Sports & Entertainment

Sports:

• NCAA:
  • ACC presidents met this week to discuss the pursuit of Cal and Stanford for conference membership but the potential expansion "hit significant roadblocks;" no vote was taken, but conversations about expansion among the league presidents are expected to continue as they wrestle with the best way to position the league into the future - Sources: Cal, Stanford to ACC hits 'significant roadblocks' - ESPN
  • The University of Georgia has fired the football recruiting staffer who survived the deadly car crash that killed a college football player and another staff member in January, less than a month after she filed suit against the university's athletic association - UGA Fires Staffer Who Sued Over Deadly January Car Crash - Law360
  • The former head coach of Winston-Salem State University’s football team in North Carolina has asked the state Supreme Court to take up his appeal over the school's decision to fire him, saying the grievance committee based its recommendation on a fundamental misunderstanding of federal law - Ex-College Football Coach Asks NC High Court To Undo Firing - Law360
  • A new suit filed against the NCAA has again alleged that its Academic Performance Program disproportionately penalizes student-athletes at historically Black colleges and universities, with a current HBCU student claiming that the association has "a long history of discriminating against Black student-athletes" through the implementation of "its so-called academic reforms." - NCAA Hit With Another Proposed Class Action Race Bias Suit - Law360
• NBA
  • A New York federal judge sentenced 14-year NBA veteran Tony Allen to community service for submitting over $420,000 in fake health invoices in a larger $5 million benefits scam, noting the onetime world champion has paid back the money - NBA's Tony Allen Avoids Prison In $5M Health Benefit Scam - Law360
  • The Seventh Circuit court ruled that the former owner of the Memphis Grizzlies can’t claim a $10.7 million tax deduction for players’ deferred compensation because the tax break wasn’t claimed in the years of the payments - Memphis Grizzlies Ex-Owner Loses Appeal on $11 Million Tax Break (bloomberglaw.com)
• A Minor League Baseball (MiBL) team owner urged a New Jersey federal judge to throw out claims that he sold out the owners of the Salem-Keizer Volcanoes during the restructuring of Major League Baseball's minor leagues, arguing the complaint fails to show how he had any connection to the loss of the Volcanoes' MLB affiliation - Minor League Owner Says Rivals' Suit Has 'Incurable Flaws' - Law360
• The U.S. Soccer Federation (USSF) has petitioned the U.S. Supreme Court to hear its case in hopes it will overturn a Second Circuit ruling that revived a lawsuit by promoter Relevent Sports LLC alleging FIFA, with the American organization as a co-conspirator, is attempting to enact a monopoly by banning unsanctioned matches on U.S. soil - US Soccer Seeks High Court Review Of Antitrust Culpability - Law360
• Fanatics' trading card business countersued rival Panini, calling the company a "stagnant, long-time incumbent" that is trying to avoid competition and find a scapegoat for its crumbling operations that have put lining the pockets of owners above offering quality products - Fanatics countersues trading card rival Panini over antitrust lawsuit - The Athletic
• The Fourth Circuit ruled it won't remove an order blocking West Virginia's ban on transgender sports in schools, in a ruling that said letting a 12-year-old transgender girl compete in her school's girls' cross-country meets this fall would not be detrimental to the public interest - 4th Circ. Won't Lift Injunction On Transgender Sports Ban - Law360

Entertainment:

• The Writers Guild of America (WGA) announced it would resume negotiations with Hollywood studios, as the writers strike surpassed 100 days this week - Hollywood Studios, Writers Guild To Restart Negotiations - Law360
• ESPN announced this week that it is launching ESPN BET this fall, a branded sportsbook for bettors in the United States, in partnership with PENN Entertainment, which will rebrand its current sportsbook. As part of the deal, PENN Entertainment sold Barstool Sports back to founder Dave Portnoy.  ESPN BET will be available in the 16 legalized betting states where PENN Entertainment is licensed - ESPN launching sportsbook in fall: What this means for the media giant, Barstool Sports and bettors - The Athletic
• Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. can force to arbitration a lawsuit involving popular video games the company has produced, a Canadian appeals court said, finding that the games — which include Pokémon Go and Harry Potter: Wizards Unite — spurn litigation over certain in-game purchases - Harry Potter, Pokémon Video Game Claims Sent To Arbitration - Law360
• A pair of "virtual restaurant" companies that partnered with YouTube star MrBeast to roll out MrBeast Burger countersued the creator in New York state court, claiming he breached the contract by torpedoing the burger brand in disparaging online comments - YouTube Star Spoiled Burger Deal, Countersuit Claims - Law360
• Visual effects workers at Marvel Studios said they intended to unionize and join IATSE, a "major shift" in a largely nonunion corner of the entertainment industry and a move that comes amid the sweeping Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA strikes - Marvel Visual Effects Workers Want To Unionize With IATSE - Law360