Welcome back to The Varsity, my twice-weekly private email on the money and egos that lubricate the sports media trade. Happy Bally Sports R.S.N.s Return to Comcast Day to all who celebrate! Also, you know the drill: Stop forwarding this email or be prepared to hear Marchand’s spiel about adding Bikram yoga to the ’28 Olympics in Los Angeles.

Many of the most significant au courant storylines from The Varsity's cinematic universe—from the Warner Bros. Discovery suit against the NBA to the Sunday Ticket class action judgment against the NFL—seem to be winding their way through the legal system. So make sure you read my partner Eriq Gardner’s forthcoming piece in tonight’s issue of What I’m Hearing. Eriq goes deep into FuboTV’s lawsuit against Venu, the NFLPA’s arbitration loss to Panini (and the six degrees of separation with Michael Rubin), and the stunning reversal of that $4.7 billion NFL verdict. (Sign up here.)

Also, for those inclined: Katie Strang and Dan Robson have written the definitive story of Sportsnet’s decision to fire Jeff Marek, the popular hockey analyst. “Marek had come under scrutiny from the NHL during the first round of the draft for allegedly revealing to a friend which players teams were drafting moments before those picks were publicly announced,” they write. “The NHL shared concerns about the situation with the Nevada Gaming Control Board, which probed further.”

I’ve previously explored some of the complications stemming from the emergent role that legalized gaming plays in today’s sports media ecosystem. By and large, the challenges have been small and irregular, such as the NBA’s Jontay Porter saga earlier this year. And, in virtually all cases, leagues and organizations have been unsurprisingly careful and thoughtful and swift to act decisively after trouble arises. So I’m hardly surprised that Sportsnet didn’t miss a beat. After all, those leagues and mediacos know that regulated gaming is core to their future economic growth, and they aren’t going to let bad apples spoil it.

Let’s get to it…