June 6, 2023

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So much for a big ratings [[link removed]] drop with no LeBron or Steph. Game 1 of the Nuggets-Heat NBA Finals averaged 11.5 million viewers on ABC and ESPN2, slightly behind last year’s counterpart (11.9 million), and peaked at 12.7 million viewers, a few ticks lower than last year’s 12.9 million. The series is tied at a game apiece and heads to Miami for Game 3 on Wednesday.

Apple Looks to Upend Sports Watching with Mixed Reality Headset [[link removed]]

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Apple is setting its sights on changing how people experience sports and gaming.

On Monday, the tech giant unveiled [[link removed]] its long-awaited mixed-reality headset, Apple Vision Pro, which will be available next year and retail for $3,499.

The device promises numerous features, including multiview broadcasts, immersive replays, and gaming displays. The company has been developing a multiview feature for Apple TV+ that allows users to watch multiple streams at once.

Apple will offer a growing library of sports content for the headset. It holds exclusive streaming rights to Major League Soccer and select Major League Baseball games — and more could be on the way with possible bids [[link removed]] for Premier League and Pac-12 rights.

The company has also emerged as a contender for NBA broadcasts, the bidding for which could reach $75 billion over nine years between linear and streaming rights.

Apple is expected to feature sports-watching and fitness on the headset, according [[link removed]] to Bloomberg. Its Fitness+ subscription is heavily integrated into the Apple Watch, which collects heart rate and other biometric data from its wearers.

The device will have a dial that allows users to switch between virtual reality, in which one is fully immersed in the Vision Pro’s displays, and augmented reality, which allows one to see displays overlaid on the world around them.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“We have people in [the Winner’s Circle] that put up $50 for a single share … You could have bet a million dollars on Mage, and you’re not getting in that winning circle — but if you put $50 on Mage with Commonwealth, you have a chance of getting in that Winner’s Circle.”

— Brian Doxtator, founder and CEO of Commonwealth, an app designed for fractional investment in sports — including the Kentucky Derby’s winning racehorse, Mage. Hear more from Doxtator on the Commonwealth on the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Seahawks, Trail Blazers Still Not for Sale Despite Offers, Legal Obligations [[link removed]]

Jaime Valdez-USA TODAY Sports

Nike’s co-founder wants to buy the Portland Trail Blazers, and the franchise legally must be sold — but it’s unclear when that will happen.

The Blazers and Seattle Seahawks were put in the hands of an estate their previous owner, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen, died in 2018, with instructions to sell the teams and donate the proceeds to charity. The estate is controlled by Allen’s sister, Jody Allen.

NBA bylaws require [[link removed]] that teams held by estates be sold in a timeframe determined by the league.

Those dynamics have attracted a high-profile suitor: Nike co-founder Phil Knight. Knight and Dodgers part-owner Alan Smolinisky have approached Jody Allen multiple times, but she has referred them to other officials and maintained that the Blazers aren’t for sale, according to the Wall Street Journal.

A spokesperson for Vulcan, an umbrella company founded by the Allen siblings in 1986, said the estate could take 10 to 20 years to fully unwind.

The Blazers were valued at $2.1 billion by Forbes last year, 16th of 20 NBA teams. The Seahawks ranked 14th of 32 NFL teams with an estimated value of $4.5 billion.

Don’t Sleep on Seattle

Jeff Bezos, who founded Amazon in Seattle, looms as a potential bidder for the Seahawks after he passed on a bid for the Washington Commanders.

A Seattle referendum from 1997 requires that 10% of the team’s sale price go to Washington State if the team is sold within 25 years of the bonds being issued. That period runs until May 21, 2024.

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MSP Sports Capital Nears Everton Investment Deal [[link removed]]

Everton FC

Everton FC barely avoided relegation from the Premier League, finishing the 2022-23 season just two points above safety. Now, brighter days could be ahead thanks to a jolt of American money.

New York-based MSP Sports Capital — which owns stakes in several other European clubs and majority control of the X Games — is closing in on a deal with Everton owner Farhad Moshiri to provide between $124 million and $187 in million in loans that can be converted to equity, according [[link removed]] to The Athletic.

