Burger King reportedly shelled out $200,000 to have it's mascot appear with Bob Baffert, the trainer of Triple Crown winner American Pharoah, at the Belmont Stakes. 

The fast-food chain's costumed "King" stood behind Baffert at Belmont Park on Saturday.

Baffert's wife, Jill, told Time that the $200,000 payment would be going to charities for post-career jockeys and racehorses.

This is the second time in the last month that Burger King has paid a ton of money to get its "King" in front of TV cameras at a major sporting event. 

Last month, Burger King allegedly spent $1 million to include its mascot in Floyd Mayweather's entourage during his boxing match against Manny Pacquiao.

The "King" escorted Mayweather to the boxing ring ahead of the fight.

It was an expensive and controversial endorsement for the company.

Mayweather been convicted of domestic abuse two times and spent time in jail. He became such a lightning rod for criticism in the weeks leading up to the fight that some people were calling for a boycott of the event.

"Brands have, for the most part, stayed away from Mayweather over the years precisely because of his public image," Fortune's Daniel Roberts reports. "He has three times in a row topped the Fortunate 50, our Sports Illustrated/Fortune athlete earnings list — all with zero outside endorsement deals."

Hundreds of people slammed Burger King on social media for standing with Mayweather.

So why would the company pay so much money for such a risky association?

In response to that question, a Burger King spokesman told Fortune, "We don’t call him the King for nothing," referring to its mascot. The spokesman declined further comment.

According to Amobee Brand Intelligence, Burger King "got over a week’s worth of publicity, just by sticking their mascot in the background of a shot at a high profile sporting event," AdWeek's Lost Remote reports. 

Buzz around Burger King increased 1,343% on May 3, the day of the fight, compared to the previous day, according to the firm.

SEE ALSO: Burger King's secret to becoming the most successful fast food chain

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With the 2015 NBA Draft less than three weeks away, teams are working out prospects to get better insight as to how they'll want to draft on June 25.

19-year-old Emmanuel Mudiay, the biggest mystery of the NBA Draft, is beginning to gather momentum as one of the most intriguing prospects.

In 2014, Mudiay was one of the top high school recruits in the country, set to play for Southern Methodist University. However, reported concerns over his eligibility led him to leave SMU and sign a one-year contract with the Guangdong Tigers, a club in China.

As ESPN's Chad Ford notes on his profile of Mudiay, the NBA world wasn't happy about Mudiay's decision. Mudiay would not only be harder to scout in China than in the NCAA, there isn't a great track record for players who skipped college to play overseas succeeding in the NBA.

After watching Mudiay work out recently, though, Ford has high praise for him, saying he still might be the second-best prospect in the draft:

I was one of the first people outside Mudiay's inner circle to see him play basketball in months.

Everyone had the same question. How did he look?

The answer? Better than he looked in practices and games at the Nike Hoop Summit in April 2014, when a number of GMs had him pegged as a top-two prospect in the NBA draft.

So good, in fact, that I have no doubt had he stayed at SMU and played for Larry Brown instead of heading to China, he'd be No. 2 (where he debuted on Big Board 1.0) right now, just weeks from the draft.

Mudiay is often considered a point guard, but at 6'5", has the size to play shooting guard as well. As Ford notes, he has a more filled-out frame than almost any other prospect his size and age, and he's quick, strong, and athletic. Mudiay's drawn comparisons to John Wall, Tyreke Evans, and Jrue Holiday, all very talented, borderline All-Star guards in the NBA.

His athleticism bodes well for the NBA, especially after playing in China, where he went up against former pros who are bigger, stronger, and quicker than most college players.

Mudiay figures to be NBA-ready when it comes to attacking the rim:

In workouts, he's shown his explosiveness:

Ford also writes that Mudiay is a mature, cultured young man who seems mentally prepared for the rigors of the NBA. He told Ford of the transition from China to the NBA:

"I learned a lot over there. Their work ethic is just ridiculous. They work so hard ... I did two-a-days in China, going hard, going hard every day. I came back here and understood what it was going to take. I take everything serious. It's a job now. It's not playing around like when you're a kid. I want to feed my family."

With a combination of potentially elite athleticism, advanced professional experience, and maturity, the ceiling for Mudiay does seem to place him as one of the top picks.

However, there are questions about Mudiay's transition to the next level as well. Arguably the biggest weakness in his game is shooting, which has virtually become a must-have skill among NBA guards. Mudiay hit 34% of his three-pointers in China, not a horrible number, and some people believe his shot selection was iffy, which could lead to worse percentages. A more concerning number, as Ford notes, is his 57% free throw shooting, suggesting he has some major mechanical issues (though an NBA scout told Ford that Mudiay's shot is not "broken," a la Rajon Rondo).

The sample size on Mudiay is small, which makes him even tougher to analyze. Nine games into his season in China, he hurt his ankle, causing him to miss three months, turning away scouts who were planning on making the trip to China to watch him during that time, Ford reports. He did return late in the season to play several playoff games and looked good, but according to Grantland's Danny Chau, he looked visibly tired and understandably rusty at times.

