1 00:00:00,640 --> 00:00:03,360 Speaker 1: This is the Bloomberg Business of Sports show. We explore 2 00:00:03,400 --> 00:00:05,400 Speaker 1: the big money issues in the world of sports. I'm 3 00:00:05,440 --> 00:00:09,200 Speaker 1: Michael Barne, I'm Scarlett Foo and and we've got a 4 00:00:09,200 --> 00:00:12,119 Speaker 1: lot of topics to talk about. First of all, the 5 00:00:12,200 --> 00:00:17,960 Speaker 1: joker not in the Australia Open. Uh. And you know, 6 00:00:18,079 --> 00:00:22,560 Speaker 1: if everybody who has not heard this story, Uh, he 7 00:00:22,840 --> 00:00:28,760 Speaker 1: got denied his visa twice because he's unvaccinated and Australia said, 8 00:00:28,800 --> 00:00:32,400 Speaker 1: you know what, dude, you got to go. So and 9 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:34,800 Speaker 1: but there's a lot of money involved because you're talking 10 00:00:34,800 --> 00:00:37,519 Speaker 1: about the number one player, the defending champ of the 11 00:00:37,560 --> 00:00:43,080 Speaker 1: Australian Open and uh and scar A lot of Serbs 12 00:00:43,440 --> 00:00:48,280 Speaker 1: are not happy with what happened because obviously Djokovic, that's 13 00:00:48,320 --> 00:00:51,760 Speaker 1: his home country. Yeah, and we had seen protests in 14 00:00:51,800 --> 00:00:56,240 Speaker 1: Australia hoping that the government would let him enter the country. 15 00:00:56,720 --> 00:00:59,880 Speaker 1: And this is kind of the culmination of everything. But 16 00:01:00,600 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: I think I feel like there are a lot of 17 00:01:02,160 --> 00:01:07,360 Speaker 1: self inflicted missteps along the way, right, because his team 18 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: was not exactly clear with the fact that he did 19 00:01:10,560 --> 00:01:13,759 Speaker 1: not follow all the rules, and it turns out that 20 00:01:13,800 --> 00:01:16,000 Speaker 1: he was showing up in different places even after he 21 00:01:16,040 --> 00:01:19,039 Speaker 1: had found out he tested positive. There's just a lot 22 00:01:19,080 --> 00:01:21,240 Speaker 1: of things that are coming up coming out of the 23 00:01:21,240 --> 00:01:24,319 Speaker 1: woodwork now that we have a timeline of what happened. Yeah, 24 00:01:24,360 --> 00:01:26,840 Speaker 1: I agree with you, Scar and and Lyndcha. I agree 25 00:01:26,880 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: also that the thing I think that really nailed his 26 00:01:30,040 --> 00:01:32,559 Speaker 1: you know, you know what to the wall was when 27 00:01:32,560 --> 00:01:37,120 Speaker 1: it came out that he did this uh media shoot 28 00:01:37,720 --> 00:01:41,240 Speaker 1: and he knew he was positive, but he went anyway. 29 00:01:41,480 --> 00:01:43,960 Speaker 1: Djokovic is one of those athletes that hasn't heard the 30 00:01:44,000 --> 00:01:47,440 Speaker 1: word no for an awful long time. He basically, because 31 00:01:47,440 --> 00:01:50,000 Speaker 1: of who he is and his success, gets his way, 32 00:01:50,040 --> 00:01:51,600 Speaker 1: but he's not going to get his way and didn't 33 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:53,720 Speaker 1: get his way in Australia. Scotty Morrison to give a 34 00:01:53,720 --> 00:01:56,040 Speaker 1: tip of the cap to him for saying, I'm sorry 35 00:01:56,360 --> 00:01:58,400 Speaker 1: you violated our rules. You know what they were? They were, 36 00:01:58,440 --> 00:02:00,960 Speaker 1: Crystal Claire when you came in. Now there's some huge 37 00:02:01,000 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: financial implications here. The winner of the Australian Open gets 38 00:02:04,720 --> 00:02:07,800 Speaker 1: nearly three million dollars two point seven five million if 39 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:10,680 