September 1, 2023

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It’s been expected for days, but the ACC’s expansion is still shocking. Overnight, a conference that built its brand through legendary Tobacco Road basketball rivalries has transformed into a coast-to-coast monolith stretching from Miami to Berkeley — a change whose effects won’t be fully understood for years.

Meanwhile, kicking back with a big game for the long holiday weekend could be harder for nearly 15 million Charter Spectrum subscribers amid a nasty distribution fight with ESPN parent Disney, and there’s seemingly no limit when it comes to the U.S. Open setting new attendance records.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

ACC’s Expansion All But Seals Pac-12’s Fate [[link removed]]

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

The Pac-12 is now headed for potential dissolution, thanks to Friday’s expected but still startling move [[link removed]] of Stanford and Cal to the ACC along with SMU — extending the wildest round of conference realignment in college sports history.

Despite stated objections from existing members such as North Carolina and Florida State over revenue-distribution concerns, the ACC will become the latest, coast-to-coast conference with a geographic footprint from Florida to California, beginning with the 2024-25 academic year.

The Pac-12 now has only two members for next year and beyond, Oregon State and Washington State — and both schools are actively being sought [[link removed]] by the Mountain West Conference.

A pair of prevailing options are now in front of Oregon State and WSU:

The schools could join the MWC in a straightforward shift. The AAC — which had previously shown interest in adding Oregon State and WSU — said Friday it will no longer consider schools in the Pacific time zone, citing travel concerns. They could seek to rebuild the Pac-12 by recruiting other schools or executing a reverse merger with the MWC.

WSU president Kirk Schulz said [[link removed]] earlier this week that his school prefers the latter option, but that remains by far the most complex scenario. Also, it will be impossible for a rebuilt Pac-12 to land the lucrative media rights deal crucial to its survival without first solidifying a critical mass of members.

“Our market size, eyeballs on television, did not create the leverage needed to be in a different circumstance,” Scott Barnes, Oregon State athletic director, said Friday. “That said, we will find the right place for our student-athletes, and the highest and best place for them to compete.”

EXCLUSIVE

PFL Could Acquire Bellator

The Professional Fighters League is in talks to purchase competitor Bellator MMA from Paramount, sources have told Front Office Sports. Bellator is valued at as much as $500 million in the deal.

Read more about the deal in this exclusive [[link removed]] story by FOS senior reporter A.J. Perez.

ESPN Channels Go Dark For Nearly 15M In Cable Dispute [[link removed]]

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Already facing a wide range of mounting internal and industry challenges, ESPN and parent company Disney are now dark on the country’s second-largest cable carrier due to a nasty distribution dispute with Charter Spectrum.

Nineteen Disney channels — including ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU — went dark on Charter Spectrum late Thursday, removing those networks from 14.7 million subscribers across 41 states, including many in key media markets such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Atlanta, with sports standing as a central component in the battle.

Perhaps most jarring, the channel removal happened Thursday evening in the midst of the U.S. Open — a key event [[link removed]] for ESPN — as well as coverage of a Florida-Utah college football game. And the dispute is now set to extend into what will be a jam-packed sports weekend that will include more tennis, college football, and baseball, plus other programming on ESPN networks.

And without immediate resolution, even bigger events such as the Sept. 11 start of “Monday Night Football” are at risk.

“We’re on the edge of a precipice. We’re either moving forward with a new collaborative video model, or we’re moving on,” Charter president CEO Chris Winfrey said in a call with Wall Street analysts on Friday. “This is not a typical carriage dispute.”

Disney said it is trying to reach a “market-based agreement,” and particularly blasted Charter’s actions as a “disservice to consumers” in depriving millions from the start of the 2023 college football season and U.S. Open.

“Disney Entertainment has successful deals in place with pay-TV providers of all types and sizes across the country,” the company said. “We’re committed to reaching a mutually agreed-upon resolution with Charter, and we urge them to work with us to minimize the disruption to their consumers.”

The fight arrives as Disney is pursuing [[link removed]] a potential equity deal for ESPN and facing an ongoing decline [[link removed]] in linear subscriptions and — at least for the moment — in ESPN+ [[link removed]] subscribers, as well.

