The entire UAB football roster has joined Athletes.org (AO), a company headed by former INFLCR CEO Jim Cavale and one of a handful of entities working to organize players for potential revenue discussions in the coming years, the company announced on Tuesday.

The team met with Cavale and co-founder Brandon Copeland on April 12 thanks to an invitation from coach Trent Dilfer. AO has since helped the entire Blazers football roster sign on with AO, while Cavale said UAB QB Jacob Zeno and RB Isaiah Jacobs asked to serve as team reps.

The crux of AO and others' work in the space has centered on the discussion regarding revenue sharing in college athletics. Pending litigation across the country has put the NCAA and other prominent college sports decision makers in the unenviable position of trying to maintain some semblance of organization and governance within a structure that has continually been deemed unconstitutional by the courts.

Cavale said he’s also been in contact with other coaches at the FBS level around AO and potentially working with their respective rosters following UAB’s involvement, which was also welcomed and, on some level, spearheaded by Dilfer.

Premier League clubs have agreed "in principle" to a cap on spending for the first time "despite opposition from the two Manchester clubs" following a vote at a Premier League shareholders' meeting in London today. The proposal, which would "restrict the top teams to spending a proportion of the amount the bottom club receive in TV and prize money on transfers, wages and agents," will now be subjected to a "'legal and economic' analysis, with the aim of holding a full vote" at the Premier League's Annual General Meeting in June. It is understood that 16 of the 20 clubs voted in favor, with Manchester United, Manchester City and Aston Villa voting against and Chelsea abstaining. The Professional Footballers' Association has warned that it "would oppose any 'hard cap' on player wages" but will" wait to see the full details of the proposal" (London TIMES, 4/29).

The Rays unveiled the latest edition of their Nike City Connect uniforms today, and they were "something of a changeup -- a bright, bold, eye-catching nod to the area's 'deeply rooted counterculture scenes' with a theme and focus on skateboarding." The uniforms, which the Rays are calling "Grit x Glow," include "dark gray pants, bright socks" and a black jersey "made to look like it was faded in the sun." Also included in the uniforms are "Devil Rays-style gradient accents on the left sleeve and right pants leg; an image of a skating ray doing a trick called a stalefish in an embroidered patch on the left hip;" a "bright version of the burst logo on one sleeve, with the other kept open for a potential sponsor patch;" and other small details. What will "stand out the most to many fans" are the "two big fire-trimmed words on the front" -- Tampa Bay. Since the 2008 rebranding and launch of the Rays era, the jerseys have featured only the team name or burst logos, "with no mention of where home is" (TAMPA BAY TIMES, 4/29).

SportsNet Pittsburgh is launching its own digital subscription service, a standalone plan titled SNP 360, that will "allow fans paying an introductory rate of $17.99 per month to access SportsNet Pittsburgh’s live programming and growing on-demand library." There was already a SNP 360 feature offered through the network’s app; however, the difference here is that fans "now do not need a cable subscription to access content -- only a direct deal with SNP." The plan will become available to fans in Pittsburgh and surrounding markets today. Fans who have previously purchased SportsNet Pittsburgh through a participating TV provider will be able to authenticate into the SNP 360 app to access the same programming, "including live Pirates and Penguins games." The streaming service will also include "a DVR feature via the cloud" (PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE, 4/29).

Peacock "plans to raise the monthly and annual fees" for its Peacock Premium and Premium Plus tiers, with the changes set to take effect before the Paris Games. Peacock Premium will rise by $2 per month to $7.99, while Premium Plus will rise by $2 to $13.99. The annual fees will rise to $79.99 and $139.99, respectively. The price changes will go into effect "on July 18 for new customers, and beginning August 17 for existing subscribers." The price increase will be the second in as many years for Peacock. The company is "betting that it has a stronger value proposition this time," coming off its exclusive NFL wild card playoff game and the upcoming Olympics. The company has "revamped its Olympics experience" for this year’s Games, adding multiview and a whip-around program to its roster, as well as a watch party hosted by popular podcaster Alex Cooper (HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, 4/29).

Former NFLer Jason Kelce "is headed to ESPN" to be part of "Monday Night Football" pregame show "Monday Night Countdown," joining host Scott Van Pelt and analysts Marcus Spears and Ryan Clark, according to sources. The Disney upfronts are two weeks away and Kelce "is likely to be a part of it." Kelce "has been interested in media" and "drew interest from NBC, CBS and Amazon, among others." He and his wife, Kylie, already had a pre-existing relationship with Amazon after their documentary series "Kelce," but Prime Video’s Thursday Night set "is already pretty packed." NBC and CBS "were both interested" in adding Kelce to their Sunday desks (THE ATHLETIC, 4/29). 

Duke’s Cameron Indoor Stadium is getting a new three-tier centerhung scoreboard system this coming season from Daktronics, in conjunction with EwingCole architecture.

The system consists of three displays, including the main one (11.5 feet high by 59 feet around), a thinner middle tier (2.5 feet high by 52.5 feet around) and the lowest tier (2.5 feet high by 39.5 feet around) that fans sitting closest to the action can reference. The combined canvas measures 900 square feet, more than double the previous 436 square feet, and 5.5 million pixels compared to the previous 415,000 pixels. Additionally, four new corner ribbon displays will be installed along with two LED scorers’ tables and 11 press table displays along the sides of the court.

