Media
No Ratings Bloat For NFL’s Overstuffed Wild Card Weekend
Anthony Crupi, Sportico
Twenty-two hours of playoff football may have been a bit too much for NFL fans to take in, as this weekend’s supersized Wild Card round failed to live up to ratings expectations. According to Nielsen live-plus-same-day data, deliveries for the sextet of postseason broadcasts were down 22% compared to last year’s standard four-game slate, which marked a more significant drop than the NFL’s 7% decline over the course of the regular season.
FuboTV Bets on Sports Gambling as Key to Drawing In More Customers
Lillian Rizzo, The Wall Street Journal
FuboTV Inc. is buying an online sportsbook, a deal that makes the over-the-internet TV provider the latest sports-rich media company to invest in sports gambling in an effort to attract and retain viewers. The company said it is in the process of acquiring Vigtory Inc., a sportsbook that it eventually plans to integrate into its TV platform.
John Skipper, Dan Le Batard’s Progressive Response To ‘Outkick’
Michael McCarthy, Front Office Sports
Former ESPN president John Skipper and personality Dan Le Batard are partnering on a politically progressive sports media company. The new venture is described as the strategic opposite of Clay Travis’ Outkick, sources told Front Office Sports. Their target list includes former ESPN colleagues Jemele Hill, Bomani Jones and Kate Fagan.
After Nickelodeon Football, CBS May Try Other Sports Experiments
Brian Steinberg, Variety
CBS Sports said Tuesday that the Nickelodeon broadcast, part of a wide series of interesting experiments with NFL football this past weekend, scored. An average of 2.06 million viewers tuned in to see touchdowns celebrated by virtual cannons shooting green slime and Gabrielle Nevaeh Green, one of the members of Nick’s “All That” sketch-comedy show, rattling off stats that included players’ favorite ice cream flavors.
Aaron Rodgers Says He Will Guest Host on ‘Jeopardy!’
Ellise Shafer, Variety
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers says he has a new gig during the offseason – as a “Jeopardy!” guest host. Rodgers, who appeared on an episode of “Celebrity Jeopardy!” in 2015, revealed that he has the opportunity to host the iconic game show, which is employing a slew of guest hosts following Alex Trebek’s death.
Peacock makes U-turn and will now include Premier League TV games on-demand
Christopher Harris, World Soccer Talk
NBC Sports has reversed its decision to prevent replays of televised Premier League games from being made available on-demand on Peacock. Instead, beginning January 12, Peacock TV will feature on-demand replays of all televised matches in addition to live (and on-demand) games that are exclusive to Peacock.
NFL
Trevor Lawrence Signs With Excel Sports Management
Samantha Greenberg, Sports Agent Blog
The face of the 2021 NFL Draft has secured a spot with Excel Sports Management to take care of his off-field marketing and endorsement endeavors and will be joining an elite roster of talent. Lawrence will be represented by Excel partner and veteran marketing agent, Alan Zucker.
Jacksonville City Council defeats Jaguars’ Lot J deal
Mike Florio, ProFootballTalk
Jaguars owner Shad Khan has a vision for the area around the stadium in which the team plays its home games in Jacksonville. Jacksonville does not share that vision.
Cheetos And Doritos Are Set To Return With Super Bowl Commercials
Jessica Wohl, Ad Age
Frito-Lay is back in the Super Bowl with spots for its Cheetos and Doritos brands. The National Football League sponsor also plans to remind people to stock up on chips before the game with a broader portfolio campaign featuring former football stars that will also air on Super Bowl Sunday before the coin toss.
Fiverr Will Run Its First Super Bowl Ad This Year
Paul Hiebert, Adweek
Fiverr will make its Super Bowl debut in February with a 30-second spot scheduled to run in the third quarter. The commercial will build on the online freelance marketplace’s “It Starts Here” campaign, which premiered in September and focuses on three small businesses that benefit from freelancers.
NBA
Sources: Kyrie Irving not expected to rejoin Brooklyn Nets this week; NBA reviewing maskless videos
Malika Andrews and Adrian Wojnarowski, ESPN
As the NBA is reviewing videos circulating on social media of a maskless Kyrie Irving at what appears to be a family birthday party, there is no belief the Brooklyn Nets guard will return to the team’s lineup this week, sources told ESPN. Irving was already ruled out for the fourth straight game Tuesday night against Denver, and sources said that, at a minimum, he is expected to miss Wednesday’s game against New York and Saturday’s against Orlando.
