Dallas, TX

Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner, actress Issa Rae part of group buying sailing league’s Team USA

Published

1 year ago

November 29, 2023

Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner, actress Issa Rae part of group buying sailing league’s Team USA

SAN DIEGO (AP) — Alabama linebacker Dallas Turner and actress/producer Issa Rae are part of a diverse group of investors joining founding Uber engineer Ryan McKillen and professional sailor Mike Buckley in buying the United States SailGP Team in tech titan Larry Ellison’s global sailing league.

Turner said he is using some of his name, image and likeness income to buy into the group that also includes Tennessee Titans wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and former heavyweight champion and Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder. Avenue Sports Fund, led by former Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry, is the lead investor. Other investors include NFL players Roquan Smith and Kayvon Thibodeaux, and DJ and producer Gryffin.

“I think I can say we’ve put together the most diverse ownership group in the history of our sport,” said Buckley, who will be team CEO. “I have always dreamed about bringing sailing into the mainstream, a little bit more in line with today’s American dream. This is a pretty epic step.”

The purchase has been in the works for several months and was announced Wednesday. On Saturday, former Team USA CEO and skipper Jimmy Spithill told The Associated Press he was leaving the squad and will start a new Italian team for Season 5 that will begin after the 37th America’s Cup ends in mid-October 2024.

Seven-time world champion Taylor Canfield takes over as skipper. Team USA is currently third in the 10-team league after five of 13 regattas in Season 4. The next regatta is in Dubai on Dec. 9-10.

Ellison and five-time America’s Cup winner Russell Coutts of New Zealand co-founded SailGP after their Oracle Team USA lost the America’s Cup to Emirates Team New Zealand in 2017. SailGP uses a souped-up version of the 50-foot foiling catamarans that were introduced in the 2017 America’s Cup. Powered by a wingsail, the cats skim over the waves at highway speeds.

Ellison and Coutts intended SailGP to be commercially sustainable with its regular schedule of TV-friendly regattas around the world, whereas the America’s Cup often has gaps of up to three or four years in between regattas.

SailGP includes most of the world’s top sailors, many of whom also compete in the America’s Cup and Olympics. It offers a $1 million, winner-take-all season championship, which has been won three straight times by Tom Slingsby and Team Australia.

The new group said this is the biggest acquisition in SailGP history but declined to give a valuation. By comparison, when British sailing star Ben Ainslie helped take his team private a year ago, the valuation was announced at $40 million. Ellison originally covered the league’s costs but intended for it to eventually move to a franchise ownership model.

Turner, whose No. 8 Crimson Tide faces No. 1 Georgia on Saturday in the SEC championship game, is part of a syndicate of athletes put together by LifeLine Investment Group. He declined to say how much his investment is.

“It was definitely new for me,” Turner told the AP. “I was kind of surprised at first but it’s still a good opportunity so I couldn’t really miss out on it.”

Turner is ranked No. 57 in on3.com Top 100 NIL valuation at $736,000.

“I’m going to be honest, I don’t know too much,” Turner said about SailGP. “But ever since they brought the offer, I’ve been doing a little research on it. I’ve been watching a bunch of videos.”

Rae, who was in the movie “Barbie” released last summer, attended SailGP’s Los Angeles regatta in late July. “I fell in love with the fan experience and loved the competitive global aspect,” she said. “After that, it was a matter of expressing interest.”

She added that she likes being on boats and throwing yacht parties, “so look out for a SailGP-sponsored yacht party soon.”

Buckley said his group was looking for investors “that were doing epic things in their lives.”

Sponsors Red Bull, T-Mobile for Business and Zhik have reaffirmed their commitment, the team said.

SailGP said it drew its largest American audience of nearly 1.8 million viewers on Nov. 5 for a CBS broadcast of the Spain Sail Grand Prix, which was won by Team USA. Season 4 wraps up in New York on June 22-23 and San Francisco July 13-14.

___

Follow Bernie Wilson on Twitter at http://twitter.com/berniewilson

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Dallas, TX

Dallas Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer, Matt Eberflus attend high-profile Pro Day

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1 hour ago

March 26, 2025

Press Room

The Dallas Cowboys are ramping up their efforts to get familiar with some of the top prospects in the 2025 NFL Draft class. This week, head coach Brian Schottenheimer made the trip to Columbus to check out the high-profile Ohio State Buckeyes Pro Day.

Also in attendance was Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus.

The Cowboys have several needs where the Buckeyes star players would fill out the roster, notably at running back, wide receiver, and along the defensive line.