Cameron Indoor Stadium’s centerhung scoreboard was last replaced in 2008. Daktronics’ scoreboards are also deployed at the home basketball venues of Stanford, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Pitt, Purdue, Auburn, Indiana, Kentucky, Gonzaga, Notre Dame, Texas, and many more.

Real estate development company LVXP announced Monday that it plans to deliver a 27-acre experiential mixed-use development on the Las Vegas Strip that its hopes could serve as the home for a new NBA franchise. The site sits across from the newly expanded Las Vegas Convention Center, adjacent Fontainebleau Las Vegas and near Resorts World Las Vegas. LVXP’s development is expected to include an expansive retail plaza, state of the art convention space, a destination casino, and several ultra-luxury hotels and residences, as well as a sports and entertainment arena. The site was previously part of businessman Jackie Robinson’s efforts to build an arena for a potential Las Vegas NBA team, which ended without success last year. The entertainment and sports arena would have between 18,500 to 20,000 seats. LVXP, which was founded in 2023, has indicated the project would be a multi-billion-dollar development.

Las Vegas-based Steelman Partners is designing the LVXP project’s architectural plans, and LVXP has hired Nick Tomasino as Chief Construction Officer; he most recently served as SVP of Construction at Madison Square Garden Entertainment where he managed construction of The Sphere.

No specifics about the arena or timetable were shared by LVXP, including renderings or a project cost. The project would join a crowded indoor venue market in Las Vegas. Oak View Group is in the process of developing an arena and casino-anchored entertainment district, while Vegas already boasts the Golden Knights’ T-Mobile Arena, UNLV’s Thomas & Mack Center (and Cox Pavilion), the Aces’ MGM Garden Arena, Orleans Arena, and a handful of other casino-related entertainment venues of larger size, like Michelob Ultra Arena at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino.

 

April 29, 1961 -- ABC’s “Wide World of Sports” debuts. The sports anthology series was hosted by Jim McKay, with a succession of co-hosts beginning in 1987. It would become a staple of Saturday afternoon television for 37 years until the series ended in 1997. The "Wide World of Sports" name continued to be used for general sports programs on the network until 2006, when ABC Sports came under the oversight of ESPN, under the relaunched banner name ESPN on ABC. In 2007, "Wide World of Sports" was named by Time on its list of the 100 best television programs of all time.

Also happening this week:

• May 1, 1947 -- The Cleveland Indians abandon League Park to play all games at Municipal Stadium.
• May 1, 1969 -- Leonard Tose buys the Eagles for a “professional sports record” of $16.15M.
• May 2, 1988 -- The Orioles sign a 15-year lease to remain in Baltimore and get a new ballpark.
• May 3, 1910 -- The Intercollegiate Athletic Association of the U.S. is renamed the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA).

Food and beverage consultancy Food Service Matters has been selected to provide insight and perspective on food and beverage for Miami Freedom Park, the future home of Inter Miami, set to open in 2025 (Food Service Matters).

Sam Houston State has selected Page Southerland Page and DLR Group to design a $60M renovation of Elliott T. Bowers Stadium’s west side. The project will be financed through a combination of bonds and the contributions of donors. Design documents are expected for submission for approval in August and construction is scheduled to commence by the end of the year, with a targeted completion date preceding the 2026 football season (Bret McCormick, SBJ).

Fanatics Collectibles has engaged KPMG to perform an examination to confirm that the process of packaging and distributing trading cards is truly random. The company believes this to be the first of its kind in the trading card industry and plans to have it performed annually (Fanatics Collectibles).

Most Valuable Promotions and Holden Boxing today confirmed that the heavyweight boxing match between Jake Paul and Mike Tyson will officially be a sanctioned, professional fight by the Texas Department of Licensing and Regulations. The heavyweight matchup will be contested over eight, two-minute rounds with 14-ounce gloves (MVP). 

The F1 Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix has signed Fontainebleau Las Vegas as an official event partner. Fontainebleau Las Vegas will host a party during race week that will transform the Paddock Club Rooftop into an open-air LIV Las Vegas from Nov. 21-23 (Las Vegas GP).

A landmark "professional game partnership" between the Rugby Football Union and Premiership Rugby has been "agreed in principle." The deal, which "will be worth more than" $331M to England's leading clubs over the next eight years, is expected to be officially announced "ahead of the June deadline, when the current eight-year deal expires" (London TELEGRAPH, 4/29).

Wrexham owners Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney have purchased a stake in Liga MX club Necaxa, which also counts actress Eva Longoria among its owners. The size of the duo's stake is unknown, but "it’s a minority interest" and said to be of "significant" size (VARIETY, 4/29).

More: 

• How Iga Swiatek became best-paid female athlete in the world.
• Why Saudis and IPL franchises are favourites to buy Hundred teams.

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— Ryan Blaney (@Blaney) April 29, 2024

"I predict that a star player is gonna look at what's going on with the Spurs and say get me there..

I don't think it's gonna be LeBron but Trae Young is an interesting name" @WindhorstESPN #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/xoKpIBs8yN

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) April 29, 2024

Remembering Dale Earnhardt on what would have been his 73rd birthday. 3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/EVKnu4EOVr

— NASCAR on NBC (@NASCARonNBC) April 29, 2024

6,000 -- Some 6,000 police will be deployed next month "to secure the arrival of the Olympic torch," which will travel from Greece to the southern French city of Marseille. The extra officers will be mobilized "on top of local firefighters and police," meaning security "will be even tighter than when Pope Francis visited the city" in September 2023 (LE MONDE, 4/26).