The Beat of Sports

Reports from the Sports Business Journal and other media outlets have shown that the Alliance of American Football is on shaky ground to say the least and there is a chance the league could fold this week. Marc talks about how it didn't need to reach this point but for some reason the principal owner Tom Dundon has changed his plan and is now saying that without a partnership with the NFLPA the league will fold. Marc doesn't imagine the league folding before the season plays out because of existing television deals and other commitments. Meanwhile Vince McMahon and the XFL are gaining more money and are setting themselves up to show how sustainable their model can be.

After listening to a recent podcast, Marc has slowly come around to an idea that would change the playoff structure in the NBA. What if the final 2 slots were filled out by a tournament involving teams 7-10. So the association would have their own version of a play-in game.

No they don't but it sure seems like there is a perception that the referees don't like the Lions. After another game involves controversial calls that go against Orlando City, fans are screaming that the league has it out for them. Marc talks about how the referees followed all the VAR rules and determined that calls were right. He talks about how when a team is constantly complaining about calls then that could play into how officials make calls.

Duke has lost in the NCAA Tournament and are now out and people are celebrating. But why? Are they celebrating because it proves that loading up on one and done players didn't work this season? It isn't the fault of Duke that the NBA put that rule in place, what is Coach K supposed to turn down that kind of talent? And if you hate the rule just remember this, one season at Duke has brought much more exposure for the Zion brand in one season than if he went straight to the pros.

This week Conor McGregor announced that he is retiring from UFC, but no one is really taking that announcement seriously. So what is he getting at? We turn to Brian Fritz to get his thoughts on what McGregor is angling for. He and Marc talk about what the future looks like for UFC now that they are on ESPN+. They discuss the female main event at Wrestlemania next weekend and what Vince McMahon is planning for XFL with the AAF on shaky ground.

It seems like throughout this years NCAA Tournament teams have been struggled to score 70 or more points. Can this be attributed to poor offensive outings or just teams playing lockdown defense? Mike O'Donnell joins the show to talk about how a team like Texas Tech which has been playing great defensively this year could be poised to make it to the Final Four because of that defense.

On this weeks sports legal segment Marc and Richard Hale talk about the latest involving New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft. Richard brings up that Kraft is fighting a battle on two fronts, one with his personal legal situation and in a few months he will be fighting with the NFL on whatever punishment they try to put on him. Then they talk about the latest involving Michael Avenatti and his allegations against Nike and the NCAA.

At the next Summer Games in Tokyo there will be some new sports for fans to enjoy: surfing, skate boarding, break dancing, and rock climbing. So how big is the sport of speed climbing? Is this a sport that America will do well in and should fans expect gold medals?

Opening Day is here! Bob Klapisch joins the show to talk about his new book profiling the New York Yankees. He and Marc discuss the negotiations that went into the Yankees acquiring Giancarlo Stanton last offseason and how those talks soured a friendship between Derek Jeter and Brian Cashman. They talk about the star potential for Aaron Judge and what the expectations for the team should be this year.

Yesterday the American Athletic Conference formally announced their new television agreement with ESPN which will have financial benefits for all the schools. Commissioner Mike Aresco joins the show to talk about what this deal means for the future of the conference. He talks about how the emergence of UCF has helped the conference become more appealing to the television networks.