All of this leaves him as the biggest question mark at the top of the draft. It's widely assumed the Minnesota Timberwolves, owners of the No. 1 pick in the draft, will take one of the big men in Jahlil Okafor or Karl-Anthony Towns. After the Wolves, Mudiay is in play for picks two through six, according to several experts' mock drafts.

His size, athleticism, and defensive potential would slate him as a good prospect for the frontcourt-heavy Sixers, whose rebuilding timeline could fit Mudiay's projected curve. However, they've also placed an emphasis on shooting, which could turn them off to Mudiay. 

His potential as a future superstar could fit well with the Knicks, the team with the No. 4 pick, where many people feel Mudiay will be taken. However, Knicks president Phil Jackson hasn't historically placed much emphasis on point guards and may prefer to use the pick on a different position.

The Magic may pass over Mudiay because they have a young backcourt in Elfrid Payton and Victor Oladipo. This could send Mudiay sliding all the way to the Kings at No. 6, where DraftExpress currently predicts he'll be drafted.

This is the mystery of Mudiay — a potential superstar with skills far more advanced than some of his peers and weaknesses more pronounced than some of the other top prospects. It's unclear how teams will perceive a player they have so little exposure to. A team could bite on one of the most intriguing prospects in the draft, or teams could be scared off and one of the most talented players could slide into the middle of the lottery.

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The chairman of NBC Sports has thoughts on beards in hockey.

Specifically, Mark Lazarus thinks hockey players should abandon their tradition of not shaving during the playoffs because it makes it too hard for fans to identify them on TV.

Lazarus told the Chicago Tribune: "I know it's a tradition and superstition, but I think (the beards do) hurt recognition. They have a great opportunity with more endorsements. Or simply more recognition with fans saying, 'That guy looks like the kid next door,' which many of these guys do. I think that would be a nice thing."

According to the Tribune, the tradition of growing a beard during the playoffs dates back to the Islanders teams in the 1980s.

So far, it doesn't look as if any of the players are taking Lazarus seriously. Brent Sopel, a former Chicago Blackhawk, told the Tribune: "We're 110 games into the season. Everyone should be able to recognize our faces by now."

Obviously, shaving is the correct move from a trend standpoint.

But the thing about traditions and superstitions is that they tend to be impervious to fads, so don't expect to see a lot of clean-shaven playoff hockey players anytime soon.

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Last season, under former Golden State Warriors coach Mark Jackson, David Lee averaged 33 minutes per game and started 67 of the 69 contests he appeared in. However, this year he fell out of new coach Steve Kerr's rotation, and there was constant speculation he'd eventually be traded.

Instead, the Warriors decided to pay Lee $15 million to sit on the bench. Lee saw only limited action in the first three rounds of the playoffs and even received the dreaded "DNP (Did Not Play) - COACH'S DECISION" in games one and two of the Finals.

Now, after a spectacular Game 3 performance which saw Lee record 11 points on a perfect 4-4 from the the field in just 13 minutes to nearly steal the win from the Cavaliers, the decision to keep Lee looks like it's paying off.

"We've talked all season about this — my job as a pro is to be ready," Lee said after the Warriors' failed comeback resulted in disappointing in a 96-91 loss. "I have confidence in myself. My teammates have confidence in me, and my job is to be ready when my number's called."

Lee's number has rarely been called this postseason. Heading into Game 3, Kerr benched Lee in four of the Warriors' previous seven games, dating back to the start of the Western Conference Finals. The number of minutes Lee played when he did enter the game? Four, five, and three.

Lee's initial fallout from the rotation began after he suffered injuries to his hamstring and leg early on in the season. During his absence Draymond Green played so admirably that Kerr and the rest of the coaching staff decided he should remain in the starting lineup even after Lee returned. Over time Lee's minutes continued to dwindle to the point where he eventually fell out of the rotation completely.

Kerr explained the "tricky" situation to NBC back in March after Lee went another game with zero minutes of playing time:

"David's a great player. He's been an All-Star. He's still in his prime. ...What's been tricky is that we’ve developed a formula while he was out that has been very effective for us. And you compound that with the fact that the whole league is going small at the 4-position and every night you're playing a 3-point shooter at the 4 spot. We've adapted to that. We've adapted to our early-season lineups. Draymond has obviously grabbed that position. So it's tricky."

However, after Green got into early foul trouble in Game 3, and Kerr still refusing to play Marreese Speights after his ridiculous failed dunk attempt in Game 2, Lee saw his first extended action since the Conference Semifinals against the Grizzlies. He went on to record the highest plus minus out of any player on the court with a +17.

Lee's stellar play, albeit in a losing effort, earned him the praise of his fellow teammates and plenty of speculation that he will have a more prominent roll moving forward in this series.

