While Deen says Ross “entertained” the offer, he reportedly turned it down “because he wants to keep the assets in his family.”
Ross, 83, purchased 50 percent of the Dolphins franchise and the team’s stadium (then known as Dolphins Stadium) in 2008 for $550 million. A year later, he purchased 45 percent more of the team to bring the total investment to $1 billion.
The rejected $10 billion offer shows not only the rapidly soaring valuation of NFL franchises, but also the impact of investments made by the team. Hard Rock Stadium underwent a significant renovation in 2015 and 2016, the Dolphins unveiled a state-of-the-art training facility in 2021, and the Miami Grand Prix has proven to be a massive success.
“Miami joining Formula 1 has been huge for the sport in the United States, and the vision and enthusiasm Stephen Ross and [Dolphins CEO] Tom Garfinkel have for the event is incredible,” F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali told USA Today.
“The event has quickly established itself as a destination for our fans, as well as the biggest stars from across music, sport, and entertainment. We continue to see our fanbase grow across the country on all our platforms and standout events like the Miami Grand Prix are a huge driver of this.”
The third annual Miami Grand Prix is scheduled Sunday at 4 p.m. ET.
All that for what? F1’s penultimate Grand Prix race that doesn’t even matter this season.
The championship has already been clinched. Max Verstappen has won 15 of the last 16 races. Red Bull clinched the Constructors title. There’s no competition here. This is now just an extremely expensive dog and pony show.
Not only is it pointless, but it couldn’t be going worse. Ticket prices have cratered, you can book hotel rooms for as little as $18, it’s cold as ever and nobody is even showing up to be there because F1 couldn’t bother to look up the temperature in Las Vegas in November. Newsflash: The desert gets cold here, y’all.
It’s only been a few hours. Maybe it gets better. But, uh, this start? This ain’t it.
Look on the bright side, though, Vegas. If F1 doesn’t get it right this time, at least they’ve got nine more tries to figure it out. Good luck, y’all. Clearly, we’re going to need it.
Uh oh, Bengals, you’re in trouble
Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports
The L the Bengals took from the Ravens on Thursday looks like it’s about to get a lot worse.
The NFL is reportedly investigating why Joe Burrow wasn’t on the team’s injury report before the game when he appeared to have a device on his wrist ahead of the game, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Burrow left the game with a sprained right wrist — the same wrist that was caught by cameras when Burrow got off the team bus.
Lots of talk about a deleted #Bengals post, which showed Joe Burrow wearing some type of brace or sleeve on his right wrist.
🎥 Here’s video of Burrow getting off the team bus in Baltimore.
This is a pretty big deal. If the Bengals are found to have tried to hide an injury here they could potentially be fined or even lose a draft pick, per Schefter.
Plus, Burrow injured that wrist during the game. If he’s out for weeks the team’s season is probably over. The team will have to turn to Jake Browning, which, good luck on that, Bengals.
On the other side: The Bengals weren’t the only ones with a devastating injury. Mark Andrews appears to be out for the season with an ankle injury, according to John Harbaugh.
That’s a devastating loss for the Ravens. Andrews is one of Lamar Jackson’s main targets in that offense. Baltimore will have to adapt without him.
Jim Harbaugh takes the L
(AP Photo/Paul Sancya, FILE)
Welp, folks. Looks like the sign-stealing saga is finally over.
So, now, we’re not getting the Friday morning hearing we thought we were which also means Jim Harbaugh won’t be getting his day in court to defend himself.
But you still sent me your Jim Harbaugh defenses per our request on Tuesday, so I’ll share a few of them here:
“He can drop a bunch of “F” words like his idiot assistant coach did on Saturday,” one of you said. That’s a reference to Sherrone Moore crying over Harbaugh’s suspension after beating Penn State. Yes, I also just cackled about it again. THIS IS FOR YOU.
Someone else said Harbaugh should invoke the 2017 Houston Astros to defend himself: “It’s not like we were banging trash cans!” You know what? Not a terrible idea. Put that one in the pocket, Jim.
Another person said Harbaugh and Michigan should just plead no contest. That’s kind of what happened. Jim? Is…is that you?
Photo Friday: What a moment for Luis Diaz
On October 29, Luis Diaz’s father, Luis Manuel Diaz, was kidnapped while helping his brother, Gaby, campaign for an upcoming election in Colombia.
A couple of weeks later on November 9, Diaz’s father was returned. Just three days ago the father and son were reunited for the first time since his kidnapping.
Yesterday, Diaz scored two goals for Colombia against Brazil in a World Cup qualifying match.
Now you know the story behind this photo.
