The Saudi-backed LIV Golf has hired a lobbying firm to advance its interests in D.C., lobbying registration filings show.
Why it matters: LIV remains highly controversial, partly due to conflicts with the PGA Tour and partly due to its source of funding — the Saudi Arabian government. Critics have alleged the country is using golf to boost its global image.
Novak Djokovic announced Thursday he will not compete at the U.S. Open because he has not received the COVID-19 vaccine and can't travel to the U.S. for the event.
The big picture: Unvaccinated athletes still face potential hurdles to competing in sporting events and leagues around the world, even as public health agencies have eased restrictions for the general public.
PGA Tour leaders delivered a strong message to LIV Golf ahead of the Tour Championship, which teed off Thursday: we're not backing down.
State of play: On the heels of last week's players-only meeting led by Tiger Woods, PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan on Wednesday announced some major changes coming to the Tour as part of a broader strategy to avoid losing more golfers to LIV.
A federal jury awarded $16 million in damages to Vanessa Bryant over emotional distress caused unauthorized photos taken at the scene of the helicopter crash that killed her husband, Kobe Bryant, their daughter Gigi, and seven others.
Driving the news: Jurors returned a unanimous verdict agreeing with Bryant and her co-plaintiff, Christopher Chester, that the photos of their spouses and children's bodies taken and circulated by deputies and firefighters invaded the privacy of the victims' families, per multiple reports.
The NFL said in a court filing last week that former coach Jon Gruden sent “derogatory emails consistently" while working for the Oakland and Las Vegas Raiders, per the Washington Post.
Why it matters: Gruden resigned from his coaching position last year shortly after a New York Times report found Gruden used homophobic and misogynistic language in emails over a seven-year timeframe before he joined the Raiders.
High-profile golfers Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy are launching the new TGL golf league through their new TMRW Sports group, the PGA Tour announced Wednesday.
The big picture: Woods and McIlroy are creating a new "tech-infused" golf league at the same time that the PGA Tour has gone head-to-head with LIV Golf, a new golf circuit that has drawn professional golfers away from the Tour.
Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno is seeking to sell the underperforming Major League Baseball franchise he bought in 2003 from The Walt Disney Co.
Why it matters: This means there are two MLB clubs on the block at the same time, with the Angels joining the Washington Nationals. That could cut down on price premiums, given that pro sports team bounties are inflated by scarcity, although that could be offset by geographic distance (i.e., West Coast billionaires like Joe Lacob and East Coast billionaires like Ted Leonsis would only have interest in their backyards).