"I think we found something there with David Lee that’s working for us,"  Andre Iguodala told Pro Basketball Talk after the game. "So he’s going to get some more minutes, I would like to think, going forward, and then other guys will see how effective he is and they’ll do the same. So we’ll have a steady diet of something we found that can work throughout the rest of the series."

"I mean, [Lee's] a play-maker," Stephen Curry told Yahoo Sports. "It was great to see him out there, playing the minutes that he did, and giving us a big spark, especially in that fourth quarter ... So I assume he'll have a huge role in our play going forward."

According to Kerr, that's going to be the case. "Yeah, you'll see more of David Lee," Kerr said. "He played really well."

The Warriors will now count on their former $15 million bench warmer to avoid a 3-1 deficit. Game 4 is Thursday at 9 p.m. ET.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers won Game 3 of the NBA Finals, fending off a late rally by the Golden State Warriors to take a 2-1 lead in the series.

That LeBron James has been huge in the absence of Kevin Love and Kyrie Irving, averaging 41.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game, is not surprising. That Matthew Dellavedova, the backup point guard from Australia, has stepped up and become a force for the Cavs, has shocked the NBA world.

To put Dellavedova's impact on the series in perspective, consider this stat via ESPN Stats & Info: 78 of the Cavs' 96 points (81.3%) in Game 3 involved LeBron or Dellavedova via scoring or assists.

More importantly, Dellavedova's relentless and smothering defense has been huge in limiting Stephen Curry's production for most of the first three games. Dellavedova has been so good on defense that Curry went scoreless in Game 3 when guarded by Dellavedova.

Dellavedova's rise to prominence on the biggest stage is even more surprising considering he only ended up with the Cavs after they won a small bidding war with the New York Knicks following the 2013 draft and then was nearly cut before ever playing a game.

Dellavedova, a senior point guard from St. Mary's College, went undrafted. However, immediately after the draft he received several free agent offers according to Brian Windhorst of ESPN.com.

This led to a bidding war between the Knicks and the Cavs that eventually ended up with Dellavedova agreeing to a 2-year, $1.3 million contract that included just $100,000 in guaranteed money.

According to Windhorst, Dellavedova was so bad early on in summer league and preseason games that some in the organization wanted to cut him before the season started and just take the $100,000 loss. However, former Cavs general manager Chris Grant stuck with Dellavedova.

"There were those in the organization that did want Dellavedova cut despite the moderate investment in him. But Grant believed in Dellavedova and his potential, he'd liked his temperament and that his constant aggression at the very least  would push young star Kyrie Irving in practices."

Grant is no longer with the team, but his faith in Dellavedova has paid off big time for the Cavs. It is also going to pay off big time for Dellavedova this off-season as he will be a restricted free agent and will almost certainly be a hot commodity for title contenders in need of a workmanlike backup point guard.

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The Golden State Warriors may have suffered another heartbreaking defeat Tuesday night, losing Game 3 of the NBA Finals, 96-91, to the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they seem to have found one bright spot heading into Game 4 – the reemergence of MVP Stephen Curry.

For the first 11 (regulation) quarters of the series, the Cavs looked like a defensive juggernaut, holding the Warriors to an average of 87 points per four quarters, 23 points below their regular-season average.

But in the second half of Game 3, Curry said he found a weakness and it could be huge moving forward.

"I think I found something when it comes to how I’m going to be able to attack their pick-and-rolls and even certain iso situations," Curry said post-game. "I'll keep that in the memory bank going into Game 4, and hopefully it has a trickle over effect into the first quarter of the next game."

After a horrific first half in which he shot 1-of-6 from the field to finish with just 3 points, Curry showed off his prolific MVP shooting in the second — draining 9-of-14 field goals, including six 3-pointers. The 24 points Curry scored in those last two quarters were actually 2 points more than what he scored in the previous six, including the extra 5 minutes of overtime in Game 2.

Curry's second-half barrage featured him making the types of difficult plays we've come to expect from the reigning MVP. With less than 30 seconds left in the game, he managed to dribble past three Cavs defenders and drain a three while getting knocked to the floor by Timofey Mozgov to pull the Warriors within one:

Earlier in the quarter, Curry showed off his spectacular ball-handling skills and ability to finish at the rim on a beautiful reverse layup:

While the Warriors may have wound up with the loss, thanks to Curry's resurgence and Golden State's late run, they also received something else — a newfound sense of "hope," according to Bleacher Report's Howard Beck. Beck described the Warriors locker room after the game as "a quiet confidence in the wake of this loss."

Warriors coach Steve Kerr says that confidence has always been there — especially in Curry — and despite back-to-back devastating losses, it's never left.

"Steph never loses confidence," Kerr told Beck after the game. "I just thought he lost a little energy and, I don't know, life. We just need life from everybody. We need emotion from everybody."

The Warriors will need all the production from Curry they can get in Game 4. While it isn't an elimination game, it might as well be. No team has ever come back from a 3-1 series deficit in the NBA finals to win the championship.

