Michael Jordan was tired of playing slow on golf courses, so he built his own in Hobe Sound, Florida. Grove XXIII has an 18-hole course, a state-of-the-art clubhouse – and drones that can deliver drinks and snacks.
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The Oakland A’s are still in limbo, but Las Vegas is poised to welcome them for a permanent vacation.
The team played spring training games against the Cincinnati Reds in Las Vegas over the weekend, sparking conversation that the city could one day be the A’s full-time home.
“It’s no secret that we’ve traced paths in Oakland and Vegas,” said A’s manager Mark Kotsay. “But regardless, we’ve been there before and it’s our triple-A home. I think it’s a great thing for the fans to have a baseball weekend in Vegas.”
While numerous details remain to be worked out before the team can sign off on a move to Sin City, Las Vegas executives are showing their enthusiasm — a contingent that includes Don Logan, COO of Triple-A subsidiary Las Vegas Aviators A
“Las Vegas offers a dynamic that no other team has. We get 45 million visitors to this market annually, and that’s what we want — heads in beds,” Logan told ESPN. “My perspective: Get the best deal you can in Vegas and start activating this community.”
This sentiment was echoed by Jason Giambi, the great former A.
“They want it, people here are hungry for it,” Giambi said. “Every night is sold out [NHL’s Golden] Knight. Every night at Raiders sells out. You not only draw your own fans, but everyone else too.”
Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Paris Saint-Germain could find a new home in France’s largest sports stadium.
Less than two months after Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo said the city would not sell the team its current home, the Parc des Princes, a minister said the French government would consider selling the Stade de France.
Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera said the sale was being considered, along with the granting of a new operating concession after the stadium’s current one expires in 2025.
The Stade de France could also be sold to other interested parties – French newspaper L’Equipe reported last week that FIFA is also considering a takeover of the stadium.
Bloomberg reported that a call for proposals would open on Monday.
The stadium — the sixth largest in Europe with a capacity of 80,000 — could be worth between $426.9 million and $640.4 million, according to Le Figaro.
PSG have played at the Parc des Princes since its inception in 1970. The club, which has already spent $75.6 million on improvements, had made acquiring the stadium a condition of spending $540 million to refurbish and expand the venue.
“The mayor is forcing PSG to leave home,” a team spokesman said in January. “PSG are now forced to find alternative options for the club’s move.”
Licensing company Authentic Brands Group is reportedly moving even further into sports retail.
According to Bloomberg, the company is close to a $1.3 billion deal with Boardriders – the parent company of Billabong, Quiksilver and Roxy. The three brands are known for their surf gear, but they also offer ski and snowboard clothing and gear.
It’s been a difficult decade for brands that were once cultural icons of the surfing and snowboarding generation.
Boardriders, formerly known as Quiksilver, was acquired by Oaktree Capital Management in 2016 after it filed for bankruptcy. Then Boardriders bought Billabong.
In recent years, Authentic Brands Group has continued to enter the sports sector.
It currently owns Reebok, which was acquired by Adidas for $2.5 billion last year. In 2019, the company went out of retail to acquire Sports Illustrated for $110 million.
The deal could become final next week, but the report warned it could still be cancelled.
Barcelona are considering how to pay for major renovations to the Camp Nou stadium – which are expected to cost $1.59 billion, according to Reuters.
In 2021, team members voted on a 35-year plan with Goldman Sachs to pay for the entire renovation – a huge undertaking given Camp Nou’s run-down state.
But now the deal will be split in two – and Barcelona will be responsible for paying back the loan in full by 2047, five years ahead of schedule.
The exact terms of the plan are still at the negotiation stage, but the club hopes to announce the new plan by the end of the month.
spend money to make money
The stadium is the fourth largest in the world and can seat more than 99,000 fans – but its size and history don’t make up for the fact that it’s in a state of disrepair.
The team claims that the renovations will not only provide a better experience for fans, but will also bring in additional revenue.
Notably, Barca expect to earn an additional $213m each year through naming rights and hospitality-related offers like VIP ticket sales.
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