September 8, 2023

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One game down, 271 to go. The 2023 NFL season is officially underway, and sports betting operators are ready to cash in on America’s favorite sport. However, Nielsen has dealt Amazon a blow to its viewership ambitions.

Meanwhile, a golf upstart continues attracting investment from sports’ richest owners, and we have an update on the A’s efforts to fund their Las Vegas ballpark.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

TGL Extends Owner Starpower With Addition of Mets’ Cohen [[link removed]]

Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

The already illustrious ownership cohort of TGL — a new virtual golf league co-founded by Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy — can now count the richest owner in MLB among its ranks.

New York Mets owner Steve Cohen, a hedge fund manager with a net worth of more than $17 billion, has acquired the rights to TGL’s New York franchise.

Cohen joins fellow TGL team owners Arthur Blank ( Atlanta [[link removed]]), Fenway Sports Group ( Boston [[link removed]]), and Serena Williams/Alexis Ohanian ( Los Angeles [[link removed]]), who welcomed Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo as a fellow L.A. team investor [[link removed]].

This marks Cohen’s second major investment in professional sports on top of his $2.4 billion purchase of the Mets in 2020, which can now be seen as perhaps the first step in building a wider team ownership portfolio. It’s unclear how much Cohen and other TGL owners are paying for the franchises.

It’s been a tumultuous year for Cohen’s Mets, who entered the season with a record $344 million payroll but have since torn [[link removed]] apart their roster and are all but certain to miss the postseason. Cohen will look to revitalize his sports dealings when TGL launches in January.

Two further franchises are set to be announced soon, completing the league’s founding six teams, each of which will feature three golfers. Owners from the NFL, NHL, MLB, and MLS are all represented among TGL majority owners so far, but none from the NBA.

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🎙️ They Said What?

“Finding tight ends that can play anywhere on the field is going to be a huge advantage … They cost way less than wide receivers do for a similar production like you get with Travis Kelce.”

— TNF Analytics Expert Sam Schwartzstein on where NFL teams should invest more money. To hear more from Schwartzstein about the “hidden game of football,” check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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NFL Season Start Heightens Sportsbook Battle For Customers [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The start of the new NFL season brings some big changes — perhaps most notably a new urgency for sportsbooks to attract new customers.

NFL-related betting is projected to soar [[link removed]] this season to unprecedented levels — creating both opportunity and concerns for the league — and leading sportsbooks are elevating [[link removed]] their promotional efforts to win those incoming bettors.

FanDuel has increased its signup bonus from last year’s $150 to $200 in return for a $5 NFL bet, and it’s also giving existing customers a $100 discount on an NFL Sunday Ticket subscription on YouTube. That new total matches the $200 bonus for a similar $5 bet on offer from DraftKings.

But those market leaders, which hold a duopoly [[link removed]] on the current sports betting market, are also facing fresh challenges from Fanatics — which is offering $150 in merchandise credit for a $50 bet — along with the forthcoming [[link removed]] ESPN Bet.

The arrival of the heavily backed Fanatics and ESPN Bet presents perhaps the greatest threats to the established market leaders since the landmark 2018 U.S. Supreme Court decision allowing states to set their own gambling laws.

Other prominent incumbents include Caesars, offering $250 in bonuses for a $50 bet, and BetMGM, which is offering a dollar-for-dollar refund in bonuses for losing initial bets up to $1,500.

“This is the most important time of the year,” said Jason Robins, DraftKings CEO, chair, and co-founder. “This is when we acquire the most customers, when we have the biggest opportunity to gain more market share, and when we generate the most revenue and the most [earnings].”

Fanatics’ promotional effort extends its stated plan [[link removed]] to lean into an existing database of more than 95 million customers following its acquisition [[link removed]] of PointsBet’s U.S. operations.

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Nielsen Backtracks on TNF, Won’t Include Amazon Viewing Data [[link removed]]

Amazon

An effort [[link removed]] championed by Amazon and the NFL to incorporate first-party streaming data into audience measurements for “Thursday Night Football” is now on hold, as Nielsen hasn’t gained the needed clearance from a key accrediting body.