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As surprising as the Cleveland Cavaliers' 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals has been, perhaps the bigger shock is how the Warriors' explosive offense has been dismantled.

The Warriors' No. 1-ranked defense has actually done its job — the Cavaliers are shooting just 39.6% from the field and scoring 94 points per 100 possessions.

The difference in the series has been how the Warriors, the second best offensive team in the regular season, can't score. In the Finals, they're averaging just 99 points per 100 possessions, an eight-point difference from the first three rounds of the playoffs.

A huge reason for the Warriors struggles has been the ineffectiveness of small ball, in particular, Draymond Green's struggles. Green, a 6'7" power forward, is key to small ball, the Warriors' most devastating weapon. Despite the dual backcourt threats of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, Green's ability to pull defenders away from the basket with his shooting, attack open space, and make smart passes to throw off scrambling defenses is crucial to the Warriors offense.

Green is averaging nine points and seven rebounds per game while shooting just 26% from the field and 12.5% from three-point range. In the regular season, the Warriors offense improved with Green on the floor, but in the Finals, they're scoring less with Green on the court.

The Cavaliers' defensive strategy has been completely different than the Warriors. While the Warriors are intentionally letting LeBron James pick them apart (to mixed results), the Cavaliers are forcing the ball out of Stephen Curry's hands and containing him on the perimeter so he can't shake loose for opens threes and drives. As a result, Curry has to give up the ball, often to Green, the screener, who then has to make plays. He's succeeded in this role all year, but is now struggling.

The Cavs defend this perfectly — Matthew Dellavedova fights over the screen to tail Curry and Tristan Thompson pushes up on Curry to keep him from firing a three or turning the corner. As a result, Curry makes a great read to a wide open Green. Green just can't make the shot.

On a crucial possession in the fourth quarter as the Warriors tried to make a comeback, Green's struggles really hurt the Warriors.

Here, he hesitates on the wide open three, drives to the lane, and meets a wall in Timofey Mozgov, who does a good job of going up straight and not fouling:

The Warriors got the offensive rebound and on the next play, miscommunication between Curry and Green resulted in a brutal turnover:

This isn't a smart pass from Curry, but it's also a bit of a habit. Throughout the season, the expectation is that Green would be waiting at the three-point line, ready to launch a three, drive the lane, or find an open teammate as the defense scrambles.

While Curry missed the opportunity to get Green an easy pick-and-roll opportunity, this is also the Cavs defense at work. LeBron hounds Curry and Mozgov lingers ready to contest a three-pointer or a drive. They abandon Green, who, according to NBA.com/Stats is only shooting 2-16 on passes from Curry in the Finals.

Green at power forward isn't the Warriors' ultimate small-ball look — they can move him to center, add another shooter or slasher to the court and hope to create even more space. The problem is the Cavs are such physical, relentless rebounders, the Warriors may get destroyed on the glass, reducing second-chance opportunities and failing to finish defensive possessions.

All season long, the Warriors offense has thrived on the principle that if Curry is forced to give up the ball, he can hit playmakers in Thompson, or more crucially, Green, who is a mismatch for almost all big men. When Green is at his best, he takes advantages of defenses who double Curry. If defenses stop doubling Curry, it allows Curry to do his thing on offense. It becomes a "pick-your-poison" scenario for defenses.

If Green doesn't get untracked, it becomes that much harder for the Warriors to dominate like they have throughout the year.

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In what has now become a yearly occurrence, comedian Jimmy Kimmel sent out his sidekick and talk show personality, Guillermo Rodriguez (better known as simply Guillermo), to have some fun with players at the NBA Finals' Media Day for a segment, very cleverly, called "Guillermo at the NBA Finals Media Day."                                   

 While some players enjoyed Guillermo's hilarious attempt at using a basketball as a microphone, his love of FatBooth, and his minute-long hugs, others – such as Iman Shumpert and LeBron James – didn't appreciate Guillermo "trolling" them.

Some of the highlights of the video segment include Guillermo embracing Tristan Thompson while he answers other reporters questions, Kendrick Perkins vehemently refusing to answer Guillermo's question in regards to which Disney princess he is, and LeBron James completely ignoring Guillermo's presence.

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They don't call him "Money" for nothing. Forbes released it's 2015 rendition of the top-100 highest-paid athletes in the world on Wednesday, and for the second straight year boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. topped the list, earning just $13 million less than the next three athletes combined.

Mayweather made over $200 million from his historic fight against Manny Pacquiao. Thanks to the fight generating nearly $600 million worth of revenue, Pacquiao actually comes in at second, albeit a distant second, on the list. He was the 11th highest-paid athlete in 2014.

Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, and Roger Federer finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th respectively in the rankings that include both earnings and endorsements. This means that not a single player from the three major sports in the United States – football, basketball, and baseball – cracked the top-5.

LeBron James is the highest-paid basketball player at 6th, trailing Federer by just $2.2 million. Ben Roethlisberger, surprisingly, is the highest-paid football player, coming in at 11. And Jon Lester is the highest paid baseball player at 19.

