DraftKings and FanDuel, the two largest daily fantasy sports operators, have agreed to merge, the companies announced Friday.The merger, pending regulatory approval, is expected to close in the second half of 2017. Until then, both sites will continue to operate under their respective brand names.Terms of the agreement were not disclosed, but sources close to the negotiations told ESPN that it is basically a 50/50 split between the fantasy giants. Each company will have three seats on the board, with one independent director. At closing, DraftKings CEO Jason Robins will be the CEO of the new company, while FanDuel CEO Nigel Eccles will become the chairman of the board.The name of the joint company has not been revealed. It will have headquarters in New York and Boston.We have always been passionate about providing the best possible experience for our customers and this merger will help advance our goal of building a transformational global sports entertainment platform, Robins said in the release announcing the agreement. Joining forces will allow us to truly realize the potential of our vision, and as a combined company we will be able to accelerate the pace of innovation and bring a richer experience to our customers than we ever could have done separately.Being able to combine DraftKings and FanDuel, added Eccles, presents a tremendous opportunity for us to further innovate and disrupt the sports industry. While both companies have accomplished much already, this transaction will create a business that can offer a greater variety of offerings, appealing to new users, including the tens of millions of season-long fantasy players that havent yet tried our products.The merger is expected to draw scrutiny, potentially from the Federal Trade Commission. FanDuel and DraftKings make up more than 80 percent of the daily fantasy marketplace, but they are looking to pool their resources to grow their customer base by tapping into the much larger season-long market, a source privy to the companies strategy told ESPN. An estimated 40 million North Americans play only season-long fantasy sports, eight times more than the number of those who play daily fantasy.The benefit of the merger to the consumer, an important test for regulators, will be increased overall competition in the marketplace, the source said. The source added that DraftKings and FanDuel will work together in a streamlined fashion to conquer regulatory hurdles, which have hampered both businesses. They believe it could further open the fantasy market to entrepreneurship.Some smaller fantasy operators also view the merger as an opportunity.Prior to the tumult of the past year, FanDuel and DraftKings were well on their way to becoming multibillion-dollar pillar business[es] in sports, said Jeremy Levine, founder and CEO of DRAFT, a competing fantasy site. There still will be massive business built in this space, but it wont be FanDuel or DraftKings individually. Due to the merger, the opportunity is now there for the few companies that were able to survive and strengthen in the past year.In the meantime, with legal fees and regulatory costs mounting, the merger between DraftKings and FanDuel was seen as a necessity by some investors. Multiple high-volume players told ESPN they stopped playing because of the increasing rake, the commission fee charged by the sites. Overall play on both sites was described as soft by players.DraftKings and FanDuel each have approximately 320 employees.FanDuel was launched in July 2009 in Edinburgh, Scotland, and rose to the top of the industry with an innovative, condensed version of traditional season-long fantasy sports. DraftKings came along three years later and quickly took aim at FanDuel, creating, at times, a hostile rivalry between the two leading operators and their CEOs.Both companies attracted large investments from media conglomerates and venture capitalists. They formed partnerships with professional sports leagues. The NBA has equity in FanDuel; Major League Baseball and the NHL are partners with DraftKings, along with 28 of the 32 NFL franchises.At their peak, the companies were each valued at more than $1 billion. But things changed in the fall of 2015.Heading into last football season, the sites unleashed massive marketing blitzes, flooding the airwaves with commercials touting million-dollar prizes. The two companies spent an estimated $750 million combined on ads, marketing and related expenses in 2015.The relentless advertising attracted a bevy of new users but also the attention of lawmakers and regulators.The scrutiny intensified after a DraftKings employee won $350,000 playing in an NFL contest on FanDuel. There were accusations the employee used inside information. An investigation by DraftKings found the employee did not use internal information that potentially could have given him an unfair advantage in submitting his winning lineup, but the damage had been done, and a firestorm of controversy ensued.In November 2015, New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman sent cease-and-desist letters to DraftKings and FanDuel, eventually forcing the companies out of one of their most important states for several months. Alabama, Delaware, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Mississippi and Texas joined New York in ruling daily fantasy violated state gambling laws.FanDuel stopped operating paid contests in Texas, but DraftKings filed suit against Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton and continues to offer games in the state. Paxtons office said it would assess the impact of the merger on the pending litigation.Both sites are still involved in litigation against Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and also are contending with a consolidated class-action suit. They recently settled with Schneiderman over false advertising claims, agreeing to each pay $6 million. The settlement with Schneiderman, sources said, was one of the last hurdles before the merger could be completed.Nine states have passed legislation clarifying the legality of fantasy sports in the past two years. With the new laws came increased regulatory costs in the form of licensing fees and taxes. Theyve taken a toll on the companies finances and, along with legal costs, ultimately forced the merger, sources said.The New York Times reported both sites were having trouble meeting their day-to-day financial obligations, and multiple sources told ESPN that DraftKings and FanDuel were months behind on paying vendors and lobbyists. The merger, upon approval, would allow the companies to split legal fees and regulatory costs. Without it, some questioned whether they would survive.Up until recently, it seemed unlikely Eccles and Robins would be able to work together. They were known rivals and had different views on which direction to take the industry. DraftKings, for example, offers contests on golf and NASCAR, while FanDuel avoided those sports over legal concerns.They were the Jets and the Sharks, said Al Zeidenfeld, a high-level daily fantasy player and contributor to ESPN. You think the Jets and the Sharks would form one super neighborhood gang? No.Both platforms will remain separate and operational through the 2017 NFL season, while the deal is completed, the sites said.ESPN senior writers Don Van Natta and Darren Rovell contributed to this story. Dwight Clark Super Bowl Jersey .1 million pounds ($61.2 million) on Saturday, giving the beleaguered English Premier League champions a major lift. Kyle Juszczyk Super Bowl Jersey . LOUIS -- Rookie Tavon Austin has missed another day of practice, lessening the odds hell be ready for the St. http://www.49ersofficialfanshop.com/k-apos-waun-williams-jersey-sales.html . -- Whether Jeremy Hill deserves a prominent role in LSUs offence this early in the season is a matter for debate. Dre Greenlaw Super Bowl Jersey .C. -- Kemba Walker and the Charlotte Bobcats got off to a fast start, and the Sacramento Kings were never quite able to catch up. Kentavius Street Super Bowl Jersey . