The National Basketball Association is opening the door a little wider for private equity funds, which to date have been largely excluded from investing in its franchises.
Driving the news: The league's board of governors has approved a framework whereby a PE fund could own up to 20% in a single franchise, and stakes in up to five franchises, as first reported by Sportico and confirmed by Axios.
The Heat will use coronavirus-sniffing dogs to screen fans ahead of tonight's game at AmericanAirlines Arena, when ~1,500 season ticket holders will be permitted inside for the first time this season.
Why it matters: The Heat are the first NBA team to try this approach, which has been used at airports in Chile, Finland and the United Arab Emirates.
Tonight's NBA doubleheader will be broadcast on TNT, which means the network will almost certainly draw more viewers than its competitors throughout the evening.
Yes, but: While the battle for the "first screen" (broadcast) has already been won, the battle for the "second screen" (social media) will happen in real-time.
Amanda Gorman, the country's first National Youth Poet Laureate who won widespread praise at President Biden's inauguration, will recite another original poem before Super Bowl LV in Tampa, Florida, the NFL announced Wednesday.
Why it matters: The 22-year-old will on Feb. 7 become the first poet to perform at one of the year's most-watched TV events. Her poem "will recognize three honorary game captains" who've served during the pandemic, who'll take part in the game's coin toss: Los Angeles educator Trimaine Davis, Tampa nurse manager Suzie Dorner and Pittsburgh-area veteran James Martin, per the NFL.
There will be no Class of 2021 in the Baseball Hall of Fame, as voters pitched a shutout on Tuesday, rejecting all 25 candidates for enshrinement in Cooperstown.
The state of play: The top three candidates — Curt Schilling (71.1%), Barry Bonds (61.8%) and Roger Clemens (61.6%) — all fell short of the 75% needed.
Europe's 20 most lucrative soccer clubs earned $9.97 billion in 2019-20, down from $11.31 billion the previous year, per Deloitte's 24th annual Football Money League report.
The state of play: That 12% drop was driven mostly by broadcast revenue deferrals, comprising a $1.14 billion decrease year-over-year. Matchday revenue also fell drastically, down $312.6 million.
Tampa's recent run of championship berths has the city buzzing, and while it prepares to host Super Bowl LV, it's also renting a small piece of Titletown to the temporarily-displaced Toronto Raptors.
The state of play: Amalie Arena, home of the NHL's Lightning, ultimately surfaced as the Raptors' home away from home, and the city has rolled out the red carpet to make them feel welcome.
