Kia ora, Talofa, Ma’lelei, Bula, Aloha and Welcome to Season 10 Episode 77 of Breakfast Bites, by TEIVOVOdigital.com – a wrap of Pasifika people’s sports news, on Wednesday morning 18 September 2024.
 
Happy 80th birthday Saiosi.
 
Coming to you with tons of hanisi from the 180th meridian, in the middle of the Blue continent, where it is cloudy and a cold 20 degrees Celsius at 5am this morning.
 
In Rugby Union: Fiji Water Flying Fijians Captain Waisea Nayacalevu revealed to British media last weekend that his team nearly boycotted their Test against England just before their RWC2023 quarterfinal in France!
 
Surprise, surprise - they threatened Fiji Rugby Union (FRU) with this action over unpaid player allowances!
 
Our theory is that FRU did this to purposely make the players angry and so get out there and play their best against England – smart eh?
 
In Rugby League: Sharks Coach Craig Fitzgibbon is backing Nicho Hynes at No.7 despite suggestions the star playmaker could be benched — or dropped against the Cowboys at Allianz Stadium, 7.50pm AEST on Friday.
 
Meanwhile, star enforcer Jared Waerea-Hargreaves returns from suspension for the Sydney Roosters must-win clash versus Manly Sea Eagles at Allianz Stadium, 7.50pm on Saturday.
 
In Sports Biz: Dolphins owner Stephen Ross is looking to breach a valuation of US$7Billion as he resumes a search for individuals or private equity firms, to buy a stake in his NFL franchise, according to The Athletic. 
 
This after, an initial effort to sell a stake to billionaire Ken Griffin at a valuation of US$7.5B fell through. 

Ross purchased the Miami-based NFL franchise in 2008 at a valuation of US$1.1B - it is now the eighth-most valuable NFL franchise, according to CNBC, with a 2024 valuation of $7.1B.

Unlike any other NFL franchise, a stake in the Dolphins comes with partial ownership of Formula One Racing’s Miami Grand Prix, which surrounds Hard Rock Stadium.

In Combat Sports: UFC broke new ground on so many levels with UFC306 at the Sphere in Las Vegas on Saturday night.

The event generated US$22Million in gate receipts, setting a new record for the MMA entity and breaking the US$17.7M total set back in 2016 at UFC205 featuring Conor McGregor.

Additionally, UFC posted a new record for the biggest gate for a single date at the Sphere, and set a new mark for merchandise sales at a single UFC event. 

Beyond raw numbers, though, UFC was also able to successfully stage the first live sporting event at the US$2.3Billion Sphere, redefining live entertainment.

In the NFL: The Carolina Panthers have made the massive call to bench their quarterback, 2023 No. 1 overall NFL draft pick Bryce Young.

It’s been a terrible start for Young and the Panthers this season, losing both games, with Young throwing only 245 yards with three interceptions.

That’s on average 4.4 yards per pass, which is the second lowest in the NFL.

Meanwhile Jordan Mailata, who is one of the Philadelphia Eagles seven Captains, played a crucial role despite the Eagles going down to the Falcons 22-21 in a Monday night thriller.

The 27-year-old 166Kg Samoan-Australian was in the thick of things on offence as Philadelphia scored a touchdown in the final quarter, as Mailata proved to be too powerful for the Falcons.

“Who’s stopping him from half a yard?,” former teammate Jason Kelce said of Mailata in commentary.

But Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins got Atlanta over the line with a game-winning touchdown pass with just 34 seconds to go.

In Football: An ESPN survey reveals that all 14 US Women’s Soccer League General Managers believe their new Collective Bargaining Agreement has skewed way too far to the side of the players.
 
“There’s a fear amongst staff about what you can say, what you can’t say, what you have to ask players’ permission for, what you don’t, or you get into trouble,” one GM told ESPN.
 
Geez, I know that feeling!

That’s a wrap Peeps!

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Mahalo and Ka kite; for TEIVOVOdigital.com, I’m Culden Kamea tanking you all too mas for all your love and support.
 
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