The deal underlines the firm’s long-running interest [[link removed]] in Everton and would aid Moshiri’s ongoing effort to finish a new stadium for the club. The project has been under construction since 2021, but costs have risen [[link removed]] more than 50% to $945 million.

The proposed agreement would additionally give MSP Sports Capital a 25% stake in the club — potentially even more if additional funding is needed — and two seats on the club’s board. Everton was recently valued [[link removed]] at $744 million, according to Forbes.

Led by Phoenix Suns vice-chair and minority owner Jahm Najafi and former MLB player agent and club owner Jeff Moorad, MSP Sports Capital boasts a long pedigree of sports industry success — but Everton may prove to be its biggest challenge, even with its loyal fanbase.

With no top-five finishes since 2014, the club has reportedly lost roughly $500 million over the last five years. Meanwhile, Moshiri is reportedly [[link removed]] a “person of interest” for U.K. authorities due to his ties to sanctioned Russian-Uzbek billionaire Alisher Usmanov.

MLB Looks To Pujols For Help With Talent-Rich Dominican Republic [[link removed]]

Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball is turning to future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols to help in one of its most important — and problematic — international territories.

League commissioner Rob Manfred named Pujols, who completed a legendary 22-season playing career in 2022, as a special assistant focusing primarily on player relations and other issues in the slugger’s native Dominican Republic.

The Caribbean country is by far MLB’s largest source [[link removed]] of non-U.S. player talent, with 104 Dominicans earning spots on 2023 Opening Day rosters, a figure 68% larger than second-place Venezuela. Those Dominican players will collectively be paid more than a half-billion dollars this season, led by San Diego outfielder Juan Soto’s $23 million salary.

But the country has long been a hotbed of corruption [[link removed]] within its amateur player development, fueled in part by the strong lure of MLB as a ticket out of local poverty. Pujols’ presence could also revive MLB’s long-running efforts to implement an international draft.

Power Consultants

In addition to the consultant role, Pujols will work as an on-air analyst for the league-owned MLB Network starting Tuesday. Pujols joins a growing list of former MLB players holding consultant or staff roles with the league, including Ken Griffey Jr., Cal Ripken Jr., Joe Torre, CC Sabathia, and Raul Ibanez.

“He cares greatly about making a difference in our communities,” Manfred said of Pujols. “We are excited for Albert to join other former players who are doing important work for our sport.”

Conversation Starters An Indianapolis Colts player is under investigation [[link removed]] for betting on games, per Sports Betting. The player placed “hundreds” of wagers, including on Colts games — and a considerable number of them inside the team facility. The WWE’s biggest stars and future talent train at the $2.3 million WWE Performance Center in Orlando, which features seven rings. Take a tour [[link removed]]. Tennessee baseball just made its third straight Super Regional — and as soon as their season ends, the 2022 SEC champion Vols will begin construction [[link removed]] on a $56 million ballpark in Knoxville.

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CTV's Impact on Sports Franchise Valuation

Live sports programming has always dominated primetime ratings on linear television, but streaming content has become extremely popular [[link removed]] with younger generations of sports fans, particularly among millennials and Gen Z viewers.

The surge in demand for streaming TV and short-form content has disrupted the traditional TV media rights model and significantly boosted the valuation of sports franchises. With streaming television’s influence on ever-expanding media rights, franchises across all sports are being purchased as a premium due to their promising growth potential [[link removed]].

Leagues, franchises, and sports that can be innovative and agile enough to stay aligned with the shifting mediums of engagement will have the advantage for capturing the next generations of valuable fans.

Learn more [[link removed]] about how your company can gain this advantage for connecting with younger sports fans everywhere they’re consuming sports media on connected TV.

Editor's Picks NHL Analyst Chris Chelios Won’t Be Renewed By ESPN [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]One of the first names emerging from ESPN's talent cutbacks is Chris Chelios. Saudi Arabia’s PIF Takes Over Four Domestic Pro League Clubs [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]The PIF's takeover comes as several stars could join Ronaldo in Saudi. NIL Collectives Pay Five Figures to Top College Athletes [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The top half of Power 5 starters earn $45,000 annually. Question Of The Day

Do you use a third-party site to buy tickets to live events?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] N/A [[link removed]]

Monday’s Answer

31% of respondents say that a limited time offer helps them decide which fast-food restaurant to try.

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