Philly Rapper Freeway Pitches LeBron James on His City
*By Max Godnick*
The Philadelphia rapper and die-hard 76ers fan Freeway wants LeBron James to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love.
"I don't know what it's going to take, but we need to make it happen," Freeway said Tuesday in an interview with Cheddar.
Though his [prediction](https://revolt.tv/stories/2018/05/03/freeway-rejoices-meek-mills-release-predicts-championship-76ers-070043767d) that his hometown team would win the NBA championship failed to come true, and James's Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the Golden State Warriors in the finals, Freeway said the future could be bright for player and team if they joined forces.
"It would be amazing for the city," said Freeway. "We have so much young talent on the team and I think LeBron could really come over there and shape it and make it happen."
James can become a free agent at the end of the month if he chooses to opt out of his current contract with Cleveland. According to the odds-making site [Bovada] (https://www.si.com/nba/2018/06/11/lebron-james-free-agency-odds-lakers-76ers-rockets-cavs-knicks), the Los Angeles Lakers have the best shot at landing James, with the Sixers close behind.
Freeway has been vocal proponent of all sorts of causes dear to his city. He supported fellow Philadelphia rapper Meek Mill's release from prison in April after almost five months of a two-to-four year sentence for violating his probation. Freeway said he hopes his friend's ordeal can help in reforming the criminal justice system.
"You see what Meek went through and he's a millionaire and you see how long it took him to get some justice and get out," said Freeway. "So imagine a person that doesn't have anything."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/freeway-returns-to-roc-nation-for-new-album).
Adidas is now the first major sports brand to create a program for paying college athletes. The new "name, image and likeness" network will allow more than 50,000 students across NCAA Division 1 schools to become paid spokespeople for the brand. Thilo Kunkel, Associate Professor and Director of Sport Industry Research Center at Temple University, tells us why this new program is only the beginning of an exciting time for student athletes.
Sports betting has boomed over the past year; but at the same time, sports betting stocks have not been so hot. Now, some sports betting brands are starting to rethink how to spend their money, especially when it comes to ads. It will come after online sports betting brands spent more than $320 million on advertising in 2021, up 38% from 2020, per MediaRadar. Brendan Coffey, sports finance reporter for Sportico, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Rowing-machine maker, Hydrow, raised $55 million in Series D funding round, led by Constitution Capital. Hyrdow offers a connected rowing machine that costs $2,495. The company's funding round comes as the at-home fitness industry is facing some challenges, due to many consumers returning to gyms after working out at home during the pandemic. Bruce Smith, founder & CEO of Hydrow, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
WNBA star Sue Bird is back with the Seattle Storm after announcing her retirement last year and spoke to Cheddar about taking a pay cut to help her team win, issues around gender equity in sports, and partnering with beer brand Corona on sweepstakes that will allow fans to win a limited edition Corona fridge with space to display sneakers. "I love whenever you can partner with a company that you A) enjoy," she said. "It's not that ridiculous to see me with a Corona in my hand. You're not supposed to say that as an athlete, but it's true."
Turkish media reports say a second superyacht belonging to Chelsea soccer club owner and sanctioned Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich has docked in a resort in southwestern Turkey.
Ben Strauss, sports and media reporter at the Washington Post, joins Cheddar News to recap round two of the NCAA Men's Tournament and what we can expect heading into the Sweet 16.
March Madness kicked off this month as more and more states are legalizing sports betting — and some major upsets almost immediately busting many a bracket. Jay Croucher, the director of trading at the sportsbook PointsBet, joined Cheddar News to talk about the tournament and the current top picks. "There's not too much difference in terms of the busiest days of the year between the Super Bowl and the first day of March Madness," he said.
The NCAA tournament kicks off this week, so it's about that time to finalize your march madness brackets if you haven't already, and decide where to call the upsets. Iain MacMillan, senior editor at MacMillan, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
March Nadness is officially underway, and betting on this year's tournament has the potential to reach record levels. About 45 million Americans are expected to wager a total of $3.1 billion on just the men's tournament alone, according to a new survey from the American Gaming Association. Prince Grimes, Senior Writer for USA Today's sports betting media property, BetFTW, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss how betting could play into this year's tournament and other storylines surrounding March Madness.
March Madness is finally here as everyone is looking for which team to bet on and which teams to fade. Sports betting expert Alex Glaze joins Cheddar Bets to tell you which Cinderella team you should bet on and which teams to avoid for the NCAA Tournament.
Sponsored by BetMGM
