We could soon see major sports leagues being broadcasted by a major sports betting company … no, I’m not kidding.
In what’s truly a “this is so 2024” moment, Diamond Sports Group confirmed Tuesday they are nearing a deal on a naming-rights sponsorship agreement for their 18 regional sports networks, according to Sportico. The move comes after Bally’s Corp filed for bankruptcy and left their deal with Diamond up in the air.
Held by the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas, a Diamond attorney talked in a virtual status meeting and announced that a fresh pact with a new sponsor is intact.
“We recently reached an agreement in principle with a third party on rebranding the RSNs and we are working diligently to turn that agreement in principle into a document agreement,” stated Diamond’s counsel, per Sportico, going on to say that the court will eventually receive a copy of the contract. (RELATED: ‘Million Dollar’ Marco Wins $3.2 Million After 4-Leg Parlay Slaps)
Diamond themselves didn’t identify their new sponsorship partner, but Bloomberg recently reported the brand to replace Bally’s is sports betting giant FanDuel.
In other words, we’re actually looking at a situation where FanDuel’s brand will literally be a broadcaster of major sports leagues like MLB, NBA and NHL.
I told you this was so 2024.
Diamond Sports Group on Tuesday confirmed that it has reached an agreement in principle on a new naming-rights sponsor for its 18 regional sports networks, a move necessitated by the looming expiration of the company’s legacy deal with Bally’s Corp. https://t.co/vSdJgClcuD
— Sportico (@Sportico) June 4, 2024
As a sports gambler, I’m all for it, but still … you can’t help but think how crazy this is considering how taboo sports betting used to be in the United States. Wild days we’re in.
