August 22, 2023

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Good morning from Atlanta, where I’m covering the Tour Championship at East Lake Golf Club. The past three months couldn’t have been wilder for the PGA Tour, which wraps up its season this week with the conclusion of the FedEx Cup Playoffs — and an $18 million award to Sunday’s winner.

Today, we’re analyzing NASCAR’s big bet on Netflix, the Orioles’ future in Baltimore, a costly international sporting error, and the latest twist in the Diamond Sports Group saga.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

NASCAR Drives Onto Netflix To Woo New Generation Of Fans [[link removed]]

Rich Barnes-USA TODAY Sports

NASCAR is headed to Netflix with the aim of attracting new — and hopefully younger — racing fans.

Nearly every touring-circuit sport has tried to imitate the success of “Drive To Survive,” the Netflix docuseries that created a frenzy around Formula 1 in the U.S., especially among a key viewer demographic — about 75% of Netflix users in the U.S. are reportedly [[link removed]] between 18 and 34 years old.

The PGA Tour and ATP/WTA tennis tours debuted their own series this year in collaboration with the same producers of the F1 hit, Box to Box Films, which also made a docuseries about the Tour de France.

During the 2022 season, NASCAR produced its own docuseries, “Race For The Championship,” which aired on USA Network and streamed on Peacock — both subsidiaries of NASCAR media rights partner NBC Universal.

Now, NASCAR is partnering with Words + Pictures — a production company co-founded by former ESPN executives — for a show following the 2023 Cup Series Playoffs, which begin next month. Dale Earnhardt Jr. will also be an executive producer.

It’s unclear if NASCAR approached Box to Box about potentially producing its new series or if the company showed any interest. Either way, NASCAR can likely expect a significant boost in documentary viewership simply from its presence on Netflix.

Prime Time In Colorado

The University of Colorado’s 2023 football season will be filmed [[link removed]] for a series to stream on Amazon that will primarily follow Deion Sanders’ first season as head coach. A four-episode series, “Coach Prime,” chronicled the 2022 Jackson State season featuring Sanders.

​​Colorado will not be compensated for allowing the series to film on campus, according to USA Today, but the school is bullish on the financial impact Sanders’ profile can have.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“[Dinosaur bones] are the hottest game in town right now. There are probably a lot of athletes who have these in their living room.”

— Rally Museum co-founder Rob Petrozzo on fossils becoming a hot commodity for professional athletes. For more on collectibles and the Rally Museum — where you can invest in anything on exhibit — download the latest episode of FOS Today.

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

Sinclair Responds To $1.5B Fraud Claim Amid DSG Turmoil [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Sinclair Inc.’s full response to Diamond Sports Group’s recent $1.5 billion fraud claim [[link removed]] hasn’t been made public — but Sinclair believes it shouldn’t have to help fund its own subsidiary’s legal claim against it.

In a new filing in a U.S. bankruptcy court in Texas, Sinclair said DSG has run up a tab of nearly $147 million in unpaid management services, while also paying Sinclair for other services at below-contracted rates. As a result, Sinclair has asked the court to compel DSG to either pay that bill or reject the companies’ management services contract entirely.

“Sinclair is being forced to shoulder the burden and expense of the [management services] at a significant discount, while effectively subsidizing Diamond’s litigation against Sinclair attacking those very same services,” Sinclair said in its filing.

The management services have covered affiliate sales and marketing initiatives that promote DSG to distributors, as well as internal functions such as legal and business affairs, payroll, finance, accounting, and insurance.

The situation further highlights the mounting legal, financial, and operational pressures facing the bankrupt parent of Bally Sports. Already, DSG has been granted judicial mediators to help deal with various demands [[link removed]] from creditors, leagues, teams, and distributors, while also facing critical decisions about which of its 27 total NBA and NHL team rights it will keep [[link removed]].

Amid that pressure, Sinclair opines that DSG will not emerge from bankruptcy.

“Based on Diamond’s own statements, emergence — let alone filing of a [reorganization] plan — is nowhere in sight,” Sinclair said.

