• Organizers of the three-day Wireless Music Festival in the U.K. were forced to cancel the event after sponsors Pepsi and Diageo withdrew when Kanye West was announced as the headliner and British officials then blocked West from entering the country, “saying his presence in the U.K. would not be conducive to the public good.”
• After losing to head coach Dawn Staley and the University of South Carolina Gamecocks in the women’s NCAA basketball Final Four, legendary University of Connecticut head coach Geno Auriemma went full pout mode and tried to pick a fight with Staley. It was an astonishing moment from Auriemma, who holds the NCAA record for women’s basketball championships. His first apology didn’t go well, but his second seems to have smoothed things over.
• ESPN is blaming its recent carriage dispute with YouTube TV for its latest round of layoffs. The broadcaster said the 15-day blackout caused an “unexpected revenue dip last fall.” ESPN was quiet about what role its recent $3 billion acquisition of the NFL Network may have had on its need to conduct layoffs. Meanwhile, Disney is preparing to cut 1,000 positions.
• The Atlantic gave a reporter $10,000 to bet so he could examine the world of online gambling. He says it turned him into a “degenerate gambler.”
• Photos of New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel and New York Times/The Athletic NFL reporter Dianna Russini holding hands and hugging at a luxury resort in Arizona have made a number of headlines. In addition to the fact that both are married to other people, Russini is a journalist who covers Vrabel and his team.
• CBS announced who will replace Stephen Colbert‘s late-night show at the end of May: “Comics Unleashed with Byron Allen.” It will be interesting to compare Colbert’s ratings to the new show.
• The NHL‘s Dallas Stars have banned a fan who bought tickets for a group of spectators who celebrated a goal with a Nazi salute.
• It’s only April, but our historically dry spring has already caused cities including Denver, Aurora, Castle Rock and Thornton to implement water restrictions.
• FIFA, soccer’s governing body, has long considered the U.S. the most lucrative market in the world to host World Cups and they host events here regularly when it is time to refill the organization’s coffers. This year’s men’s World Cup has set a new standard for putting the screws to U.S. fans. First, it was a controversial dynamic pricing model that escalated the price of nearly every ticket, and now World Cup ticket buyers are accusing FIFA of “misleading” them with stadium maps that misrepresented the potential location of seats they bought. Hey, those FIFA Peace Prize trophies aren’t cheap.
• What do you get if you cross competitive cycling with MMA? Kiaan Watts, apparently. The New Zealand cyclist has been suspended for 25 days by the sport’s governing body for punching a fellow rider in the head during a race in the Netherlands.
• From “fake it until you make it” to “fake it until you are indicted.” This is the Colorado journalism story of the year.

Who won the week?

• Linhart PR founder Sharon Linhart is among five journalism and PR leaders who will be honored by the Denver Press Club at its annual Hall of Fame awards. The others are Denver Post Editor Lee Ann Colacioppo, Denver Press Club historian and author Alan Kania, longtime Denver journalist Linda Carpio Shapley and Colorado Springs Gazette Managing Editor Jim Trotter.
• Dovetail Solutions has promoted Alex Busuttil to Senior Director of Client Services and Whitney Conaghan to Director of Client Services.
• Two of the three primary owners of the Denver Broncos – Greg and Carrie Walton Penner – have acquired a 40% stake in the Colorado Rockies. Let’s hope their business and sports savvy are put to good use with the baseball team.
• Former Denver Nuggets head coach Michael Malone has been hired as the head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels, one of college basketball’s most iconic teams.
• The University of Denver Pioneers won a double-overtime game against the University of Michigan to advance to the NCAA hockey championship game. They will face the University of Wisconsin Badgers in the finals.
• March Madness has ended, and the University of Michigan men and the UCLA women emerged victorious.