Jays make waves with Springer acquisition
BULLS OF THE WEEK
The Toronto Blue Jays made headlines throughout baseball Wednesday by acquiring star outfielder and free agent George Springer in a franchise-record, six-year, Us$150-million contract. For the front office and owner Rogers Communications to make that kind of investment in the middle of COVID-19 — with no immediate prospect for ticket sales or even home field at the Rogers Centre — is a confident business play.
Now all they need to do is add some reliability to the starting rotation and translate these acquisitions into a winning team, and the Jays could come out of the pandemic as one of the more bullish franchises in MLB.
Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bills have put themselves in a position to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs and advance to their first Super Bowl berth in 28 years. Not since 1993 have the Bills been much of a factor in the winner's circle in the NFL, but 25-year-old pivot Josh Allen and company have made the “Bills Mafia” a rising stock in the business of football.
Win or lose this Sunday, they've been a relief of sorts for Buffalo residents starving for something or someone to cheer for and they should be a relevant contender for years to come.
Yet despite the heroics of Allen, the strong finish in relief of the concussed Patrick Mahomes by Chiefs backup quarterback Chad Henne and the solid play of MVP favourite Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, no one has had a better week than future hall of famer Tom Brady. He led his Tampa Bay Buccaneers to a convincing win over Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints in the most-watched NFL game since last year's Super Bowl. A total American audience delivery of 36.42 million viewers was mesmerized by the winning acumen of the 43-year-old, six-time Super Bowl champion.
Imagine the storylines going into Super Bowl LV if Brady and the Bucs advance to home-field advantage in Tampa, Fla.
BEARS OF THE WEEK
It's been a tough week for COVID-19 concerns in both the NBA and the NHL, with the Memphis Grizzlies, Dallas Stars, Carolina Hurricanes and the Washington Capitals all significantly impacted as the two leagues try to play compressed regular seasons in several home arenas. It's also been a difficult week for the IOC and the reporting profession as the Times of London fell into the trap of confusing “cancellation” with “postponement” when it comes to the Tokyo 2021 Olympics.
Postponement for a second time — this time to summer 2022 — is becoming increasingly likely. Yet it's unfathomable for outright cancellation to happen without all best efforts being made this year — and next — to salvage the Games and the huge investment of more than $24 billion that Japan has made in facilities and infrastructure.
Yet, the biggest loser of the week is FIBA. The global governing body for basketball made the tone-deaf, ridiculous decision to levy Canada Basketball with a fine of up to $227,138 for failure
to participate in Americup qualifying last November. To make Canada Basketball pay for following its own government guidelines on the containment of the coronavirus is one of the biggest fouls made in recent history by an international sport organization.
The Sport Market on TSN Radio rates and debates the bulls and bears of sport business. Join Tom Mayenknecht on Saturdays from 7 to 11 a.m. for a behind-the-scenes look at the sport-business stories that matter most to fans. twitter: @Thesportmarket