Sporticast: The Las Vegas A’s, NFL Gambling Suspensions
On the latest Sporticast episode, hosts Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams discuss some of the biggest sports business stories of the week, including the Oakland Athletics potentially moving to Las Vegas. The MLB team’s owners have signed a binding agreement to purchase land in the Nevada city, and intend to relocate at some point in the next few years.
The A’s plan to build a new $1.5 billion stadium off the strip, though the full funding is not yet secure. The team reportedly wants about $500 million in public support to complete the project, which will have 35,000 seats. That would make it the third smallest stadium in MLB, behind the venues in Tampa and Cleveland. (The Las Vegas Raiders recently received a $750 million subsidy for their Allegiant Stadium).
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Next, the hosts talk about layoffs underway at ESPN. The moves are part of a wider contraction at Disney (NYSE: DIS), which intends to cut 7,000 jobs in a bid to reduce expenses by roughly $5.5 billion. ESPN employees will be notified throughout this week, with another round of layoffs for “front-facing talent roles” coming later in the year, according to a memo sent by ESPN president Jimmy Pitaro.
Lastly, the hosts discuss a handful of suspensions the NFL recently handed down to players for violations of the league’s gambling policies, and Wrexham’s Hollywood promotion.
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