In this week’s SportsMoney Playbook: The most valuable MLS clubs, LeBron James makes history, and Manchester City’s financial mess. Plus: How an accountant became Australian cricket’s unlikely hero.

Pro Basketball

LeBron James is the NBA’s first active billionaire, its highest-paid player and, now, its all-time leading scorer. Here’s how he got there.

The NBA and its players’ union have agreed to push back the deadline to opt out of the league’s current collective bargaining agreement. But the uncertainty casts an anxious shadow over Thursday’s trade deadline.

Pro Football

Despite big-name defections, the NFL saw a 4% increase in 2022 sponsorships to an estimated $1.88 billion. A conservative approach to partnerships helped the league avoid the cryptocurrency “debacle,” says one analyst.

The NFL is boosting its already astronomical media rights revenue thanks to a new global streaming deal with DAZN. An insider tells us it will pay the league $1 billion over 10 years, starting next season.

Soccer

The English Premier League is in need of a massive regulatory overhaul. Here’s what stands in the way.

In a bid to clarify the seemingly wonky decisions made by Video Assistant Referees (VAR), FIFA is testing a program that provides explanations to the crowds in real time. It’s expected to be in use at this summer’s Women’s World Cup.

Auto Racing

Last week, IndyCar held its “spring training” in California, at a private desert oasis that could one day host a race catered toward its uber-rich residents.

Blocked out of Nascar because of Sprint’s
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title sponsorship, Verizon has found a longtime partner in IndyCar’s Team Penske. A new contract extension will make it 15 years and counting.

Sports Business

Jim Dolan’s MSG Sports has publicly said it’s open to selling minority stakes in the Knicks and Rangers. Wall Street is clearly skeptical, but we estimate it could fetch more than the public company’s stock price suggests.

Tom Brady and comedian Larry David are just some of the celebrities facing lawsuits for endorsing failed cryptocurrency exchange FTX. It could set a new precedent on liability.

Featured Story

Major League Soccer’s Most Valuable Clubs 2023: LAFC Is The First Billion-Dollar Franchise

Since 2019, the average MLS team’s valuation has climbed 85% to $579 million, and the league can now boast its first billion-dollar franchise. But it’s far too early to think North American clubs can compete with the European powerhouses. Here’s why.

Hot Reads

Upon Further Review

The English Premier League accused Manchester City of violating dozens of financial rules in a statement Monday, which could result in its expulsion from the world’s top soccer division. It would be a massive blow to the world’s sixth most-valuable soccer club, worth $4.25 billion, according to Forbes’ estimates. Here’s how Man City stacked up against the rest of the world.

The Last Word

“The first thing they said was ‘you’re not coming back Monday are you?’ I said, ‘No I’m not.’” — Nick Hobson

Nick Hobson has a full-time job as an accountant, but took leave from work to power his Perth Scorchers past Brisbane Heat in an epic grand final to claim the team’s fifth Big Bash League title. Australian cricket’s unlikely hero told his bosses he was taking the following week off.

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