For the sixth straight year, tennis star Maria Sharapova ($29.7 million) ranks as the highest-paid female athlete, finishing 26th overall.

Here's the top-20:

1. Floyd Mayweather Jr. (boxing): $300 million
2. Manny Pacquiao (boxing): $160 million
3. Cristiano Ronaldo (soccer): $79.6 million
4. Lionel Messi (soccer): $73.8 million
5. Roger Federer (tennis): $67 million
6. LeBron James (basketball): $64.8 million
7. Kevin Durant (basketball): $54.1 million
8. Phil Mickelson (golf): $50.8 million
9. Tiger Woods (golf): $50.6 million
10. Kobe Bryant (basketball): $49.5 million
11. Ben Roethlisberger (football): $48.9 million
12. Rory McIlroy (golf): $48.3 million
13. Novak Djokovic (tennis): $48.2 million
14. Zlatan Ibrahimovic (soccer): $39.1 million
15. Lewis Hamilton (racing): $39 million
16. Ndamukong Suh (football): $38.6 million
17. Fernando Alonso (racing): $35.5 million
18. Gareth Bale (soccer): $35 million
19. Jon Lester (baseball): $34.1 million
20. Derrick Rose (basketball): $33.9 million

Check out the entire list here >

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A new international trailer for the highly anticipated biopic about fallen sports icon Lance Armstrong is out.

"The Program," directed by Stephen Frears and starring Ben Foster as Armstrong, opens in Germany on October 8 before going to other countries, The Playlist reports.

Dustin Hoffman is in the movie, as is Lee Pace, Chris O’Dowd, Jesse Plemons, and others.

Here are a few powerful images from the trailer:

As noted by The Playlist, the German-language trailer gives us a good idea what the movie will be like. Watch the first trailer for "The Program" below:

This is what director Frears had to say about the film, as reported on ING (via The Film Stage):

“In terms of how [Lance Armstrong] conducted his behavior, he’s discussed how he’s made his mistakes, and whether or not he can make good on them now is not for me to decide. In terms of his athletic ability, there aren’t many like him. That’s a combination of focus,” Foster said last year. “It’s as much will as being a physical body. He’s one of the greatest athletes that’s ever lived. He came up in a time of doping, and it’s my opinion, if you look at the statistics, you have to go down 17 or 18 guys for those seven years retroactively, at least, to find a clean rider. So it wasn’t EPO [Erythropoietin] that made Lance the greatest cyclist. It was something far bigger. How he handled that ability, how he handled his will, that story’s not over yet.”

Here's a translation for the German promo copy for the film, via The Film Stage:

He was one of the biggest sports heroes of our time: Lance Armstrong has revolutionized in the nineties with his team the sport of cycling, he won seven times alone in the Tour de France. With his fight against cancer, he became the charismatic icon of millions. But then the truth of his success is revealed: The sports journalist David Walsh covers a system of lies and cheating on … After “The Queen”, director Stephen Frears focuses again a cult figure of the present and shows how close greatness and megalomania often to each other. A fascinating portrait with US actor Ben Foster as Armstrong worthy of an Oscar occupied.

The US Anti-Doping Agency, or USADA, stripped Armstrong of his record seven Tour de France titles in October 2012. In its "Reasoned Decision," USADA said that evidence against Armstrong showed beyond any doubt that the US Postal Service Pro Cycling Team, with Armstrong as its leader, "ran the most sophisticated, professionalized and successful doping program that sport has ever seen."

Before he got caught for doping, Armstrong was considered by many to be the greatest cyclist in the history of the sport, which historically had been largely dominated by Europeans.

Before Armstrong, no cyclist had ever won more than five Tours. That Armstrong, a cancer survivor, won seven Tours in a row captured the attention of the entire world. The three-week Tour de France is the world's largest annual sporting event.

The sport made Armstrong a multimillionaire and brought him fame. His net worth, according to The New York Times, was estimated at $125 million in 2012.

In August 2014, Armstrong told Dan Patrick that he still believed he won those seven Tours but no longer wore a Livestrong bracelet. In December 2014 he crashed his SUV into two parked cars in Colorado and left the scene without contacting police. His girlfriend, Anna Hansen, tried to take the blame, telling Aspen police she wanted to keep his name out of national headlines.

In February, Armstrong was ordered to pay back $10 million in Tour de France prize money.

Last week, Armstrong told Dan Patrick that these days he's "an Uber driver" for his kids and treated well by people in public.

SEE ALSO: What Lance Armstrong misses most about being one of the world’s most popular athletes

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For the second time in a week, American Bobby Wood has scored a late game-winning goal to stun one of the top countries in the world.

This time Wood came on as a late substitute and scored in the 87th minute to beat top-ranked Germany 2-1. Just five days ago, Wood scored the game-winner against 6th-ranked Netherlands to complete an incredible 4-3 comeback win.