Speaker 1: he's in the finals, a million and a half semifinals 40 00:02:10,720 --> 00:02:13,360 Speaker 1: nine thousand and if he played in the doubles and 41 00:02:13,360 --> 00:02:15,400 Speaker 1: one of the doubles in the singles he could have 42 00:02:15,480 --> 00:02:20,560 Speaker 1: won nearly five million dollars. He also has forty one 43 00:02:20,600 --> 00:02:22,959 Speaker 1: million dollars and endorsement deals and the biggest one is 44 00:02:23,040 --> 00:02:26,880 Speaker 1: La cost the Alligator shirts. He gets nine million a 45 00:02:26,960 --> 00:02:28,840 Speaker 1: year from lacost and La Coste has come out and 46 00:02:28,840 --> 00:02:32,119 Speaker 1: said they're going to review the situation. And then there's 47 00:02:32,120 --> 00:02:34,680 Speaker 1: the French Open looming in May, which has come up 48 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:38,160 Speaker 1: with some very strict protocols and rules for coming into 49 00:02:38,200 --> 00:02:41,119 Speaker 1: their country as well. So this is just the financial 50 00:02:41,120 --> 00:02:44,720 Speaker 1: impact of the Australian Open. It could just compound itself 51 00:02:44,760 --> 00:02:46,840 Speaker 1: by the time we get to May. Let's not forget 52 00:02:46,840 --> 00:02:50,840 Speaker 1: also the political backdrop here, because um, there's an election 53 00:02:51,160 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: in May in Australia, and Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister, 54 00:02:54,440 --> 00:03:00,400 Speaker 1: was also kind of stoking voters sympathies of port with 55 00:03:00,440 --> 00:03:02,880 Speaker 1: appeals to tough border enforcement with the way that he 56 00:03:02,960 --> 00:03:07,720 Speaker 1: handled the Djokovic situation. So there there are other motivations 57 00:03:07,760 --> 00:03:11,359 Speaker 1: in the backdrop here, but certainly what happened with Djokovic 58 00:03:11,639 --> 00:03:14,440 Speaker 1: touched on kind of everything that that's getting people upset. 59 00:03:14,560 --> 00:03:18,000 Speaker 1: Right now, let's move now to hockey and a couple 60 00:03:18,040 --> 00:03:21,919 Speaker 1: of hockey stories. Premiere Hockey federation announced the twenty five 61 00:03:22,000 --> 00:03:25,919 Speaker 1: million dollar investment with aims to boost salaries and the sport. 62 00:03:26,000 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: That is a story that is out of the globe 63 00:03:28,639 --> 00:03:31,680 Speaker 1: and earlier a few months ago, we had a chance 64 00:03:31,720 --> 00:03:35,440 Speaker 1: to talk with the commissioner of the league, Tyler to 65 00:03:35,560 --> 00:03:38,400 Speaker 1: Mania and what she had to say, we really have 66 00:03:38,480 --> 00:03:41,800 Speaker 1: to align ourselves with partners that really understand what we're 67 00:03:41,800 --> 00:03:44,680 Speaker 1: trying to do here. It takes a true partner to 68 00:03:44,800 --> 00:03:48,080 Speaker 1: come in on top of our ownerships that really float 69 00:03:48,200 --> 00:03:50,320 Speaker 1: us on the operational level, but to grow this to 70 00:03:50,360 --> 00:03:52,840 Speaker 1: the next level to get the viewership up that we 71 00:03:52,920 --> 00:03:56,200 Speaker 1: need to understand that the partners that come in as 72 00:03:56,200 --> 00:03:59,000 Speaker 1: our sponsors in order to grow revenue that will have 73 00:03:59,000 --> 00:04:01,960 Speaker 1: a direct impact, particular with our federation has a has 74 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,640 Speaker 1: a major impact on that salary cap. This is a 75 00:04:04,720 --> 00:04:07,440 Speaker 1: league that had rebranded from the National Women's Hockey League 76 00:04:07,560 --> 00:04:11,680 Speaker 1: last summer to Premier Hockey Federation to be