Morning Consult Sports: What's Ahead & Week in Review

Morning Consult Sports: What’s Ahead & Week in Review

Sports

Essential sports industry news & intel to start your day.

April 2, 2023

By Mark J. Burns

Twitter Email

Welcome back to the Sunday edition of the Morning Consult Sports newsletter. I can’t say I am much of a baseball fan, but I have tuned into some games to see the implementation of the MLB pitch clock — so far, so good. Most fans have supported the new technology, too, according to Morning Consult data. We’ll check back later this fall to see if folks are still happy.

Before we dive into the week ahead, here’s a quick trivia question: What share of U.S. adults watched traditional linear TV in February? Find the answer with the new MCIQ quiz. You’ll find out how well you understand public opinion and be able to catch up on stories you missed.

What’s Ahead

The Pickleball Slam is today. Tennis legends Andy Roddick, John McEnroe, Andre Agassi and Michael Chang will compete for a $1 million purse starting at noon ET on ESPN. The event, held at the Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in Hollywood, Fla., is being produced by Horizon Sports & Experiences and InsideOut Sports and Entertainment.

The women’s NCAA basketball national championship is today. The game will be played at the American Airlines Center, home of the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks and NHL’s Dallas Stars (3:30 p.m. ET, ABC).

ESPN’s “Sunday Night Baseball” returns tonight. The Philadelphia Phillies, which are among MLB fans’ top 10 most popular MLB franchises, travel to play the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field (7 p.m. ET).

The men’s NCAA basketball national championship is Monday. The title matchup, which will be played at the Houston Texans’ NRG Stadium, begins at 9:20 p.m. ET on CBS.

Tamika Tremaglio, executive director of the National Basketball Players Association, is speaking at the Economic Club of Washington, D.C. on Wednesday. The program begins at noon ET.

The Masters start Thursday. The tournament will air across ESPN and CBS platforms. Defending champion Scottie Scheffler is tied as the favorite to repeat, along with Rory McIlroy, according to DraftKings sports betting odds.

Week in Review

Notes From MLB’s Innovation and Fan Engagement Showcase
Last week, I attended MLB’s innovation showcase presentation in Manhattan where multiple C-level executives, including Chris Marinak (chief operations and strategy officer) and Karin Timpone (chief marketing officer) offered insights into different priorities for the league. Here are five points that stood out around player marketing, digital media and new technology:

In 2020, around 500 MLB players enrolled in the league’s player social program, which includes league marketers meeting with players’ representatives to drive more promotion on social media. As part of the initiative, players also opt in to share social media content to their channels directly from Greenfly, a digital media distribution software maker. In 2023, more than 1,000 MLB players are participating in the program.
MLB unveiled the initial members of the 2023 creator class, featuring nine influencers across pop culture, lifestyle, comedy and other verticals, with a specific focus on TikTok and Instagram. In 2021 and 2022, MLB had a similar content initiative.
On the revamped MLB app, fans can now follow their favorite players — it’s the most widely used new feature on the app, according to MLB. There’s a concerted focus within the league to promote not only its stars but other individuals that fall outside the league’s elite.
Digital ticket scans have continued to increase within the MLB ballpark app. In 2019, there were 10.2 million scans, per MLB, compared with more than 28 million in 2022.
There were minimal remarks from MLB executives around NFTs, web3 and the metaverse, buzzy sports business industry topics of the last 18 months, though Marinak said he thinks MLB will have an announcement on a metaverse project in the future.

And onto the news of the week…

Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry signed a long-term extension with apparel brand Under Armour Inc. in what could be one of the most lucrative endorsement deals in sports history, when including annual base pay, stock equity and other deal points.
NFL Network is reportedly parting ways with analyst Willie McGinest, who was suspended and removed from TV by the network after the three-time Super Bowl champion allegedly attacked a patron at a West Hollywood restaurant on Dec. 9 before turning himself in to the Los Angeles County sheriff’s department on Dec. 19.
YES Network announced the launch of a direct-to-consumer subscription service for fans in the region to watch games involving the New York Yankees, Brooklyn Nets and New York Liberty without a cable subscription or satellite TV provider.
Minor league baseball players reached an initial five-year collective bargaining agreement with MLB, more than doubling players’ salaries, according to a person familiar with the negotiations.
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.
The Washington Nationals sale has reportedly been paused so ownership and management can operate the MLB franchise without any distractions in 2023, though sources said the Lerner family is expected to resume the process following the season.
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.
Los Angeles Chargers co-owner Dea Spanos Berberian is reportedly looking to sell a 24% stake in the NFL franchise, including the 15% she personally holds, as well as the remaining equity she has is in a family trust, which is the topic of a legal dispute between Spanos Berberian and her brother and Chargers principal owner Dean Spanos.

Stat of the Week

$70 million

That’s the projected earnings this year for Los Angeles Angels dual-threat star Shohei Ohtani, making him MLB’s highest-paid player ahead of New York Mets pitchers Max Scherzer ($60.3 million) and Justin Verlander ($44.3 million), according to a Sportico analysis.