Sports:
- The City of Pittsburgh hopes to bring a legal dispute over its sports facility usage fee to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The city has stopped collecting the fee in the meantime, which could put new strains on an already tenuous financial picture. “We believe that this tax is proper,” city solicitor Krysia Kubiak said. The charge, widely known as the “jock tax,” is a 3% levy on out-of-town athletes and performers who use city-owned venues. An appeals court ruled the tax unconstitutional last month, affirming a lower court’s 2022 opinion. Pittsburgh appeals ‘jock tax’ case to the state Supreme Court, stops collection – WESA
- A new class-action lawsuit alleges Canadian major junior hockey leagues violate antitrust laws in the United States by colluding to restrict the negotiation powers of players. The suit was filed Wednesday in New York by the North American division of the World Association of Ice Hockey Players Unions. It alleges players are subject to systemic abuses, including the artificial reduction of compensation and conducting involuntary drafts, where a team can obtain an athlete’s exclusive major junior rights without the presence of a collective bargaining agreement. NHL, Canadian Hockey League and member clubs hit with antitrust lawsuit filed in U.S. – CBC
- A skier’s family wants the ski industry to share responsibility for injuries suffered when she fell from a Crested Butte Mountain Resort chairlift. Whether that happens depends on the seven justices of the Colorado Supreme Court, who, in the coming months, will issue a ruling on how much protection liability waivers can provide ski areas. The high court’s decision could have sweeping impacts on Colorado’s signature industry and the long-standing Ski Safety Act that has protected ski resorts for several decades. If the Colorado Supreme Court rules that parents cannot sign liability waivers for their kids, recreation providers like camps, rafting companies and ski resorts argue insurance costs will climb and they will be unable to provide opportunities for children. Ski resorts’ long history of immunity threatened by Colorado Supreme Court case – The Colorado Sun
- Pro golfer Jordan Spieth argues in a new court filing he should not have to comply with a subpoena served by Athalonz, a golf shoe company suing Under Armour for patent infringement. Through his attorneys, Spieth contends he shouldn’t have to turn over documents and sit for a deposition when the case involves design features of the soles of shoes—a topic for which he says he lacks any relevant knowledge. Spieth Seeks to Quash Subpoena in Under Armour Shoe Case – Yahoo Sports
- PrizePicks, a popular operator of online fantasy sports contests, will pay a nearly $15 million penalty and cease operations in New York after operating without authorization, according to a settlement with the state Gaming Commission. PrizePicks to pay $15M settlement, cease operations – Times Union
- Dartmouth College now has more breathing room to file a request for review of NLRB regional director Laura Sacks’ Feb. 5 decision to order a union election of the men’s basketball team. In a brief order Monday, NLRB counsel Diane Bridge extended the deadline from Feb. 20 to March 5—the same day the 15 players will vote on whether Service Employees International Union Local 560 represents them as a union. Dartmouth Wins Two-Week Extension of NLRB Union Vote – Yahoo Sports
- Amid ongoing legal battles over the accessibility of Wrigley Field, the Chicago Cubs were at the center of another federal case on Thursday, this one probing the Tribune Media Company’s 2009 sale of the team to the billionaire Ricketts family. Justice Department, IRS commissioner take former Chicago Cubs owners to Seventh Circuit over tax abuse claims – Courthouse News Service
- The World Anti-Doping Agency said it has referred the national anti-doping agencies of Nigeria and Venezuela to the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) over their alleged non-compliance. WADA sends Nigeria, Venezuela anti-doping agency cases to CAS – Reuters
- For the first time since he announced plans to move the Washington Capitals and Washington Wizards out of D.C. for a new Northern Virginia arena in Alexandria, Monumental Sports and Entertainment owner Ted Leonsis spoke about his controversial decision. The proposed arena and music venue would sit on 12 acres, paid for with a $2.8 billion loan from the state of Virginia in the form of what’s known as “moral obligation bonds.” Monumental would contribute $400 million and the city of Alexandria roughly $100 million. ‘The die is cast’ | Capitals, Wizards owner says the move to Alexandria is happening, pending Virginia approval – WUSA
Entertainment:
MUSIC
FILM & TELEVISION
TECHNOLOGY
MEANWHILE, IN HOLLYWOOD…
