Morning Consult Sports: 2 Groups Submit $6 Billion Bids for Washington Commanders, per Report
 

Sports

Essential sports industry news & intel to start your day.
March 29, 2023
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The Verdict Is In …
Who is MLB fans’ most popular player? Here are a couple hints: The four-time All-Star has appeared in marketing campaigns for Pepsi and Hulu, among other blue-chip brands, and plays for the league’s most popular team, according to a new Morning Consult survey. Click here to find the answers and more fresh MLB-related data ahead of Opening Day.

 

Today’s Top News

  • Two prospective ownership parties have reportedly each submitted fully funded $6 billion bids for the Washington Commanders, including one group led by Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner Josh Harris and billionaire Mitchell Rales, while the other bidding party is said to be Canadian billionaire Steve Apostolopoulos. If either bid is accepted, it would set a record for an NFL franchise sale, surpassing the $4.65 billion paid for the Denver Broncos in August by Walmart Inc. heir Rob Walton. (ESPN)
  • NFL owners voted to allow teams to operate in-stadium sportsbooks on game days this upcoming season, according to league sources, as the NFL and its teams further embrace sports gambling, including revenue sharing from teams’ sportsbooks when a reported $20 million threshold is reached. The Washington Commanders are the only NFL franchise with a retail sportsbook inside their stadium. (The Athletic)
  • The NFL and private equity firm RedBird Capital Partners are reportedly starting a new venture called EverPass Media to livestream the league’s games and other sporting events at commercial venues like bars and restaurants. The NFL’s investment arm, 32 Equity, will take a stake in EverPass Media, which will commercially distribute NFL Sunday Ticket — the residential rights of which were sold to Alphabet Inc.’s YouTube in a $2 billion deal last year — to sports bars starting with the upcoming season. (The Wall Street Journal)
 

Chart Review

 
 

What Else You Need to Know

 
Media
 

Rachel Bonnetta out at NFL Network as staff-trimming continues

Andrew Marchand, New York Post

Up-and-coming NFL Network funny woman Rachel Bonnetta is out as the league-owned platform continues to trim staff, The Post has learned. Bonnetta, 31, has been on the rise at the network.

 

Fox got Alex Rodriguez’s approval before hiring Derek Jeter on MLB pregame show

Andrew Marchand, New York Post

Before Fox Sports CEO Eric Shanks agreed to go through with signing Derek Jeter for the network’s top MLB pregame show, he reached out to Jeter’s longtime frenemy and Fox Sports analyst Alex Rodriguez to get the green light, The Post has learned.

 

Jim Trotter believes his questioning of Roger Goodell “played a role” in his termination by NFL Media

Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk 

Appearing on Peacock’s Brother From Another, Trotter said he believes his termination by NFL Media was influenced at least in part by his public questioning of Commissioner Roger Goodell on matters of diversity in the NFL Media newsroom.

 

The Way You Watch Sports on TV Is Changing. Here’s Why.

Kevin Draper, The New York Times

The slow collapse of regional sports networks that broadcast baseball, basketball and hockey games has implications for viewers and for the sports themselves.

 

March Madness 2023: Women’s Media Rights Could Get Complicated

Emily Caron, Sportico 

With just three games left in women’s March Madness, questions loom about the NCAA tournament’s broadcast future. But the solution many want to see—the women’s basketball championship with its own television deal—could be more complicated than it seems.

 

Women’s March Madness Viewership Is Up, While Men’s Declines

Amanda Christovich, Front Office Sports

Women’s Sweet 16 viewership on ESPN went up a whopping 73% compared with last year for an average of 1.3 million per game, according to the network. Elite 8 viewership increased 43% for an average of 2.2 million viewers per game.

 
NFL
 

These rule changes are coming to the NFL in 2023

Eric Mullin, NBC Sports Chicago

More than 10 alterations to the league’s rules and bylaws were approved at the owners meetings in Phoenix on Tuesday. The one that caught the most attention among fans was players now being allowed to wear No. 0 as their jersey number, a proposal from the Philadelphia Eagles.

 
NBA
 

NBA Star Bradley Beal Under Police Investigation Over Postgame Incident W/ Fans

TMZ Sports

Washington Wizards shooting guard Bradley Beal — a three-time NBA All-Star — is under police investigation after he was involved in a confrontation with some hecklers following a game last week, TMZ Sports has learned.

 
MLB
 

The Yankees Cap Goes Viral in Brazil: ‘Is It Basketball?’

Jack Nicas, The New York Times

The New York Yankees logo is everywhere in Brazil. What it means, however, is up for interpretation.