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. When tasked to describe the character hes attempting to play in his return to WWE after 12 years removed, Bill Goldberg couldnt help but smile from ear to ear.At the end of the day, at 49 years old, its realistic to believe that a Terminator has a heart, Goldberg told ESPN.com. [WWE] gave me the ability to be myself. They gave me the ability to eloquently [speak] my appreciation of the fans and show how appreciative I am to be given the opportunity to make a difference.No, this isnt your fathers Goldberg, the man who rose to prominence behind a storyline unbeaten streak with WCW in the late 1990s and who walked away from the WWE on his own terms in 2004 after one year. And this doesnt quite sound like the outspoken actor and mixed martial arts practitioner who wasnt afraid to speak his mind in the years immediately after his pro wrestling retirement.The man Goldberg is today -- a father, husband and philanthropist -- is much different altogether, admittedly reshaped through maturity and perspective.Goldberg recently patched what had become a rocky post-wrestling relationship with WWE when he signed on to be a downloadable character on the WWE 2K17 video game. The experience led to further discussions, which culminates in his main event match against Brock Lesnar on Sunday at WWE Survivor Series in Toronto.The bout is a rematch of their largely forgettable meeting at WrestleMania XX in 2004, when both superstars were booed out of Madison Square Garden due to the crowds knowledge that each was set to leave the company.Goldberg admits he has a lot more to lose than gain in terms of his legacy in coming back, noting the difficulty of a nearly 50-year-old man doing justice to a muscular, intimidating character who is so reliant upon intimidation.His motivation, however, is twofold, and he says it has nothing to do with repairing portions of his legacy, including his underwhelming first run with WWE, or changing the perception created through shoot interviews by some of his ex-peers that he never loved the business and was difficult to work with.Its the opportunity to play a superhero for his wife, Wanda, and 10-year-old son, Gage -- neither of whom have seen him wrestle -- that Goldberg was unable to pass up. The mere mention of his sons reaction upon hearing the news of his return brought instant tears to his eyes.As a father, you want the best for your son, quite obviously, Goldberg said. You want to create the best memories for your son. To be able to be given this opportunity -- originally by 2K and now by WWE -- to come back and be that guy, I could never repay them as far as my appreciation. Im the coolest dad in the world, and they gave me the opportunity to do that.The other reason for his return has more to do with the message he is looking to deliver.Goldberg has always played the role of babyface, but one with a hard edge of physicality and an unwillingness to be pushed around (both inside the scripted realm and behind the scenes). And when he looks back to the prime of his career, hindsight and wisdom have helped him uncover a bit of regret.I look back upon my times when more people were listening to what I had to say, andd I didnt say enough, he said.ddddddddddddThe idea of being a true role model for children may sound like its straight out of the Hulk Hogan handbook from the 1980s, but its something Goldberg takes very seriously. Its why he has taken the time to stop and briefly connect with as many children as possible in the front row of live events at each of his recent appearances on Raw.The platform of Goldbergs message is a recommitment to basic manners like yes, sir and no, sir, please and thank you, and opening the door for women.If I ever see one of you guys out there not doing that stuff, Im going to call you on it, Goldberg said. It wont be a Jackhammer [coming your way], it will be a punch. Honestly, those are the simple basics in life. Everything emanates from the basics, from your base. If you dont have a strong base, Im sorry, but you are always going to be coming back to it, trying to reattain.I believe in the simple things in life; everything derives from the beginning. You take things very simplistically and try to be the best person you can be. If I can touch one or two kids in this next generation who havent seen me do my thing, then Im way ahead.Goldberg calls his WWE return a one-time thing and isnt willing, at this point, to entertain the idea of continuing on toward WrestleMania 33 next April. Part of his reluctance surrounds how big of a critic he is regarding his own work.In fact, the perfectionist within Goldberg was particularly upset with the brief spill he took inside the ring while delivering a knee to the face of Rusev during an Oct. 31 appearance on Raw.When I fell on my ass on the ground, it felt like s---, Goldberg said. The deal is that I hold myself to an extremely high standard, and its a standard that can never be ... its unattainable. But it drives me to be the very best in everything I do.Goldberg isnt expecting to have a five-star classic with Lesnar from a technical standpoint, but he promises plenty of hard-hitting violence. While the showman in Goldberg has talked publicly in recent weeks about putting Lesnar in the hospital, his real-life expectations are that hell probably be sitting in the bed right next to him when all is said and done.I was stiff before he was stiff, so you remember that, Goldberg said. And Im not proud of that but ... Im proud of that. I dont have a problem with being stiff. As a matter of fact, thats why I went to Japan to wrestle [in 2002]. I enjoy it much more. I think its much more realistic to the mixed martial arts aspect of it.Asked what success looks like for him on Sunday, Goldberg said it goes beyond getting his hand raised inside the ring. That part -- the scripted winning and losing -- has never bothered him.My life is not predicated upon being the winner -- its about the journey, he said. Its about the legacy that you leave, the impression that you leave. There are a lot of things that I have to attain.At the end of the day, if I come away with nothing other than the smiles on my wife and sons face, Im Santa Claus ... or Hanukkah Harry! ' ' '