Top Stories

  • The sports world is mourning the death of former Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant, who died in a helicopter crash amid foggy conditions above Calabasas, Calif., at the age of 41 along with his 13-year-old daughter, Gianna, and seven others. Bryant, who won five NBA titles with the Lakers during his 20-year career with the team, as well as two Olympic gold medals for the United States, more recently experienced success in the entertainment business, winning an Oscar in 2018 for the animated short film “Dear Basketball.” (Los Angeles Times)
  • Two months after Fox Corp. announced it had sold out of ad inventory for Super Bowl LIV, the network and the NFL have added commercial time by creating an additional ad break that will allow for two extra 60-second spots. Fox did not disclose which companies added spots during the new “floating” ad break, which will occur when there is an unforeseen break in the action, but people familiar with the situation said Microsoft Corp. could be among them. (Ad Age)
  • The NFL is considering Las Vegas and Los Angeles as possible locations for the 2021 Pro Bowl, league officials said, after the league’s year-to-year option with four-time host city Orlando expired with the conclusion of this past weekend’s all-star events. With construction on the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium set to finish ahead of the 2020 NFL season, the idea of holding the Pro Bowl in Las Vegas, at least for one year, is gaining momentum. (CNBC)

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Events Calendar (All Times Local)

01/28/2020
Ad Age Inside Pages: Super Bowl
01/29/2020
Digital Transformation in Sports Summit – Day 1 8:30 am
01/30/2020
Digital Transformation in Sports Summit – Day 2 8:45 am
01/30/2020
Bloomberg Power Players Summit
View full calendar

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Media

News and Sports Outlets Scramble to Cover Kobe Bryant’s Death
Cynthia Littleton, Variety

CNN put the Trump impeachment trial and China’s coronavirus outbreak on pause for wall-to-wall Bryant coverage in the hours after his death. Leaders of Lower Merion High School in Ardmore, Pa., where Bryant emerged as a budding superstar in the 1990s prior to joining the NBA, gave an impromptu press conference Sunday that was carried live by CNN and other outlets.

ESPN is rolling out 500 live shows across YouTube, Facebook and other platforms
Tim Peterson, Digiday

This year ESPN plans to air more than 500 live original shows across its own digital properties and platforms including YouTube, Twitter, Snapchat and Facebook. That figure includes the individual episodes of series like the NBA pregame show “Hoop Streams.”

NBC Mulls Sports Betting Role After Success of Fan Predictor App
Danni Santana, Front Office Sports

“We’ve evaluated everything from A-to-Z to even becoming an operator, and I think we have decided it’s not somewhere we want to go,” NBC Sports Executive Vice President Will McIntosh said. “I think we are going to try to evolve NBC Sports and our digital properties to be the place that, in particular, the casual bettor comes to get news and information relevant to betting.”

NFL

Pro Bowlers remember Kobe Bryant as AFC tops NFC again
Mark Long, The Associated Press

Bryant died in a helicopter crash early Sunday near Calabasas, California, and the news spread shortly before the game. It put a damper on the NFL game held on the other side of the country.

NFL Pro Bowlers cite safety issues as deterrent to 17th regular-season game
Michael DiRocco and Jenna Laine, ESPN

If the players participating in the Pro Bowl are a true representation of the rest of the league, NFL owners are going to have a fight on their hands during negotiations to potentially add a 17th regular-season game to a new collective bargaining agreement. Only a few of the players polled at Pro Bowl practices at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports this week were receptive to the idea of a 17th game, with most against the idea because of safety concerns.

Why brands are using in-house agencies for Super Bowl work
Kristina Monllos, Digiday

In-house creative teams at advertisers may play a bigger role in Super Bowl advertising this year. Procter & Gamble will air a pregame spot for its Secret brand on Super Bowl Sunday that was conceptualized, written and cast by its in-house creative team.

Day 1 highlights at massive indoor Miami Beach fan fest
Ben Crandell, South Florida Sun Sentinel

Thousands of fans — mostly parents and kids — attended, but there was plenty of elbow room in the convention center. Organizers expect the crowds to swell later in the week, beginning on Wednesday. Team jerseys and T-shirts were the norm, with plenty of Dan Marino 13s in the house.

Russell Okung Wants to Disrupt the N.F.L. Establishment
Ken Belson, The New York Times

The Chargers’ offensive linemen wants the Players Association to be far more confrontational with owners and he is saying so, even if that gets him into trouble.

Carolina Panthers spending up to $20M to add suites at field level
Erik Spanberg, Charlotte Business Journal

The Carolina Panthers are adding field-level suites with premium food and beverage at Bank of America Stadium next season. On Friday, the team showed reporters the early stages of construction in the west end zone, where the suites will replace 900 existing seats.

