Business of Sports May 28, 2009, 3:07PM EST

In NBA Finals, Media Partners Are Winners

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The number is up 1,867% from the $1.29 million the club received for winning the inaugural EPL title in 1993. (And you thought CEO salaries were inflated.) Too bad Man U lost to FC Barcelona 2-0 in the European Champions League final in Rome on May 27.

Also in the U.K., the Football League, the second-through-fourth tier of English soccer, recently unveiled a proposal seeking "increased financial support" from the Premier League, asking EPL clubs to "pass on a percentage of their total spending on players' wages" and to bundle together TV rights to the Football League and EPL, according to London's Daily Telegraph. The proposed plan comes as portion of a response to the seven questions U.K. Secretary of State for Culture, Media & Sport Andy Burnham sent to football's top executives last fall about the game's future.

Football Association Chair Lord David Triesman last week also unveiled plans for "wholesale reforms to the way English football is governed…in an attempt to bring players, ethnic minorities, and women into the heart of the game's decision-making structure." Triesman allegedly vowed at a recent FA board meeting "to definitively rid English football of its blazer-clad image," the Telegraph reported.

8. Does Super Bowl Hosting Equal Playoff Success?

At the recent NFL spring owners meetings, the New Orleans Saints were awarded the 2013 Super Bowl. That might not bode well for the Saints, as 77% of teams that host the Super Bowl fail to make the playoffs that season. Here is a breakdown of how Super Bowl hosting teams have fared over the last 43 years. New Orleans did not make the playoffs in any of the nine seasons the city hosted the Super Bowl.

• No Playoffs: 33 teams

• Wild Card Round Exit: 3 teams

• Divisional Round Exit: 4 teams

• Conference Championship Exit: 1 team

• Super Bowl Loser: 1 team

• Super Bowl Winner: 1 team (1984 San Francisco 49ers)

9. Despite Labor Pains, U.S. Pro Sports Not Facing Contraction

The country's in a recession, the stock market is in the gutter, and the Phoenix Coyotes are in bankruptcy court—seems a likely time for one of the four major sports to contract. However, despite all of the apocalyptic signs surrounding the sports industry—things like Texas Rangers owner Tom Hicks defaulting on a major loan and the New Jersey Nets announcing a $28 million operating loss—contraction will not happen.

As bad as steroids in baseball, gambling in basketball, and lockouts in hockey have all been, nothing would be more devastating to a league's image than contraction. No major professional franchise in the modern era has been contracted, and as bad as the economy is, there is no reason to think that the downsizing starts now. For most owners, holding a franchise is more of a status symbol than an investment. If a team becomes available, there will be no shortage of prospective buyers.

Rather than eliminating a team altogether, a much more likely scenario is relocation. In the last 20 years, nine different franchises have moved cities. Los Angeles wants the NFL, Kansas City and southern Ontario are craving the NHL, and Las Vegas will take whatever it can get. Three ownership groups vied for the Chicago Cubs, two have submitted bids for the Coyotes, and no fewer than 10 are looking at the Montreal Canadiens. As a positive sign that the credit market may be thawing, the "mid-tier" Orlando Magic just secured a $100 million loan to complete their stadium.

Things may look bad now, but like the U.S. economy, the sports industry has no place to go but up. While a team or two might move, you can rest assured that they won't disappear.

10. Get Your Ocho Cinco Gear—But Never Mind the Gap

Just in time to get those orders in before NFL training camp starts in earnest: the Ochocinco #85 jersey of the Cincinnati Bengal formerly known as Chad Johnson. The orange and black official replica jersey is selling on www.nflshop.com for $79.99.

While Johnson is admittedly spacey, his new jersey is not: Just to remind the all-Pro wide receiver who's boss, the NFL refused to separate "Ocho" and "Cinco" on the jersey since Florida court documents registering the name change condensed his legal last name into one word. Chad still references his last name as Ocho Cinco, but no matter how you spell it, isn't having #85 and Ochocinco together on the back of the jersey redundant?

Rick Horrow is a leading expert in the business of sports. As CEO of Horrow Sports Ventures, he has been the architect of 103 deals worth more than $13 billion in sports and other urban infrastructure projects. He is also the sports business analyst for CNN, Fox Sports, and the Fox Business Channel.