September 12, 2023

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I have many friends and colleagues who are New York Jets fans, and I can only try to understand the depth of their frustration and despair as bad luck befalls the franchise year after year. The latest dose arrived Monday night with star quarterback Aaron Rodgers’ season-ending injury — which will trigger seismic business impacts around the league. But the team’s improbable overtime win showed again why Jets fans continue to believe.

Meanwhile, the newly formed TKO Group Holdings has big ambitions following the massive UFC-WWE merger, and suspended Michigan State football coach Mel Tucker pushes back on sexual harassment accusations.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Rodgers’ Season-Ending Injury Carries Huge Business Impacts [[link removed]]

Danielle Parhizkaran/NorthJersey.com / USA TODAY NETWORK

Aaron Rodgers’ 2023 season with the New York Jets lasted just four plays — and now, the business of the NFL will have to change its marquee coverage plans for the team.

MRI results on Tuesday confirmed the four-time league MVP — whose arrival in New York this year created a frenzy of business and media activity in and around the NFL — tore his left Achilles tendon and will miss the rest of the season.

The Jets are currently scheduled [[link removed]] for six prime-time appearances and four more in the Sunday late-afternoon window — including a highly anticipated Sept. 17 matchup at Dallas and the first-ever Black Friday game [[link removed]] on Amazon.

Some of those games can — and likely will — be shifted according to the league’s varying flex-scheduling rules [[link removed]]. But networks’ preseason expectations [[link removed]] to ride Rodgers to big ratings boosts have been immediately dashed.

Things are still more uncertain for the Jets themselves. Rodgers’ three-year, $112.5 million contract [[link removed]] includes $75 million in guaranteed money, and it is as yet unclear whether the 39-year-old will use the injury as an opening to retire. Rodgers previously said he intended to play more than one season with the Jets.

The Case Against Turf

MetLife Stadium’s turf — in which Rodgers caught his foot trying to avoid a sack — is a central component in this situation. A new field featuring an updated version of FieldTurf was installed [[link removed]] earlier this year at the facility with the specific intent on reducing injuries.

The NFL Players Association and individual players, including Rodgers, have long advocated [[link removed]] for the removal of such artificial playing surfaces in favor of natural grass.

TKO $21B Merger Closes With Aggressive Ambitions [[link removed]]

Michelle Farsi/Zuffa LLC

Created from the $21.4 billion merger of Endeavor’s UFC and WWE, the newly formed TKO Group Holdings aims to create a “premium sports and entertainment company” accelerating the two properties’ existing growth trajectories.

The long-planned merger [[link removed]] officially closed [[link removed]] Tuesday, and public trading began on the New York Stock Exchange.

Despite some elements of uncertainty [[link removed]] — including potentially higher-than-expected merger expenses and fallout from Vince McMahon’s legal issues — company officials intend to develop a world-leading organization building on an existing audience of more than 1 billion across 180 countries.

“We want to leverage these two great content creators, take one-plus-one, and create a five-or-six situation,” Lawrence Epstein, UFC EVP and COO, told Front Office Sports.

Endeavor will have a 51% controlling interest in TKO, while existing WWE shareholders hold a 49% interest. Endeavor CEO Ari Emanuel will have the same role at TKO and work in both capacities, while Endeavor president and COO Mark Shapiro will also work in a dual executive role. Dana White will serve as UFC CEO, while Nick Khan continues as WWE president.

The deal includes a $9.3 billion enterprise value on WWE and a $12.1 billion figure for UFC.

Notably, McMahon will cede control of WWE after more than 40 years, though he remains TKO executive chairman.

The merger has implied maximizing “cost synergies,” including an as-yet-undetermined number of layoffs. “We promised synergies, and we’re going to meet or exceed those promises,” Khan told Front Office Sports. “But this is going to be done in a surgical and thoughtful way.”

New Media Rights Coming

One of the first major items on TKO’s agenda will be the ongoing media rights negotiations of WWE’s Raw and SmackDown, which have deals expiring next year.

Khan said TKO is well along in talks with potential partners and has expects to boost its current fees, which total about $468 million per year.