At least for now, Nielsen won’t incorporate the additional data in its measurement reports without the approval of the Media Rating Council, which sets industry measurement standards.

“We remain committed to adhering to the MRC’s measurement standards,” Nielsen said. “Our aim is to ensure the process with which we introduce new ways of measuring audiences is inclusive of client feedback and held to the highest standards.”

Amazon and the NFL have supported [[link removed]] the initiative, as it would likely elevate ratings for “Thursday Night Football” and, in turn, allow for higher ad rates during the games, with billions of dollars in advertising potentially at stake.

The league has also long believed traditional methods have somewhat undercounted its audiences.

But other linear networks that carry NFL games, including ESPN, Fox, and CBS — and the Video Advertising Bureau — had publicly decried the move to incorporate the first-party data, alleging it “can help cast Amazon as an overachieving NFL outlier versus its competitors.” The parties also argued that Nielsen was abandoning its long tradition of industry independence with the shift.

Nielsen will continue to eventually incorporate the first-party data in a way that meets with MRC’s blessing, but there is no projected timetable for the endeavor.

A’s Funding For Las Vegas Stadium Faces New Challenge [[link removed]]

D. Ross Cameron-USA TODAY Sports

It seemed to be a done deal, but the Oakland A’s agreement to secure [[link removed]] public funding for the team’s planned ballpark in Las Vegas hit a new snag that could potentially derail the entire arrangement.

Schools Over Stadiums, an advocacy group linked to the Nevada State Education Association, has filed a referendum petition seeking to put the previously approved $380 million in public funding for the stadium on a statewide public ballot.

The group will need more than 102,000 valid signatures by July 2024 to qualify for the ballot in November of that year. But if successful, the A’s issue would go before Nevada voters at a time when voter support for private sports projects is often tenuous at best.

If voted down, the measure would create a funding gap in the proposed $1.5 billion project.

“Nevada’s priorities are misguided … and our goal was to ensure that public funds go to the services Nevadans depend on like our public schools, not to a California billionaire for a stadium,” said Dawn Etcheverry, Schools Over Stadiums president.

Though the A’s relocation application is now being formally reviewed by a MLB committee, the latest development extends a series of problematic issues surrounding the effort.

Since June, the A’s have acknowledged [[link removed]] initial stadium renderings used to help secure the public funding were garbage, A’s owner John Fisher has pushed back [[link removed]] against fans protesting the team’s intended move and on-field performance, and plans have emerged [[link removed]] suggesting the Las Vegas stadium will rely in part on a controversial underground tunnel system.

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Conversation Starters This season, Lamar Jackson will be the highest-paid player in the NFL. At $80 million in salary and bonuses, Jackson is making nearly double the next highest-paid player. Check out [[link removed]] the full list. Chiefs star Travis Kelce told Front Office Sports Today that NFL contracts [[link removed]] should be based on how well players fit into a team’s schemes. Kansas City Chiefs star defensive end missed Thursday’s NFL opener against the Detroit Lions due to a contract dispute. But he has found some time to make some special deliveries. [[link removed]] Editor's Picks IPO Could Reportedly Value Wilson Parent at $10 Billion [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]The NFL, NBA, NCAA, and U.S. Open tennis use Wilson game balls. Senate Calls For Second PGA Tour-LIV Golf Hearing [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]So far, no PGA Tour execs have been requested to appear. Five Plead Guilty in State Betting Probe Ahead of Iowa-Iowa State Game [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]The current and former players pleaded guilty to lesser charges. Colorado Spurs Fox Big Noon Saturday Week 1 Viewership Record [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]It marked a 17% increase over last year's Big Noon Saturday average. Question Of The Day

How often do you go to sports bars?

Very Often [[link removed]] Often [[link removed]] Sometimes [[link removed]] Never [[link removed]]

Thursday’s Answer

17% of respondents prefer to make purchases with cash, 79% prefer credit cards, and 4% prefer other apps.

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 Greg Lee [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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