DODGERS PART-OWNER BOEHLY PURCHASES CHELSEA FC
Los Angeles Dodgers part-owner Todd Boehly has reached a deal to acquire Premier League soccer club Chelsea FC for $4.93 billion, according to the Wall Street Journal, believed to be the highest sale price for a sports team. The club later confirmed the deal.
Chelsea has been up for sale since March, when its Russian oligarch owner Roman Abramovich was ordered to sell the Londonbased club by the Premier League.
The decision came after Abramovich, who had been Chelsea’s owner for 19 years, was sanctioned by the British government for his relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Boehly quickly emerged as one of Chelsea’s top suitors. After he had reportedly tried to buy the team in 2019, the Journal said this time he beat other American bidders, including the co-owners of the Boston Celtics and Philadelphia 76ers.
NFL
Las Vegas Raiders team President Dan Ventrelle has left the organization less than a year after taking over the job. Owner Mark Davis announced in a statement that Ventrelle “is no longer with the Raiders organization” but divulged no details around the decision.
Ventrelle said in a statement to the Las Vegas Review-Journal that he was fired in retaliation for bringing concerns from multiple employees to the NFL about a “hostile work environment.”
“When Mark was confronted about these issues, he was dismissive and did not demonstrate the warranted level of concern,” Ventrelle said in the statement.
The Green Bay Packers signed both of their firstround draft picks Friday, with former Georgia teammates Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt agreeing to terms. Walker (22nd) played linebacker and Wyatt (28th) was a defensive lineman on Georgia’s national championship team last season.
College tennis
The University of San Diego men’s tennis team advanced to the second round of the NCAA team championship with a 4-0 victory over UC Irvine. The Toreros (24-3) earned a date today against No. 13 seed USC (22-5).
The San Diego State women’s tennis team ran into a tough USC squad in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, losing 4-0 to the 19th-ranked Trojans at Pepperdine’s Ralps-Straus Tennis Center in Malibu. The Aztecs did not win a set, but Nnena Nadozie had seventh-ranked Er yn Cayetano at 5-5 when the match was called. SDSU finishes 17-7.
USD’s women’s tennis team fell to Arizona State, 4-1, in the first round.
WNBA
Elena Delle Donne had 21 points and nine rebounds in her first season-opening game since 2018 and the Washington Mystics beat the Indiana Fever 84-70 to begin the WNBA season. Delle Donne played just three games the previous two seasons because of COVID-19 concerns and back issues. The former league MVP was 8 of 16 from the floor in 30 minutes. Kelsey Mitchell led Indiana
with 18 points. Motorsports
Formula One championship leader Charles Leclerc paced the opening practice of the inaugural Miami Grand Prix. Leclerc covered the 19-turn, 3.36-mile circuit (5.41 kilometers) in 1 minute, 31:098 seconds in his Ferrari in the first of two looks at the course around
Hard Rock Stadium.
Hockey
The San Diego Gulls saw their season come to an end Thursday night in a 3-2 loss to the Ontario Reign in Game 2 of their best-of-3 American Hockey League playoff series. Ontario took a 2-0 lead, but the Gulls responded with second-period goals by Greg Printz and Brent Gates Jr.
Tennis
In a clash of generations, 19-year-old Carlos Alcaraz overcame an injury to defeat his idol Rafael Nadal 6-2, 1-6, 6-3 in the Madrid Open quarterfinals.“It’s obvious there’s (a change in guard),” Nadal said. Alcaraz was emotional afterwards.