Nadal's $1 million watch | An NHL agent's new strategy | How the Warriors are using analytics

Plus: The sports figures among America's richest self-made women

Soccer

ICM Partners, the smallest of the big four entertainment agencies, has acquired London-based soccer agency Stellar Group, gaining a foothold in sports and heightening the competition with CAA.

Barcelona's financial statement—as confusing as ever—contained an interesting figure: Its Espai Barça project, to upgrade its facilities, is now expected to cost nearly $1.5 billion, more than twice the cost approved by its members six years ago.

The pandemic has battered sports leagues the world over, but with new sponsorships and expanded television deals, the NWSL is in a better place than it was at the start of the year. Commissioner Lisa Baird explains how the league took advantage of its opportunities.

Sports Business

Donna Carpenter built snowboarding gear and apparel giant Burton alongside her late husband. She is now worth $530 million, placing her 44th on our ranking of America's richest self-made women, about 40 spots ahead of two other sports figures: Serena Williams and Maria Sharapova. See the full list here.

Hockey

The NHL has opened a free-agent period like no other in its history. For one thing, Octagon Hockey agent Andy Scott tells us that he will be seeking back-loaded contracts this fall, as opposed to the front-loaded deals he usually favors.

Golf

With the pandemic wreaking havoc on the PGA Tour's planned Asian swing, the CJ Cup and the Zozo Championship's title sponsors decided to relocate the events from South Korea and Japan to the U.S. The companies' marketing executives explain why they wanted to salvage the tournaments.

Auto Racing

Joe Gibbs confirms that his Nascar team will be working with the new organization being formed by his driver Denny Hamlin and Michael Jordan. "It's a huge deal for us," Gibbs says.

Nascar's 2021 Cup Series schedule includes a market inefficiency. That could make the 38-year-old retread A.J. Allmendinger a desirable driver for teams lacking the means to make the lucrative playoffs in a straightforward way.

Tennis

Did you find your eyes drifting to Rafael Nadal's wrist during the French Open? The watch he wore throughout the tournament retails for $1.05 million. With Sunday's victory, Nadal captured his 20th Grand Slam title, tying him with Roger Federer, but Federer wins in a walkover off the court, with double Nadal's career earnings.

Featured Story

The Warriors face a huge question: What to do with the second overall pick in the NBA draft? Should Golden State gamble on a high-risk, high-reward prospect, like Georgia's Anthony Edwards, or go with a more polished player who can help the team win now, like Dayton's Obi Toppin? Assistant general manager Kirk Lacob explains how the Warriors are using analytics to come up with an answer.

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Upon Further Review

Rival scouts and executives marvel at the Rays' success despite MLB's third-lowest payroll. At every club, though, finances are top of mind, and Indians president Chris Antonetti is painting a grim economic picture for the sport generally and for Cleveland specifically, saying, "As a team, we lost tens of millions of dollars more than we expected." That sets up a difficult off-season for a club that, despite reaching the playoffs in four of the last five seasons, ranks just 25th on our list of MLB's most valuable teams, at $1.15 billion. See our full ranking of MLB team values here.

The Last Word

“The dream and goal is to build Jackson State, but the overall big picture of things is to build HBCUs.”

Deion Sanders

Deion Sanders, recently named the football coach at Jackson State University, recognizes that historically Black colleges and universities haven't had access to the kind of money that has kept college football's powerhouses at the top of the sport. Sanders is out to change that—and to create more opportunities for athletes coming out of HBCUs. For more on how Sanders' appointment is creating new financial opportunities at Jackson State, read the full story here.