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Articles by Luke Cyphers
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for Oct. 9 Original
Personnel, partnerships, products and purchases for this week in sports business. Design by Grace Hughes, Photos by Getty images Welcome to Sportico’stransactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry.
Riverside Church Ordered to Pay $11.3 Million to Child Sex Abuse Victim Original
A former player for the Riverside Church basketball program was awarded $11.3 million by a New York jury Wednesday for the sexual abuse he suffered decades ago as a teenage member of the once-vaunted youth team. The plaintiff, identified in court documents by his initials, J.M., testified in state Supreme Court in lower Manhattan last week that he was sexually abused “eight or nine” times in the spring of 1978 by Riverside’s former sports program director, Ernest “Ernie” Lorch.
Manchester City loses arbitration over Premier League allegations
Manchester City FC-the 10-time champion of the English Premier League -will face potential relegation, points deduction, fines or other types of discipline after an arbitration commission said it broke league rules to obtain an unfair advantage over rival clubs.
NFL 2026: The League’s Flag Football Long Game Is Paying Dividends Original
Now that the NFL, the richest sports league in the world, sits unchallenged atop American sports, that lofty perch raises its own questions: How can you sustain growth and popularity without falling prey to complacency—or greed? How do you further grow a successful league while fending off platform decay and lawsuits? What threats are out there, and what are the league’s tactics to defang them? What are some unchartered territories for the league?
Riverside Church Abuse Cases Mired in Courts 6 Months After First Trial
Three of the 26 plaintiffs who filed lawsuits alleging they were abused as children while playing for the vaunted youth sports program have died awaiting justice. Design by Grace Hughes. Photo courtesy University of Virginia Law School It’s been over six months since the first trial in the Riverside Church child molestation scandal resulted in a settlement for former college basketball star Daryl Powell.
Riverside Church Abuse Cases Still Mired in Courts Six Months After First Trial
It’s been over six months since the first trial in the Riverside Church child molestation scandal resulted in a settlement for former college basketball star Daryl Powell. In the immediate aftermath, hopes arose that the Powell case would lead to a quick resolution of the remaining 25 lawsuits filed against the iconic Manhattan church over allegations of sexual abuse in its pioneering youth sports program, which put more than 60 players into the NBA. That hasn’t happened.
Riverside Church Abuse Cases Still Mired in Courts Six Months After First Trial
It's been over six months since the first trial in the Riverside Church child molestation scandal resulted in a settlement for former college basketball star Daryl Powell. In the immediate aftermath, hopes arose that the Powell case would lead to a quick resolution of the remaining 25 lawsuits filed against the iconic Manhattan church over allegations of sexual abuse in its pioneering youth sports program, which put more than 60 players into the NBA.
Roger Goodell Wants the NFL to Suit Up in Japan Original
With the NFL set to open this year’s regular season in Australia, commissioner Roger Goodell revealed another trans-Pacific stop he’d like to see: Tokyo. While attending Fanatics Fest in New York on Thursday, Goodell told Sportico he’d be interested in holding a regular-season game in Japan. Asked if there was one new international market where he’d like to stage a game, Goodell responded, “I got about 10.” But then he elaborated.
The Hangover: U.S. Doesn’t Have the Players to Win a World Cup
America thought this time would be different and that the USMNT could pull off a miracle. The World Cup doesn’t work that way. Design by Grace Hughes, Photos by Getty Images Sobriety is a gift. The USMNT’s 4-1 pasting by Belgium in Seattle broke the spell for fans who started to believe that this team, this time, could offer America what it thinks it desperately needs: a winner. Why not us?
World Cup Nationalism Drives Media as U.S. Seeks ‘Soccer Nation’ Status Original
Design by Sportico, Photos by Charlotte Wilson/Getty Images, Jamie Squire/Getty Images Want proof that the U.S. is now “a soccer nation” that truly treats the sport like the rest of the world does? It’s the wholesale, unapologetic media homerism. Forget the social media engagement, the packed stadiums (except for that first game) or the jingoistic “USA! USA!” watch parties. We’ve seen that before.
