Bernstein fired at the Score | StubHub IPO

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Chicago radio host Dan Bernstein fired after nearly 30 years following shocking threats over a fish Social media can be a dangerous place. Who knew when the first iPhone came out in 2007 that in the future, people would be losing their jobs and tarnishing their reputations in minutes while holding them? ‘Bernsy’ aka Dan Bernstein, fell into the troll trap on X and emerged without his long-standing job with 670 The Score. What started as a harmless pic he posted of himself catching a fish turned into a winless X argument. If you’ve ever engaged in a debate with an internet stranger on X, you know it doesn’t take much for it to descend into name-calling. It also rarely ever results in anything other than elevated blood pressure. Unfortunately, Bernstein might’ve been having a bad day and took the bait. 670 The Score’s former host of 30 years will now be left to reflect on the interaction and hope people’s short attention spans will allow him to re-enter sports media again. For a picture of the fish and a full breakdown of the interaction, check out the full story here.

Bears add former Big Ten exec as their new CFO Another former executive of the Big Ten has left the college ranks to join the Bears’ front office. Laura Anderson is the new CFO and senior VP of administration. She leaves her previous role with the Big Ten, in which she served for close to seven years. During that time, she worked with Kevin Warren, Bears’ CEO and President, who was the Big Ten commissioner from 2020-2023. Fortunately for Anderson, she doesn’t have a long journey for her relocation. The Big Ten headquarters is only 20 miles from Halas Hall. This recent hire by the Bears underscores the value the Bears are putting in its front office and push to get a new stadium. Anderson is the sixth senior VP hired under Warren. The biggest questions remain: How much (if any) public funding will they secure, and where will they relocate? You could also ask when construction will start since it feels like forever since the Bears first publicized their new stadium dreams. The Sun Times covers the hiring of Anderson and the experience she brings to the Bears.

Sportsbooks set historically low White Sox season win total If you’re a Sox fan, I’m sure you’re over hearing your team in the news for all the wrong reasons. An irrelevant stadium name change, trading away top talent... Sorry, it gets no better with this. Sportsbooks have the Sox entering the season with one of the lowest projected win totals in over 35 seasons. On a positive note, they don’t have them repeating last year‘s embarrassing 121 losses, and some people are even betting on the Sox to win it all (400-1 odds). But the sportsbooks are only banking on the South Siders to win 12.5 more games than last season. And it would still be six games less than any other team’s projected wins in the MLB. See what other bets the books are making on the Sox.

Marquee Sports Network Named as Official Partner of Chicago Fire FC Marquee Sports Network became the official content partner of the Chicago Fire last week. In the announcement, MSN will gain exclusive rights to in-stadium digital signage, digital advertising, and more. It also announced that it will debut “Inside the Fire”, which is dedicated to diehards and includes highlights, analysis, interviews with the Fire, etc. The partnership serves as a win for both sides. MSN will add to its arsenal of award-winning local coverage as it’s already the home of the Cubs and partner with the Bears, Sky, and Stars. MSN won regional sports network (RSN) of the year two years in a row. For the Fire, MSN can provide a spark to its fanbase that the team hasn’t provided in years. Even if the play on the field doesn’t match, MSN has shown it is innovative and dynamic in its coverage to build more excitement around the club. Check out more details on the premier of “Inside the Fire” on the Fire’s website.

William Chisholm to Buy Celtics in Record $6.1 Billion Deal It’s not often you hear about a sports team going up for sale after winning a championship. In fact, the Boston Celtics are the only team in NBA history to go on sale right after winning it all. Team sales usually indicate instability within an organization, but the Celtics are the paragon of sustained success with 18 banners to prove it. The announcement of the team going for sale less than two weeks after lifting the O’Brien Trophy shocked many in the sports world, and now they’ve found their buyers. An agreement was reached by a group led by William Chisholm to purchase the Celtics for a record $6.1 billion. It resets the market for NBA franchises, beating the previous high from the sale of the Phoenix Suns in 2022 by over $2 billion. Chisholm’s group is backed by private equity firm Sixth Street, which has over $100 billion in assets under management. Sports team ownership transformed into a game only billionaires enter in 2009 after Stephen Ross made the first billion dollar purchase for a team when he bought the Miami Dolphins. If Jerry Reinsdorf ever lets go of the Bulls (which fans would celebrate as if we added a 7th banner), the Bulls would fetch no less than $5 billion. Sportico dives deep on all the major players in the sale of the Celtics.

Coaches Question Transfer Portal Opening in Middle of March Madness March Madness can be a hectic time for the college programs involved. It essentially pauses their academic calendar for three weeks in pursuit of a national championship. That pursuit takes focus, motivation, and unity. Yet, current transfer portal rules allow for college basketball players to abruptly leave in the middle of the tournament, destroying some of the unity it takes to win at the highest level. Arkansas basketball coach John Calipari made a show of his thoughts on the rule, which opened the transfer portal last Monday with his team in the middle of preparing for the Sweet 16. His reaction represents what can be assumed many college coaches feel: Coaching in college sports requires a delicate balance of traditional coaching mixed with some GM skills. Even though players can’t transfer to another program that is actively playing in the NCAA Tournament, it still opens the door to massive power shifts in the landscape before the tournament is over. See exactly what Calipari had to say about the transfer portal and how the women’s side is reacting.

Report: StubHub seeks over $1B in IPO amid market uncertainty StubHub is either fashionably or unfashionable late with its initial public offering push, depending on how the fundraising goes. Last week, after StubHub announced its desire to raise $1 billion, the S&P 500 slumped to declines. It followed the announcement by President Trump of 35% tariffs on imported cars and auto parts. SubHub, the original online marketplace for ticket resales, had prepared for an IPO last year on the heels of increased ticket sales fueled by Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour. It delayed its IPO due to ‘unfavorable market conditions. ’ Now, the market is in a similar place, but there’s no turning back from it. Subhub’s IPO will be unfashionable unless it can convince the market of its implied $16.5 billion market value in its filing. Even with its 30% revenue growth last year, investors weren’t buying its $16.5 proposed valuation a year ago. Unless something drastic changes, StubHub could end up well short of its fundraising goals. Sports Business Journal reports on the implications and background of StubHub’s IPO.

As Netflix backs out, Fox hopes it's in on NFL draft coverage The NFL draft can be looked at as an overhyped, extended pregame event. With the NFL season several months away, superfans get to witness where some of the biggest prospects will land for the upcoming season. Many NFL fans still skip it (first round average viewership hit 12.1 million last year vs 29.2 million viewers for the kickoff game of the 2024-2025 season), but networks are looking to bid on coverage for the annual event. Fox, ESPN, and Google are all bidders, while Netflix has passed on the opportunity. For Fox, it will look to build on its successful Super Bowl coverage that set new records in ad revenue and viewership. It has already hosted it before, back in 2018, alongside NFL Network and ESPN, so why not make it full-time? The new NFL draft TV deal would become effective in 2026, and the NFL has no timetable for making a decision. See what type of TV coverage the NFL hopes to assume for future NFL drafts here.