SPONSORED BY TEAMSNAP

Learn How Technology is Improving Youth Sports

In the last 20 years, the sports world has undergone a tremendous evolution. From rule changes to technological advances, they have benefited both professional and youth sports leagues alike.

In our latest webinar, Making Youth Sports Accessible in the Modern Age [[link removed]], presented by TeamSnap, we took an inside look at how youth sports teams and organizations utilize technology to make youth sports more accessible to all.

The discussion featured representatives from organizations across the youth sports industry, including Lance Lee, Director of Community Impact at TeamSnap.

Watch it on demand [[link removed]] now!

The US Open Keeps Breaking Attendance Records [[link removed]]

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

There is seemingly no limit to tennis fans’ fever for what is already the sport’s most lucrative major.

Less than one week into the main draw of the 2023 U.S. Open, the tournament has already set three single-day attendance records — and remains on track to surpass last year’s record-setting total draw [[link removed]] of 776,120.

Monday’s single-day attendance of 72,957 set a tournament record that lasted only 48 hours, as Wednesday’s total hit 73,007. That record fell, too, with Thursday’s 73,201.

They Built It, They’re Coming

The impressive figures are no accident.

The 23,771-seat Arthur Ashe Stadium, the largest tennis stadium in the world, now features a roof to allow for continuous play, as does its companion, the 14,000-seat Louis Armstrong Stadium.

And though its notoriously long-running night sessions have drawn criticism [[link removed]] from fans and players alike, the tournament structure is specifically designed to boost tennis’ accessibility to mass audiences.

The ongoing attendance figures follow a record draw of more than 150,000 at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center for the Aug. 22-27 U.S. Open Fan Week, which included qualifying competition. That figure is a 41% increase from a 2022 attendance that had also set an event record.

The fan turnout is helping support a $65 million U.S. Open prize pool, the largest of tennis’ four majors — and which is set for a further increase in 2024.

Conversation Starters This season, Memphis football is introducing its new $60 “Win Together” ticket deal [[link removed]]. If the Tigers win their opener, fans get free tickets to their next home game — and each following one until they lose. The back-to-back college football champion Georgia Bulldogs have one of the greatest athletic facilities in the country. Take the tour [[link removed]]. Riding the high of a historic FIFA Women’s World Cup run, the U.K. is pledging to transform [[link removed]] its women’s sports ecosystem.

SPONSORED BY ISOS CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

The Influence of Technology on Niche Sports

In just a couple of years, pickleball has gone from being a relatively unknown pastime to a national obsession; ‘picklers’ are playing the game everywhere you go. But how did this once obscure activity become so popular – and in such a short time?

The evolution of digital media consumption has reshaped how audiences are watching sports, and technology plays a huge part in fueling the popularity of niche sports [[link removed]]. However, its influence extends far beyond pickleball.

The emergence of high-profile niche sports leagues like Big3 and 3ICE prompts questions about audience demographics and what their potential interests might be. Who is the niche sports fan, and what criteria [[link removed]] defines them?

Read more [[link removed]].

Editor's Picks The College Football Playoff Era’s Winningest Programs [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]Ohio State is the only non-SEC school with multiple playoff wins. Skip Bayless’ Revamped Show Falls Short Of ‘First Take’ In Ratings [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Skip Bayless' revamped show has not resonated in TV ratings race. Former Marlins Exec Predicts MLB Team Sales Amid Media Rights Uncertainty [[link removed]]by Owen Poindexter [[link removed]]David Samson believes the Orioles, Angels, and Nationals could be sold soon. Your Chance to Win in Winner-Takes-All

Front Office Sports is partnering with Splash Sports to bring you a Season Long NFL Survivor Contest [[link removed]].

This contest follows a winner-takes-all format, meaning only one participant will be declared the winner and receive the entire prize of up to $2,250. In the event of multiple winners, the prize will be divided equally among all the winners. The grand prize is dependent on the number of entries. Deadline to sign up is September 10, 2023.

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