 

MLB Adds Wieden+Kennedy To Develop Its Marketing Pitch

Jacob Feldman, Sportico

Baseball’s rules have been interwoven into the sport’s marketing since fans began shouting, For it’s one, two, three strikes, you’re out at the old ball game. But this year, MLB is taking it up a notch.

 

Judge rules Yankees business after record-breaking season

Amy Tennery, Reuters

The New York Yankees hope to harness Aaron Judge’s cult of celebrity to their advantage as the new season kicks off on Thursday following a record-breaking performance last year from the American League MVP.

 

Play ball – more quickly! New rules aim to speed MLB games

Amy Tennery, Reuters

Larger bases, a pitch clock and the elimination of the infield shift await fans as Major League Baseball (MLB) kicks off its regular season on Thursday with new rules designed to speed up games and put more balls in play.

 

Yankees Buying Into Padel, a Fast-Growing Pickleball Rival

Scott Soshnick and Brendan Coffey, Sportico 

The New York Yankees are buying a stake in a three-year old touring circuit of a fast-growing, tennis-like racquet sport. Not pickleball, but padel.

 
NHL
 

Nashville Predators remember shooting victims, play Bruins

Ken Powtak, The Associated Press

The Predators and Bruins wore helmet stickers to show support for The Covenant School, where three 9-year-old students and three adult staffers were killed.

 
College Sports
 

How a possible TikTok ban could impact NIL deals

Erika Wheless, Ad Age

Instagram could make up for any potential revenue losses for college athletes.

 

New sports wagering code bans college betting partnerships

Wayne Parry, The Associated Press

The U.S. gambling industry is adopting a new responsible marketing code that will ban sports books from partnering with colleges to promote sports wagering, bar payments to college and amateur athletes for using their name, image or likeness, and end the use of the terms “free” or “risk-free” to describe promotional bets.

 

The Move That Lets College Stars From Abroad Cash In Like Their Teammates

Louise Radnofsky and Alicia A. Caldwell, The Wall Street Journal 

The global stars of March Madness may not have to entirely miss out on name, image and likeness money after all.

 

NCAA takes seat on bench in the political game

Paul Newberry, The Associated Press

The NCAA has taken a seat on the bench in the political game. The organization that governs college athletics was once at the forefront of hot-button issues such as the Confederate flag and transgender rights.

 
Soccer
 

Los Angeles Chargers Stake Eyed by Chelsea FC Co-Owners

Gillian Tan, Bloomberg

Clearlake Capital co-founders Behdad Eghbali and Jose Feliciano are considering a bid for a minority stake in the National Football League’s Los Angeles Chargers, according to people with knowledge of the matter.

 

Man United bids below owners Glazers’ valuation, but sale hope remains – sources

Rob Dawson, ESPN

The revised bids to buy Manchester United will fall short of the Glazer family’s valuation, although there is still hope a buyout can happen, sources have told ESPN. Second offers were lodged by interested parties last week, including from public bidders Sheikh Jassim Bin Hamad Al Thani, Sir Jim Ratcliffe and Thomas Zilliacus.

 

The Youngest Head Coach in European Soccer Is 30 Years Old—and Nearly Undefeated

Joshua Robinson, The Wall Street Journal 

Stade de Reims boss Will Still has lost just once in the French league this season. His lack of pro certifications mean the club pays a €25,000 fine every match.

 
Golf and Tennis
 

Masters broadcast preview: Jim Nantz’s last dance, LIV’s return, Augusta changes

James Colgan, Golf.com

Jim Nantz is celebrating his own kind of Masters last dance, and ESPN has a new pregame show. Here’s what to watch during Masters week.

 
General
 

IOC details advice to let Russia, Belarus athletes return

Graham Dunbar and James Ellingworth, The Associated Press

Some Russian athletes can soon return to international sports, although their status for next year’s Paris Olympics is still up in the air. The International Olympic Committee recommended Tuesday that individual athletes from Russia and Belarus should be allowed to return to competition under a neutral status as long as they have no military links.

 

Endeavor Exploring Sale of IMG Academy Business

Scott Soshnick and Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico 

Endeavor is considering a sale of IMG Academy, the company’s sports training and boarding school business, according to multiple people familiar with the plans.

 

Adidas opposes Black Lives Matter’s 3-stripe trademark application

Adrianne Pasquarelli, Ad Age

Clothier is known to be aggressive at protecting its brand mark.

 

Why Panini is staying in the sports NFT business amid the market’s collapse

Bill Shea, The Athletic

Panini is launching a new NFT interface for sales of its digital sports trading cards even as drastic downturns in the market continue.

 
Morning Consult