April 28, 2023

Read in Browser [[link removed]]

POWERED BY

Lamar Jackson finally lands his record-setting deal with the Baltimore Ravens. The former MVP and first- round pick reportedly agreed [[link removed]] to a five-year contract worth $260 million.

Bryce Young Proves It Pays to Play At Alabama [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Thursday night’s NFL Draft welcomed Bryce Young as the new face of the Carolina Panthers. The former Alabama quarterback went No. 1 overall.

Young is expected to sign a four-year deal worth $41.2 million, including a $26.9 million signing bonus, according to Spotrac’s projections [[link removed]].

During Young’s college career, the quarterback earned more than a million dollars in NIL [[link removed]] deals. Recently, Young has agreed to endorsement deals with Jordan Brand, Snickers, Beats by Dre, and sports drinks BodyArmor and Celsius.

Bama’s Billions

Young is the latest Crimson Tide first-rounder to prove it pays to play in Tuscaloosa. Since 2005, 41 Alabama players have gone in the first round and have made $1.3 billion in combined career earnings — the most of any school during that period.

After selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud with the second pick, the Houston Texans traded up to the No. 3 spot to select Alabama linebacker, Will Anderson.

Later in the round, the Detroit Lions selected running back Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick, giving the Crimson Tide 44 players selected in the first round since 2005.

In 2021, the Crimson Tide had a record-six players selected in the first round.

Ohio State ranks second with $1.05 billion in career earnings for NFL first-round picks in the same period, followed by LSU at $921 million.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“Supercross is considered one of the hardest sports there is because it is so intense. We’re not secured by a seat belt or airbags or anything like that. It’s purely you and the dirt bike — and every little split decision that you make out there can be very costly.”

— Motocross racer Ken Roczen discussing the dangers and intensity of racing motorcycles professionally during the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

Listen and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], and Spotify [[link removed]].

WNBA Players Not Reaping League’s Revenue Gains [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

The WNBA’s revenues have nearly doubled over the last four years, although the players’ share of that money has fallen during that span.

The WNBA will pull in between $180 million to $200 million this year, according [[link removed]] to Bloomberg, bolstered by a huge uptick in sponsorship dollars. The report also notes that league and team revenues were about $102 million in 2019.

Last season the player’s share of revenue was 9.3% in fiscal 2022, a nearly 2% dip from 2019. This season, the minimum salary in the WNBA is $62,285 with the maximum set at $234,936.

Under the collective bargaining agreement ratified [[link removed]] on Wednesday, NBA players are slated to receive about 51% of league revenues. The NBA’s new CBA kicks in this July and runs through the 2029-30 season.

WNBA players have to deal with prioritization [[link removed]] rules built into their CBA even as several of the league’s players play overseas in leagues that pay more. That was highlighted when Phoenix Mercury center Brittney Griner spent 10 months in Russian custody after she arrived in February 2022 to play there.

Change could be on the horizon.

WNBA players could choose to opt out of the CBA — which runs through 2027 — after the 2025 season, potentially setting up a fight for a revenue split similar to what their NBA counterparts have had for decades.

And ESPN’s deal — which tops out at a paltry $35 million per season — ends after the 2025 campaign. As ratings have surged, it’s expected the next TV deal will receive a significant bump.

SPONSORED BY OPENDORSE

How Top Brands are Leveraging NIL in 2023

Brand NIL investment is up 300% in 2023. Thousands of advertisers are adding college athletes to their activations, and top companies are leading the charge – 29 of the top 50 Fortune 500s currently use Opendorse [[link removed]] to manage NIL deals.

This report [[link removed]] offers insights from leading advertisers, shares input from college athletes, and breaks down deal data to deliver the report brands and agencies need to win with NIL.

You’ll Learn:

Who earns the most dollars per deal? What brands are spending big? Where are deals often activated? When does sponsor spending spike? Why are athletes effective influencers?

Download [[link removed]] your free NIL report for brands and advertisers today.

Amazon Shuts Down Halo Fitness Wearable [[link removed]]

Business Wire

Amazon is making more cost-cutting moves.

The retail and media giant has decided to shut down its Halo fitness wearable. Halo debuted in 2020 as Amazon’s foray into the wearable fitness and healthcare space.

Halo aimed to compete in the wearable health and sleep-tracking space that also includes devices from Google’s Fitbit, the Apple Watch, Oura Ring, and WHOOP.

