Stop bragging about high ticket prices

Plus the power of rodeo, and a TGL sneak peek

Welcome back to Club Sportico, where we break down the intersection of sports and money—with an extra bit of humor and opinion. On Saturdays we hit the biggest stories of the week, and the news that left us scratching our heads (the full edition is exclusive to paid Club Sportico members)….

Thanks to everyone who joined our College Football Playoff challenge. After one game, 29 perfect brackets remain. No. 1 seed Oregon was the most picked winner, followed by Texas and Ohio State (not a lot of Bulldog believers out there, evidently!). Best of luck to all who entered!

And now, Jacob’s Pick Six…

The Sportico Story of the Week 🏀: It’s NBA valuations week at Sportico, and Kurt Badenhausen has a special dive on the business of the Boston Celtics as they go up for sale. The team earned roughly $465 million during its championship season, but the bill is about to come due on an expensive roster.

The Non-Sportico Story of the Week 🐴: Can the Rodeo Save a Historic Black Town? I loved this story—and the accompanying photos—about two topics I knew little about: Black Americans’ attempts to build their own societies in Oklahoma, and rodeo.

What Made me Laugh 🤡: A labor union representing NBA G League players held its first ever meeting of more than 200 pro hoopers this week. I doubt it came up, but I’d like to imagine this image 👇 was the first topic of official conversation….