more inclusive 77 00:04:11,760 --> 00:04:16,320 Speaker 1: to include uh transplayers as well. And it's notable that 78 00:04:16,440 --> 00:04:20,080 Speaker 1: this announcement is coming before the Winter Olympics because that 79 00:04:20,200 --> 00:04:23,960 Speaker 1: is when women's hockey really shines. The US team, the 80 00:04:24,000 --> 00:04:26,760 Speaker 1: Canadian team, they're always battling it out for the gold 81 00:04:26,760 --> 00:04:29,880 Speaker 1: medal at the Winter Olympics. And I remember that conversation 82 00:04:29,920 --> 00:04:33,039 Speaker 1: we had with Tyler beck In in October and she said, 83 00:04:33,080 --> 00:04:36,440 Speaker 1: we need more eyeballs on the sport, and the Olympics 84 00:04:36,440 --> 00:04:41,039 Speaker 1: certainly gets more eyeballs than anybody else. And right now 85 00:04:41,080 --> 00:04:43,960 Speaker 1: they have a twenty million dollar infusion from the owners, 86 00:04:43,960 --> 00:04:46,159 Speaker 1: and they have a nice new deal with ESPN, plus 87 00:04:46,200 --> 00:04:48,120 Speaker 1: they have a deal with ts nd UP in Canada, 88 00:04:48,200 --> 00:04:50,640 Speaker 1: they have a deal with trading cards, and they're going 89 00:04:50,680 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 1: to expand two more teams and two more cities, and 90 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:54,960 Speaker 1: one of them is going to be Montreal, which is 91 00:04:54,960 --> 00:04:56,880 Speaker 1: going to be huge for them because now they'll have 92 00:04:57,080 --> 00:04:59,800 Speaker 1: two teams in Canada, they'll have Toronto, and they'll have 93 00:04:59,839 --> 00:05:02,839 Speaker 1: more Trio. And most of the cities are located in 94 00:05:02,839 --> 00:05:05,080 Speaker 1: the northeast. There's one that's in St. Paul, which of 95 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,600 Speaker 1: course is a great hockey hotbed. But this right now, 96 00:05:08,800 --> 00:05:11,000 Speaker 1: I feels like the original six in a way. It does, 97 00:05:11,040 --> 00:05:13,560 Speaker 1: you know, I was thinking the exact same thing, exact 98 00:05:13,640 --> 00:05:16,680 Speaker 1: same thing, Scarlett. I met a woman, Jillian Dempsey. She 99 00:05:16,680 --> 00:05:19,680 Speaker 1: plays for the Boston Pride. Mike Ruzione introduced me to 100 00:05:19,720 --> 00:05:22,520 Speaker 1: her last winter and she's a fifth grade teacher in Winthrop, 101 00:05:22,600 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: a job that she absolutely loves, but she needs that 102 00:05:25,720 --> 00:05:28,359 Speaker 1: job to supplement the income that she's getting from the 103 00:05:28,440 --> 00:05:32,120 Speaker 1: current contract. It's gonna double next year, and maybe Jillian 104 00:05:32,120 --> 00:05:34,000 Speaker 1: will still be able to teach school, but she won't 105 00:05:34,000 --> 00:05:36,240 Speaker 1: have to teach school if she doesn't want. Yeah, the 106 00:05:36,279 --> 00:05:39,200 Speaker 1: salary cap for each team goes up to seven fifty 107 00:05:39,279 --> 00:05:42,200 Speaker 1: thou dollars, which is more than double what it had been. Um, 108 00:05:42,320 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 1: as they add these two expansion franchises. I've had my 109 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:50,080 Speaker 1: wrist lap by the higher ups because I get opinionated 110 00:05:50,120 --> 00:05:53,320 Speaker 1: about this, and I still don't understand why in the 111 00:05:53,400 --> 00:05:58,040 Speaker 1: hell we've got this problem of such a wide gap 112 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:01,600 Speaker 1: of salaries between the men and the women. They're gonna 113 00:06:01,640 --> 00:06:06,600 Speaker 1: bring up broadcasting contracts and rights and of course