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Morning Edition

September 23, 2025

A new Rays ownership group has been approved. But the franchise it acquired for $1.7 billion still has a very significant item on its to-do list: securing a stadium, after previous owner Stu Sternberg let a local funding deal fall through.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

Rays $1.7B Sale Approved, Stadium Plans Now Loom Large [[link removed]]

Scott Taetsch-Imagn Images

Major League Baseball owners on Monday unanimously approved the $1.7 billion sale of the Rays to a group led by Patrick Zalupski. A much more difficult road lies ahead, though, as the Florida developer and his partners will need to solidify the team’s uncertain future in the Tampa Bay area.

Three months after the Zalupski deal first came to light [[link removed]], he will take over the franchise from Stu Sternberg, who held the team for just shy of 20 years. During those two decades, the Rays went to the playoffs nine times and reached two World Series, typically with payrolls at or near the bottom of the league. The team, however, is now starting from scratch on a new venue after Sternberg earlier this year walked away from a deal [[link removed]] to build a $1.3 billion ballpark in St. Petersburg, Fla.

Zalupski’s ownership group will also include Union Home Mortgage CEO Bill Cosgrove, Heartland Dental founder Rick Workman, DEX Imaging CEO Dan Doyle, Augusta National Golf Club chair Fred Ridley, and Ken Babby, founder and CEO of Fast Forward Group, which operates two minor-league teams. Babby is expected to be the team’s CEO.

Sternberg and his partners will initially retain a minority stake of about 10%, but a full divestment is expected later. Closing on the Zalupski deal is expected later this week.

That group is expected to look on both sides of Tampa Bay for a long-term stadium site, though the Hillsborough County side closer to the NFL’s Buccaneers and NHL’s Lightning is likely more preferable. In St. Petersburg, where the Rays have been based since their inception, the club continually struggled as one of the least attended in MLB.

A news conference is expected in the coming days in which the new owners will outline their vision in more detail.

In the meantime, repairs continue on the hurricane-damaged Tropicana Field, and the 2026 MLB schedule [[link removed]] contemplates the Rays getting back there after playing this season at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, the spring training home of the Yankees.

Looking to the Future

MLB commissioner Rob Manfred, for his part, has been steadfast in his support for the No. 11 media market, but also confirmed last week [[link removed]] at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit that the team will be operating with a “blank slate” on a new stadium. He lauded the incoming owners, though, and the opportunity in front of them.

“The situation in Tampa has a lot of promising developments,” he said. “The sale to a group that has huge, deep roots in Tampa would be a definite positive. … Things are looking up in Tampa and are headed in the right direction.”

The core of the Rays baseball operations staff, including president Erik Neander, is expected to stay in place. The two leaders on the club’s business side, co-presidents Matt Silverman and Brian Auld, will conversely shift to advisory roles.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS LIVE

The Rise of E1

On Nov. 6, Future of Sports: The Next Wave [[link removed]]—presented by Front Office Sports and Courtside Sports Advisors, with official partners E1, Team Miami, and Campbell Capital Management—will bring together the sport’s top owners, investors, athletes, and celebrities in Miami for an exclusive, invite-only half-day experience.

Kicking off the event is the E1 Series panel.

Hear from the people behind E1 on how the series came about, its influences, its celebrity backers, and why it’s poised to take off. Joining the conversation is E1 Series founder and chairman Alejandro Agag and CEO Rodi Basso.

Want to join the conversation? Request to attend [[link removed]]. Space is limited.

The ACC’s Highest-Paid Coaches Are Struggling to Win Games [[link removed]]

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The ACC is gearing up to welcome the national spotlight on a huge intraconference game in two weekends—just not the matchup anyone predicted.

On Oct. 4, the ACC’s two highest-paid coaches will square off when Dabo Swinney and Clemson visit Bill Belichick and North Carolina. But with the Tigers (1–3) and Tar Heels (2–2) both underwhelming so far, it will be No. 2 Miami at No. 8 Florida State that draws the most attention.

On Monday, the ACC released its Week 6 TV schedule, with Miami-FSU drawing the 7:30 p.m. ET primetime slot on ABC, and Clemson-UNC being relegated to the noon ET window on ESPN.

In July, ESPN senior director of programming and acquisitions Kurt Dargis told Front Office Sports [[link removed]] the network had its “hopes and fingers crossed” that Swinney vs. Belichick would be a big game. Chapel Hill was circled on many people’s lists to potentially host College GameDay (for the first time since 1997) on Oct. 4, but now Tallahassee figures to be a logical choice for the traveling pregame show that weekend.

Clemson was No. 4 in preseason rankings, and hype—everywhere from increased ticket sales [[link removed]] to a new Hulu docuseries [[link removed]]—was building around UNC. While Miami was ranked No. 10 entering the season, FSU was unranked.

Since then, the Hurricanes and Seminoles are undefeated, including a huge season-opening win for FSU over Alabama, which resulted in the ACC’s first $50,000 field-storming fine [[link removed]]. College GameDay was in Miami this past weekend ahead of the program’s matchup with its other in-state rival, Florida.

Neither the Tigers nor the Tar Heels have notched a win against a Power 4 opponent yet this season, and both are on bye weeks this coming weekend. Swinney is the third-highest-paid coach in the country, with an $11.5 million salary, and Belichick ranks ninth at $10 million [[link removed]].

Summer Olympics Face a Climate-Induced Heat Check [[link removed]]

The Tennessean

Already impacting many parts of sports, climate change is potentially on the cusp of altering the Olympics schedule—at least according to World Athletics president Sebastian Coe.

As the World Athletics Championships concluded last weekend in Tokyo amid humid conditions routinely approaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit, Coe said the global calendar for Olympic sports will soon need radical change.

