Welcome back to The Varsity, my twice-weekly email on all the personalities, and egomaniacs, in the sports business. I am sending this email from Puck’s posh Montauk headquarters, where I’m in town for a BofA Securities event.

Paramount and Skydance finally agreed to a deal this afternoon, per CNBC, which should be good news for sports rights holders, especially if Jeff Shell and Jeff Zucker take significant roles in the new company, as expected. Both Shell and Zucker are longtime media veterans who have historically placed a lot of value on live sports, just like RedBird founder and C.E.O. Gerry Cardinale, who has helped revolutionize the sports investing market during the past 15 years.

Also, make sure to read this excellent Journal piece from Jared Diamond and Lindsey Adler regarding the allegations that Padres infielder Tucupita Marcano bet on a Pirates game last year, back when he was on that team’s disabled list. One sentence in that story gave me real pause: “In addition to Marcano, four other players face potential discipline for betting on baseball while in the minor leagues, people familiar with the matter said.”

Meanwhile, if you keep forwarding this email, I will keep making jokes at Marchand’s expense. But, in all seriousness, the next person who illicitly passes on this email will be signed up for his bird warbling class right in time for mating season.

Okay, let’s get to it…

1. NBA update: Once upon a time, not so long ago, NBA executives dreamed of a scenario in which Adam Silver could put on a microphone before Game 1 of the NBA Finals and announce...

Jerry Reinsdorf, who owns the White Sox and the Bulls, had long been...