Countless stadiums, arenas, golf tournaments and bowl games have sponsors in their titles. The world’s most prestigious soccer league was named the Barclays Premier League until 2016. Private equity firms currently hold ownership stakes in more than 60 North American sports franchises, according to Pitchbook, as well as many of the top soccer clubs in Europe.

But when news broke Thursday that the Big 12 is entertaining both a potential title sponsorship deal with insurance giant Allstate and a $1 billion private equity partnership, you could almost hear the collective reaction: “How dare they?!”

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Big 12 discussing PE investment, sale of naming rights to Allstate

Kirk Wakefield, a Baylor University marketing professor, had a much different reaction to the possible title sponsorship.

“You wonder why people haven’t done that already,” said Wakefield, who runs a research firm that studies sponsorship impacts for sports leagues and brands. “It’s such an obvious opportunity.”

USC sports business professor David Carter looks at the plight of the Big 12, which lags hundreds of millions a year in revenue behind the Big Ten and SEC, and sees private equity as a matter of Darwinian survival. To win national championships, Big 12 schools need to be able to spend like…

On Jan. 19, two days after he became the most coveted football player in the NCAA’s transfer portal, and mere hours after he welcomed Ohio State coaches for a recruiting visit, Caleb Downs announced his change-of-address plans. The freshman safety who’d earned second-team All-America honors at Alabama committed to the Buckeyes. Not long after, Downs and his father began relocating to Columbus.

Getting there was simple enough. Getting around was another matter.

Some wheels needed to be put in motion.

“I get a call from someone on the coaching staff and they said, ‘Hey, I’m here with Caleb and his dad now. Are you looking to add somebody else to your team?’” says Rick Ricart, the CEO and owner of Ricart Automotive Group in Columbus. “Would you be willing to do a car deal for him?’”

For decades, these were shifty conversations. Local car dealerships had long been conduits for the whispered inducements coaches or boosters promised talented players. When discovered, scandal erupted. Repercussions were often stark. Then came the seismic summer of 2021, when changes to Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) rules allowed college athletes to earn money without fear of NCAA sanctions.

Car dealers nationwide quickly exchanged leases and keys for players boasting about their new…

Now that Caitlin Clark is a member of the Indiana Fever, it’s time to turn the page on the 2024 WNBA Draft and look ahead to what could be an even more talented class in 2025. This is the last group of players to be eligible for a pandemic bonus year, so the WNBA will have a true double draft of fourth- and fifth-year seniors, which will simplify the process for general managers who no longer have to wonder who will declare.

The relevant exception to that is the medical redshirt. Players still have an additional year of eligibility if they sit out for a season due to injury, as is the case with the top prospect on the board. However, the number of players who fall into that category is relatively small.

Given that the draft order isn’t set until after the 2024 WNBA season, which has yet to commence, this isn’t a mock draft. Instead, it’s a list of the top players without regard to team fit. This exercise also only considers domestic prospects, though we should expect internationals to factor heavily on draft day in 2025. After all, three non-NCAA players were taken in the first round of Monday’s draft.

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WNBA Draft grades: Fever earn A for picking Clark, Sky receive C+ even with Angel Reese

Much is expected to change between now and then, but probably not the…

Congrats to South Carolina, which was the No. 1 team in all but one edition of this season’s rankings. The Gamecocks proved they were the best team in college basketball for all of 2023-24, just like last year, only this time they were able to cap their remarkable regular season with a national championship. South Carolina’s success was the primary validation of these power rankings, though the last poll did feature 15 of the Sweet 16 teams in the top 18 (apologies to Duke).

In case you’re interested in how well my first power rankings of 2023-24 held up, take a gander! Oregon State really came out of nowhere.

As we look ahead to 2024-25, a reminder that this is an indicator of how teams stand right now, though WNBA Draft decisions and transfers — keep an eye on Oregon State and Washington State following the dissolution of the Pac-12 — could substantially change the makeup of rosters. I’ve priced in some player improvement, particularly for younger players with high pedigree, but otherwise tried to assess these squads based on how the players finished this season. Let me know in the comments if you think I’m overlooking anyone.

Almost famous: Kentucky, Michigan State, Vanderbilt

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Why South Carolina over UConn?

South Carolina is losing Kamilla Cardoso, but otherwise…

Last year’s WNBA season featured a historic MVP race between frontcourt players. Breanna Stewart, A’ja Wilson and Alyssa Thomas were separated by only 13 points, with Stewart winning despite not having the most first-place votes. A frontcourt player has won the award every year since 2014, with bigs playing significant importance in the modern WNBA. The frontcourt class in the upcoming 2024 WNBA Draft has the potential to impact the league immediately, with plenty of eyeballs watching to see who goes where.

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WNBA 2024 mock draft: Caitlin Clark, Paige Bueckers and Cameron Brink headline

The draft is less than three weeks away on April 15 in Brooklyn, just eight days after the national championship. In anticipation of the event, eight general managers shared their thoughts with The Athletic before the NCAA Tournament about the upcoming class. They were granted anonymity to allow them to speak openly. On Wednesday, we published their assessments on eligible guards, such as Caitlin Clark, Georgia Amoore and Jacy Sheldon. Now, they’re sharing their unvarnished takes on forwards such as Cameron Brink, Rickea Jackson and Angel Reese.