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Orioles’ Lease Talks Expose Rift Over Camden Yards Renovations [[link removed]]

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

The Baltimore Orioles’ seemingly never-ending talks for a Camden Yards lease extension have revealed a problematic new wrinkle.

The team’s managing partner John Angelos and the Maryland Stadium Authority are still far apart on not only the lease deal but potential renovations to the ballpark area.

Maryland public officials have long been frustrated [[link removed]] over the lack of progress toward replacing the current deal expiring in December, with state senate president Bill Ferguson saying [[link removed]] last week that he wished the Orioles agreement had been completed “yesterday.”

In an interview [[link removed]] with the New York Times, Angelos revealed a deeper schism. Not only does he have a vision for an Atlanta Braves [[link removed]]-type mixed-use development with residential units, hotels, shops, and restaurants, but he also envisions an elementary school in the B&O Warehouse next to the ballpark, as well as a health and wellness clinic.

“If we develop it right, and we include the impactful community program model, we change the whole brand of Baltimore,” Angelos said.

A lease deal would open [[link removed]] up $600 million in public funds toward ballpark-specific renovations, similar to provisions available to the neighboring Baltimore Ravens. But local leaders are reluctant to discuss any bigger project aspirations — or funding them — without a long-term commitment from the team.

“I think it’s premature to talk about investments around the facility when we don’t have a partner that is committing to be there for the next 20-to-30 years,” Ferguson said.

The Orioles remain the surprise story of the 2023 MLB season, holding the best record in the American League after a long rebuilding period.

$243M Settlement Highlights Fallout From Commonwealth Games Withdrawal [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

A $3 billion budget blunder involving one of the world’s oldest sporting events will ultimately cost an Australian state an exorbitant sum.

To make up for its withdrawal [[link removed]] as host of the 2026 Commonwealth Games, Victoria — a state in southeastern Australia — will pay [[link removed]] $243 million to event organizers, who are still searching for a country to hold the next iteration of the games in just three years.

In July, Victoria premier Daniel Andrews nixed hosting duties agreed to in March 2022, claiming the Games could potentially cost up to $4.8 billion — a significantly higher figure than the $1.77 billion originally budgeted.

The Commonwealth Games are a quadrennial event akin to the Olympics involving up to 56 sovereign states around the world, most of them former territories of the British Empire.

Despite the seemingly wasted costs, Andrews said [[link removed]] the settlement was “the best outcome that Victoria could get.”

Future Games In Doubt?

The Commonwealth Games were also recently rejected [[link removed]]by Alberta, Canada — previously thought to be a logical choice to host the 2030 edition — raising plenty of questions as to the long-term viability and purpose of a competition whose participating nations are also able to compete in the Olympics and other world championships.

Conversation Starters Stella Weaver, the only girl [[link removed]] playing in this year’s Little League World Series, can both pitch and hit, just like her favorite player, Shohei Ohtani. On Monday, she started on the mound — and singled in her first at-bat. Salma Paralluelo, a Spain national team player and Spanish national champion track athlete, wanted to be “the best athlete and best footballer in the world.” After an injury, she chose soccer — and at 19 years old helped lead [[link removed]] Spain to its first Women’s World Cup title. On Sunday, Bryson Stott used a No. 2 pencil bat [[link removed]] in the MLB Little League Classic. Victus is now selling multiple editions retailing between $190 and $300. Editor's Picks NFLPA Terminates Deal With Panini as Fanatics Takes Over [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The NFLPA will start its 20-year deal with Fanatics a few years earlier. Fight Over Brett Favre’s Texts Heats Up in Welfare Funds Case [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Favre has allegedly not submitted texts in the Mississippi case. Former NBA Employee Calls Out League for Poor Pay, Benefits [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]The NBA's Facebook page had a deleted post about labor issues. Football Czar Lee Fitting Is Out At ESPN [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]ESPN will have new faces leading the production of its football unit. Question Of The Day

Are you involved in the budget process for your department / company at work?

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

Monday’s Answer

51% of respondents are interested in owning a second home or already do.

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

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