sponsorship 114 00:06:06,680 --> 00:06:09,880 Speaker 1: and how how that plays into everything. But it's got 115 00:06:09,880 --> 00:06:12,840 Speaker 1: to start somewhere. Good now, I kept that right down 116 00:06:12,880 --> 00:06:16,360 Speaker 1: the middle. But anyway, bar patting himself on the back 117 00:06:16,400 --> 00:06:20,560 Speaker 1: of being restrained, Uh, we have to bring up Willio 118 00:06:20,680 --> 00:06:25,719 Speaker 1: read here. Um they retired this jersey, yes, uh I 119 00:06:26,080 --> 00:06:30,400 Speaker 1: and it really was something he wore. Number twenty two. 120 00:06:31,240 --> 00:06:34,920 Speaker 1: The Boston Bruins retired the Jersey. Willio Reid was the 121 00:06:34,960 --> 00:06:38,920 Speaker 1: first black player to appear in an NHL game. And 122 00:06:38,960 --> 00:06:44,000 Speaker 1: this goes way back in nineteen fifty eight. Lynchy this, 123 00:06:44,000 --> 00:06:47,039 Speaker 1: this was something to see and be and he said 124 00:06:47,120 --> 00:06:52,520 Speaker 1: something about what it was like to play when he 125 00:06:52,640 --> 00:06:56,120 Speaker 1: was introduced in nineteen fifty eight and having to go 126 00:06:56,279 --> 00:06:59,280 Speaker 1: through being a person of color in the league at 127 00:06:59,320 --> 00:07:02,080 Speaker 1: that time. I got it from the fans, the racial 128 00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 1: remarks and slurs from the opposing players, but I just 129 00:07:06,279 --> 00:07:08,200 Speaker 1: let it went in one ear not the other. And 130 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:12,960 Speaker 1: I gotta say, uh, linchie bless him, because I don't 131 00:07:12,960 --> 00:07:15,240 Speaker 1: think I could do that. I'll tell you I had 132 00:07:15,240 --> 00:07:17,840 Speaker 1: the good fortune being here in Boston to interview Willio 133 00:07:17,960 --> 00:07:20,320 Speaker 1: Rei a few years ago, and one of the most 134 00:07:20,360 --> 00:07:23,520 Speaker 1: remarkable characters I've ever met in my life. Um, he 135 00:07:23,600 --> 00:07:26,360 Speaker 1: actually got hit with a puck in playing junior hockey 136 00:07:26,600 --> 00:07:28,840 Speaker 1: and it was legally blind in one eye, and he 137 00:07:29,040 --> 00:07:32,480 Speaker 1: convinced his family and his doctor not to tell anybody 138 00:07:32,520 --> 00:07:34,960 Speaker 1: because he knew was hard enough as a black person 139 00:07:35,200 --> 00:07:38,200 Speaker 1: trying to crack the color barrier in the National Hockey League. 140 00:07:38,320 --> 00:07:40,680 Speaker 1: He didn't want to have something else working against him, 141 00:07:40,720 --> 00:07:43,120 Speaker 1: so he kept that inside him and He told stories 142 00:07:43,120 --> 00:07:45,120 Speaker 1: of some of the vicious comments that were coming back, 143 00:07:45,160 --> 00:07:48,040 Speaker 1: but his teammates, especially Johnny Busick on the Bruins, were 144 00:07:48,120 --> 00:07:51,040 Speaker 1: very supportive and welcoming to him. Um, it was too 145 00:07:51,040 --> 00:07:53,320 Speaker 1: bad he couldn't make the trip. He's eighty six years old. 146 00:07:53,320 --> 00:07:55,840 Speaker 1: He lives in San Diego. I watched live here in 147 00:07:55,880 --> 00:07:58,320 Speaker 1: Boston last night when they when they raised the number 148 00:07:58,320 --> 00:08:00,880 Speaker 1: twenty two to the banner. And we don't take Rainy's 149 00:08:00,960 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 1: raising numbers to the banners lightly. Here in Boston, there's 150 00:08:03,400 --> 00:08:05,280 Speaker 1: some pretty big names up there like Bobby Or and 151 00:08:05,360 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 1: Johnny Busick and Bill Russell and John Haveltcheck and uh 152 00:08:09,120 --> 00:08:11,560 Speaker 1: