College QB Star Sues The NCAA

PLUS Bryce Is Staying Home, The Greek Freak Starts A Venture Fund, Robots Coming To The MLB

November 22, 2024

Welcome to Office Chair Sports! Your home for everything Sports & Biz! Today, we’re covering top news about:

  • College QB Star Sues The NCAA

  • Bryce Is Staying Home

  • The Greek Freak Starts A Venture Fund

  • New 3v3 Women’s Basketball League

  • Robots Coming To The MLB

College QB Star Sues The NCAA

Is the NCAA violating antitrust laws?

Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia is taking on the NCAA in a groundbreaking lawsuit challenging its eligibility rules for junior college transfers.

Pavia argues that NCAA rules limiting JUCO transfers' Division I eligibility violate antitrust laws. JUCO seasons count against NCAA eligibility and prevent players from using redshirts after four years at NCAA schools.

Pavia spent two years at New Mexico Military Institute, followed by two at New Mexico State before landing at Vanderbilt. His lawsuit claims these rules unfairly restrict JUCO transfers from NIL opportunities compared to traditional freshmen athletes.

"Athletes playing football outside of the NCAA monopoly have no meaningful opportunity to profit off their NIL," the complaint states, highlighting how JUCO transfers are limited to 2-3 seasons of Division I play while others get four.

Pavia is also balling this season. He's posted impressive numbers with 1,677 yards and 15 touchdowns and the Commodores are at a respectable 6-3 record.

Bryce Is Staying Home

In a previous newsletter issue, we talked about the bonkers NIL offer Michigan gave Bryce Underwood, who originally committed to LSU. $12 million NIL deal over four years.

The nation's top QB prospect is staying home, choosing the Wolverines over LSU's counter-offer of $1.5 million per year. It's a massive win for Michigan, landing a player On3's scouting director Charles Power calls "a franchise quarterback prospect" who could be "the top quarterback in the past 30 years in the state of Michigan."

At 6'4" and 215 pounds, Underwood brings an impressive 50-4 high school record with two state titles at Belleville, just 30 minutes from Ann Arbor. Scouts rave about his arm talent, pocket presence, and ability to make plays with his legs.

The flip leaves LSU scrambling to hold onto their 2025 class, which includes three five-star commits, with the Early Signing Period just two weeks away.

The Greek Freak Starts A Venture Fund

Giannis Antetokounmpo is expanding his playmaking from the court to the startup world, launching Build Your Legacy Ventures, a new VC fund focused on sports, entertainment, and tech investments.

The Bucks star wants to use his network to help entrepreneurs, particularly those facing barriers, connect with investors. His fund has already backed Unrivaled, a new women's 3-on-3 basketball league, adding to his existing portfolio that includes stakes in the Milwaukee Brewers, Nashville SC, and LA Golf Club.

This announcement is coming a day after Giannis smoked the Bulls with 41 points, nine rebounds and eight assists in Milwaukee's win over Chicago.

New 3v3 Women’s Basketball League

Speaking of the Greek Freak, one of his backed companies is set to begin in January 2025.

Unrivaled, founded by WNBA stars Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, aims to give players an alternative to playing overseas during the offseason.

The 3-on-3 league has attracted 34 of its planned 36 players, including stars like Brittney Griner, Jewell Loyd, and Angel Reese. But unfortunately, Caitlin Clark has declined the invitation to participate.

Games will be played on a modified court (70 feet long vs. the WNBA's 94) with four seven-minute quarters.

The season format will be as follows:

  • Six teams playing a round-robin format over eight weeks

  • $250,000 prize for mid-season 1-on-1 tournament winner

Women’s sports has been on the rise as of late. With more interest, comes bigger distributions and paydays. Every player in the league will make at least six figures and get equity in the league. And all games will broadcast on TNT, truTV, and Max.

You’ll also see big-name coaches, including former Sky coach Teresa Weatherspoon and ex-Lakers assistant Phil Handy on the sidelines coaching their respective teams once play begins.

Miami will host all games in a dedicated facility, with the season tipping off January 17, 2025.

Robots Coming To The MLB

Is this the beginning of the I, Robot era in baseball?

The MLB just announced its plans to test robot umps at 13 spring training ballparks in 2024, potentially leading to regular-season implementation by 2026.

The league has been experimenting with the Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) system in the minors since 2019. The current setup judges strikes based on where the ball crosses the middle of the plate, with some recent tweaks to the strike zone's dimensions.

Commissioner Rob Manfred is eyeing a 2026 rollout, but there's a catch – they'll need to negotiate with the umpires' union, whose contract expires this December. The spring training test will use a challenge system, similar to what's been tested in Triple-A, where teams can challenge human umpire calls.

Internships 🙋

1. Cleburne Video Content Internship (REV Sports Management) - Some roles include assisting with the marketing team on game days/during games and all community appearances (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok and X). Gathering video content from games, events, and the fans to create hype videos, short clips, and highlights.

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Job Board 💰

1. Assistant - Marketing/Promotions (Part-Time, Variable Hour) - Join Utah Valley University as a part-time Marketing/Promotions Assistant and make an impact by helping create and execute innovative marketing strategies for university athletics.

2. Assistant, Baseball Operations (Pittsburgh Pirates) - The Pittsburgh Pirates are seeking an entry-level professional to join our Baseball Operations department.

3. Jr. Motion Designer, Blue Note Productions (St. Louis Blues) - This junior position will develop animations in-line with current design trends in Adobe AfterEffects and Cinema 4D to be used across many St. Louis Blues platforms, with a focus on in-game entertainment and web productions.

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Thanks for reading - see you soon!