July 5, 2023

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Good morning. After weathering torrential downpours over the holiday weekend, NASCAR’s Chicago Street Race [[link removed]] averaged 4.795 million viewers [[link removed]] on NBC — the network’s most-watched race since 2017.

As the summer continues moving forward, Pat McAfee is hoping his arrival at ESPN coincides with fewer layoffs and the Braves have a hard date to split from parent company Liberty Media. Meanwhile in the college space, Florida is pumping new money into The Swamp and the Big 12 is ready to continue adding teams.

— David [[link removed]] & Eric [[link removed]]

McAfee Addresses Blowback In Wake Of ESPN Layoffs [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Pat McAfee, one of the highest-paid personalities in sports media, wants to make ESPN mass layoffs history.

Tweeting hours after another round [[link removed]] of ESPN layoffs hitting about 20 prominent on-air personalities, McAfee said [[link removed]] he remains “pumped” to be joining the network despite the cutbacks and online vitriol sent his way, and added he wished he could have worked with some of the departing broadcasters.

“Some absolute legends, that we all respect, in the sports world were trending for losing jobs,” McAfee said. “That sucks … no matter how you slice it.”

McAfee’s deal to join ESPN, reportedly [[link removed]] $85 million over five years, has been a key point of frustration [[link removed]], both inside and out of the network. That largess arrives just as parent company Disney is slashing [[link removed]] 7,000 jobs — about 3% of its global workforce — in a bid to cut $5.5 billion in costs.

In his lengthy tweet, McAfee said he “did a lot of reflecting about our show’s journey while I was getting murdered on the internet.”

“All roads lead back to how honored I am to be the leader of such a talented group and how lucky I am to be part of this team,” McAfee continued. “We’re gonna continue to control the things we can control.”

McAfee will face a tough fight to prevent more ESPN cutbacks. The network is now in 72.5 million homes, according to Nielsen, down 28% from a peak of 100.1 million in 2011 — and the yearly subscriber losses are accelerating.

Florida Giving The Swamp A $400M Makeover [[link removed]]

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

The University of Florida is embarking on a major renovation of Ben Hill Griffin Stadium that will give The Swamp a makeover costing at least $400 million.

Florida announced it is preparing to select an architect to begin the design phase of what will be the largest athletic facility project in the school’s history.

Improving the fan experience will be the project’s main goal, from upgrades to the concourse, entry gates, seating, concessions and restrooms to enhancements to video board and sound system. Florida says there will be an “aggressive fundraising campaign” to finance construction.

The soon-to-be-selected architect will help finalize the project’s strategy and potential phases. UF athletics director Scott Stricklin said evaluation of The Swamp’s future has been going on for more than five years. Stricklin added that it is too early to give any definitive answers about the project’s final costs, the stadium’s ultimate seating capacity, or a specific construction timeline.

The public comments about renovating The Swamp come just under a year after the Gators opened [[link removed]] a new $85 million football practice facility. That 142,000-square-foot enclave is complete with a state-of-the-art locker room and training center.

Florida will continue pouring money into its football program as it keeps reaping the benefits of being a member of the SEC. The conference raked in more than $800 million in revenue during the 2021-22 academic year and distributed [[link removed]] $54.6 million to each of its 14 schools.

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Braves Set To Complete Split From Liberty Media [[link removed]]

Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

MLB’s best team on and perhaps off the field is set to split off and become its own public company.

The Atlanta Braves — owners of the league’s top record, five straight division titles, the 2021 World Series title, and a league leader on numerous business fronts such as attendance and its influential Battery mixed-use development — is now tentatively scheduled to finalize its split from parent Liberty Media on July 18 and become Atlanta Braves Holdings Inc.

The move will complete a Liberty reorganization plan originally announced [[link removed]] in November 2022. Greg Maffei, Liberty president and CEO, said then the split was aimed “better highlighting” the Braves value and “providing greater investor choice.”

As numerous teams seek to replicate the runaway success of the Battery in their own mixed-use stadium complexes, the Braves have also been aggressive in their long-term roster development, locking up seven key players through at least 2027.

Liberty in May said the Braves grew first-quarter revenue 35% to $31 million, boosted by strong early-season Truist Park crowds and increases in Battery rental income, extending a 4% rise in full-year 2022 revenue to $588 million. The Braves’ 2023 attendance is still up by 3% to an average of 39,076 per game, sixth best in the league.

The move, however, continues to raise speculation the Braves could ultimately be sold post-split. The New York Mets, the last MLB club to be sold, fetched a then-record $2.4 billion in 2020.

New-Look Big 12 Wants To Stay At 14 Teams After Texas, Oklahoma Exit [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

The Big 12 has officially expanded to 14 teams for the 2023-24 academic year — and its preference is to keep that number even after Texas and Oklahoma leave to join the SEC.

BYU, Cincinnati, Houston, and UCF formally joined the Big 12 this past Saturday, but the exits of the Longhorns and Sooners in 2024 will leave the conference with 12 teams.

“I’d like to stay at 14, even with the departures of Texas and Oklahoma, candidly,” Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark said [[link removed]]. “We’ll see if that’s a possibility or not.”

Expansion will once again be the hot topic during next week’s Big 12 media days at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. “We’re not chasing a number,” Yormark clarified. “Whatever happens has to truly create value for the conference.”

Colorado has been the most talked-about school regarding Big 12 expansion, with the Buffaloes strongly linked [[link removed]] to leaving the Pac-12 and rejoining the conference they called home from 1996-2010. Utah would be a geographical fit for the Big 12 if Colorado joined, while an Arizona-Arizona State duo would be a seemingly strong fit as well.

On The Move

Beyond the Big 12 moves, the AAC has added [[link removed]] Charlotte, Florida Atlantic, North Texas, Rice, UAB, and UTSA. Conference USA brought in Liberty, New Mexico State, Sam Houston, and Jacksonville State, while the Sun Belt welcomed Marshall, Old Dominion, Southern Miss, and James Madison.

Conversation Starters The 2023 Black Student-Athlete Summit [[link removed]], the annual event focused on improving the Black student-athlete experience, welcomed more than 1500 attendees representing 185 schools with industry superstars such as Klutch Sports Group founder Rich Paul, among others.* The new Draftkings Sportsbook at Wrigley Field opened [[link removed]] to the public in time for the holiday weekend. The space features a 2,000-square-foot video wall of 29 million pixels. Jake Paul’s new $16 million Puerto Rico beach property [[link removed]] — purchased from MLB legend Yadier Molina — has its own batting cage, car lift, and “entertainment building.” Ernie Johnson Jr. landed his first sports broadcasting job in college with WAGQ-FM in Athens, Georgia, hoping to follow in his father’s footsteps. Now, Johnson he’s been the voice of multiple sports for nearly five decades — and will be inducted [[link removed]] into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame.

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Editor's Picks Doug Kezirian, Andre Ward Are Out At ESPN [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]] and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

Betting insider Doug Kezirian and boxing analyst Andre Ward also departing ESPN.

Boardwalk Empire: The Nathan’s Hot Dog Contest And July 4 [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

Inside the annual Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating competition in Coney Island.

Why NASCAR Is Spending $50 Million to Race in Downtown Chicago [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]

Every part of the $50 million Chicago event has been built from scratch.

Question Of The Day

Do you bet on sports?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

70% of respondents are taking one-to-three vacations this summer and 9% are taking more than four.

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