MORE: Cowboys trade down, land 3 national title winners in 4-round NFL mock draft

Standout Ohio State prospects who have been linked to Dallas in mock drafts over the past few weeks are wide receiver Emeka Egbuka, running backs TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins, and defensive end Jack Sawyer.

With Dallas’ need for a backup quarterback, Will Howard is also an intriguing prospect.

Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus is also in attendance
— Nick Harris (@NickHarrisFWST) March 26, 2025

Dallas holds the No. 12 overall pick in the fhe draft which gives them some flexibility. The previously mentioned players are all expected to be available when the Cowboys are on the clock, but they could also trade back to pick up additional draft capital while targeting one of the players on Day 2.

MORE: Cowboys urged to trade back in NFL Draft if top prospect is off board

It’s going to be interesting to see how it all plays out, but the Cowboys certainly have a close eye on Ohio State.

Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Emeka Egbuka scores a touchdown against the Purdue Boilermakers. / Samantha Madar/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 2025 NFL Draft will be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin, with the first round on Thursday, April 24. Rounds 2 and 3 will be held on Friday, April 25, while the final rounds will play out on Saturday, April 26.

— Enjoy free coverage of the Cowboys from Dallas Cowboys on SI —

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Dallas, TX

Towns, Hart notch triple-doubles as Knicks top Mavericks 128-113

Published

13 hours ago

March 26, 2025

Press Room

Towns, Hart notch triple-doubles as Knicks top Mavericks 128-113

Karl-Anthony Towns had 26 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his first triple-double in more than three years, helping the New York Knicks defeat the Dallas Mavericks 128-113 on Tuesday night.

OG Anunoby had 35 points, and Josh Hart added 16 points, 12 rebounds and 11 assists for his ninth triple-double of the season. New York (45-26) shot 59.6% and won its second straight.

Naji Marshall had a career-high 38 points, and Brandon Williams chipped in 22 points. The Mavericks (35-38) fell for the 10th time in 13 games.

Takeaways

Dallas: A night after shooting 56.3% from the field in their win Monday in Brooklyn, the Mavericks again started hot by making 28 of 43 field goals in the first half. But Dallas was worn down by New York’s depth, getting outscored 60-45 in the second half.

New York: With Mavericks center Anthony Davis (adductor strain) out, Towns went to work, scoring 24 first-half points. The center, who is third in the NBA in double-doubles, posted his first triple-double since Jan. 30, 2022, and helped New York record 40 assists on 59 field goals.

Key moment

Marshall made 13 of 15 first-half field goals and helped Dallas shoot 65.1% and remain even at 68 at halftime.

But the Knicks turned up the defensive intensity in the third quarter, opening with a 7-0 run. The Mavericks made just 4 of 18 field goals, and New York outscored Dallas 30-16 in the third.

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Dallas, TX

Therme plans $800M Dallas spa resort, its first US location

Published

1 day ago

March 25, 2025

Press Room

Therme plans 0M Dallas spa resort, its first US location

European sauna culture is taking off in Dallas.

Romanian spa company Therme Group is opening its first U.S. location here, the Dallas Morning News reported. The firm is buying 24 acres near 1500 South Riverfront Boulevard, just outside of downtown, with plans to build an $800 million resort. The seller was Lewisville-based development firm Matthews Southwest.

Therme expects to spend $500 million on construction and $300 million on design fees and interest.

It still has to get planning and zoning approval from the city; it also plans to apply for incentives. The resort could generate $1.8 billion in tax revenues over the next 30 years and would create more than 1,000 permanent jobs, Therme US’s John Alschuler told the outlet.

The Dallas location could open as early as 2030.

It will include a 450,000-square-foot facility with baths, saunas, a waterpark and restaurants. Georgetown Company owns a 25 percent stake in Therme US and plans to build a hotel on the site, too.

Alschuler said day passes at the facility would cost about $60.

Cedars neighborhood association president Kirk Jordan visited Therme’s Bucharest facility and has voiced support for the project, which he said would be “transformative” for the area.

Therme recently announced plans for a similar resort in Washington, D.C. It already operates two facilities, in Romania and Germany.

The land buy comes less than a year after the opening of WorldSprings, a 10-acre outdoor resort with 46 mineral pools. The $32 million facility is located in the Colony.

North Texas has become a hotspot for experiential developments, with the $520 million PGA Omni Frisco leading the charge. Peppa Pig Theme Park recently opened in North Richland Hills. Universal Kids Resort is on deck to open next year in Frisco. Wisconsin-based Kalahari Resorts & Conventions announced plans for an Allen waterpark resort earlier this year.

Golf course opens at $520M Frisco resort