Ted Turner, the former owner of the Atlanta Braves who signed baseball’s first free agent, has died at 87.

Turner Enterprises, in a news release, confirmed Turner died Wednesday surrounded by family and friends.

In September 2018, Turner disclosed he had been diagnosed with Lewy body dementia, which the Alzheimer’s Association defines as “progressive dementia that leads to a decline in thinking, reasoning and independent function.”

Turner, born in Ohio, made his money in media. He took over his father’s billboard business, Turner Outdoor Advertising, upon his father’s death in 1963. In 1970, in the pre-cable days, he bought an Atlanta UHF station and a station in Charlotte, N.C., and renamed the company Turner Communications Group.

In 1976, Turner made two significant moves that affected Major League Baseball. His Atlanta station, which later became known as TBS, was launched nationwide via satellite across the constantly evolving TV industry. And he bought the Atlanta Braves in January of that year; they became known across America because the team’s games were available nationwide.

“Our good friend and former owner, Ted Turner, was one of a kind — a brilliant businessman, consummate showman and passionate fan of his beloved Braves,” the team said in a statement. “Ted’s visionary leadership and innovative approach to broadcast television transformed the Braves into ‘America’s Team.’

“… We will miss you, Ted. You helped make us who we are today, and the Atlanta Braves are forever grateful for the impact you made on our organization and in our community.”

The following season, Turner bought a majority stake in the NBA’s Atlanta Hawks, saying he made the purchase to keep the franchise in the city.

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of Ted Turner — a true original, a visionary, and a force of nature whose impact will be felt for generations,” Hawks principal owner Tony Ressler said in a statement. “… For me personally, owning the Atlanta Hawks and following in his footsteps-even in a small way-has been one of the great honors of my life.”

Three months after buying the Braves, Turner signed 30-year-old pitcher Andy Messersmith to baseball’s first contract in free agency: three years for $1 million. Messersmith was 20-6 with a 2.59 ERA for the Los Angeles Dodgers in 1974. In 1975, he finished 19-14 with a 2.29 ERA in 42 games (40 starts), throwing 321 2/3 innings. He had seven shutouts among his 19 complete games.

When Messersmith took the mound for the Braves, his uniform number was 17 –where Turner’s Atlanta station was on the TV dial — and the nameplate read “Channel” instead of his last name. Taken together, Messersmith represented Turner’s TV station: Channel 17.

Eventually, TBS moved to cable.

Turner had a big hand in other sports, too. He was the founder of the Goodwill Games, bought a pro wrestling organization and renamed it World Championship Wrestling and was a yachtsman. He skippered Courageous to an America’s Cup win in 1977.

Turner also founded CNN and TNT to go with TBS. He sold his holdings, including the Braves, to Time Warner in 1996 for $7.5 billion, a year after celebrating Atlanta’s first World Series win.

His final years were devoted to his philanthropy, including a $1 billion pledge to the United Nations.

Turner is survived by his five children, 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was married three times, including a 10-year union with actress Jane Fonda that ended in divorce in 2001.

–Field Level Media

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