(AP Photo/Ivan Valencia)
Look at how Luis’ dad was for him in this big moment. He was so proud.
💛🇨🇴 Luis Díaz’s father reaction after he scored vs Brazil is just wonderful to see. pic.twitter.com/Xl83NUN2kl
Held at the Wynn Golf Club in Las Vegas – ranked 19th on Golfweek’s Best 2023: Top 50 casino golf courses in the U.S. – the 6 p.m. ET event will look to play off the success of the streaming service’s Full Swing and Drive to Survive shows that follow both the PGA Tour and Formula One, respectively. Formula One will host its first-ever race on the Strip in Las Vegas later this weekend.
For those of you who aren’t familiar with the world of Formula One, get to know the four drivers who will be teeing it up with Justin Thomas, Max Homa, Rickie Fowler and Collin Morikawa.
Lewis Hamilton, the top driver in F1, is now a co-owner of the Broncos.
The Denver Broncos’ new ownership group continues to grow.
Rob Walton, Denver’s (pending) majority owner, announced Tuesday that British F1 driver Lewis Hamilton is joining the team’s ownership group.
“We’re delighted to welcome seven-time Formula One world champion Sir Lewis Hamilton to our ownership group,” Walton said in a statement. “He is a champion competitor who knows what it takes to lead a winning team and a fierce advocate for global equality, including in his own sport.
“With over 100 race wins, Lewis is considered the most successful F1 driver of all time. His resilient spirit and standard of excellence will be an asset to the ownership group and the Broncos organization.”
As Walton’s statement indicated, Lewis is a highly-accomplished driver. In recognition of his racing success and off-track environmental and social activism, Lewis was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II in 2021.
Here’s how quarterback Russell Wilson reacted to the news on Twitter:
Walton will be the team’s controlling owner, but his son-in-law, Greg Penner, is expected to handle the day-to-day operations. Penner’s wife, Carrie Walton Penner, will also have a key role in ownership.
In addition to Lewis, the Walton-Penner group has also added accomplished businesswoman Mellody Hobson and former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice as minority co-owners.
NFL owners will vote on the team’s new ownership group on Aug. 9, and the group is expected to be approved just in time for preseason.
Sunday’s Miami Grand Prix — one of Formula 1’s two American races currently on the schedule — is all about the glitz and glam and flashy, Miami vibes. And judging from some early views of the 3.36-mile, 19-turn circuit built around Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida, it certainly has the potential to live up to the hype — especially if the racing is good.
One particular element of the venue, however, leaves quite a bit to be desired: the fake marina.
Eyeing the idea of an American version of the famed and glamorous Monaco Grand Prix, Miami organizers originally hoped for a waterfront venue with a circuit in the downtown area and over a bridge to the Port of Miami, as the Miami Herald reported last month. But when that plan didn’t work out and the race ended up being around Hard Rock Stadium, there was still an attempt at creating a waterfront atmosphere.
Enter The Yachts at MIA Marina, a faux harbor/beach area with, obviously, yachts. More from the Miami Herald:
It won’t be as picturesque as it would have been along the turquoise bay, with gorgeous aerial camera views of cruise ships, the skyline and fans watching from yachts and sailboats. But [Dolphins and Hard Rock Stadium owner Stephen] Ross’ group is doing its best to replicate a waterfront ambiance at the landlocked venue.
In the center of the track, near turns 11, 12 and 13, will be a 24,000 square-foot beach club zone featuring a resort-style pool with luxury cabanas, bars and DJs playing music.
And that’s not all! A Monaco-inspired faux marina “Yacht Club” is being constructed — complete with about a dozen dry-docked yachts — on the infield of turns 6, 7 and 8. Some race patrons paid $38,000 for a four-person “Yacht Club” package, $19,000 for a two-person pass and $9,500 for a single.
The marina construction in progress in January 2022. (Formula One Crypto.com Miami Grand Prix)The Yachts at MIA Marina, taken Sunday, May 1, 2022 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Hiro Ueno/F1 Miami Grand Prix)
The discovery of the fake marina then led to this funny bit from Sky Sports’ Craig Slater, pointing out the absurdity of the situation and hilariously “swimming” in the “water.”
Joking that the “sea breeze is in my hair” — the venue is about 10 miles away from the Atlantic Ocean — Slater said: “It’s such a hot day today, I think I might take a jump into the cool… water.”
Following two practices on Friday and another Saturday, qualifying for the Miami Grand Prix is set for noon ET Saturday. The race is scheduled for Sunday at 11:30 a.m. ET.
“The hardcore golf fan is probably going to be pretty cynical about this endeavor, but I think they’ll love it.”