Aramco Advertises in Iran World Cup Games Despite Refinery Attacks
Aramco’s broad sponsorship of FIFA has created a strange geopolitical sight: the Saudi-owned oil giant advertising during Iran World Cup games, three months after Iran attacked its largest refinery. Design by Sportico. Photo by Richard Heathcote/Getty Images As Iran‘s World Cup match with Belgium kicked off on Sunday afternoon, digital ads around the SoFi Stadium field in Los Angeles flashed the logo of Aramco, the Saudi Arabian state-owned oil giant.
The World Cup Is Here. Can Players Succeed Where FIFA Failed?
OPINION: A run of victories by the home sides may be the difference between the World Cup's success and failure. Design by Grace Hughes, Photos by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images, Minas Panagiotakis/Getty Images, Jeremy Chen/Getty Images, Hector Vivas/Getty Images It’s all on the players now.
Goodbye, Cruel World Cup: Why 3 Big Cities Said No to FIFA
Chicago, Minneapolis and Montreal pulled out of the bidding for the World Cup and made other plans for the summer. Design by Grace Hughes, Photos by Getty Images In Montreal, they’re not preparing for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Goodbye, Cruel World Cup: Why 3 Big Cities Said No to FIFA
1 hour ago Every World Cup host city will say it's the best. In Vancouver's case, however, it's true. It has picturesque views, plenty to do and endless food options. It has a great public transit system, including a train that runs between the airport and downtown, and is also very walkable. People are …
Peak Experience: The Volunteers Who Lifted the Denver Summit
You know you’re hot when the fire department shows up. In the summer of 2023, the original organizers of what would become the Denver Summit NWSL franchise had a hunch—more like metaphysical certitude, really—that a massive untapped market existed for professional women’s soccer in the Mile High City.
A Tale of 2 Soccer Cities: Inside the Chelsea-Wrexham FA Cup Showdown
In a modern edition of David versus Goliath, the rags-to-riches Wrexham faces off against Premier League giant Chelsea in its quest for a trophy. Design by Grace Hughes, Photos by Chris Jackson/Getty Images, Jan Kruger/Getty Images, Monica Schipper/Getty Images for Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights, Justin Setterfield/Getty Images, Buda Mendes/Getty Images, Kya Banasko/Getty Images What a difference five years makes.
Riverside Sex Abuse Trial: Famed Church Settles With Former Basketball Player Original
New York’s Riverside Church settled the first case resulting from a decades-long child sexual-abuse scandal in its basketball program, agreeing to terms Tuesday with former player Daryl Powell before the matter could go to a Manhattan jury. Powell, the 64-year-old former college star who now works as a deputy sheriff in Virginia, testified to years of abuse by Ernest Lorch, the multimillionaire director and coach of the once-vaunted Riverside program.
Riverside Church Sex Abuse Trial Set to Conclude This Week Original
The first trial in the Riverside Church youth basketball sex-abuse scandal is winding to a close, with final witness testimony to be heard Tuesday in lower Manhattan before the case is handed to the six-person jury for deliberations. Riverside is scheduled to call Dr. Steven Fayer as an expert psychiatric witness in its defense against 64-year-old former player Daryl Powell’s lawsuit, the first of 27 suits against the church to go to trial under New York’s 2019 Child Victims Act.
Riverside Church Sex Abuse Trial Set to Conclude This Week
1 hour ago It only took three minutes, but the damage was real. Three armed men stormed a Manhattan Pokémon card store, holding customers at gunpoint while smashing display cases and grabbing rare collectibles valued at over $110,000. The robbery at Poké Court on West 13th Street specifically targeted …
Riverside Church Opens Defense in Child Sex Abuse Trial Original
Riverside Church in New York City on March 18, 2018. Gary Hershorn/Getty Images Riverside Church opened its defense against a lawsuit accusing the progressive religious institution of harboring a predatory child sex abuser running its pioneering youth basketball teams for decades, as attorneys attempted to show that the church had no notice of any wrongdoing and only knew of the program’s sterling reputation.
