Indiana football fans apparently can thank Mark Cuban, one of the school’s wealthiest alums, for playing a key part in the Hoosiers winning the College Football Playoff championship this year.

Cuban donated the remaining money Indiana needed to secure quarterback Fernando Mendoza, the billionaire and former majority owner of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks told Front Office Sports in an upcoming episode of Portfolio Players.

The exchange resulted from a conversation between Cuban, Indiana athletic director Scott Dolson and university president Pam Whitten at the school’s first-round College Football Playoff game against Notre Dame in December 2024.

“[Dolson]’s like, we’ve got this quarterback that we really, really like that we think would be great in (coach Curt Cignetti) Cig’s system, we just need a litttttle bit more,” Cuban said, per Front Office Sports. “I’m like, ‘How much is a little bit?’ And so he told me, and I’m like, ‘OK, you know, we’re on a roll, I’ll put up the money to get this quarterback.'”

Indiana lost in the first round of the 2024 playoff to Notre Dame, 27-17. One season later, the Hoosiers capped their undefeated season with a 27-21 win over Miami.

Cuban, 67, already had some connections to Cignetti as well as to Mendoza’s brother and Indiana teammate, Alberto, who as a Miami Heat fan would interact with Cuban when the Mavericks visited the Heat.

The extra money helped Indiana lure Mendoza away from Cal, where he reportedly made $1.6 million. His transfer to Indiana netted him $2.6 million, per Yahoo Sports.

Mendoza went on to win the Heisman Trophy. The Las Vegas Raiders selected him with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft in April.

The previous philanthropic efforts of Cuban, who according to Forbes is worth $6 billion, had been focused on academics, with his recent donations to Indiana athletics his first forays into the sports side of the university.

Though his first donation was directly related to the Mendoza signing, Cuban said he lets Dolson — a fellow Indiana alum — decide what to do with the finances.

“I just give Scott money, and it’s up to him,” Cuban said. “We talk a lot, we talk about approach, understanding how to put together a team. Because I did it for 20-something years. So it’s not like I have to direct him to something specific. I understand how they’re approaching things.”

Cuban would not reveal exactly how much he has committed to Indiana athletics other than to tell Front Office Sports in a January email, “Let’s just say they are happier this year than last year.”

–Field Level Media

Dallas Wings head coach Jose Fernandez said the team will play its 2027 games at the American Airlines Center — home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks — though an agreement has not been finalized, according to Wings CEO and managing partner Greg Bibb.

The news comes as the Wings continue to deal with delays in the readiness of their new training facility and new permanent home, the renovated Dallas Memorial Auditorium.

“We will be in the practice facility next year to open up training camp,” Fernandez said in response to a question from Front Office Sports. “That is going to happen, and we will be playing all of our games in American Airlines (Center) next year as well.”

However, Bibb told USA Today the team was in “advanced negotiations” to play at the American Airlines Center but a deal was not done, and added the Wings did not yet have the required approval from the WNBA to change venues for a season.

Both the practice facility and the remodeled Memorial Auditorium had been expected to be ready for the 2026 season. Instead, the opening of the new $81 million training facility has been pushed to spring 2027 and games will not be played in the approximately 8,400-seat Memorial Auditorium until 2028.

The majority of the Wings’ 2026 games will be played at the 7,000-seat College Park Center in Arlington, with three games this season to be played at the 20,000-seat American Airlines Center against the Chicago Sky, Indiana Fever and Golden State Valkyries. The Wings played just two games at the venue in 2025, both against the Fever.

–Field Level Media

Although New York Yankees designated hitter Giancarlo Stanton is eligible to return from the injured list, fans shouldn’t expect to see him in the lineup in the immediate future, manager Aaron Boone said.

Stanton, who went on the IL in late April with a right calf strain, has yet to resume any kind of running, Boone told reporters before the Yankees’ 7-4 win over the Texas Rangers on Tuesday.

“He’s doing OK, and he’s hit some,” Boone said. “(It’s lingering) a little bit. It still feels minor, but not ready to push it yet.”

Stanton, 36, last played April 24 against the Houston Astros and left after the sixth inning when he experienced stiffness in the calf while running the bases.

A subsequent MRI revealed nothing more than a strain that didn’t “look too serious,” Boone said on April 28.

The oft-injured Stanton was limited to 77 games for the Yankees last year due to injuries to both his elbows. The former National League MVP (2017, Miami Marlins) was batting .256 with three home runs and 14 RBIs through 24 games this season.

Outfielder Jasson Dominguez, who had previously been called up from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, largely has filled in for Stanton. The 23-year-old Dominguez, who played in 123 games last season, began 2026 at Triple-A and batted .326 with three homers, 15 RBIs and eight stolen bases in 24 games.

He is batting .231 with one home run and four RBIs in seven games in the majors this season. He was 0-for-4 in Tuesday’s win over the Rangers.

–Field Level Media