This time, Wood's goal was helped by fellow substitute Jordan Morris who stepped over the long pass, leaving Wood one-on-one with a defender just outside the box.

Germany dominated most of the first half, taking an early 1-0 lead. However, the U.S. got a goal late in the first half from Mix Diskerud on a beautiful long pass from Michael Bradley.

The win was the first ever for the United States against Germany on German soil.

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In the wake of an alleged $150 million bribery and corruption scandal involving FIFA, many people in the soccer world are calling for re-votes or overall cancellations of the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

Despite claims of corruption within FIFA, legal roadblocks could make it very difficult for FIFA to simply take the World Cups away from Russia and Qatar.

As Andre Mayer of CBC News writes, regardless of how Russia and Qatar were awarded their respective World Cups — something the US Department of Justice is looking into, along with the votes behind the 2010 and 2014 World Cups — they still won the bidding process. That means those countries would have agreed to legally binding contracts with FIFA over hosting terms.

If FIFA were to breach these contracts, FIFA and the host country would face a hearing in front of the Court for the Arbitration of Sport in Lausanne, Switzerland. Mayer states the Court of the Arbitration of Sport works under Swiss law but "but regularly adjudicates commercial disputes between sports organizations from different countries."

According to Mayer, unlike Olympic contracts with host nations, the World Cup contracts aren't made public, so the exact terms aren't known.

FIFA official Domenico Scala recently said FIFA would look into stripping Russia and Qatar of the World Cups if there's proof that there were bribes to vote for either country, stating, "Should evidence be present that the awarding to Qatar and Russia only came about with bought votes, then the awarding could be void."

However, shortly after, FIFA released a statement countering Scala, saying, "Russia and Qatar were awarded the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups by democratic vote of the Executive Committee. Based on expert opinions and available facts, FIFA has no legal grounds to take away the hosting of the FIFA World Cup from Russia and Qatar."

Additionally, the inherent problem with canceling these events is the sheer number of resources both Russia and Qatar have committed to making the events happen. Russia is reportedly spending $20 billion to prepare for the event, while Qatar is reportedly spending $200 billion on infrastructure and facilities including $45 billion to build an entire city from scratch.

FIFA did announce they are suspending bidding for the 2026 World Cup, allowing the investigations to go forth while figuring out Sepp Blatter's replacement. 

While FIFA can take measures to fix the future of the sport, it's far more complicated to undo its past decisions.

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The Euro 2016 qualifiers kick off this weekend, showcasing the very best in talent in European football.

While on the pitch prowess certainly plays a part, brands look to a number of other factors, including fame and public perception, to assess the marketability of players for their campaigns.

Sports intelligence company Repucom has pulled together the top 10 most marketable players in European football. Its rankings take into account global awareness, appeal, aspiration, trust, and sponsorship revenue, and are based on its own in-house data and a global survey of consumers across 13 markets. Repucom says its survey of 7,000 people represents the views of 1.6 billion consumers worldwide.

10. Eden Hazard (Belgium/Chelsea FC.) Just 28% of the global audience is aware of Hazard, but he has a much higher profile in Belgium, where he is known by 80% of the population. He pulls in around $1.1 to $1.7 million in sponsorship revenue each year.

9. Gareth Bale (Wales/Real Madrid.) Bales generates $5.6 million to $6.8 million in annual sponsorship revenue, mainly from top sponsor Adidas. The winger has a particularly high global aspiration score: 76%.

8. Mario Götze (Germany/Bayern Munich.) The attacking midfielder may not pull in as much sponsorship revenue as his peers ($3.4-$3.9 million,) but he scores extremely highly in terms of appeal amongst both women (76%) and men (74%,) and a global aspiration score of 79%.

Hours after US authorities arrested nine current and former FIFA officials on corruption charges in a dramatic early morning raid, communications director Walter De Gregorio was the guy who faced the media on FIFA's behalf at a hastily arranged press conference.

Two weeks later, De Gregorio is leaving FIFA. His resignation comes two days after he went on the Swiss TV show Schawinski and made a great joke at the expense of his now former bosses.

The joke (h/t James Corbett):

Fifa president Sepp Blatter, the media director, and the general secretary are sitting in a car, who is driving?

(...)

The police!

Martyn Ziegler of the Press Association says that he heard De Gregorio was actually fired for the joke.

We've reached out to FIFA for clarification. In a statement, FIFA said De Gregorio "decided to relinquish his office with immediate effect."

Here's the clip:

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American Pharoah won the Belmont Stakes to become horse racing's first Triple Crown winner in 37 years. But the real winner financially will be another horse in owner Ahmed Zayat's stable, the 2009 Kentucky Derby runner-up, Pioneerof the Nile.

Pioneerof the Nile is the sire of American Pharoah. More importantly, unlike his offspring, Pioneerof the Nile is a proven sire thanks to American Pharoah and other foals that have performed well on the track.

The other big difference between the two horses is that Zayat has already sold the breeding rights to American Pharoah but still owns 75% of Pioneerof the Nile, according to Eben Novy-Williams of Bloomberg.com.

