STRATFORD BEACON HERALD NFL faces $5 billion payout in Sunday Ticket lawsuit WASHINGTON A jury found against the NFL on Thurs- day in a long-running law- suit over how the league dis- tributes its TV broadcasts, a decision that could reshape how fans watch the country’s most popular sport. A group of plaintiffs that purchased the NFL's Sunday Ticket package won a judg- ment of US$4.7 billion from the jury, while another group of bar owners was awarded $96 million. Both amounts could be tripled because of antitrust laws in the United States. The NFL “ti aaa it would ap; “Weare Pnciens thejury’s verdict today inthe NFL Sunday Ticket class-ac- tion lawsuit,” the league said ina statement. “We contin- ue to believe that our media distribution strategy, which features all NFL games broadcast on free oyer-the- air television in the markets of the participating teams and national distribution ditional choices including RedZone, Sunday Ticket and NFL+, is by far the most fan friendly distribution model inall of sports and entertain- ent.” The case centred on how the NFL sold its Sunday Ticket package to DirecTV, a satellite TV service. Sun- day Ticket is a package that shows the league’s out-of- that package to DirecTV (it moved to Google’s YouTube last year) and plaintiffs ar- gued the NFL selling the games ina single package to asingle distributor violated antitrust laws by not offer- DIRTY SHINE FAILS SAFETY TEST Unsafe levels of E. coli have been foundin the Seine aa! forthe kes consecutiv e week, Friday, less than amonth before the Paris Olympics. The test results by monitoring 3 ri : Bs feli 900 colony-forming units per 100 milli- litres determined by the World Triath- lon Federation for competitions, Mar- athon swimming and triathlon events Belgium forward Romelu Lukaku, right, here in action against Ukraine on Wednesday, had three goals ruled out in two games — including one for a handball that was detec! SATURDAY, JUNE 29, 2024 are scheduled to take place in the river during the Olympics, which begin on July 26. Persistent rainfall has exacerbated the isstle, as rainwater infiltrates the sewer system, leading to the discharge of fecal bacteria into the Seine, the report said. Still, organizers remain optimistic. “By the second halfof July, things should settle down,” said Tony Estanguet, pic- tured, head of the Paris 2024 organizing (es aca The Associated Press SECTION B might not be a fan oF are 's cutting- dae tecinlon, Eran has sted by the ball's sensor. raBRICE COFFRINI/ Euro 2024's cutting-edge tech transforming the beautiful game Equipment, sports science advancements | improve soccer for both fans and players | JAMES ROBSON AUESSELOORE. GERMANY From rt-enabled match balls and artificial intelligence to cryogenic says track 29 different points ofthe body on every player. Combined with the official tournament ball, which has a sensor to help detect every gees and AI, the deci- ig process is supposed y i being | the cutti by technology available to nea coaches and officials. That much has been evident at Euro 2024, where advancements in areas such as equipment and | sports science have been deployed onand offthe field, designed toim- prove the game, the fan experience and player welfare. Notallofitis ahit with oes than before, haps too conclusive for some. Belgium’s Romelu Lukaku had three goals ruled out in his opening two games — two for off- side and one for a handball from teammate Lois Openda in the ee up, which was detected by he ball’s sensor. "Goal line technology! has ended For instance, th one cca resad inflating the The league countered that Sunday Ticket is a “premi- um product” and the league’s system for distributing its games allowed most of its games to be available on broadcast television. tinues to be litigated, but Dan Rascher, an economic aid VAR decisions — fiat as there were about decisionsin the days before VAR was introduced. Regardless, the world’s most popular sport continues to be impacted by rapidly-developing technologies in the wider world. | RIGHT CALLS | VARdecisions have, inlarge part, seemed to be a smoother process | here thanseen, for instance, in the Premier League last season. UEFA | is deploying aa ‘automated off- expert: for | Adidas’ olo- Sunday Ticket will be sold to | ball techn | a to ees up the review process | tentially at a lower price. The Washington Post debate over of whether the ball has crossed the line. There are seven cameras in each goal