Some employees are being laid off as part of the Halo shutdown, which follows Amazon’s recent start of layoffs to 9,000 employees. About 18,000 jobs were cut beginning in November as part of the largest layoffs in Amazon’s 29-year history.

Consumers who bought Halo devices and accessories in the past 12 months will be given full refunds [[link removed]] by Amazon, and Halo app subscribers no longer need to pay monthly fees.

WHOOP, which was previously valued at $3.6 billion and had its own layoffs [[link removed]] last year, claims Amazon’s Halo device copied [[link removed]] its design.

“Amazon imitated our industrial design WHOOP and yes they met with us as potential investors years ago under the [Alexa Funda],” WHOOP CEO Will Ahmed tweeted in 2020.

On Wednesday, Ahmed tweeted [[link removed]] that Amazon Halo’s hardware design “was a complete ripoff” of WHOOP.

San Diego New Leader for 30th MLS Franchise [[link removed]]

Kelvin Kuo-USA TODAY Sports

As Major League Soccer searched for a market to place its 30th franchise, Las Vegas and San Diego had emerged as effectively the two finalists — with the former reportedly [[link removed]] even entering exclusive negotiations for the right in January 2022.

Now, the latter has pulled ahead, as ESPN reports [[link removed]] that San Diego “is clearly the leader in the clubhouse” to land an MLS expansion team that could begin play in 2025.

Besides being a thriving professional soccer market — with the NWSL’s San Diego Wave and the USL Championship’s San Diego Loyal already playing there — the SoCal city has a potential ownership group and stadium solution already lined up.

The Mansour Group — run by Egyptian billionaire Mohamed Mansour — has reportedly [[link removed]] been in talks with the league about heading up a franchise in San Diego, according to the San Diego Union-Tribune. The Sycuan Band of the Kumeyaay Nation, a Native American tribe in the area, would also reportedly be involved in the ownership group.

In terms of a venue, the brand new Snapdragon Stadium on the campus of San Diego State is reportedly enthusiastic about allowing a potential MLS franchise to use the grounds. The stadium hosts six SDSU home football games per year, and is the home field of the Wave.

“I’m a big believer in San Diego,” MLS commissioner Don Garber said [[link removed]] in November. “I think San Diego’s a great sports market, it’s a gateway city.”

Conversation Starters From connecting war rooms across the country and facilitating split-second decision-making to ensuring the security of all stakeholders, Cisco technology keeps the NFL connected and protected on draft night. Read more [[link removed]].* The Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]], presented by Anheuser-Busch, celebrates the careers of the brightest young stars in the business of sports. Nominations for the Class of 2023 are open through May 2. Each year, over 98% of student-athletes will go pro in something other than sports. That’s over 100K future leaders who often get overlooked, till now. Learn more [[link removed]].*

SPONSORED BY WSC SPORTS

Learn How the ACCDN is Growing its Fanbase

“WSC Sports has been a key driver in our ability to put out more content in an efficient manner.” – Matt Carstens, Executive Producer and General Manager of the ACC Digital Network in a recent interview [[link removed]] with Front Office Sports.

WSC Sports [[link removed]] automates the instant creation and distribution of video highlights by giving you access to sport-specific machine learning technology for over 20+ sports.

In addition to the ACCDN, over 300 partners, including the Pac-12 Conference, Conference USA, University of Pittsburgh, BYU, Rice University, and more rely on WSC Sports to build the premier modern fan experience.

You can’t provide the best experience without automation. Your most creative people need time to craft stories for fans. Stay ahead of the curve and click here [[link removed]] to learn more.

Today's Action

MLB

09:10 PM

Cardinals (+120) at Dodgers (-140)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

NBA

06:30 PM

Suns (+120) at Nuggets (-140)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

NHL

06:30 PM

Galaxy (+200) at Orlando City (+115)

Bet Now [[link removed]]

*All times are EST unless otherwise noted.

*Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See [[link removed]] for details.

Question Of The Day

How often do you bike?

Very Often [[link removed]] Often [[link removed]] Sometimes [[link removed]] Never [[link removed]]

Thursday’s Answer

22% of respondents typically upgrade to the newest version of their phones when it comes out.

DISCLAIMER

*Sponsored Content

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Pro [[link removed]] Written by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]], A.J. Perez [[link removed]], Doug Greenberg [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]]

If this email was forwarded to you, you can subscribe here [[link removed]].

Update your preferences [link removed] / Unsubscribe [link removed]

Copyright © 2023 Front Office Sports. All rights reserved.

80 Pine Street Suite 3202 New York, NY 10005