Last month an A-list of PGA Tour stars, including four of the world’s top-seven players, was officially confirmed to be part of a Netflix golf series similar to that of Formula 1: Drive to Survive.
On Wednesday, two producers for the new series, Chad Mumm and Paul Martin, joined the No Laying Up podcast to speak with host Chris Solomon about what viewers should expect from the series and how it’s similar (and different) compared to the incredibly popular Drive to Survive.
“We knew we couldn’t make a show about who won every race, because that just becomes a highlight show and everyone knows about it,” said Martin, also an executive producer for Drive to Survive. “So we had to do something different and point the cameras somewhere else. The format of that show really evolved out of being on the ground and being in that world, and I think this show will be the same.”
“The hardcore golf fan is probably going to be pretty cynical about this endeavor, but I think they’ll love it,” added Martin. “We want to create this kind of Marvel superhero universe where they all exist in this ecosystem and over the course of an episode Spiderman will come to the fore, or Iron Man will come to the fore but you still see Hulk in the background. Who wins the tournament is largely irrelevant to our storytelling.”
The producers of the upcoming Netflix golf series, Chad Mumm and Paul Martin, join the pod to detail their plans for the show, securing participation, lessons learned from "Drive to Survive,” the stories they hope to tell, and more.
Martin explained how Formula 1 knew it needed to get to a younger, “sexier audience” with Drive to Survive, and judging by the players named for the series, the PGA Tour realized the same. Confirmed players include (alphabetically): Abraham Ancer, Daniel Berger, Cameron Champ, Joel Dahmen, Tony Finau, Matthew Fitzpatrick, Tommy Fleetwood, Rickie Fowler, Sergio Garcia, Harry Higgs, Max Homa, Viktor Hovland, Dustin Johnson, Brooks Koepka, Collin Morikawa, Kevin Na, Mito Pereira, Ian Poulter, Xander Schauffele, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, and Bubba Watson.
“Our end goal is to do Drive to Survive for golf, but that doesn’t mean that we’re doing to do everything we do in Formula One and drop it on to a golf course,” said Martin.
The Tour wasn’t involved in getting players signed on for the documentary, they left that to the producers. So in 2019, Mumm went to the Masters at Augusta National and brought a list of player agents and their pictures to help make his introductions a bit easier. Fowler was the first player on board, with Thomas soon to follow. Then it was Champ and Finau.
“We’ve gotten so much already that, just the fan in me is like, ‘Oh my God, this is better than I expected right out of the gate,’” said Mumm, who added he was surprised how ready the players were to start the process.
With the players, tours, and major tournaments – even the Masters – all involved, this docuseries may just be the glimpse into the world of professional golf that fans have been waiting for.
But he’s still not a fan of the hugely popular docuseries.
Formula One’s 2021 championship battle between ultimate victor Max Verstappen and seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton, who was racing for a record-breaking eighth title, was a season-long thriller. And as the pair entered Sunday’s finale, Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, level in points, the race was practically guaranteed to be dramatic and exciting.
And it was, but not in the way many expected or hoped. However, it might have been ideal for Netflix and its wildly popular Drive to Survive docuseries.
After a late-race crash Sunday, F1 officials initially said the race would restart with one lap remaining, and the five lapped cars between Hamilton and Verstappen, who were first and second, respectively, would restart as they were. But then officials reversed the decision, allowing Verstappen (who had fresher tires) to restart right behind Hamilton.
This gave Verstappen the chance to pass Hamilton with relative ease without traffic ahead of him, and he did, winning the race and his first title.
When asked about the idea of a Netflix-ideal ending and the streaming service’s involvement with F1, Verstappen said:
“If you have read some previous interviews for me about it, then you know my stance on it. But yeah, I’m not a big fan of it, that’s for sure.”
Despite the enthralling race for the championship this season, it’s unclear what kind of role Verstappen will have in the upcoming Drive to Survive season.
Obviously, the show can’t ignore the now-reigning champion. But after being part of the docuseries’ earlier seasons, he opted not to participate anymore because he felt some elements were “fake” or exaggerated for dramatic effect.
“I understand that it needs to be done to boost the popularity in America,” Verstappen told The Associated Press ahead of Sunday’s race. “But from my side as a driver, I don’t like being part of it.”
Verstappen said when he participated in interviews in earlier seasons of the show, the quotes were later applied to situations he was not discussing and “they would fake a lot of stuff.”
“They faked a few rivalries which they don’t really exist,” he said. “So I decided to not be a part of it and did not give any more interviews after that because then there is nothing you can show. I am not really a dramatic show kind of person, I just want facts and real things to happen.”
