July 25, 2023

Read in Browser [[link removed]]

POWERED BY

I love the shock of seeing an NFL team in a colorful throwback or alternate jersey on Sundays. With training camps underway across the country, new uniform options are already a hot preseason topic, but hardly the only one. Can running backs gain back their contractual value? And will the Chiefs’ future still include Arrowhead Stadium?

Meanwhile, an Apple executive peels back the curtain on the tech giant’s live sports strategy.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Will Running Backs Ever Get Paid Big Money Again? [[link removed]]

Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Once a cornerstone of NFL offenses — not to mention fantasy leagues — running backs are facing perhaps their greatest struggle for a fair piece of the league’s expanding economic pie.

The New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley isn’t under contract after failing to reach a long-term deal, and he received the 2023 running back franchise tag for $10.091 million — as did the Dallas Cowboys’ Tony Pollard and Las Vegas Raiders’ Josh Jacobs, who is now holding [[link removed]] out on training camp.

No free-agent running back was able to hit [[link removed]] $7 million in annual salary this past offseason, and the number of backs earning at least $12 million has been halved from eight in 2022 to four now.

The depressed market prompted a Zoom meeting Saturday among top players at the position to discuss the issue, attended by Barkley, Jacobs, Cleveland’s Nick Chubb, and several others.

“We’re the only position where our production hurts us the most,” Chubb said [[link removed]] to ESPN. “If we run for 2,000 yards, the next year they’re going to say, ‘You’re probably worn down.’ It’s tough.”

The NFL’s salary cap rose 7.9% this year to $224.8 million and is set for bigger increases in future years. But running backs haven’t been able to fully benefit as the league continues its conspicuous shift to a pass-first mentality.

“This all has to do with injuries. This is a high-impact, collision position,” former Atlanta Falcons scout and former NFL offensive lineman Russ Bolinger told Front Office Sports. “Running backs are more susceptible to injuries than ever, and the cap guys have figured out this is a high-risk position.”

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“FIFA’s responsibility is to ensure that [balance] remains, and we don’t feel like we are getting a proper seat at the table.”

— Premier League CEO Richard Masters on FIFA pushing for more international matches over domestic soccer competitions. To hear more from Masters on the Premier League coming to America, the finances of relegation and promotion, and the Saudi Pro League, download the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Chiefs’ Decision on Arrowhead Stadium Will Depend on Royals’ Next Move [[link removed]]

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

The future of Kansas City’s two 50-plus-year-old stadiums are connected, and the Chiefs are waiting for the Royals’ next move — even as they hatch their own plans to offer the best premium fan experience.

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt reiterated his stance during training camp that renovating Arrowhead Stadium — which he said could extend the facility’s life by 25 years — is preferred to building a new stadium nearby or another location altogether.

Arrowhead is part of the Truman Sports Complex that also houses the Royals’ iconic Kauffman Stadium — which the team is hoping [[link removed]] to leave by 2028. The Chiefs want to be able to support the Royals’ decision on a new ballpark site when it comes this summer, Hunt said.

“If and when they go,” Chiefs president Mark Donovan added, “then that creates opportunity for us, and what does that mean, right? And it gets really complicated — you got a sports complex now that has one tenant. How do you deal with that?”

No Place Like Dome?

Any stadium talk of course has fans wondering if the Chiefs could opt for an indoor stadium.

“Certainly a benefit of a dome stadium is that you are weather-protected, which does give you the ability to host more events,” Hunt said before pointing out the stadium’s long list of non-football events this year.

“Not having a roof doesn’t preclude having many of those events,” he added. “But certainly if you have a roof, you possibly could do more during the winter.”

SPONSORED BY FEVO

Your One-Stop Productivity Shop

Do less. Sell more.

That mantra has led 750+ of the biggest brands in live sports to FEVO Enterprise [[link removed]].

FEVO Enterprise is a productivity platform that allows sellers to package and market tickets and other inventory at max efficiency, boosting revenue while minimizing spend on new customers.

With a suite of features to address all your sales verticals (group sales, digital marketing, premium seating, ancillary revenue and more) and exclusive integrations [[link removed]] with the best primary ticketing platforms on earth, getting on board requires no additional tech resources or heavy lifting.

Simply put, they help you disrupt the status quo without disrupting your business.

To learn more, register [[link removed]] for FEVO’s virtual keynote on August 9, where they’ll break down all the latest features on their platform.

Apple Wants Maximum Reach, No Limits For Live Sports Rights [[link removed]]

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

When it comes to acquiring more live sports rights, Apple’s ambitions appear limitless.

Apple senior vice president of services Eddy Cue pushed back on the idea of buying a package of Premier League rights that would be limited to a specific country or region.