Riverside Church Trial: Ex-Coach Testifies to Witnessing Abuse Original
Daryl Powell, the first former basketball player to take New York’s Riverside Church to trial for childhood sexual abuse, nearly finished his testimony Tuesday, supplementing victims’ accounts with testimony from former coaches, a psychiatric expert, and a paper trail attempting to show the vaunted institution’s culpability.
Riverside Church Trial: Two Ex-Players Testify to Being Sexually Abused Original
Byron Walker in New York City in October. Brad Ogbonna for Rolling Stone Two more former college basketball players testified Friday to being sexually abused as teens by the multimillionaire coach of New York’s esteemed Riverside Church basketball program, echoing the allegations of their boyhood teammate Daryl Powell, who’s suing the church in a state Supreme Court civil court trial in Manhattan.
Riverside Church Abuse Trial Opens With Dramatic Testimony
A trial about a dark chapter in basketball history opened Thursday in New York with a former player testifying that the multimillionaire coach of the pioneering Riverside Church youth basketball team regularly molested him as a child, but the program’s prestige and the stigma of speaking out about sexual abuse kept him silent for nearly 50 years.
Riverside Church Sexual Abuse Trial to Begin This Week Original
The first plaintiff in the Riverside Church basketball scandal is poised to be heard in court, after years of delay and a half century living with memories of alleged childhood sexual abuse. Jury selection began on Monday in New York State Supreme Court in the case of Daryl “D.D.” Powell, a former Marist College basketball star who played for Riverside as a teenager during the 1970s and eighties.
Riverside Basketball Abuse Trial Nears With Key Evidence at Stake
The first trial for the 27 men suing Riverside Church is set for next month. Illustration/Grace Hughes, Image courtesy of University of Virginia Law Library. Next month, former Riverside Hawks basketball player Daryl Powell will be the first of the 27 men suing Riverside Church over its failure to protect them from alleged sexual abuse to see his case advance to trial.
College Cup Cash Cow? NCAA Soccer Plan May Benefit From MLS Shift Original
As the final four teams vie for the NCAA men’s soccer College Cup in North Carolina this weekend, work continues on plans to overhaul the college game. And those reform efforts may have received a boost from a radical change at the pro level: MLS’ recent decision to change its calendar. Like MLS, the NCAA holds its soccer playoffs during the late autumn, in the long, eclipsing shadow of the NFL and college football.
The Predator in the Church Basement Original
B yron Walker knew he was in trouble. He’d been late for the Riverside Church Hawks team van departing Upper Manhattan for a tournament in Massachusetts one spring morning in 1977. When the Riverside squad — part of the top teenage-basketball travel program in the country — arrived for its opening game in Springfield, Walker sat on the bench the entire first half. At halftime, Ernest “Ernie” Lorch, the Hawks’ founder and coach, confronted the teenage point guard.
College Application: U.S. Soccer Submits New Game Plan for NCAA
The future of NCAA soccer could soon be radically different—with regional conference realignment that includes promotion and relegation; a full-school-year competition calendar; professional player eligibility; and enhanced commercial opportunities—based on recommendations in a U.S. Soccer-sponsored “NextGen White Paper” released Thursday.
College Application: U.S. Soccer Submits New Game Plan for NCAA
The future of NCAA soccer could soon be radically different—with regional conference realignment that includes promotion and relegation; a full-school-year competition calendar; professional player eligibility; and enhanced commercial opportunities—based on recommendations in a U.S. Soccer-sponsored “NextGen White Paper” released Thursday.
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for Oct. 10
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry. PERSONNEL Wasserman Hires Christa D’Alimonte as Chief Legal Officer Global sports, music and entertainment company Wasserman has appointed Christa D’Alimonte as chief legal officer.
U.S. Soccer to Market The Soccer Tournament's Commercial Rights
The Soccer Tournament (TST), a 7-on-7 event with a $1 million winner’s prize, has signed an agreement with the U.S. Soccer Federation in which the national governing body will market TST’s commercial rights. The deal is a sign of the rapid growth of TST—which has quickly attracted a fan following and lured sides from the Premier League and LaLiga—and of U.S. Soccer’s expanding business horizons.