The Treasure Hunter: A new pipeline to basketball agencies and NBA front offices
Mike Vorkunov, The Athletic
2020 became the year that high school recruiting reporting transformed into the new pipeline to NBA front offices and the decision-making side of basketball. It had been a long time in the making.
MLB
Reds set seating rules at Great American Ball Park
Steve Watkins, Cincinnati Business Courier
The Cincinnati Reds are planning to host fans at Great American Ball Park this season and have set rules for seating during the coronavirus pandemic. The Reds told season ticket holders in letters in mid-December and early January their seats will likely be relocated this season to enable fans to be appropriately distanced for safety during the pandemic.
NHL
Detroit Red Wings enter into partnership with sportsbook operator PointsBet
Helene St. James, Detroit Free Press
The Detroit Red Wings have entered into a multiyear partnership with PointsBet, a sports book operator and provider of a market-leading sports wagering app. First and foremost, the Sports & Social Detroit at Little Caesars Arena will be renamed PointsBet Sports Bar.
Senators’ Eugene Melnyk changes course, says now is not time to host fans
The Canadian Press
Hours after revealing details of a plan to allow 6,000 fans to attend home games during the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner of the Ottawa Senators said now is not the time to invite people to watch games live. Eugene Melnyk released a statement on Tuesday, saying the team is continuing to work on a plan to watch the Senators in person — “but only when the time is right.”
Sharks look to make most of extended road trip
Josh Dubow, The Associated Press
The Sharks have become the NHL’s vagabonds, kicked out of their home because of strict coronavirus protocols that ban contact sports and sent on a road trip that will last at least a month and possibly even longer. After spending two weeks for training camp in Arizona, where they are limited to spending time at a hotel or the practice rink, the Sharks will play at least their first eight games on the road, starting with Thursday night’s opener against the Coyotes.
Flyers won’t play home games in an empty arena thanks to program honoring frontline workers
John George, Philadelphia Business Journal
When the Philadelphia Flyers host their 2020-21 season opener Wednesday night, they won’t be playing in an arena totally devoid of fans. The Flyers have worked an agreement with city officials under which the team will host a local frontline worker and their immediate family for an “exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime hockey experience” at Wells Fargo Center.
College Sports
Emmert: NCAA still expecting to get pay issue done in ’21
Eric Olson, The Associated Press
NCAA President Mark Emmert expressed frustration Tuesday with the delay in moving ahead with proposals surrounding athletes’ ability to make money and to freely transfer to another school and said he remains committed to getting those things done in 2021. Emmert’s remarks came during his state of college athletics address at the NCAA’s annual convention, which is being held virtually this week because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
New Texas coach Steve Sarkisian on ‘The Eyes of Texas’: Longhorns players will ‘sing that proudly’
Jace Evans, USA Today
One day after helping Alabama capture the national title once again, Steve Sarkisian was formally introduced as the head coach of the Texas Longhorns. In his introductory press conference, the issue of the relationship between the football team and the school song, “The Eyes of Texas,” was brought up. But as Sarkisian sees it, it isn’t an issue at all.
Soccer
NWSL announces Sacramento will join league in 2022 as expansion team
Seth Vertelney, GOAL.com
National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL) commissioner Lisa Baird announced on Tuesday that Sacramento will join the league in 2022 as an expansion franchise. The league will grow from nine to 10 teams this year, with Racing Louisville joining and the Utah Royals moving back to Kansas City after a change in ownership.
Thorns sign Dunn, Horan to big deals, in sign of NWSL allocation money shift
Meg Linehan, The Athletic
The first signs of a shift in the league are in the works, and chief among them is the fact that contracted U.S. national team players are starting to turn down U.S. Soccer-paid salaries for the NWSL, and choosing instead to sign directly with their NWSL clubs. Multiple sources have confirmed that Portland Thorns FC have embraced the new mechanism — signing U.S. national team midfielders Lindsey Horan and Crystal Dunn to multi-year, six-figure contracts that include NWSL allocation money.
Don Garber provides MLS view on CBA negotiations: Key takeaways
Sam Stejskal and Paul Tenorio, The Athletic
MLS commissioner Don Garber spoke on Tuesday about the league’s labor situation, telling reporters that the MLS Players Association has not yet responded to the amended collective bargaining agreement that the league proposed last Wednesday. The league and the players are currently 14 days into a 30-day window to modify the CBA.
Relevent, Stage Front Ticketing Deal A ‘Signal To The Marketplace’ That 2021 Events Are Coming
Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico
Relevent Sports Group has signed a three-year ticketing partnership with Stage Front, an alliance that reflects the firm’s optimism that it will stage International Champions Cup matches in front of fans later this year. The partnership has two parts. Stage Front will be both a sponsor and a ticketing partner of the ICC’s men’s event, which features the top clubs in the world.