"If you asked most breeders if they’d rather breed to a Triple Crown winner, or breed to the sire of a Triple Crown winner, the majority would take the latter," Rommy Faversham, a pedigree analyst, told Bloomberg.

Early speculation has American Pharoah's stud fee reaching as much as $200,000 per foal which could translate to more than $20 million per year depending on how many offspring he can generate. However, Faversham speculates that the fee will start at a more modest level, something "in the neighborhood of $75,000" according to Novy-Williams, with that number going up or down depending on the early success of the offspring.

Meanwhile, Pioneerof the Nile was already making $60,000 per foal prior to his son winning the Triple Crown and one breeding director told Bloomberg the 9-year-old's stud fee will likely surpass $100,000 in 2016 which could translate to more than $10 million annually. 

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These are good times for US national soccer teams of all genders and ages.

1. The US women's team is on top of Group D (the Group of Death!) in the Women's World Cup after a 3-1 win over Australia. The USWNT is still one of the tournament's two big favorites.

2. The US men's team just beat Germany (the reigning World Cup champions and No. 1-ranked team in the world) and the Netherlands (the team that finished third at the World Cup) on the road in the same week, scoring six goals in the process.

3. The US men's under-20 team is into the quarterfinals of the U-20 World Cup after beating Colombia 1-0 in the Round of 16. With a win over Serbia in the quarterfinal, it'll be the furthest a US youth team has been in the tournament since they finished fourth in 1989.

That this on-field success is coming on the heels of the US Department of Justice finally hammering FIFA officials with corruption charges after years of rumors and speculation only makes it sweeter. Depending how the three teams finish in the Women's World Cup, Concacaf Gold Cup, and U-20 World Cup, respectively, we could be on track for a landmark summer for American soccer.

The US is getting 87th-minute golazos against Germany in Germany:

The US is stringing together 35-pass sequences:

The US is frustrating the Australian FA into writing up the saltiest Women's World Cup recap of all time:

The US is suddenly producing teenagers who can do this:

At the U-20 level, the World Cup has seen the promising debut of Gedion Zelalem— the 18-year-old German-born, American-raised Arsenal prospect who picked the US over Germany earlier this year.

To put a damper on things, all of this American soccer success has its caveats. The women's team still looks shaky in defense and unbalanced in the midfield. The men's team got some historic wins, for sure, but they were friendlies against disinterested teams that still outplayed them for large stretches of the games.

We still haven't seen the US take the game to bigger teams in major competitions, which is Jurgen Klinsmann's stated goal. And the U-20 team, while promising, is still a team of teenagers playing against other teenagers.

But in a big-picture sense, this summer has started perfectly for the US, and hopefully it's a sign of things to come.

SEE ALSO: Nigeria — the last-ranked team in the Group of Death — is the most badass team at the Women's World Cup

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In the absence of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love and with a little help from Down Under, LeBron James has taken his game to another level and has the Cleveland Cavaliers just two wins away from their first NBA title.

Using Game Score (via Basketball-Reference.com), a stat that measures a player's overall production in a single game, we can see just how great LeBron has been in this year's Finals. He's averaging 28.4 GmSc through the first three games with 41.0 points, 12.0 rebounds, and 8.3 assists per game. James' production peaked in Game 3, when his GmSc reached 31.6, the second-highest mark in his 30 career Finals games.

His production has greatly exceeded his first five trips to the Finals and puts in perspective just how much he has grown as a player since his first two appearances in the NBA's championship series.

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Despite facing a considerable disadvantage in depth and overall talent, the injury-depleted Cleveland Cavaliers have a 2-1 series lead over the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.

LeBron James, the ultimate deciding factor in the NBA, has carried the Cavs by shouldering the offensive burden.

Much of James' offense has come out of "isolation" plays — one-on-one plays — that are inefficient and often halt a team's offensive flow.

LeBron has been criticized by many for relying on isolations too often in the postseason, and I'm no exception, having written that James was "hijacking" Cleveland's offense after he isolated his way to 33% shooting in the fourth quarter of Game 1 against the Atlanta Hawks. Going one-on-one not only results in tough shots, it also can take other players out of rhythm as they stand around and watch.

Yet as a significant underdog against the NBA's best regular season team, James' isolation-heavy offense has been good enough for a 2-1 series lead. By doing everything himself, James is not only making up for the Cavs' lack of playmakers, he's dictating the pace of the game and taking Golden State out of its fast-paced, free-flowing offense. LeBron and the Cavs want to grind out these games, making the Warriors work for everything instead of blowing out the Cavs with what James described as a "sexy" offense.

LeBron's isolations are not just about scoring points — the Warriors' defense has held the Cavs to 95 points per 100 possessions, 12 less than their regular season average. By taking his time getting into the offense, holding the ball, and not dribbling until the right moment, the Cavs are slowing the game down incredibly. The two teams are averaging 93 possessions per game in the Finals, which is about seven fewer than what the Warriors averaged in the regular season. This has partially led to the Warriors' offense averaging only 99 points per 100 possessions, 10 fewer than the regular season.