NBA

Kobe Bryant built a business empire extending far beyond basketball
Nathan Fenno et al., Los Angeles Times

The relentless work ethic that propelled Bryant’s 20 years in the NBA also helped drive his transformation into a business mogul, author and Oscar-winning filmmaker. Bryant built a wide-ranging empire that includes a venture capital fund, multimedia production company, athletic training centers and books.

NBA board to discuss schedule changes in April says Silver
Julien Pretot, Reuters

The creation of an NBA in-season tournament will be discussed at the league’s board meeting in April as the game’s stakeholders look to adjust the season’s schedule, commissioner Adam Silver said on Friday. Speaking ahead of the NBA regular season game between the Charlotte Hornets and the Milwaukee Bucks in Paris, Silver said that it was still unclear whether the changes would take place in the 2021-22 season.

Michael Jordan speaks: The Zion brand, LeBron comparisons, James Harden’s scoring and the Hornets in Paris
Roderick Boone, The Athletic

Michael Jordan rarely speaks these days and hasn’t addressed the media in nearly a year. But with his team playing Milwaukee abroad in the league’s first regular-season game in this city, the Hornets owner was parked next to Silver and Lasry for the better part of 25 minutes and spoke on a variety of topics.

How the W.N.B.A. Deal Got Done
Howard Megdal, The New York Times

Months before Cathy Engelbert had been hired as the commissioner of the W.N.B.A. — and even longer before she had settled a landmark collective bargaining agreement with its athletes on Jan. 14 — she met with Terri Jackson, executive director of the players’ union.

MLB

Twins hope to boost attendance with family-friendly deals
Jim Souhan, Minneapolis Star Tribune

The Twins have unveiled the Twins Ballpark Pass. For prices as low as $45 a month, a fan can attend every game with standing-room-only tickets.

Mariners To Offer $5 ‘Value Game’ Ticket Deal for 10 Games This Spring
Olivia Perreault, TicketNews

The Seattle Mariners just revealed a special $5 ticket deal for 10 games this spring ahead of the new MLB season. The “Mariners Value Games” apply to 10 games throughout March and May, including matches against the Rangers, Twins, Nationals, Angels, Astros, and Athletics at T-Mobile Park.

NHL

NHL All-Star Game takeaways: Pacific division tops Atlantic in the finals for win and $1 million prize
Pete Blackburn, CBS Sports

This year the NHL All-Star Game took its talents to Saturday night. The league’s best came together in primetime in St. Louis to compete for the $1 million cash prize to be split amongst the winning squad.

Women’s hockey shines in NHL all-star spotlight but remains without its own stage
Samantha Pell, The Washington Post

It was the first time women competed in their own event during the NHL’s all-star festivities, and to no one’s surprise, they stole the show. The 20-minute game — a 2-1 victory for Canada over the United States that featured stellar goaltending from both teams — had fans captivated with the impressive talent on display.

College Sports

Ed Orgeron, LSU reach six-year extension worth more than $42 million
Andrea Adelson, ESPN

The agreement, pending approval of the LSU board of supervisors, includes a base annual salary of $6 million. In addition, Orgeron will receive a $5 million split-dollar life-insurance policy paid out over the first two years of the deal.

LSU athletics brought in $157 million in 2018-19; see details of annual budget
Brooks Kubena, The Baton Rouge Advocate

LSU’s overall athletic revenue rose to $157.8 million, an increase of nearly $12.4 million from the previous year. The department spent about $149 million, a boost of about $11.5 million from 2017-18.

University of Louisville athletics reports $11.2 million deficit, but cash is still flowing
Tim Sullivan, Louisville Courier Journal
Common accounting practices and a pair of uncommon expenses help explain the $11.2 million deficit the University of Louisville athletics department reported last week to the NCAA. Though former U of L football coach Bobby Petrino and pizza mogul John Schnatter are being paid off over a period of years, the university is counting the full cost of Petrino’s $14 million buyout and Schnatter’s $9.5 million naming rights settlement in its 2018-19 fiscal year.

Soccer

MLS clubs off to slow start selling jersey sleeve space
Mark J. Burns, Sports Business Journal

Major League Soccer’s four-year pilot program in which teams can secure jersey sleeve sponsorships begins this season, but so far just one club has announced a deal — LAFC, which came to terms with Target last fall. Jean-Paul Dardenne, senior vice president of corporate partnerships for the Philadelphia Union, is among the executives who thought the sales process would move quicker than it has.

