Chicago's Hoopteq Releases First Shooting Machine in a Backpack | Dick's Sporting Goods Opens Production Studio

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Chicago’s HoopTeq Launches Pre-Orders for 1st Shooting Machine that fits in a Backpack. Are you tired of rebounding for your kid that puts up enough bricks that makes you think his or her future is in construction? Don’t want to purchase $3,000 shooting machine that weighs over 100 lbs every day to make sure little Jimmy has a rebounder? Well Hoopteq has created the 1st ever shooting machine that fits in a backpack. Pre-orders have officially launched for a limited quantity. Check out their lastest video here to see how it works: https://hoopteq.com/ 

Generational shift on Bears board as McCaskeys, Ryans buy stake at $8.8B value After Virginia McCaskey passed in February, it was inevitable that another McCaskey would be named to the Bears’ board. The $8.8 billion valuation eclipses the previous record-holder, the San Francisco 49ers, by $200,000. It’s unclear, though, if the record valuation will help the Bears’ case in Springfield for getting a property tax exemption. Governor Pritzker hasn’t done the team any favors in terms of public funding assistance. Others at City Hall have made it clear that other matters, like the CPS and CTA budget deficits, are more urgent to address. The standoff threatens Bears’ President Kevin Warren’s declaration that construction will start by the end of the year. Crain’s lists the other three NFL teams that briefly held the valuation record and how much (or little) the Bears’ ownership structure has changed over the years.

Trend of throwing sex toys in WNBA arenas continues in Chicago The cryptocurrency memecoin space has become a weird place. To avoid paying influencers a lot of money to promote the launch of their memecoin, a crypto group decided that throwing dildos on court during WNBA games would be the best way to hype up Green Dildo Coin (DILDO). The Sky have been victims twice of the stunt, both times in Chicago. It was met with jokes at first, but as it continued, WNBA players and coaches began venting their frustrations. The group claims it has nothing against the WNBA or women’s sports; it just wanted to protest ‘toxic culture’ in the crypto space. Sky guard Ariel Atkins took a moment to acknowledge that people are using WNBA games now to get publicity, a sign of the league’s growth. If DILDO follows the path of many memecoins that have come and gone in fast succession, the five minutes of fame may get them jail time after the rest of the public moves on. WBEZ Chicago chimes in on the reaction of players and coaches around the league about the incidents.

Northwest Indiana sports commission starts effort to attract pro teams — including ones in Chicago The state of Indiana feels slighted to have only three pro teams to call its own. A surprise NBA Finals run by the Pacers this summer has the Region feeling bold. Although this Tribune piece doesn’t explicitly show Chicago as the only target area, it does name four of our major teams as part of their strategy. The newly formed 17-member commission stretches to North Bend and includes three different counties. Even though it’s in its infancy, one can see how an ambitious NW Indiana Sports Commission could throw money at teams struggling to secure public funding, like the Bears from earlier. When money becomes less of a problem, these projects tend to move a lot faster. Indiana is already a more tax-friendly state for corporations than Illinois. Time will only tell if the commission gains significant backers in Indiana and funding itself to devise plans for attracting teams to the area. One thing is for sure, Gov. Pritzker can’t be too hard-lined against public funding if he doesn’t want Chicago to lose some of its pro teams looking for new stadiums.

WNBA’s Angel Reese Files Trademark for “MEBOUNDS” It’s the ultimate pie in the face to haters on social media. People have been piling on Reese that she pads her rebound stats by grabbing her own misses. Reese aims to create a trademark from the negative moniker that she can put on clothing, which would be a double offensive rebound. She’s shown to be a savvy businesswoman ever since she was playing in Baton Rouge during college. There’s no guarantee she’ll be granted the trademark since the phrase may not meet the mark the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has for trademark registration, but you have to love the thought either way. Players get slandered on social media constantly, and other than Kevin Durant, most have to pretend not to be affected by it. Hopefully, Reese can get back on the court soon to try to help the team rebound from a terrible season. Klemchuck reports on exactly why Reese may have a tough case to trademark “MEBOUNDS”.