Riverside Church Faces Sex-Abuse Trial, Judge Denies Summary Judgment
In a significant ruling that paves the way for a trial centering on sexual abuse in a famed youth basketball program, a New York judge last week denied Riverside Church’s motion for summary judgment against ex-Riverside Hawks player Daryl Powell. Powell is one of 27 men who have sued Riverside, accusing the church of negligence for failing to protect them from alleged sexual abuse.
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for June 20
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, products and purchases across the sports business industry. TKO Appoints Dean Garfield to Lead Government Affairs TKO Group Holdings Inc. (NYSE: TKO) has appointed Dean Garfield as senior vice president of government affairs.
U.S. Soccer Pushes Big College Plans as National Team Struggles
On the same day the U.S. men’s national team laid a 4-0 egg against Switzerland in a friendly, getting booed off the field at halftime of a fourth straight loss Wednesday, U.S. Soccer laid a big bet: that the organization can transform the sport at the college level and create a world-class minor league. The juxtaposition was stark. Off the field, U.S. Soccer is aggressively pushing boundaries.
NFL Exec Brian Rolapp Departs to Be PGA Tour CEO
Brian Rolapp, a longtime NFL executive who was thought to be in line as the successor to commissioner Roger Goodell, will leave the league to become CEO of the PGA Tour, according to a source granted anonymity because the matter is private. In the newly created CEO role, Rolapp will work alongside the tour’s commissioner, Jay Monahan, as the golf circuit continues to navigate the tumultuous change brought about with the advent of the Saudi-backed LIV Golf.
College Try: U.S. Soccer Takes First Steps to Reboot NCAA Game
A new, experimental intercollegiate soccer model may be in place as soon as next year, part of a U.S. Soccer Federation plan to “integrate the college game more deeply” into the American player development system. In an embargoed news release Tuesday, U.S. Soccer announced the formation of what it calls the NextGen College Soccer Committee, a group consisting of corporate and league executives, team owners and college sports administrators tasked with charting reforms in the college game.
Former Riverside Hawks Basketball Players Rebuke Church Legal Defenses
Former players alleging sexual abuse by the multimillionaire founder of New York City’s Riverside Hawks basketball program—which pioneered the elite travel-team model of youth sports—have filed an answer in their lawsuit saying the defendant, Riverside Church, missed the mark in the church’s motion for summary judgment. Three plaintiffs, including 56-year-old Robert L.
Riverside’s Defense Rebuked in Youth Basketball Sex Abuse Case
Former players alleging sexual abuse by the multimillionaire founder of New York City’s Riverside Hawks basketball program—which pioneered the elite travel-team model of youth sports—have filed an answer in their lawsuit saying the defendant, Riverside Church, missed the mark in the church’s motion for summary judgment. Three plaintiffs, including 56-year-old Robert L.
Premier League Champions League Battle Looms on Season’s Last Day Original
Five English Premier League clubs will be simultaneously scrapping Sunday for three slots in next year’s UEFA Champions League, with the winners snatching not only pride but tens of millions of dollars in future revenue. The top five in the league standings earn a spot in the lucrative Champions League, with two already claimed by EPL champion Liverpool and second-place Arsenal.
New York's Iconic Riverside Church Hoops Program Faces Sex-Abuse Suits
It’s been four decades since Robert Holmes, now 56, played basketball for the Riverside Hawks in Harlem. The famed youth basketball program was closely affiliated with the Riverside Church—an institution founded by John D. Rockefeller Jr. that became famous in the 1960s for its support of the civil rights movement and opposition to the Vietnam War—and produced such NBA players as Metta World Peace (formerly Ron Artest), Elton Brand, Mark Jackson, Kenny Smith, Chris Mullin and Ed Pinckney.
