Y! Sports Biz: The best seat in the house

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Y! Sports Biz: The best seat in the house

Yahoo Sports Biz · Yahoo Sports Biz Newsletters

Fri, Sep 25, 2026 ·

11 min read

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👋 Happy Friday!

In this edition:Manchester City's in for a case of the blues, the best seat in the house might be your couch, Flagging an $8 million(!) card sale, the biz behind the Ryder Cup's step-siblings, Jersey Mike heads overseas, and more.

Time to show you the money...

💣Manchester City reportedly guilty

The Athletic's David Ornstein reports that Manchester City has been found guilty on 114 of 115 charges relating to breaches of the Premier League's financial regulations from 2009 to 2018.

The charges:City's alleged violations include failures to provide accurate financial data, cooperate with Premier League investigations, provide full details on player and manager compensation, comply with Premier League Profitability and Sustainability rules, and adhere to UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations.

In layman's terms:Did City inflate its revenue and/or understate how much it paid managers and players to evade financial rules?

The potential sanctions:Sanctions have not yet been decided, but could include fines, points deductions (today or retroactively), and even expulsion from the Premier League.

More to come here, including a likely appeal from the club, which denies wrongdoing…

🕶️ The best seat in the house

The internet is enamored with Meta's new Tamagotchi-coded Muse Charm, a device animated with AI's vast power to do all your bidding. But set that mildly terrifying development aside. Sports fans should be intrigued by another device that Mark Zuckerberg unveiled this week, one that could put them right on the sideline. On their couch.

ICYMI:Meta released new VR Glasses that reimagine a form factor previously confined to large headsets with heavy-duty straps. The glasses weigh 100 grams, with the compute hardware, battery, and storage housed in an accompanying pocket-sized puck. Counted among the glasses' most intriguing applications: immersive live sports .

What we know:Meta announced "over 100 immersive live sports events to watch each year," beginning in 2027 in partnership with MLB, NBC Sports, TNT Sports and UFC. ESPN is also producing immersive sports broadcasts, which will be available on Meta Quest for college football games this season.

The competition:The announcement follows Apple's own immersive sports efforts with the Vision Pro. However, Apple has offered only 10 live sports games to date — six Lakers games and four Friday Night Baseball games. The limited action is apparently remarkable , though not without critiques .

Apple's Vision Pro starts at $3,699, preventing most consumers from taking the plunge. Meta's offering, priced at $1,299, dramatically lowers the barrier to entry while also promising a much higher volume of games.
The cost of producing those games looms as a challenge, as Apple reportedly pared down its own immersive video team. Meta's lower price point could help generate sufficient interest to encourage more investment in broadcasts.

Off the couch:Immersion has also proven popular among those more socially inclined. Consider the case of Cosm, which boasts three experiential venues in the U.S. and recently received a $100 million investment from Sony Pictures Entertainment. Both options are substitutes for actual game tickets, albeit very different ones, further amplifying the importance of already-vital media rights.

Wait and see:The Meta announcement is exciting, but without longer-term confirmation that leagues and their media partners will meaningfully commit to the medium, immersive live sports on the couch are a cool concept scarcely enjoyed. With that commitment, it could radically change the way we watch sports.

But change for the better ?You know what they say: Beauty is in the eye of those who can't see past the expensive computer mounted to their face.

Did you know a Mark Zuckerberg "rookie card" from his Little League days sold for $120,750 in 2022? Kind of a steal in today's market…

💲 While you were sleeping...

While you were sleeping, several sports cards stormed deep into seven-figure territory and the record books. Don't rub your eyes. The prices are real.

$8,040,000

Good thing the seller didn't take those bounty offers ! With the sale, Cooper Flagg's NBA Debut Patch autograph card becomes the third-most expensive NBA card ever, the sixth-most expensive trading card, and the fifth-most expensive sports card in history. In history!! Just four years ago, this would've been the highest price ever paid for any card.

Debut dollars: It's safe to say Topps' Debut Patch gambit has worked — and to unimaginable effect. Dylan Harper's ( $2,880,000 ) and Kon Knueppel's ( $2,340,000 ) also sold for huge money alongside Flagg's at Fanatics. If the players become all-time greats, there's perhaps no asset you'd rather own.* Otherwise, these are dizzying prices paid in a red-hot bull market…

$6,501,840

On almost any other night, this sale at Alt would be the one everyone is talking about. But it went toe-to-toe with the most jaw-dropping rookie card sale in history. This Kobe Bryant and LeBron James Dual Logoman autograph card clawed its way into the top ten most expensive sports card sales of all time, sitting ninth.

Rare air without Jordan: The card is from the same set as the record-setting $12.9 million Jordan-Bryant Dual Logoman, and a Jordan-James Dual Logoman autograph from the 2006 set sold privately for $10 million. The results show that MJ remains the most important part of the big-money equation. But this price is still the second-highest ever for a Kobe card and a LeBron card.

*Also in contention: their debut jerseys. You know, the whole things, not just a patch. But those were a lot cheaper! Flagg's sold for $1,000,000, Harper's for $70,400, and Knueppel's for $243,200. Better chances for big returns there.

⚡Lightning Round

🏎️ Ross close to selling Miami Grand Prix stake:Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is reportedly in advanced talks to sell a 20% stake in F1's Miami Grand Prix to Otro Capital, per Ben Horney of FOS . Otro was previously reported to be actively shopping its 24% stake in Alpine F1.

🎾 Gauff joins World Team Tennis as player-owner:The Florida Flamingos gained the world's No. 4 player Thursday as both a player and an owner. All players receive equity in the league, but Gauff's is tied specifically to the team. The three-team league will play in December.

