July 28, 2023

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Now that Coach Prime and the Colorado Buffaloes are officially headed back to the Big 12 Conference, the Pac-12 is left with many unanswered questions about the future of the once-venerable conference.

Meanwhile, NASCAR finds a new television home for its Xfinity series, and the Women’s World Cup reaches even higher ground with its record-setting ticket sales.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Despite Putting On A Brave Face, Pac-12 Scrambling For Relevance [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The Pac-12 is putting on a brave face amid the University of Colorado’s departure [[link removed]] to the Big 12.

But what will be left of the Pac-12 after another potential wave of college sports realignment — and will it even remain in the Power Five?

Already scuffling [[link removed]] to finalize a media deal and solidify its remaining membership, the Pac-12 said [[link removed]] it would “embrace expansion opportunities and bring new fans, markets, excitement, and value.” Colorado regent Lesley Smith boosted that vague sentiment by wishing the “Pac-12, Pac-10, whatever it is in the future — all the best.”

But the Pac-12 could face further attacks on its already tenuous standing. The Big 12 is now reportedly seeking [[link removed]] to add the other three “Four Corners” schools — Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah, all current Pac-12 members — to join Colorado. The ACC is also looking to boost its standing with expansion [[link removed]] — a move that could further distance itself financially from the Pac-12.

The Big Ten led [[link removed]] Power Five conferences last year with $845.6 million in revenue, followed by the SEC’s $802 million, ACC’s $617 million, Pac-12’s $580.9 million, and Big 12’s $480.6 million. With the pending membership shifts, those numbers are about to change significantly.

The Pac-12’s long-running attempts to close a media deal are now further clouded [[link removed]] by the conference’s inability to tell prospective rights buyers exactly which schools will or won’t be members.

“It’s a fair point, but those late [TV] windows do still have value. It’s a key asset the conference is bringing to the table,” Patrick Crakes, a longtime sports TV consultant with Crakes Media, told Front Office Sports.

Women’s World Cup Attendance Is Outperforming FIFA’s Expectations [[link removed]]

Jenna Watson-USA TODAY Sports

The 2023 Women’s World Cup hasn’t even progressed through group play, but FIFA is already projecting higher attendance numbers than expected for the tournament.

Ticket sales are now close to 1.6 million, according [[link removed]] to soccer’s governing body, which would easily surpass the record 1.35 million fans who attended the 2015 WWC in Canada. FIFA had been expecting [[link removed]] to break that record, but its latest projections were around 1.5 million.

The USWNT has enjoyed packed houses for its first two games in New Zealand and now returns to Auckland for a potential must-win game against Portugal to secure first place in Group E over the Netherlands.

The Americans and Dutch drew 1-1 earlier this week on Fox in the most-watched group-stage game ever on English-language television with 6.429 million viewers [[link removed]].

New Zealand has been able to draw strong crowds [[link removed]] of 42,000 and 32,000, despite concerns over the lack of overall interest in attending matches in the country. The Kiwis are surprisingly in second place in their group, while fellow co-host Australia will likely need a win over Canada on Monday to advance to the knockout round.

Infantino’s Missing Presence

As FIFA continues to fend off negative publicity [[link removed]], president Gianni Infantino has not been as present at this Women’s World Cup as he was in Qatar for the men’s event last year, according [[link removed]] to Sky News.

Infantino reportedly left the tournament less than a week after it began, thus far attending a few matches in New Zealand and none in Australia.

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CW’s Pushing Further Than Ever Into Live Sports With NASCAR Deal [[link removed]]

Matthew O'Haren-USA TODAY Sports

The CW is making its biggest push ever for live sports — nabbing the exclusive broadcast rights of the NASCAR Xfinity Series from 2025-2031.

Friday’s announcement comes on the heels of much smaller deals struck earlier this year for media rights to ACC [[link removed]] football and basketball games and LIV Golf [[link removed]] tournaments.

The CW is shelling out [[link removed]] $805 million to be the new home of the NASCAR circuit just below the Cup Series, per Sports Business Journal, taking over the rights from Fox and NBC, who currently televise the Xfinity Series as part of their overarching deals with NASCAR.

The $115 million annual figure is bigger than the reported $85 million ESPN is paying [[link removed]'s%20networks%20will%20continue%20to,which%20expires%20after%20this%20season.] for Formula 1 rights.

NASCAR says Xfinity Series races draw approximately 1 million viewers per race each season on a mix of cable and network TV — but expects that number to grow with every race consistently available to a wider audience. It will broadcast 33 races per season.

Another sports target for the CW could be the Pac-12 [[link removed]] — if the conference can remain intact beyond this upcoming academic year.

It’s been a wild year for the network majority-owned by Nexstar Media Group — the CW had no exclusive rights to any live sport before 2023.

Conversation Starters Manchester City’s Etihad Stadium expansion [[link removed]] plan has been approved. Besides increasing capacity to 60,000, the project will add a sky bar overlooking the pitch, a “stadium roof walk experience,” a fan district, a new club shop and museum, and a 400-bed hotel. The Toronto Blue Jays have unveiled [[link removed]] plans to renovate 100-level seating as part of their $300M Rogers Centre upgrades. In 2024, the space will boast modern seats with more legroom, three new premium clubs, improved sightlines to home plate, and closer proximity to the field. The Green Bay Packers have acquired [[link removed]] Foamation — the company that created the original Cheesehead hat.

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