Racing
Roush Fenway Racing Lands Kohler As Newest Sponsor
Adam Stern, Sports Business Journal
Roush Fenway has landed Kohler as a new sponsor with an eight-race primary deal that will start at the Daytona 500 and be based around the Wisconsin company’s generator products. Kohler Generators will get at-track hospitality assets plus digital/social co-branded content opportunities and the paint scheme positions.
Hendrick Motorsports, Chase Elliott Getting New Beverage Sponsor With Pepsi/Mtn Dew Exiting
Adam Stern, Sports Business Journal
Hendrick Motorsports and driver Chase Elliott have landed a new beverage category sponsor in Adrenaline Shoc, a Keurig Dr Pepper-aligned healthy energy drink brand that is replacing outgoing partner Pepsi/Mtn Dew. Pepsi is a longtime partner of HMS and Elliott had been one of its major endorsers in recent years, but he was seen in his 2021 firesuit recently without any Pepsi/Mtn Dew logo on it, and the brand confirmed to SBJ that it has ended that relationship.
Golf and Tennis
Masters plans on limited attendance for April’s golf major
Bob Harig, ESPN
The Masters Tournament announced Tuesday that it intends to limit attendance at April’s tournament and institute similar health and safety standards to those in place when the event was won by Dustin Johnson in November without spectators because of the coronavirus pandemic. Augusta National said that efforts are being made to include a “limited number of patrons, provided it can be done safely.”
Genesis Invitational organizers announce upcoming event will be played without fans
Tim Schmitt, Golfweek
The 2021 Genesis Invitational, scheduled for Feb. 18-21 at Riviera Country Club just outside Los Angeles, will be played without spectators in attendance. Organizers of the Genesis announced that more games and activities would be added for those watching the broadcast on Golf Channel and CBS.
U.S. Senior Women’s Open shifts to new dates to avoid overlapping AIG Women’s British
Beth Ann Nichols, Golfweek
The USGA has announced that the 3rd U.S. Senior Women’s Open will move to a new date to avoid conflict with the AIG Women’s British Open at Carnoustie Golf Links. The championship will now be held July 29-Aug. 1 at Brooklawn Country Club in Fairfield, Connecticut.
Esports
2021 Call of Duty League Season To Launch With New Format, Fan Focus
Kevin Hitt, The Esports Observer
Armed with more than a few lessons learned from having to adjust due to the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, Activision Blizzard’s Call of Duty League is back for 2021. Today, the league office announced that the regular season will start on Feb. 11 after a special preseason event kicks things off.
Gen.G cooks up McDonald’s partnership
Joey Poole, Esports Insider
Global esports organisation Gen.G and McDonald’s franchisees in Southern California have announced a series of esports initiatives based in Los Angeles, San Diego and Palm Springs. The initiatives, set up to ’empower’ Southern California gamers, include a multi-week play-in tournament for employees only, as well as a three-day NBA 2K21 All-Star tournament.
General
Silver Lake in talks to invest in New Zealand Rugby
Samuel Agini et al., Financial Times
US private equity firm Silver Lake is in talks over taking a stake in New Zealand Rugby, the body that runs the All Blacks, setting up a battle for influence in one of the world’s most popular sports. Silver Lake is negotiating to take a 15 per cent stake in the commercial operations of the organisation that runs the New Zealand men’s team, which has dominated rugby union in recent decades, according to people briefed on the talks.
To cancel or not?: IOC, Japan press ahead with Tokyo Games
Stephen Wade and Yuri Kageyama, The Associated Press
Amid the surging virus, Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga again promised the postponed Tokyo Olympics would be “safe and secure” and tried to disconnect the state of emergency from the fate of the games. But opposition to the Olympics is growing with calls mounting for a cancellation.
Sports stadiums around the country being used as vaccine megasites
Tom Schad, USA Today
Dodger Stadium is one of nearly a dozen sports stadiums around the United States that are now being used for vaccine distribution, as federal and state officials seek to ramp up inoculation efforts. Nearly 4,000 people were vaccinated Saturday at Minute Maid Park in Houston, home to MLB’s Astros.
Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research
The NHL’s New Canada-Only Division Gives a Crumbling Empire a Leg Up
Michael Baumann, The Ringer
Sneaking in behind in this emergency reform is an absolute gift for the sport’s motherland: A legitimate shot at the Stanley Cup. The North division presents the seven Canadian teams with their best opportunity in decades.
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