Minor League Team Renamed After a Minnow Boasts a Whale of a Tale
A former farm team of the Colorado Rockies has renamed itself, simultaneously showing support for a threatened species and offering reparations, of sorts, for a tweet that went sideways six years ago. The Grand Junction Jackalopes announced this week they will play parts of the upcoming season as the Grand Junction Humpback Chubs, the alternate identity of the Pioneer Baseball League’s western Colorado club.
Can U.S. Soccer’s Support Kick Year-Round College Model Into Gear?
FEBRUARY 25, 2025 | composed by STEVE ULRICH News and notes on the largest and best Division in the NCAA. #whyD3 Send tips to and/or via DM 👋 Goodbye, Ruby Tuesday. Thanks for supporting D3Playbook Headlines ⚽️ Could College Soccer Go Year-Round? 🏈 Meet the NESCACPA 🏀 Wesleyan, NYU Top Rankings Entering Final Week of Regular Season 📱 Are You Socially Active? Follow D3Playbook on Twitter and Bluesky. 📰 Help Support Our Work.
U.S. Soccer in Talks with Big Ten, ACC on Year-Round College Model Original
The quarter-century movement to establish year-round men’s collegiate soccer has gained new momentum in the past year, with the U.S. Soccer Federation having discussed with the Big Ten and ACC ways to launch a pilot program.
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for Jan. 24
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships and products across the sports business industry. REI Selects Mary Beth Laughton as President and CEO Mary Beth Laughton has been named to replace Eric Artz as president and CEO on REI, effective Feb. 3. Initially, Laughton will join REI as president before stepping into the responsibility of CEO and the day-to-day running of the co-op on March 31.
Manchester United Fires Manager Erik Ten Hag Amid On-Field Struggles Original
The world’s most valuable soccer team is officially a mess. After falling to 14th place in the 20-team English Premier League Sunday, Manchester United fired manager Erik ten Hag Monday morning. The club confirmed the news in a statement. “We are grateful to Erik for everything he has done during his time with us and wish him well for the future,” the statement said.
Derek Jeter Production Company Plans to Grow Hollywood Footprint
New York Yankees legend and Fox Sports analyst Derek Jeter has launched a production company, Cap 2 Productions (a reference to his number with the Yankees, and his role as captain of the team), hoping to capitalize on interest in sports-related content from TV channels and streaming services. The Hollywood Reporter was first with the news.
Billionaires and a $20 Million Red Card Are Reshaping U.S. Soccer
It’s been referred to as “the $20 million red card.” When American winger Tim Weah was sent off after striking Panama’s Roderick Miller in the 18th minute of a Copa América group stage game in June, the booking set off a chain reaction that upended U.S. Soccer’s best-laid plans for the men’s national team ahead of the 2026 men’s World Cup on home soil. The Yanks went on to lose to Panama, failed to make it out of the Copa group stage, then fired coach Gregg Berhalter.
Magic Johnson Invests in NWSL’s Washington Spirit Original
NBA legend Earvin “Magic” Johnson bought a stake in the NWSL’s Washington Spirit, the team announced Thursday morning. The deal comes a year after the three-time MVP became a minority owner in Washington’s NFL team; Johnson is part of the ownership group led by Josh Harris, which purchased the Commanders for $6.05 billion in 2023. In 2022, Michele Kang bought the Spirit in a deal that valued the club at $35 million.
San Diego Wave Deny Allegations of Abusive Workplace Under Jill Ellis Original
Former employees of the NWSL’s San Diego Wave have accused the team and its president, two-time World Cup-winning U.S. Women’s National Team soccer coach Jill Ellis, of fostering an abusive environment within the club—allegations the club denied.
Sportico Transactions: Moves and Mergers Roundup for May 17
Welcome to Sportico’s transactions wire, a weekly rundown of personnel, partnerships, purchases and products across the sports business industry. WSC Sports Names Director of New Gen AI-Specific Division WSC Sports, a purveyor of AI-powered sports video content, has created a generative artificial intelligence (Gen AI) group and named Itai Epstein as WSC Sports’ director of Gen AI. In that role, Epstein will lead that team as it continues to explore the next era of fan engagement.
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