“We’re a global company,” Cue explained [[link removed]] in an interview with the Daily Mail. “We have customers in every country in the world … and it’s not exciting for me to have something that you can have but you can’t have.”

Apple is in its first season of a 10-year, $2.5 billion deal for MLS rights worldwide.

Cue’s comments corroborate Apple’s thought process as it negotiated [[link removed]] for rights to NFL Sunday Ticket last year. That package would’ve been exclusive to U.S. viewers, but in order to attract more customers, Apple was thought to have wanted to offer the service for a lower price — or even free alongside an Apple TV+ subscription.

The NFL wanted NFL Sunday Ticket to remain a premium product and sold [[link removed]] it for an annual $2 billion to Google, which is charging up to $489 for the product on Youtube TV.

“I can’t justify throwing what I think are the best engineers in the world on a small subset product,” Cue added.

What does that mean for other properties interested in partnering with Apple, like the NBA or Pac-12?

“This isn’t ‘Hey, I’ve got an opening from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. tonight, and I’m going to put this game on,’” Cue said. “That’s not the way we’re doing it. We’re all-in on this from an investment point of view, so it doesn’t work unless it’s something significant.”

NFL Teams Stir Memories, Sales With Throwback Uniform Reveals [[link removed]]

Tennessee Titans

More NFL teams are looking to cash in on alternate and throwback uniforms as the league continues to relax its policy on teams using multiple helmets for a second straight season.

The Tennessee Titans and New York Jets are the latest squads to unveil alternate uniforms to be worn during select games in the 2023 season. While the Jets won’t abandon their classic green helmets for their “Legacy White” throwbacks [[link removed]], the Titans will trade their navy blue helmet shells for a white base as part of a throwback fit [[link removed]] honoring their past as the Houston Oilers.

On Monday, the Titans’ website was dominated by the reveal and its push to sell powder blue jerseys, shirts, and hats on the “Oilers Pro Shop.” Likewise, the Jets were promoting their throwback gear online and noted that tickets remained available to the two games featuring the uniforms.

Blast From The Past

Also returning this year are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ creamsicle [[link removed]] uniforms with white helmets that couldn’t previously be worn with the Bucs’ standard pewter helmets. The Philadelphia Eagles have been hinting [[link removed]] at bringing back their Kelly Green uniforms this season. The Atlanta Falcons will wear a red helmet as part of their throwback uniforms.

Last season, the New England Patriots brought back their “Pat Patriot” uniforms with white helmets, while the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers, and Chicago Bears wore different-colored helmets.

Conversation Starters Over the weekend, FIBA debuted its new LED glass basketball court [[link removed]] in Madrid. The state-of-the-art court is interactive — and can provide rotating sponsorships and live player stats. Inter Miami put $60 million into its 50,000-square-foot Florida Blue Training Center. The facility, adjacent to DRV PNK Stadium, boasts six natural-grass fields and one turf field for its pro and youth players. Check out [[link removed]] Lionel Messi’s new training ground. Take a sneak peek [[link removed]] at Ole Miss’ $47.5 million worth of renovations for the Manning Center — and stay tuned for the full unveil later this week! Attention marketers: it’s T-minus 366 days ‘till the Olympics and Paralympics. Accelerate your Paris prep by joining Parity [[link removed]]tomorrow for a deep dive on maximizing your OLY and PLY athlete marketing strategy. Allons-y!*

SPONSORED BY WSC SPORTS

AI’s Impact on Rapid Growth at Major League Soccer

“It’s remarkable that we can input all our live video and data, and WSC then automatically generates the highlight packs we need from every match. Whether it’s the 1, 3, 7, even 15-minute packs, it’s all there.” – Chris Schlosser, MLS 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 AI technology for over 20+ sports with robust editing capabilities.

In addition to MLS, over 350 partners, including the NBA, NASCAR, LaLiga, Bundesliga, 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.

Editor's Picks To Fix The Commanders, Josh Harris Must Win Back Washington [[link removed]]by Michael Phillips [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]

New owners need to shore up current fans and replace the defectors.

World Cup Media Rights Are the Key to Equal Pay [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]

FIFA has unbundled its media rights for the first time.

Stephen A. Smith Confirms: ‘I Want Shannon Sharpe’ [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

Stephen A. Smith confirmed FOS report that ESPN is in talks with Shannon Sharpe.

Question Of The Day

Have you or has someone in your household been involved in youth sports? (Coaching, attending games, etc.)

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] Not yet but I want to [[link removed]]

Monday’s Answer

90% of respondents plan to watch college football games this season.

DISCLAIMER

*Sponsored Content

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[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