Sporticast: NFL Owners Eye MLS Club, Horse Racing’s Latest Controversy
In the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including a Sportico report that the Wilf family, owners of the Minnesota Vikings, are close to acquiring MLS club Orlando City SC. The deal, which includes the NWSL’s Orlando Pride and the team’s stadium, is expected to close in the $400-$450 million range.
They also discuss the developing controversy in horse racing after Medina Spirit, the horse that won the Kentucky Derby, failed a drug test from the race. Trainer Bob Baffert, one of the sport’s biggest names, who has denied any wrongdoing and decried “cancel culture” for the mounting criticism. It is still unclear whether Medina Spirit will race in this weekend’s Preakness, the second leg of the Triple Crown.
The hosts also discuss Genius Sports’ recent acquisition of Steve Ballmer-backed Second Spectrum, a deal worth $200 million in cash and stock, and the 73,000-person crowd that gathered for this weekend’s Canelo Alvarez fight in Texas, a record for the sport, which has fueled optimism for fan enthusiasm toward live events coming out of the pandemic.
(You can subscribe to Sporticast through Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever else you get your podcasts.)
More from Sportico.com
