The First Whistle: $13M Pickleball Cash Out??

South Carolina has begun paying $20.5 million to its student-athletes as part of the new revenue-sharing era in college sports but is withholding details about how the money is distributed, citing state laws and exemptions under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA). The University of South Carolina denied multiple records requests from The Post and Courier, citing provisions tied to NIL contracts, trade secrets, and competitive concerns, which also shield schools from disclosing information to athletic associations. Media attorney Jay Bender said the law legally supports withholding compensation details but argued it limits transparency and athlete bargaining power. USC officials, including athletic director Jeremiah Donati, have emphasized keeping figures private to maintain a competitive edge, with similar secrecy policies adopted by other schools. As a result, the exact value of deals, percentages allocated to each sport, and athlete earnings remain undisclosed, fueling debate over whether the legislation benefits institutions at the expense of athlete transparency and compensation rights.

📄 Read full article from The Post and Courier here

Major League Pickleball (MLP) set new records for franchise valuations with the Los Angeles Mad Drops selling a majority stake at $13 million and the Palm Beach Royals paying a $16 million expansion fee to become the league’s 23rd team and fourth in Florida. The Mad Drops sale was led by Alex Geesbreght’s Mad Drippin SPV, with existing owners like Drew Brees and Jayson Tatum retaining about 40% ownership. The Royals were purchased by Hyperspace Ventures founders Zach Hunter and Taylor Meyer. These deals follow the United Pickleball Association’s recent $15 million funding round to enhance player incentives, broadcasting, and global growth, adding to an earlier $75 million investment. MLP reports $70 million in revenue (excluding team revenue), with sponsorship doubling and ticket sales rising 28% this year. Playoff coverage recently averaged 81,000 viewers on ESPN2, and the 2025 league champion will be crowned in New York this weekend.

🏓 Read full Sportico article here

The NCAA is considering a new rule that would require incoming Division I athletes to disclose all NIL deals made during their junior and senior years of high school, while junior college transfers would have to report deals from their time at JUCOs. These disclosures would go to NIL Go, a system created under the House v. NCAA settlement to review deals over $600 for compliance and prevent “pay-for-play,” with enforcement handled by the College Sports Commission (CSC). The CSC has said penalties could include revoking eligibility, raising legal concerns since high school athletes were not plaintiffs in the House case and have not formally agreed to its terms. Attorneys suggest the rule could face court challenges, as it effectively subjects high school athletes to settlement terms before college.

💰️ Read full Front Office Sports article here

Steph Curry has entered a long-term partnership with Google, serving as a performance advisor to provide athlete-driven insights for product development across Google Health, Google Pixel, and Google Cloud. Curry and his team will collaborate with Google engineers to refine hardware, train algorithms, and create new features, while Curry promotes the full Pixel portfolio. The partnership also includes Curry using Google Cloud’s AI tools, such as the AI Basketball Coach powered by Gemini models, to enhance his on-court performance. Google emphasizes this collaboration as more than marketing, highlighting Curry’s role in showcasing its AI and health technology’s potential for both elite athletes and everyday users.

👨‍💻 Read full SportsPro article here

The College Sports Commission (CSC), created as part of the House v. NCAA settlement to oversee NIL deal compliance, has faced major delays in approving athlete contracts since it began operations in June, causing players to miss out on opportunities and potentially setting the stage for litigation. While the CSC has approved over 5,100 deals and some schools report no issues, many athletes across divisions and sports are experiencing weeks-long wait times. The bottleneck stems from ongoing settlement-related rule finalizations and a fully manual review process, as the CSC—staffed by just three full-time employees and supported by Deloitte and an outside law firm—reviews every Division I deal over $600.

🏈 Read full Front Office Sports article here

College football spending has reached record highs as Power 4 programs enter the first year of revenue sharing, investing heavily to retain players and acquire over 1,400 transfers, often with the help of agents securing major raises. Despite this surge, transparency around player earnings remains limited, with agents inflating figures to attract clients and general managers minimizing numbers to avoid internal issues. To shed light on the market, ESPN anonymously surveyed over 20 college GMs and agents to outline position-by-position price ranges for 2025, revealing wide disparities between underpaid and overpaid players. Transfers often drive higher costs than retention, and SEC and Big Ten schools consistently outspend their ACC and Big 12 counterparts, reflecting an offseason where spending reset market expectations across all positions.

💲 Read full ESPN article here

UNLV Athletics announced a $1 million donation from the UNLV Rebel Football Foundation to support the Rebel Up campaign, with funds specifically dedicated to enhancing the football program’s nutritional resources. Athletic Director Erick Harper, Head Coach Dan Mullen, and Foundation President Casey Flair all highlighted the foundation’s long-standing commitment to supporting Rebel football and emphasized the donation’s role in strengthening student-athletes’ performance both on and off the field.

🍎 Read full UNLV article here

The NFL and Nike unveiled eight new uniforms Thursday as part of the league’s inaugural “Rivalries” collection, featuring designs inspired by each team’s history and city. The uniforms will be worn by select AFC East and NFC West teams during one home game against a division rival this season and will remain in their rotations for three years. The launch marks a collaboration between the NFL, Nike, and Fanatics to celebrate historic rivalries, with additional Rivalries uniforms planned for other divisions in 2026, 2027, and 2028.

🌟 Read full ESPN article here

⬆️ Micah Parsons. The Packers made a franchise-altering move by trading for All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons and signing him to a four-year, $188 million deal. - Rob Demovsky

⬆️ Terry McLaurin. Terry McLaurin secured a three-year extension with the Washington Commanders worth a base value of $87 million. The deal includes $44 million fully guaranteed and a $30 million signing bonus. – Austin Nivison

⬆️ NFL Preseason. The NFL preseason saw a 17% jump in viewership, averaging 2.2 million viewers per game—the league’s best preseason numbers since 2018. – Eric Fisher, David Rumsey, and Colin Salao

⬇️ NFL Roster Cuts. NFL teams trimmed rosters from 90 to 53 players on Tuesday, cutting 1,184 players ahead of Week 1. Younger players now head to waivers while veterans hit free agency, with the Titans holding the top waiver spot. - John Breech