Good afternoon. Eric Fisher here. There’s nothing like a comeback story in sports, and the return of SlamBall could be the next big-time revival. Originally positioned as an edgy curiosity for a pre-social media age, the full-contact form of basketball is back, this time on the biggest cable sports network.
The NFL, meanwhile, needs no comeback, but the league is clamping down on its gambling policy, and a major soccer tournament is headed back to the U.S.
The NFL is reinforcing its gambling policy after several players received punishments this offseason for violating league rules.
Officials have been visiting team practice facilities to reiterate gambling restrictions — and all rookies are required to attend these mandatory education sessions.
In a media session held Tuesday, the NFL identified six “key rules” of its gambling policy.
“I think the league has been doing a better job of explaining all the little details, because there have been some rules that fell through the cracks that even I didn’t know,” Washington Commanders defensive tackle Jonathan Allen told Front Office Sports.
Allen’s teammate Shaka Toney was one of five players to receive suspensions in April for violating the league’s gambling policy. The defensive end was suspended indefinitely for reportedly betting on NFL games.
The NFL is also investigating Indianapolis Colts cornerback Isaiah Rodgers for violations that reportedly include betting on Colts games — with a lifetime ban being considered. Jacksonville Jaguars receiver Calvin Ridley missed the entire 2022 season after being suspended indefinitely and was reinstated back in March.
“I’m not into [betting] so it wouldn’t have affected me, but there’s been some rules where I was like, I’m glad they told us that,” said Allen, a two-time Pro Bowler. “You’re not even allowed to gamble on your sports app at the facility, even if it’s not on football games. Even if I’m in the car in my parking lot about to go into the facility, I’m not allowed to place a bet.”
The countdown is on for next summer’s Copa America tournament, which will bring World Cup champs Argentina and other South American powerhouses like Brazil to the U.S. to face off against top North American teams like the U.S. and Mexico.
South American soccer federation CONMEBOL announced that the 2024 tournament will be held June 20-July 14 at venues to be selected soon.
Last time the Copa America came to the U.S. in 2016, the Rose Bowl, MetLife Stadium, Gillette Stadium, and Lincoln Financial Field were among the 10 host stadiums. That tournament — a special 100th anniversary edition — broke attendance records with nearly 1.5 million fans throughout the 32 games. The USMNT lost to Lionel Messi’s Argentina in the semifinals.
Six teams from Concacaf — North America’s governing soccer body — will qualify for the 2024 tournament, including next year’s four Concacaf Nations League semi-finalists. This year’s final four were the U.S., Canada, Mexico, and Panama.
Messi — who turns 36 on Saturday — hasn’t said whether he will play for Argentina next summer, at which time he’ll be nearly a year into his Major League Soccer tenure with Inter Miami. But fans can expect to see Brazil’s top trio of Neymar, Vinicius Jr., and Gabriel Jesus.
The Copa America will provide an excellent rehearsal for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in North America — which will bring even more fans from across the globe to many of the same cities and venues.
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SlamBall’s revival has received a sizable boost through a newly finalized, two-year media rights deal with ESPN that will provide unprecedented national reach for the upstart property.
Financial terms of the exclusive deal were not disclosed, but industry sources confirmed to Front Office Sports that SlamBall will receive a rights fee and handle production for the games.
The trampoline-based form of basketball — which also incorporates elements of football and hockey — will be shown on ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPN+ during its 2023 and 2024 seasons. Play this year begins July 21, and more than 30 hours of live coverage will be shown, concluding with the Aug. 17-19 playoffs and title game.
In its original early-2000s form, SlamBall was shown on networks such as Spike TV (now Paramount Network), CSTV (now CBS Sports Network), and the now-shuttered NBC Sports Network.
SlamBall’s return was fueled in large part by a viral social media campaign generating more than 200 million views for the hashtag #BringBackSlamBall. “Live sports dominate the airwaves these days, and audiences are looking for the next big thing,” said Mike Tollin, famed television producer and SlamBall co-founder.
Tollin is joined in the SlamBall effort by a large and high-powered group of investors that participated in a recent $11 million Series A funding round, including Harris Blitzer Sports & Entertainment co-founder David Blitzer, Philadelphia 76ers and New Jersey Devils co-owner David Adelman, and Fanatics chief executive Michael Rubin.
SlamBall is also working with global premium experiences company Legends on retail, sponsorship strategy, and other revenue-related activities.
Conversation Starters
The University of Illinois unveiled its newly renovated, $40 million Ubben Basketball Complex, which boasts two new half-courts, larger locker rooms and lounges, an infrared sauna, cryotherapy and hydrotherapy, and a hyperbaric oxygen chamber.
The Tennessee Smokies — the Chicago Cubs’ Double-A affiliate — broke ground on a multi-use, $114 million stadium district on 12 acres in downtown Knoxville’s Old City with capacity for 7,000 fans and apartments overlooking the field. It’s set to open in Spring 2025.
Victor Wembanyama is set to take the NBA by storm, but in the past, a 19-year-old French athlete would’ve struggled to find a place in the league. On the latest Front Office Sports Today, four-time NBA All-Star Spencer Haywood stops by to discuss his role in making the NBA younger and more international over the last several decades. Listen and subscribe on Apple, Google, and Spotify.
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This year, we received hundreds of nominations showcasing young professionals not only dominating in the workplace, but taking their drive and influence beyond the office walls and into philanthropic causes.
