Report: Nike founder Phil Knight ‘cold calling’ on Oregon’s behalf in conference hunt from Adam Stites, with YardBarker.com/www.yardbarker.com The Oregon Ducks are in a precarious position with the impending departure of USC and UCLA from the Pac-12, and Nike founder Phil Knight is reportedly “working the phone” to try to help. “A marketing genius, benefactor, philanthropist and multi-billionaire, the Shoe Dog himself is apparently using all his resources to find a home for Oregon, a program Knight has made one of the most recognizable college sports brands as a de facto offshoot of his Nike empire,” Dennis Dodd of CBS…
Nike founder Phil Knight in talks to purchase Trail Blazers from Adam Stites, with www.yardbarker.com Nike founder Phil Knight and Los Angeles Dodgers co-owner Alan Smolinisky are in talks to purchase the Portland Trail Blazers and have already made a written offer of more than $2B for the franchise, according to a report from ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. For 30 years, the Trail Blazers were owned by Microsoft founder Paul Allen until his death in 2018. Since then, the team has been overseen by the Paul G. Allen Trust managed by Allen’s sister, Jody Allen. The trust also oversees the Seattle…