The long-running Sunday Ticket lawsuit continues; ESPN locks up lacrosse rights; and more.
Sunday Ticket lawsuit back on appeal
The long saga of the antitrust lawsuit against over the NFL’s Sunday Ticket package is back with the Ninth Circuit US Court of Appeals, according to Puck’s Eriq Gardner.
Last year, the jury agreed with the plaintiffs’ original argument — that the NFL had illegally colluded to drive up prices by collectively negotiating its teams media rights — before the Ninth Circuit judge threw it out, citing questionable testimony from the plaintiff’s witnesses. In January, the US Department of Justice (under the Biden administration) urged the judge to reopen the case, suggesting the merits of the plaintiffs’ case were not addressed.
Now, the NFL’s television partners are involved in the proceeding, arguing in an amicus brief that its essential they remain the exclusive broadcaster of the games they control. The case could move to the Supreme Court if the plaintiffs are successful.
The case is not the only allegation of collusion the league is facing this week. Pablo Torre published details of a January ruling by an arbiter following a 2022 grievance filed by the NFLPA alleging teams had colluded to limit fully-guaranteed player contracts after the record-setting deal signed by Deshaun Watson.
ESPN renews PLL deal
The Premier Lacrosse League announced Wednesday a five-year renewal of its media rights agreement with ESPN, which will be the exclusive television partner of the league through the 2030 season. ESPN first carried the PLL in 2022 after NBC Sports covered the league’s first three seasons. Matches will continue to stream on ESPN+, with select matches also on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2.
As part of the agreement, ESPN has acquired a minority equity stake in the league. The agreement also includes rights to the Women’s Lacrosse League (WLL) which began play with an 8-game tournament in February.
Plus: WTA, Chip Caray, Fox Soccer, ESPYs
— The Women’s Tennis Association and Tennis Channel have renewed their media rights agreement for an additional six years, it was announced Wednesday. The agreement includes WTA Tour events held outside the United States; the rights to Indian Wells, Miami, Cincinnati, etc. are governed by separate rights agreements. Rights to the Grand Slam events are not controlled by the WTA.
— St. Louis Cardinals play-by-play voice Chip Caray will not be punished for an on-air stumble last weekend, according to Front Office Sports. Caray was reading a promo for the Cardinal’s “Disability Pride Night” when he inadvertently stumbled over the word “flag,” instead uttering a homophobic slur. FanDuel Sports Network Midwest declined to comment, but a source told FOS the network will not discipline Caray, calling it an honest mistake not meant to insult anyone.
— Two-time FIFA Women’s World Cup champion Carli Lloyd will return to Fox Sports as a studio analyst for the third straight season, it was announced Tuesday. Lloyd will cover the UEFA Women’s Euros tournament as well as the final stages of the Concacaf Gold Cup.
— ESPN announced Tuesday it has named comedian Shane Gillis the host of this year’s ESPY Awards. The event will air July 16 on ABC and ESPN+ from Los Angeles. Gillis is the first non-pro athlete to host the program since 2021.