Chelsea’s Three shirt sponsorship ‘comparable’ to Yokohama contract
Tom Bassam, SportsPro Media

English soccer giants Chelsea have announced a three-year principal partnership with British telecommunications company Three. The Premier League club’s new deal will see the BT-owned brand become the primary shirt sponsor of their men’s, women’s and academy sides, with prominent positioning across all of Chelsea’s physical and digital assets.

Racing

Rolex 24 At Daytona sets distance record as Wayne Taylor notches another win
Ken Willis, The Daytona Beach News-Journal

With a historically small field — 38 cars — and picture-perfect weather, everyone expected a cleaner-than-usual Rolex 24, which would mean fewer caution periods and, therefore, the numbers we saw put on the odometer Saturday and Sunday: 833 laps over the 3.56-mile course resulted in 2,965.48 miles, easily surpassing the previous record of 808 laps just two years ago.

Golf and Tennis

WTA Tour to allow coaching from stands in 2020 trial period
Simon Cambers, ESPN

Coaching from the stands will be allowed on the WTA Tour this season. The trial will begin at the Dubai Duty Free Championships and Hungarian Open in February and will continue at all WTA Premier and International events in 2020.

Players Championship raises purse to $15 million
Doug Ferguson, The Associated Press

The PGA Tour is raising the prize money at The Players Championship to $15 million, making it the largest purse in golf unless any of the majors decide to up the ante this year. The winner of March 12-15 event at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida, will receive $2.7 million, nearly as much as Tiger Woods earned in his first two seasons as a pro.

Rory McIlroy says reports of a new pro tour could be ‘catalyst for some changes’ on the PGA Tour
Daniel Rapaport, Golfworld

After posting a five-under 67 to get within two shots of Jon Rahm’s lead ahead of Sunday’s final round of the Farmers Insurance Open, Rory McIlroy offered the most detailed player response thus far to a story that’s been bubbling all week. McIlroy was asked about the Premier Golf League, a potential competitor to the PGA Tour that seems to be moving closer to an official launch.

Are the PGA Merchandise Show’s days numbered in Orlando?
The Forecaddie

Ever since the PGA of America announced it was moving its headquarters to Frisco, Texas, rumors have swirled that the PGA Merchandise Show wouldn’t be far behind in packing its bag for the suburb of ‘Big D.’ Not so fast my friends – at least that’s what leadership at the PGA and Reed Exhibitions, the operator of the Show, will have you believe.

Esports

YouTube Scores Exclusive Streaming for Activision Blizzard’s E-Sports, Including Overwatch and Call of Duty Leagues
Todd Spangler, Variety

YouTube landed a multiyear deal as the exclusive live-streaming partner for Activision Blizzard’s e-sports events worldwide, including Overwatch League, Call of Duty League, Hearthstone Esports. The agreement (which excludes China) promises to give a big boost to YouTube Gaming, the video giant’s dedicated home for all things related to games.

Alienware, Riot Partner for LCS Arcade, Red Bull Partnership Continues
James Fudge, The Esports Observer

The League of Legends Championship Series (LCS) announced that it has partnered with Dell’s PC gaming brand Alienware to host the LCS Arcade at the LCS Studios in Los Angeles. Featuring gaming PCs and peripherals provided by Alienware, the LCS Arcade (which Riot Games describes as a “PC bang-style cafe”) will let attendees play several of the company’s games, including League of Legends, Legends of Runeterra, and Teamfight Tactics.

General

National Lacrosse League continues sponsorship streak with AT&T deal
Jabari Young, CNBC

The National Lacrosse League has reached a new six-figure sponsorship deal with entertainment and telecom giant AT&T as it tries to increase its revenue and fan base, league officials told CNBC. The agreement, expected to be announced next week, is the 14th such deal in the last four months.

How Under Armour Lost Its Edge
Julie Creswell and Kevin Draper, The New York Times

Once heralded as the next Nike, Under Armour has faltered, hurt by slumping sales and unflattering revelations about its corporate culture. It is grasping for a hold in the fiercely competitive sports apparel market even as it undergoes the biggest management shift in its history.

Opinions, Editorials, Perspectives and Research

How can Kobe Bryant be gone? His legend wasn’t supposed to end this way
Bill Plaschke, Los Angeles Times

I’m screaming right now, cursing into the sky, crying into my keyboard, and I don’t care who knows it. Kobe Bryant is gone, and those are the hardest words I’ve ever had to write for this newspaper, and I still don’t believe them as I’m writing them.

The 2020 Class of Forty Under 40
Sports Business Journal

The class includes the first Forty Under 40 honorees from a number of organizations, including two leagues, the WNBA and the NBA G League.

Morning Consult