Morning Consult Sports: 1st Round of Men’s March Madness Earns Highest Ratings to Date, per Nielsen
 

Sports

Essential sports industry news & intel to start your day.
March 20, 2023
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Today’s Top News

  • The two-day first round of the NCAA’s men’s basketball tournament averaged a combined 9.2 million viewers per window across CBS, TBS, TNT and truTV, making it the most-watched first round on record. Friday’s tournament coverage averaged 9.3 million viewers per window across the four networks, per Nielsen, in addition to the March Madness livestreaming platform, a record for a Friday opening round of the men’s tournament. (Sports Media Watch)
  • The U.S. defeated Cuba 14-2, led by Trea Turner’s two home runs and four RBIs, to advance to the World Baseball Classic final against either Japan or Mexico on Tuesday. If the U.S. wins, it would join Japan as the only country with multiple WBC titles. (The Associated Press)
  • Iona men’s basketball coach Rick Pitino reportedly met with St. John’s officials as the two parties engage in serious talks to make the 70-year-old the program’s new head coach, with sources describing the meeting as productive. St. John’s has targeted Pitino, who sources said engaged the school about its commitment to the men’s program, since the school fired Mike Anderson on March 10. (ESPN)
 

Chart Review

 
 

What Else You Need to Know

 
Media
 

What’s really going on with Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and the new ‘Monday Night Football’ shot-callers

Andrew Marchand, New York Post

After the first year of its new booth of Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, ESPN changed the producer and director for “Monday Night Football.”

 

ESPN broadcast misses epic bad beat in tournament

Andrew Weinstein, Awful Announcing

Gambling enthusiasts know bad beats are part of the game. Experienced gamblers have seen plenty of them.

 

TikTok and MLS enter multiyear partnership to deepen the league’s presence on the app

Aisha Malik, TechCrunch

TikTok and Major League Soccer have announced a multiyear partnership that will bring exclusive content, in-app programming and more to the app. Financial terms of the agreement were not disclosed.

 
NFL
 

NFL Dishes Out $336M In Performance-Based Pay

Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports

The league announced it is distributing $336 million in payouts to players for the 2022 season. Former Philadelphia Eagles safety Marcus Epps took home the top amount: $880,384.

 

Adam Thielen headed to Panthers on 3-year deal, source says

David Newton, ESPN

Adam Thielen will help fill the void of a veteran wide receiver the Carolina Panthers lost when they included DJ Moore in a trade with the Chicago Bears for the first pick of the NFL draft. The Panthers announced Sunday they reached a deal with Thielen.

 
NBA
 

For Steve Ballmer, Building An NBA Champion Is Harder Than Running Microsoft But More Fun

Jabari Young, Forbes

The tenth-richest person on the planet — and one of the loudest when he was Microsoft CEO — is building a luxurious $2 billion arena for the Los Angeles Clippers and plans a calm, non-shrieking celebration if his team wins an NBA championship there.

 

Darvin Ham says Lakers anticipate LeBron James return ‘at some point’

Dave McMenamin, ESPN

Three weeks since LeBron James suffered a foot injury — and with three weeks remaining in the regular season — Lakers coach Darvin Ham offered the most encouraging update on James’ status to date.

 
MLB
 

Clark: Rules changes would be smoother with player input

Ronald Blum, The Associated Press

Union head Tony Clark claims Major League Baseball’s rules changes would have gone more smoothly during spring training if player thoughts had been incorporated.

 
NHL
 

James Reimer: Citing Christian faith, San Jose Sharks player chooses not to wear Pride-themed jersey

Wayne Sterling, CNN

Citing his Christian faith, San Jose Sharks goaltender James Reimer said he chose not to wear a pregame warmup jersey in support of the LGBTQIA+ community on Saturday, as part of the team’s weeklong “Pride Night” festivities.

 
College Sports
 

New NCAA President Meets With Lawmakers on Next Steps for NIL

Ross Dellenger, Sports Illustrated 

Charlie Baker met with at least five U.S. senators, from both sides of the aisle, to begin discussions around national legislation for name, image and likeness.

 

March Madness 2023: Princeton becomes fourth No. 15 seed to advance to Sweet 16 with upset of Missouri

David Cobb, CBS Sports

Princeton dominated Mizzou for almost the entire game in a second-round upset in the NCAA Tournament. 

 

Michigan State outlasts Marquette; Izzo back to Sweet 16

Mitch Stacy, The Associated Press 

Tom Izzo leaned on star guard and native New Yorker Tyson Walker to get Michigan State to Madison Square Garden for the Sweet 16. Walker, a fourth-year player who grew up in Westbury on Long Island, delivered against Marquette in March Madness on Sunday night, scoring 23 points and punctuating Michigan State’s 69-60 victory with a steal and his first ever collegiate dunk late in the game.

