Sports.
The money, the rules, the receipts.
Sports as civic accountability. TV-rights deals worth more than most state budgets. Public-funded stadiums and the politicians who approve them. NCAA and CFP governance fights. State-level athletics policy — the high-school playoffs, the college-football contracts, the pro-league eminent-domain land grabs. Every figure traces to a primary source. Every official is named. Same editorial standards as the rest of the site, applied to the games we actually watch.
American Money Is Flooding Into English Rugby. They Just Killed Relegation to Make It Possible.
The RFU voted 51–4 to abolish promotion/relegation and convert Premiership Rugby into a US-style closed franchise from 2026-27. Bill Foley and Michael B. Jordan's Black Knight Sports won the Exeter Chiefs vote; Pittsburgh-based Stonewood Capital became the first US investor in Cornish Pirates; Cross Ocean Partners took a 14.5% stake in Northampton Saints. Franchise entry fee: ~£12M.
Mizzou Memorial Stadium. Named for 117 Men Killed in WWI. Now Under Negotiation.
The University of Missouri hired Intersect Partners to sell naming rights to Memorial Stadium — dedicated October 23, 1926 for 117 Mizzou men killed in World War I. Driver: $9.1M athletics deficit in FY 2025. The $250M Centennial Project renovation is on schedule for the 2026 home opener. Student petition launched: 'Keep the Name.'
16 Presidents. One Vote. The Big 12 Just Closed What the Big Ten and SEC Couldn't.
All 16 Big 12 presidents and chancellors voted yes to a five-year partnership with RedBird Capital + Weatherford Capital — $12.5M direct to the league office, up to $30M opt-in credit per school at ~10% interest, and zero equity sold. Brokered by Moelis & Co. Combined with the NBA-WBD settlement that put 13 Big 12 football + 15 basketball games on TNT/TBS for six seasons, commissioner Brett Yormark is positioning for the 2031 ESPN/Fox renegotiation. The Big Ten's UC Investments deal collapsed. The SEC's Goldman Sachs talks stalled. Big 12 went 16-0.
Coaches Push for a 24-Team CFP. The Sport Is About to Become a Participation Trophy.
The American Football Coaches Association — meeting at its annual board this week — voted to recommend a 24-team College Football Playoff bracket and the elimination of conference-championship games. The current 12-team format started two years ago. ESPN's $7.8B media-rights extension runs through 2031-32 ($1.3B/year starting 2026-27). Big Ten + ACC + Big 12 favor 24. SEC commissioner Greg Sankey has held to 16. AFCA has zero formal authority — but its board members include Bret Bielema (Illinois), Brent Venables (Oklahoma), Pat Fitzgerald (Michigan State).
Sports stories on this section follow the same primary-source rule as the rest of the site: every figure (broadcast deal, attendance, stadium financing, NIL valuation) cites the underlying league, conference, or government document. Statements from officials are quoted from the record — AP, league press releases, transcribed interviews, court filings — never paraphrased without attribution.