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Anonymous WNBA GMs scout guard prospects: Caitlin Clark will be ‘backbone of a franchise’

Following the tournament, we’ll release…

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

This season has been so beautiful, and the NCAA Tournament is a welcome extension of that so far. In a sport that’s defined ever more by speed, pace and efficiency, it’s crucial to stop every so often to soak in how excellent the game is.

Iowa State’s Audi Crooks, a true freshman, dropped 40 points in her first tournament appearance. She did that while shooting 18 of 20 and leading the Cyclones back from a 20-point deficit against Maryland to advance to the second round.

We saw other freshmen ascend to terrific heights, too. JuJu Watkins has propelled USC back to levels the Trojans haven’t been to in decades. Notre Dame’s Hannah Hidalgo seems to break a record every day. Texas’ Madison Booker has stepped up. MiLaysia Fulwiley’s stardom and impact continues to grow. Crooks and the four other freshmen in Iowa State’s self-proclaimed Fab Five have the Cyclones dancing in what was expected to be a rebuild year.

This video from from former Gonzaga and current Long Beach State men’s coach Dan Monson struck a chord. It’s a good reminder to fully appreciate what’s happening in…

The first two days of the 2024 women’s NCAA Tournament have brought a number of close finishes. UNC, Nebraska and Oklahoma won games by 3 points or fewer. Kansas topped Michigan in overtime, fighting off the Wolverines’ fourth-quarter rally. Thus far, however, the tournament has been light on madness. There’s been only one seed-line upset (No. 11 seed Middle Tennessee over No. 6 seed Louisville), and the closest game involving a No. 1 or No. 2 seed was Ohio State’s 23-point win over Maine.

The lack of opening-round wonkiness doesn’t mean we’re missing notable results or performances. Instead, Saturday featured a star scorer taking over late in a game to stave off defeat, a different star scorer struggling but still almost ending up with a triple-double and an unusual situation involving the referees.

Subs are important … even in officiating

The madness is expected in March … but not this kind.

Astute observers noticed that an officiating change was made at halftime of the NC State-Chattanooga game. The NCAA released a statement explaining there was “a background conflict that, if known, would prevent (the official) from working that assigned game.”

The official in question — Tommi Paris — holds a master’s degree from Chattanooga University, according to…

Welcome back to Bracket Breakers, where we are excited to keep extending our search for upsets in the NCAA women’s tournament. This year, the potential Cinderellas on the women’s side are more interesting than ever, with more bracket-breaking weapons in their arsenals. Today we’re breaking down which of those teams has the highest chance to beat an overdog in Friday’s first-round games.

As on the men’s side, our statistical model Slingshot, developed with help from the Furman University Mathematics Department, begins by estimating the strength of all D-I teams according to their scoring margin per 100 possessions, adjusted for strength of schedule. We then adjust those basic power ratings for how strongly teams carry traits associated with successful tournament teams of the past.

For underdogs, these characteristics generally include factors that widen the variability of a team’s play, such as shooting lots of threes and working to force turnovers. For favorites, it’s just the opposite: higher seeds cruise to wins when they cut risks and avoid chaos. Then we estimate matchup results.

Before we continue, two observations and one caveat. First, as we’ve mentioned, while parity is increasing in the women’s game, and there are more viable contenders for the…

The full NCAA Tournament bracket has been released with South Carolina leading the way as No. 1 overall.

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

After months of anticipation, thousands of games played in and out of conference, and some truly wild conference tournaments, the NCAA Tournament is here. Selection Sunday has come and gone. Advance scouts are done, processed and getting applied in final practices.

Throughout March Madness, The Athletic will present its Power Rankings. After every round, we’ll release an updated rankings reflecting how teams are playing. Keep in mind, these are not reflections of seedings, although there may be some crossover between where teams are seeded and how they’re performing.

Our inaugural power rankings admittedly looks pretty close to chalk, as many of the teams were seeded by the selection committee in a way that was reflective of recent play. However, the Tennessee Volunteers make a surprise appearance despite being a No. 6 seed. The Lady Vols play No. 11 Green Bay, a dangerous mid-major, in Saturday’s first round.

Gonzaga is just outside of my rankings consideration after dropping the…

The Athletic has live coverage of Selection Sunday and the NCAA Tournament bracket reveal. 

(Editor’s note: This is part of the Bracket Central Series, an inside look at the run-up to the men’s and women’s NCAA Tournaments, along with analysis and picks during the tournaments.)

Pure. Chaos.

Madness came early on Saturday, leaving a trail of stolen bids, burst bubbles and flummoxed bracketologists in its wake. Now? Selection Sunday is here.

We know we have four legit bid thieves: NC State in the ACC, Oregon in the Pac-12 and two more coming Sunday in the A-10 and AAC. Drake’s upset over Indiana State in the MVC title game might end up as a fifth functional bid thief. Wild.

Get your March Madness printable bracket

The bracket reveal is mere hours away. In the meantime, we’ll do our best to calculate the bubble math and take stock of an absolutely wild day of college hoops.

Here’s my best estimation of where things stand entering Sunday:

• There are 32 automatic qualifying bids via conference champions. There are 36 at-large bids. Total of 68.

• At least 21 of those 32 conferences will be one-bid leagues, including the Ivy League championship between Brown and Yale on Sunday. So let’s start with 21.

• Give at least four bids to the ACC: AQ and three at-large locks….