Larry Bird. So willio Re is right up there in 153 00:08:11,600 --> 00:08:14,200 Speaker 1: the rafters of the garden with everybody else and rightly so. 154 00:08:14,240 --> 00:08:17,920 Speaker 1: And since he's been to the National Hockey League's Diversity 155 00:08:17,960 --> 00:08:19,760 Speaker 1: Ambassador and he has done a wonderful job. And he's 156 00:08:19,760 --> 00:08:23,040 Speaker 1: also known by his trademark Fedora, and the Bruins team 157 00:08:23,080 --> 00:08:25,440 Speaker 1: this year sent him one a nice Fedor and on 158 00:08:25,480 --> 00:08:27,600 Speaker 1: the side of it it has the banner that they 159 00:08:27,720 --> 00:08:30,440 Speaker 1: raised to the rafters. It's really cool and it's not 160 00:08:30,520 --> 00:08:33,200 Speaker 1: just the Boston Bruins are celebrating WILLYO re right. I 161 00:08:33,200 --> 00:08:35,920 Speaker 1: mean it is all the players around the league. You 162 00:08:35,960 --> 00:08:37,559 Speaker 1: had a lot of them up here in a pregame 163 00:08:37,640 --> 00:08:41,240 Speaker 1: video tribute Ryan Reeves of the Rangers, Matthew Joseph of 164 00:08:41,280 --> 00:08:43,920 Speaker 1: the Tampa Bay Lightning, Wayne Simmons of the Maple Leaves. 165 00:08:43,920 --> 00:08:46,560 Speaker 1: I mean they were all saluting him for for breaking 166 00:08:46,600 --> 00:08:49,120 Speaker 1: that color barrier. This will make lench you feel better. 167 00:08:49,200 --> 00:08:55,280 Speaker 1: I had a Bobby or hockey card and I put 168 00:08:55,320 --> 00:09:00,120 Speaker 1: it in a book to protect it. And the book 169 00:09:00,360 --> 00:09:05,800 Speaker 1: unfortunately got thrown out by a mistake by my father. 170 00:09:06,880 --> 00:09:10,680 Speaker 1: And I said, Dad, what did you do? He said, 171 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:13,080 Speaker 1: what I cleaned up? Yeah he did, He said, I 172 00:09:13,120 --> 00:09:16,040 Speaker 1: cleaned up it was It was an old school book 173 00:09:16,080 --> 00:09:18,160 Speaker 1: from when I was in the fourth grade or something 174 00:09:18,200 --> 00:09:20,960 Speaker 1: about math. And he threw it out. He said, you 175 00:09:21,000 --> 00:09:24,240 Speaker 1: know in my father, God bless him, God rest his soul. 176 00:09:24,320 --> 00:09:26,080 Speaker 1: He said, boy, what do you want that book for? 177 00:09:26,240 --> 00:09:28,959 Speaker 1: I said, look, you threw away a Bobby your card, 178 00:09:29,360 --> 00:09:32,400 Speaker 1: to which he replied, who's Bobby or to where I 179 00:09:32,440 --> 00:09:34,600 Speaker 1: stomped out of the house. Well, the next time, we 180 00:09:34,600 --> 00:09:36,280 Speaker 1: have a trading card expert and I we're gonna ask 181 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:38,320 Speaker 1: him about the value of that car and then watch 182 00:09:38,440 --> 00:09:40,440 Speaker 1: listen to Michael Barr. The thud when he hits the 183 00:09:40,440 --> 00:09:45,880 Speaker 1: ground could have been You've been listening to the Bloomberg 184 00:09:45,960 --> 00:09:51,760 Speaker 1: Business of Sports podcast. We're here every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday. 185 00:09:51,960 --> 00:09:54,240 Speaker 1: I'm Michael Barr. You can follow me at Big Bar 186 00:09:54,320 --> 00:09:56,240 Speaker 1: Sports on Twitter. You can find me on Twitter at 187 00:09:56,280 --> 00:09:58,200 Speaker 1: Scarlett Po. And I'm Mike Lynch. You can follow me 188 00:09:58,240 --> 00:10:01,839 Speaker 1: at Lynch w CBB. Are listening to Bloomberg Business of 189 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,800 Speaker 1: Sports on Bloomberg Radio around the world. By the way, 190 00:10:04,880 --> 00:10:08,040 Speaker 1: you can catch our podcast wherever, because that's the way 191 00:10:08,040 --> 00:10:08,440 Speaker 1: we're through