🥊 Fury-Joshua fight announced:A fight years in the making was finally announced on Thursday. Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua will meet on December 11 in Cardiff. The purse? Reportedly about $200 million, split evenly between the fighters.

See what else is trending on the Yahoo Sports Business Hub .

🏆 Biz Viz: The "other" international competitions

The Ryder Cup is the undisputed pinnacle of team-based international competition in country club sports, its rich history, competitive spirit, and commercial success attracting copycats of varied success. Two of them — golf's Presidents Cup and the Laver Cup in tennis — take center stage this weekend.

⛳️ Presidents Cup

Biz Viz:The Presidents Cup almost always ends in an American victory. But the real winner in the Ryder Cup's corporate step-sibling is the PGA Tour, which pulls all the strings and nets the spoils.

Owned and operated:The PGA Tour created the Presidents Cup in 1994, and it still owns and operates the tournament, selecting the captains and venues, and selling the media rights . The Ryder Cup, on the other hand, is run by the PGA of America (a different organization) and the R&A.
Eligibility:Because the Presidents Cup is a PGA Tour event, LIV players are not eligible, removing that element of controversy from selection processes.
Compensation:Unlike the Ryder Cup, where the Europeans receive no pay, the competition's existence under the PGA Tour umbrella results in uniform compensation. Every player and captain receives a $250,000 participation stipend . Before 2022, players directed $150,000 to their chosen charitable organization in place of compensation.
Ticket demand:Demand has been lukewarm , depressing some resale market prices beneath primary market levels. Fans could get on the grounds for less than $90 on Thursday. By contrast, the get-in price for the first day of last year's Ryder Cup spent much of the buildup above $1,000.

Looking ahead:How much longer can this lopsided but profitable format persist? A potential change: the International Team is seeking independence — or at least separation — from the PGA Tour. Sell the team!

🎾 Laver Cup

Biz Viz:Tennis' Davis Cup struggles for mainstream attention, with stars scattered among individual nations, preventing the concentration of talent seen in the Ryder Cup. Enter the Laver Cup, the brainchild of one of the game's greatest players.

Federer's creation:Federer and his agent, Tony Godsick, created the event in 2017, launching it through Federer's management company Team8. It became an officially sanctioned ATP event in 2019.
Sponsors followed:Longtime Federer sponsors provided a foundation for the event's commercial success. Rolex was a founding partner, while UBS and Mercedes-Benz also joined as global partners. Each company renewed in 2025, and non-Federer affiliates like Alipay+ and Perplexity have added to a robust sponsor portfolio.
Compensation:Players are paid undisclosed appearance fees based on their ATP ranking following Roland-Garros. The members of the winning team receive $250,000 apiece.
Revenue and tickets:Last year's competition, a sold-out affair in San Francisco, was expected to generate more than $50 million in revenue, per Huddle Up . Demand for this year's London event has not been as rabid, with session tickets still available.

Looking ahead:In less than a decade, the Laver Cup has become a staple of the tennis calendar, an event players love to play, and an attractive property for global sponsors. But can it ever make the leap off the Tennis Channel in the U.S. and into a more mainstream media spotlight?

📊 Charted: A lot to a little

Those hoping for fierce competition this weekend might be discouraged by the talent divide evident in rosters for both the Presidents Cup and Laver Cup. If career and 2026 earnings are any indication, the gap is seismic. But money doesn't decide matches!

⛳️ Presidents Cup

There's a reason the U.S. is 13-1-1 all-time in the Presidents Cup. The gulf in talent and depth is vast.

Tale of the tape:In aggregate, the U.S. boasts $611 million in career PGA earnings versus the International Team's $366 million, despite the U.S. roster being two years younger on average. It helps to have PGA Money King Scottie Scheffler. Ah, but what have you done for me lately, Team America? Stacked more than twice as much 2026 cash as their International foes. Gulp.

🎾 Laver Cup

Team Europe has long held the talent edge in the Laver Cup, its roster often blessed with the game's very best, from Federer and Nadal to Djokovic to Alcaraz. But despite the gravitas, Team Europe only leads the all-time series 5 to 3.

Tale of the tape:Alexander Zverev has made almost as much money this year ($14.7 million) as all of Team World. And these graphs would be scarier if Alcaraz hadn't lost much of his season to injury or if Jannik Sinner made his Laver Cup debut. Maybe next time…

💰 Trivia Time: International wealth

Question:Two players on the International Team at this year's Presidents Cup rank in the top 20 in career PGA money. Can you name them?

Hint:Australia and Japan.

Answer at the bottom.

🥪 Jersey Mike's joins American exports

Jersey Mike's announced its first expansion across the pond earlier this year, signing a franchise agreement to open 400 stores in the U.K. and Ireland. It's surely the most ambitious trip abroad for a man named Mike from New Jersey since the cast of "Jersey Shore" went to Italy.

Hard sell:So how does a sandwich chain convince British customers to eat an Italian sandwich developed by Americans? With sports, of course!

Heart on the sleeve:Jersey Mike's reached a five-year agreement to become the title sponsor of the EFL Trophy, a cup competition contested by League One and League Two clubs, plus Premier League U-21 teams. The agreement puts the company's logo on the sleeve of every competing club. Substitutions, however, were not renamed to Jersey Mike's Subs. Huge miss.

A sub above:It may not be the most prestigious trophy in sports. Far from it. But few can top the bragging rights. If you listen closely, you can almost hear the lads singing in the stands now. "You'll never sing that. You'll never sing that. Jersey Mike's champions, you'll never sing that!"

Trivia Answer:Adam Scott (5th, $74.88 million) and Hideki Matsuyama (11th, $68.16 million).

Thanks for reading! Wanna talk shop? Follow me on X and Linkedin , or drop me a line: dylan.dittrich@yahooinc.com .

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