anda signal is sent tothe referee’s watch, which vibrates if the ball has crossed the line. UEFA says results are sent within one second of the action. THE BALL While the Adidas Fussballliebe, which is the official match ball of fudgingby the number ofstunning long-range goals scored during the group stage, such as Arda Guler’s curling effort from around 20 me- tres out in Turkey’s 3-1 win over Georgia. WEARABLES Coaches are trying to find an edge wherever they can. England’s players have been spotted wearing smart rings, “The ideaisi it helps monitoryour ich i the congested tourney schedule. Spain’s base camp has a hyper- baric oxygen chamber, acryogenic chamber and a phototherapy bed to help speed muscular recovery i practice or a game. A hyperbaric oxygen chamber is used to breathe in 100 per cent pure oxygen. Cryogenic treatment involves the use of cold tempera- tures, while phototherapy uses light. i 1 PThis works hea after ine sleep, wl factorin terms erracgeers = England man- ager Gareth Southgate said. “Sono matter what things are invented in the world, the best things to aid recovery are sleep and nutrition. Euros. Anything ae can ae o an edge, we are going to take ad- vantage of,” Spain forward Nico Williams said on Instagram. England: captain Harry} Kane has We're not ch layers butitallows them to monitor their own recovery.” Cristiano Ronaldo is an ambas- sador for a band that monitors sleep and biometric data su: cardiovascular and muscularload. Tracking vests have long-been used tomeasure distances covered by players. Southgate is also wearingasmart baie that sells for $6,500, re bed that massage tae legs and in- crease circulatio: DOWNTIME Boredom can be one of the big- gest issues to deal with during a long tournament, with players spending time away from home and their family and friends. They can often be seen arriving at stadiums with their state of the arta inohesdot ders score alerts during ‘the ee it. e g with offside calls, it also seems tobe ahit with players. It's made from recycled polyes- ter and other materials including corn fibres, sugar cane and wood pulp, and players have eee of | of the host pict which UEFA That would appear to be ae rable is Ky- jas Mbappe’ 's custom-made pro- tective mask — the France striker needed it after te St a broken nose in his opening game. oe TMENT ms have a suite of recovery ie to help players cope with Personal devices are a must, with smartphones, tablets and gaming devices usually close at hand. Germany’s Kai Havertz was seen carrying a popular vid- eo game console as he stepped off the team bus. Germany’s base in Herzogenau- rachalso hasa giant cinemascreen by an outdoor pool. The Associated Press SPORTS BRIEFS Predators lock up Saros with eight-year contract The Nashville Predators have ee ous 88. NHL season. The agreed totermson of an eight-year contract exten- sion with franchise goaltender Juuse Saros, according to a person with knowledge of the situation. ie person spoke on condition of anonymity because the deal can’t be signed until Monday. Reports indicated the deal is worth just under US$62 million, which would make his salary cap hit roughly $7.74 million through ‘ ise in ae ‘Teel voting as the league’s top goalie. It was the dream that LeBron James first floated a few years ago, the notion of playing in the NBA alongside one of his sons. It’s a step closer to reality now. Bronny James, the oldest son of the NBA’s all-time scoring lead- er and four-time champion, was drafted Thursday by the Los An- boas Lakers, the team his father played for since 2018. Bronny fons was taken No. 55 overall, with only three picks remaining in this year’s draft. Adding further i: intrigue to the move: LeBron James can become a free agent next week, which means he could choose to leave the Lakers and sign elsewhere. cs Juuse Saros The U.S. Center for SafeSport released its 2023 annual report Thursday, pointing to an ev- er-growing surge in abuse re- ports and the impact of inflation in claiming itneededa40 percent increase in funding. CEO Ju’Riese Colon said the center needed an additional $10 million each year on top of its phi 8 million in revenues from ae center, which opened in 2017 to manage sex abuse cas- es in Olympic sports, said it re- ceived 7,533 reports last year. That marked a 32 per cent in- crease over 2022 and a 100 per cent increase since 2020, while its spending power declined by 17 per cent. The Associated Press aera sts