“We’re pretty deep into the process, and the marketplace is responding as we hoped,” Khan said. “We think things are going to work out as our shareholders want them to.”

A separate UFC deal with ESPN runs through 2025.

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My Other Passion: Elena Delle Donne

[[link removed]]

As one of the WNBA’s biggest stars in the last decade, Elena Delle Donne is mostly known for her work on the court. But like many professional athletes – Elena has her own passions off the field.

In our new series, My Other Passion, presented by Chevrolet, we hit the outdoors [[link removed]] with some of the most recognizable athletes in sports to explore their interests outside the arena.

Learn how hiking helps Elena Delle Donne find peace away from the court, the importance of always moving and staying active, and how her family inspires her to push through adversity.

Watch episode two [[link removed]] now.

Michigan State Coach Denies Allegations Amid Unpaid Suspension [[link removed]]

Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK

In a lengthy statement [[link removed]], suspended Michigan State football head coach Mel Tucker denied allegations that he sexually harassed Brenda Tracy, who had been working with Tucker and the university to educate athletes on sexual violence.

MSU suspended [[link removed]] Tucker without pay Sunday after USA Today reported [[link removed]] the existence of a Title IX investigation into Tucker’s conduct with Tracy. Michigan State interim president Teresa Woodruff said the school won’t take further action until the investigation has concluded.

The university scheduled an Oct. 5 hearing to determine if Tucker violated school policy and would thus be subject to termination for cause — in which case the university wouldn’t have to pay out the $75 million-plus remaining on Tucker’s contract.

In his rebuttal, Tucker called the upcoming hearing a “sham” and claimed that the investigation is outside the scope of Title IX and school policies — though sexual harassment is a crime and would still fall under termination for cause.

Michigan Gov. Gretchen Whitmer commented [[link removed]] on the investigation saying, “As a survivor, I’m shocked. As a Spartan, I’m disappointed. As Governor, I want answers.”

The Stakes

In the midst of an 11-2 season for the Spartans in 2021, Tucker signed a 10-year, $95 million contract that makes him sixth-highest-paid coach in college football [[link removed]] and would keep him in East Lansing until 2032.

The deal was fully guaranteed, meaning the 51-year-old would still be entitled to the money if he were fired for performance alone. Pending the results of the investigation, MSU could avoid paying him almost $80 million.

Conversation Starters Colorado’s win over Nebraska scored [[link removed]] 8.73 million viewers on Saturday — making it Fox’s most-watched Pac-12 regular-season game ever. Meanwhile, Texas-Alabama was ESPN’s most-watched college football game since 2015, averaging [[link removed]] 8.8 million viewers and peaking at 10.7 million. A star receiver at Stephen F. Austin, Xavier Gipson still went undrafted [[link removed]]. He signed with the Jets as a free agent — but didn’t know he made the roster until a week ago. On Monday night, Gipson scored a 65-yard walk-off punt-return TD to beat the Bills in overtime.

SPONSORED BY MAGNIFI

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Connected devices have thoroughly transformed the way sports media is consumed, creating a digital divide [[link removed]] as viewership fragments across platforms and screens.

For sports organizations and broadcasters, understanding how, what, and where fans are consuming sports media is essential to effectively engage and adapt to constantly changing viewership preferences. As an increasing number of viewers consume media in short, snackable portions, game highlights have emerged as a preferred viewing choice, particularly among younger generations.

Delivering relevant short-form content on-demand is the key to connecting with the sports fan community. But how can stakeholders be “everywhere at once” and bridge the digital divide in sports fandom? By harnessing the power and speed of AI-powered technologies [[link removed]] to create highlights in real time, to be consumed by fans immediately.

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Editor's Picks AI Robots Take Seats At NFL Game [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]Disney used SoFi Stadium to promote its upcoming science fiction movie. NFL Games On Nickelodeon Have Been A Hit. Disney Wants To Replicate [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Disney and ESPN are planning a kids-focused alternate telecast of NFL game. Reporter Jim Trotter Sues NFL, Alleges NFL Owner Made Racist Remark [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Trotter alleged Terry Pegula made a "highly offensive and racist" remark. Careers in Sports

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