Either way, between the captivating racing, the officiating controversy and subsequent protests, Netflix couldn’t have scripted a more disastrously dramatic finish and has a ton of material to work with for the upcoming Drive to Survive season, which is set to drop in 2022.
Sebastian Vettel is done with Ferrari after the 2020 F1 season.
In a virtual press conference last month, Formula One star Sebastian Vettel said there would be “no discussion” about the possibility of him retiring at the end of the 2020 season. He is, however, ditching Ferrari.
Releasing a statement Tuesday, Ferrari confirmed reports that it and the four-time F1 world champion have mutually agreed to part ways at the end of the season, which is currently paused because of the global COVID-19 pandemic and is not expected to return until July at the earliest. Vettel’s current contract is up at the end of the current season.
The German driver will turn 33 years old in July, and without a ride for next season, his future in the sport remains in limbo — even if he was previously adamant about not retiring. Depending on how other free-agent pieces move around, there could be a place for Vettel with McLaren, Renault or even Red Bull, but his inability to reach a deal with Ferrari could also leave him without a job.
In a statement released with Ferrari, Vettel explained how, despite being in contract talks for a while, the last few months have given him a chance to reflect on his career and future. He said in full:
“My relationship with Scuderia Ferrari will finish at the end of 2020. In order to get the best possible results in this sport, it’s vital for all parties to work in perfect harmony. The team and I have realised that there is no longer a common desire to stay together beyond the end of this season. Financial matters have played no part in this joint decision. That’s not the way I think when it comes to making certain choices and it never will be.
What’s been happening in these past few months has led many of us to reflect on what are our real priorities in life. One needs to use one’s imagination and to adopt a new approach to a situation that has changed. I myself will take the time I need to reflect on what really matters when it comes to my future.
Scuderia Ferrari occupies a special place in Formula 1 and I hope it gets all the success it deserves. Finally, I want to thank the whole Ferrari family and above all its “tifosi” all around the world, for the support they have given me over the years. My immediate goal is to finish my long stint with Ferrari, in the hope of sharing some more beautiful moments together, to add to all those we have enjoyed so far.”
In his first five years with Ferrari, Vettel earned 14 grand prix victories, making him the third-most successful driver for the team. The 2020 season, when it starts, now will be his sixth and final year with the team.
In part, Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto said in the statement:
“This is a decision taken jointly by ourselves and Sebastian, one which both parties feel is for the best. It was not an easy decision to reach, given Sebastian’s worth as a driver and as a person. There was no specific reason that led to this decision, apart from the common and amicable belief that the time had come to go our separate ways in order to reach our respective objectives.”
Ryder Cup legend Ian Poulter participated in the inaugural F1 eSports Grand Prix on Sunday and held his own against the field.
Ian Poulter loves fast cars. His Ferrari collection is his pride and joy.
“My passion for Ferrari is pretty strong,” said Poulter, who according to a story on carguy.com.au has 14 of them in his collection.
After he won the Shell Houston Open in 2018, Poulter picked up his first Porsche. We knew Poulter, the 44-year-old Englishman, had a need for speed, but who knew he could drive like a pro?
With professional golf tournaments on hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic, Poulter found time to show off his skills behind the wheel, competing for Renault DP World F1 Team in the first Official Formula 1 Esports Virtual Grand Prix, and partnering with the team’s test driver, Guanyu Zhou of China. Poulter is a DP World global ambassador and the company recently became Renault F1’s global logistics partner.
Poulter raced remotely from his own home simulator, competing against 18 other racers that included current Formula 1 drivers, reserve drivers, junior members and celebrities from the nine other teams, while giving fans of the sport something to watch (on the F1 YouTube channel) amid the coronavirus shutdown. Ahead of the race, he received tips from Renault drivers Daniel Ricciardo and Esteban Ocon.
“I love cars, I love Formula 1, I love everything about motorsport,” he told Sky Sports from his home in Florida. “It should be fun not just for me but viewerships around the world which are craving sports.
“We’d love to get back to normality in sport as soon as possible,” he added. “But if we can do it in a different format it will be quite fun for everyone to see.”
The competitors included F1 stars Lando Norris and Nicholas Latifi as well as former drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Stoffel Vandoorne, and other celebrity drivers such as Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy and One Direction’s Liam Payne. Poulter held his own finishing in a very respectable 15th place in the 14-lap race.
And you could say that the Ryder Cup legend lived up to his nickname of The Postman and delivered again on Sunday given that Zhou, Poulter’s Renault teammate, made history by winning the race.