 

Florida Atlantic ends Fairleigh Dickinson’s run for Sweet 16

Tom Withers, The Associated Press 

Fairleigh Dickinson came up just a little short this time. Johnell Davis scored 29 points, Alijah Martin added 14 and Florida Atlantic ended underdog FDU’s magical March by outlasting the No. 16 seed 78-70 on Sunday night in the NCAA Tournament.

 

Kansas State just wanted to get to March Madness. Now it’s in the Sweet 16

Nicole Auerbach, The Athletic

With two returning players and a first-time head coach, the Wildcats just knocked off Kentucky and are headed to New York City.

 

Is the UConn Dynasty a Thing of the Past?

Remy Tumin, The New York Times

As the wealth of talent deepens across the N.C.A.A., UConn no longer stands alone atop women’s basketball.

 

The Bracket Is the Hub of an Entire Business Ecosystem

Doug Greenberg, Front Office Sports

Casual and diehard fans alike enter bracket games created by some of sports media’s titans, and stake their hard-earned money wagering on them. The legalized betting industry also claims a growing number of traditional wagers.

 

A TikTok Ban Would Hinder NIL, Hurt Athletes and Spur Lawsuits

Michael McCann, Sportico 

A ban would almost certainly trigger litigation by the apps corporate owners centered on First Amendment free speech and Fifth Amendment due process protections, but it could also spur legal action that has athletes and other influencers as plaintiffs.

 

March Madness 2023: Princeton’s Ivy Peers Score NCAA’s Most Valuable Wins

Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico 

Princeton’s surprise run to the Sweet Sixteen is being cheered across the Ivy League, and for good reason. Thanks to the complex way the NCAA rewards March Madness success, each Tigers’ win is likely worth more for its conference peers than any other team in the tournament.

 
Soccer
 

NWSL rides momentum into new season

Alex Silverman, Sports Business Journal 

The NWSL is about to kick off its second decade with significant momentum that has made it one of the hottest sports properties in the country.

 

The Premier League’s Fiercest Battle Is at the Bottom of the Standings

Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal 

As the season enters its final third, the fight to stay in the cash-rich Premier League has roped in nearly half the teams. Nine clubs are separated by just five points.

 
Golf and Tennis
 

US Open ‘very hopeful’ unvaccinated Novak Djokovic can play

Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press 

After Novak Djokovic withdrew from tournaments in Florida and California because he still can’t travel to the United States as a foreign citizen who is not vaccinated against COVID-19, a U.S. Tennis Association spokesman said Saturday the group is “very hopeful” the top-ranked player will be allowed into the country for the U.S. Open in August.

 

Alcaraz routs Medvedev in Indian Wells final, reclaims No. 1 ranking

Frank Pingue, Reuters

Top seed Carlos Alcaraz snapped Daniil Medvedev’s 19-match win streak with a 6-3 6-2 rout in the Indian Wells final on Sunday that will see him leapfrog Novak Djokovic and return to world number one in the rankings.

 

Women’s tennis works to safeguard against predatory coaches

Howard Fendrich, The Associated Press 

Lindsay Brandon is a lawyer whose past clients include athletes disputing doping suspensions. In her new post as the WTA’s first director of safeguarding, Brandon is leading an increased effort to protect athletes from predatory coaches — and others — on the women’s professional tennis tour.

 
General
 

Which Is the Better Buy? The Washington Commanders or Manchester United?

Ken Belson and Kevin Draper, The New York Times 

A struggling N.F.L. franchise is for sale. So is a Premier League club that is a storied name in a global sport. The markets for the two teams say a lot about sports economics.

 

Joey Logano wins NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway

Mike Hembree, NBC Sports

Joey Logano slipped past leader Brad Keselowski on the final lap and won Sunday’s NASCAR Cup Series race at Atlanta Motor Speedway.

 

Report of $20 billion Saudi bid to buy F1 was ‘speculation’: Sports minister

Luke Smith, The Athletic

The country is, however, interested in hosting a second Formula One race.

 

UFC 286: Edwards retains title by majority decision vs Usman

The Associated Press 

Leon Edwards retained his welterweight title Saturday, beating challenger Kamaru Usman at UFC 286 by majority decision. Judges scored the trilogy fight at the O2 Arena in London 48-46, 48-46, 47-47 in favor of the Jamaican-born Brit, who landed the cleaner blows as their third fight went the distance.

 

University to Pay $14 Million After a Wrestler’s Heat Stroke Death

Amanda Holpuch, The New York Times 

Grant Brace, 20, died after he begged for water during a practice at the University of the Cumberlands in Kentucky, according to a lawsuit brought by his family.

 
Morning Consult