Could ESPN expand ‘RedZone’ to college football? The short answer is maybe. ESPN’s groundbreaking recent deal to acquire NFL Media properties, such as NFL Network and RedZone, leaves the door open to new ideas for capitalization. RedZone has been a hit for the NFL because it gives you some of every NFL game, but in bite-sized form and at a faster pace. ESPN owns the broadcast rights to a number of college football conferences that could make a college football RedZone feasible. But…it doesn’t own the rights to the Big Ten or Notre Dame, both with huge fanbases and viewership ratings. If ESPN debuts a diet version of RedZone without in-game highlights from the likes of Ohio State, it would be doomed from the start. It’s doubtful that ESPN’s competitors in college football, like FOX and NBC Sports, would be very cooperative in its attempts to create a RedZone that covers all of college football. ESPN has been more aggressive this year with the upcoming launch of its new flagship product and the NFL deal, so it’s not completely out of the question, but it's doubtful. Learn more about ESPN’s previous RedZone-like attempt and what conferences it owns broadcast rights for.

Dick’s Sporting Goods Launches Production Studio, Sets Little League Documentary and More Original Sports Programming Selling baseball bats, cleats, and gloves for little leaguers just wasn’t enough for Dick’s Sporting Goods (DSG). It wants to showcase the action that unfolds after the kids gear up for the Little League World Series (LLWS) through its Cookie Jar and a Dream Studios. DSG has been dipping its toes into filmmaking since We Could Be King won an Emmy in 2015 for Outstanding Sports Documentary. The newest documentary, which premiered a few days ago on ESPN, details the highs and lows of the teams and teenagers involved in the 2024 LLWS. DSG has already won two Emmys without having an official production studio, so the pressure is on with this release to deliver. Diversifying its sources of potential revenue can’t be a bad move for them, especially considering the potential revenue hit from Trump’s tariffs. Find out where the name for the production studio came from here.

Boston Group Has Deal to Buy Sun For WNBA-Record $325 Million The WNBA faces a bit of a dilemma with this news. Steve Pagliuca, minority owner of the Celtics, leads the Boston-based group that has agreed to a record deal for the Connecticut Sun. That part is straightforward. But Paglicua plans to move the team to the Boston area by 2027, and that’s where it gets complicated. The WNBA has a process for team expansions and relocation requests. Just the expansion process requires a rigorous review of fan demographics, local market strength, and ownership capability, among other criteria. Boston obviously checks those boxes, but the fact that the team never formally expressed interest in an expansion team is rubbing the WNBA brass the wrong way. The WNBA Board of Governors has the power to make relocation decisions, not individual teams. Pagliuca’s group is hoping that a fat wad of cash can serve as a workaround for any pesky formal relocation review process. Will the WNBA stick to its guns with its processes for relocation and expansion? Or will it ease its standards to allow a struggling Connecticut Sun franchise a breath of fresh air in a new city while infusing cash into the growing league? My money is on the latter. Read what cities have already been rewarded with new franchises and who currently owns the Connecticut Sun.

Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani and agent accused of sabotaging $240M Hawaii real estate project Shohei Ohtani made history last season after stealing 50 bases in a season to go with his 50 homers. Now, he’s being accused of stealing a luxurious real estate project right under the gloves of a real estate broker and developer. The lawsuit alleges Ohtani was only brought into the fold to boost the marketability of the luxury housing development since he’s arguably the biggest name in sports right now. But Ohtani’s agent began to make demands and concessions that ended in a demand to fire the broker and agent involved, or else Ohtani wouldn’t be caught near the project. Broker Tomoko Matsumoto and developer Kevin Hayes Sr. would lose millions in compensation after spending 11 years working on the deal. It’s not a good look for Ohtani, who most likely has nothing to do with the alleged sabotage. Ohtani had the highly publicised issue with his former interpreter, Ippei Mizuhara, before the start of last season, who was convicted of stealing millions from him to cover gambling debts. A second highly publicized scandal like this, if true, probably wouldn’t hurt his endorsement value or superstar status. It would make people think twice about trusting those around him, as his hyperfocus on being one of the best baseball players ever leaves him vulnerable to exploitation by those close to him. The Hill breaks down the crucial facts that are covered in the lawsuit.