James' isos haven't suddenly become efficient — he's still only averaging .68 points per possession, shooting 33% on such plays. However, James is so unguaradable on offense that he sucks in defenses, opening up opportunities for other players. Almost nobody on the Warriors can stay in front of James, so when he blows by them to the basket, help comes, opening up other Cavs players.

Here, just the threat of James going by Draymond Green causes Golden State to double. As the defense rotates, James hits J.R. Smith for three:

If James takes his game to the post (which is not considered an isolation, but is basically the same idea), nobody can handle his size, so when help comes, he can find open shooters.

Basketball-Reference tracks an advanced stat called "usage percentage," which measures how many possessions a player uses, factoring in field goal attempts, free throw attempts, and turnovers. LeBron's usage percentage has never been higher in the postseason:

He's using nearly half of all of the Cavs' possessions!

Again, the Cavs' offense isn't exactly firing on all cylinders, but it's been enough to grind out games and support their suddenly dominant defense. ESPN's Amin Elhassan accurately described how the Cavs are winning on Zach Lowe's "The Lowe Post":

"If you've got a great offense, you have to have a good enough defense. Right now we're seeing the opposite. We're seeing the Cavs have a great defense and a good enough offense. That's all they need is a good enough offense. ... The ball will be with LeBron the maximum amount of time, and when it leaves his hands, it's going to someone with the explicit purpose of shooting the ball."

LeBron's performance in the Finals has been individual greatness personified. The Warriors have thus far been willing to let LeBron dominate by himself, and he's done enough to carry the Cavaliers on offense while they slow the Warriors on the other end. If LeBron can carry the Cavs to two more wins and take home his third championships, it will likely be the crowning achievement of his career. 

SEE ALSO: The 'LeBron effect' is the biggest deciding factor in the NBA

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Cleveland Cavaliers breakout star Matthew Dellavedova has developed a reputation for being an "annoying" player during these playoffs — primarily for his hustle on loose balls and the tenacity with which he has defended Stephen Curry. 

At a press conference before Game 4 of the NBA Finals, Dellavedova was asked if he sees himself as annoying.

This great exchange with a reporter followed (h/t ASAP Sports):

REPORTER: Matthew, are you an annoying player?

MATTHEW DELLAVEDOVA: Am I annoying player?

R: Yeah.

MD: Well, I've never played against myself, so...

R: Would you find yourself annoying?

MD: Yeah, I think I would. In college guys would try all kinds of things to just distract me or get under my skin and things like that.

Dellavedova has been called a "dirty player" and a "pest" because of a few specific plays during the playoffs.

The first questionable play came during the Easter Conference Semifinals when Dellavedova wrapped his legs around Taj Gibson of the Chicago Bulls after they both fell to the court during a box-out attempt:

In the Eastern Conference Finals, Dellavedova rolled over Atlanta Hawks shooting guard Kyle Korver's ankle while diving for a loose ball:

And then later in the series, Al Horford and Dellavedova got at it when Dellavedova fell and hit Horford's lower leg. Horford responded by elbowing Dellavedova:

Dellavedova's intense defense isn't the only thing that's led opposing players and fans to call him annoying, his late game heroics has also been a contributing factor. During the last few minutes of Game 3, with the Cavaliers clinging to a one point lead, Dellavedova drove to the lane and hit a ridiculous one-handed bank shot while drawing a foul:

Announcer Jeff Van Gundy was left amazed:

"Stumbling. Bumbling. Contact. Bank is open! This guy — I would have never have thought in this type of a game he could be this good."

The Cavaliers will hope Dellavedova continues his "annoying" ways when they square off against the Warriors in Game 4 Thursday night.

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After 47 years in the wrestling business, Virgil Runnels, or as he is better known, Dusty "The American Dream" Rhodes, passed away at age 69, the WWE reports.

Known for his charisma inside, and outside the ring, as well as his signature "Bionic Elbow" finishing move, Rhodes was inducted into the WCW Hall of Fame, and a champion many times over. He continued to make appearances on WWE up until February of this year, but Runnels began taking more of a backstage role as a booker, or a writer, as he advanced in years.

In addition to his storied wrestling career, Runnels was the father of four, including fellow wrestling superstars Dustin Runnels (Goldust) and Cody Runnels (Stardust). Runnels was known for his working man persona, and sometimes billed as "The son of a plumber." 

His wrestling promo "Hard Times", where he addressed the plight of the working man, his physique, and his rivaly with Ric Flair, is remembered as one of the greatest of all time.

News of his death has rippled through the wrestling scene. Wrestlers Triple H and Ric Flair tweeted today in memorium of the lost champion:

See his classic matchup against Ric Flair bellow:

SEE ALSO: A wrestler accused the 'Arrow' actor of being a superhero in real life and now fans want to see them in the ring together

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