“Governments haven’t really stepped up to the plate on this,” Coe said to BBC Sport [[link removed]] regarding climate change. “I can’t see beyond the inevitability of having collectively, as Olympic sports and probably the Olympic movement, really re-engineering what the international calendar looks like.”

Coe further cited research from his organization showing 70% of athletes already report that climate change is disrupting their training and competition. Particularly at issue are endurance events, where hot and humid conditions can be particularly damaging.

“I’m not sure that we can go on asking some of our endurance-based athletes to be competing at times of the year which are really going to hit their performances and are probably putting them at risk as well,” Coe said. “This has to be addressed.”

The elite marathon calendar is already skewed toward the fall to help address this, but the Summer Olympics, for now, remain tied to traditional windows, particularly for host cities in the Northern Hemisphere. The 2028 Los Angeles Games, for example, are set for July 14–30 that year, meaning that more substantive calendar changes are still years away.

The International Olympic Committee, however, has discussed climate change at length and has agreed to many elements in the Paris Agreement [[link removed]], such as reducing direct and indirect carbon emissions. Upon becoming the new IOC president earlier this year, Kirsty Coventry received an open letter from more than 400 Olympians calling on her to make climate change a top priority, something she has vowed to do.

Not Just the Olympics

The climate change issue also flared up in the U.S. earlier this year when a hot early-summer stretch coincided with the FIFA Club World Cup held here. The often-stifling conditions prompted complaints from many of the participating clubs [[link removed]] that are much more accustomed to playing in Europe in a fall-to-spring schedule. Daytime games in the U.S. to accommodate evening broadcast slots in Europe only exacerbated that issue.

“The time slot is great for European audiences, but the teams are suffering,” said Paris Saint-Germain manager Luis Enrique.

Climate change is also a notable factor in Major League Soccer’s highly complex consideration [[link removed]] of shifting to a fall-to-spring schedule to meet that international standard in the sport.

Bruce Pearl Retires As Auburn Coach, Says He Won’t Run for Senate [[link removed]]

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl is retiring.

The 65-year-old coach is stepping down shortly before the 2025–26 season, he announced in a 14-minute video Monday [[link removed]].

The school said Monday that his son Steven had signed a five-year deal to take over as head coach.

“The truth is, it’s time,” Bruce Pearl said in the video. “I told myself that when I got to the point where I could not give it my all, where I wasn’t necessarily 100%, or I couldn’t be the relentless competitor that you expected of me, then it was going to be time.”

The Tigers reached the Final Four twice—in 2019 and 2025—during Pearl’s 11-year tenure. Pearl won 706 games at four schools and a Division II title at Southern Indiana.

Reports had suggested Pearl was considering running for Senate to replace Republican Tommy Tuberville, who is stepping down to run for Alabama governor. Tuberville was previously best known as a college football coach, spending a decade at Auburn.

Pearl addressed the longstanding rumors Monday, and said that he had ultimately decided against running for office. “Many of you know that I thought and prayed about maybe running for United States Senate,” Pearl said in the video. “Maybe to be the next great senator from the state of Alabama.

“That would have required leaving Auburn, and instead, the university has given me an opportunity to stay here and be Auburn’s senator. I need to focus now on being a great husband, being a great father, being the best grandfather I possibly can be. At the same time, as an ambassador at Auburn, I’m going to do everything I can to keep helping Auburn be the very best version of what it possibly can be.”

Pearl’s official role will be “special assistant to the athletics director,” according to a university release [[link removed]].

Last year, Pearl led the Tigers to the Final Four; they ended their season with a 32–6 record. Pearl was the sixth-highest-paid men’s college basketball coach during that time, with a salary of $5.9 million, according to USA Today, on a contract running until 2030. Pearl also had an $11.7 million buyout.

There were plenty of signs suggesting Pearl was on his way out. In September, Pearl said on The Paul Finebaum Show [[link removed]] that he would be surprised if he lasted the five years left on his contract.

And, in June, he said on a podcast [[link removed]] that his son was “ready.”

Now, with Steven at the helm, the Tigers face a potentially tumultuous month: The transfer portal will open up for 30 days starting Tuesday, as NCAA rules allow players to transfer after head coaching changes.

Pearl is the most recent big-name coach to abruptly quit while near the top of the sport. Tony Bennett retired from Virginia last October [[link removed]], blaming stress caused by the unrestricted transfer portal and NIL (name, image, and likeness) landscape.

He also holds a major legacy among a network of Jewish basketball coaches. Two decades ago, he cofounded the Jewish Coaches Association [[link removed]] and has helped it grow from an annual gathering to a multi-event organization with hundreds of attendees.

This past April, Pearl was honored at the Final Four with a Jewish Coaches Association lifetime achievement award.

Conversation Starters Paige Bueckers will join Unrivaled’s second season, earning more [[link removed]] than her entire four-year WNBA rookie deal in her debut salary. Pablo Torre shared what his first move would be if he were NBA commissioner for a day. Watch it here [[link removed]]. The White House revealed a preview and renderings of the first-ever UFC event on the South Lawn next June. Check it out [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks WNBA Has No Black Woman Head Coaches After Seattle Fires Noelle Quinn [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]Quinn could end up being the only coach fired in this cycle. NCAA, SUNY Geneseo Sued for Excluding Transgender Runner [[link removed]]by Ben Horney [[link removed]]The suit says state law supersedes the NCAA policy the school cited. How Cheryl Reeve Turned the Lynx Into the WNBA Gold Standard [[link removed]]by Annie Costabile [[link removed]]Reeve has Minnesota six wins away from an unprecedented fifth WNBA title. Question of the Day

Will you watch Clemson vs. UNC despite both teams’ struggles?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 58% of respondents have faith in college football referees to properly officiate a game.

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