September 25, 2023

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Sunday was a day of headlines for the NFL on and off the field.

On the field, the Miami Dolphins delivered a stunning 70-20 beatdown of the Denver Broncos, and in doing so, the 1077th unique final score in NFL history. Off the field, the NFL is gearing up for more international games, this time in Spain and Brazil; Usher will take center stage as the headliner for Super Bowl LVIII, and Taylor Swift was spotted cheering on Travis Kelce in Kansas City.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Diamondbacks Push For Public Help To Upgrade Chase Field [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

The Arizona Diamondbacks have seen an accelerating wave of facility deals around Major League Baseball, with Baltimore [[link removed]], Milwaukee [[link removed]], Tampa [[link removed]], Cleveland [[link removed]], Pittsburgh [[link removed]], and Oakland [[link removed]] all making progress this year to varying degrees on new or upgraded facilities.

Now, the franchise would like its turn.

Team president and CEO Derrick Hall told [[link removed]] the Arizona Republic that the franchise would like to remain at Chase Field, their current downtown Phoenix home, but have not found the public-private agreement necessary to fund $400 million to $500 million in facility upgrades.

“We don’t have our hand out, but if you look at some of the other situations very similar to ours — like Milwaukee, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Baltimore — in each case, they are getting strong investments from the public, from a mixture of city/county/state, and we just aren’t. Would I welcome that? Absolutely. I’m just still trying to weigh if there’s any help we can get from anybody.”

The Diamondbacks, whose lease with the stadium expires in 2027, can activate a previously approved tax district and implement a 1% to 9% tax on anything sold at Chase Field. Still, the team is seeking to avoid that direct taxation of attending fans for now.

There have also been some talks [[link removed]] about a potential new Diamondbacks facility, but those have taken more of a back seat of late to the renovation discussions.

Hall said the team would be willing to pay more than 75% of the Chase Field upgrade costs and pursue an Atlanta Braves-style mixed-use development increasingly in vogue across the industry. But he added the ballpark is also grappling with a growing list of needs, including increasingly outdated air conditioning, scoreboard, and lighting systems.

“It’s a 26-year-old building in the middle of the desert,” he said. “I’m willing to invest in it, but I’ve got to know that I’m going to be here, and that’s why it’s so critical that we start that timeline as soon as we can.”

PODCAST

🎙️ Front Office Sports Today

On today’s episode, FOS Today host Owen Poindexter breaks down the two additional international locations the NFL is eyeing to host games, Super Bowl LVIII’s halftime performer, and why the Jaguars are threatening relocation if they don’t get around $1 billion in public funding.

Plus, he sits down with NFL Network’s Jamie Erdahl to discuss her career, the growth of “Good Morning Football,” and which people in the NFL are the best interviews.

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

Colorado Blowout Loss Slows Down Coach Prime Frenzy [[link removed]]

Chris Pietsch / USA TODAY NETWORK

The Colorado football team and head coach Deion Sanders faced their first significant obstacle in the month-long national frenzy over the team and its head coach.

After Sanders led Colorado to a 3-0 start — in turn driving [[link removed]] tens of millions in earned media for the university, network rivalries [[link removed]], ticket furor [[link removed]], ratings surges [[link removed]], and even extra sunglasses sales [[link removed]] — Oregon dominated the Buffaloes 42-6 on Saturday.

The loss dropped No. 19 Colorado out of the AP Top 25.

“Good old-fashioned butt-kicking. No excuses, no nothing,” Sanders said.

Before the game, Oregon coach Dan Lanning, with ESPN cameras rolling, told his team, “The [Colorado] Cinderella story’s over, men. They’re fighting for clicks. We’re fighting for wins. There’s a difference.”

No. 8 USC will head to Boulder to face Colorado on Saturday, providing another pivotal test for Coach Prime and Colorado with the Trojans a 23.5-point favorite.

The drubbing in Eugene has led to an immediate course correction on the ticket resale market. After soaring to the most expensive ticket in college football, low-end tickets for the USC game have fallen by more than $100 and can now be bought for as low as $260 each on multiple platforms.

The Colorado-USC game, however, will remain Fox’s “Big Noon Saturday” broadcast that day. The matchup will be the Buffaloes’ fifth-straight nationally televised game, and is expected [[link removed]] to draw another celebrity-filled crowd. FS1’s “Undisputed” will also air from Boulder before the matchup.

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Fox Opts For College Sports Over WWE Post-UFC Merger [[link removed]]

Syndication: The Columbus Dispatch

Fox appears to be choosing live sports over scripted entertainment after ending its five-year, billion-dollar run with the WWE.

In October 2024, WWE’s Friday night showcase “SmackDown” will transition from Fox to USA Network under a reported five-year, $1.4 billion deal [[link removed]] with NBCUniversal. Fox had reportedly been paying about $205 million a year for the rights.

The move will leave Fox with a programming void on Friday nights — and college sports could be the network’s top choice to fill those primetime slots.

Along with CBS and NBC, Fox has Big Ten football rights in the fall thanks to the conference’s $7 billion deal with the network, although it’s unclear exactly how much Fox is paying. It also has Big 12 rights [[link removed]] that it splits with ESPN for what will be $380 million a year. In the winter and early spring, Fox has Big East basketball rights, for which it is paying [[link removed]] at least $40 million annually.

That would give Fox a full weekend slate of live sports from Friday night through Sunday evening, using a mix of college football, basketball, and the NFL from September into January. And that’s not to mention the network’s MLB rights, which include some of the playoffs and the entire World Series.

Wrestling For Rights

NBCU’s USA, which broadcast “SmackDown” before it moved to Fox in 2019, also has the rights to WWE’s “Raw” on Monday nights, as well as “NXT,” but could face competition to retain the former package. Disney is reportedly among the companies interested [[link removed]] in acquiring some WWE rights.

New Senators Owner Andlauer Stresses Caution In Arena Pursuit [[link removed]]

National Hockey League

Newly installed Ottawa Senators owner Michael Andlauer wasted no time making his mark on the franchise, immediately bringing back popular former team executive Cyril Reeder as CEO. But when it comes to perhaps the biggest decisions of all for the Senators — how and where to build a new arena — Andlauer is taking a much more cautious path.

Andlauer on Friday was formally introduced as the Senators’ new owner a day after his league-record $950 million purchase of the team was approved [[link removed]] by the NHL Board of Governors and subsequently closed.

Long before Andlauer’s arrival, the Senators have been actively seeking to supplant the 27-year-old Canadian Tire Centre and build a new arena, with downtown Ottawa’s LeBreton Flats long been seen [[link removed]] as the preferred site.

But Andlauer cautioned much still needs to be done before that becomes the Senators’ definitive plan, including working out myriad details with the city of Ottawa and Canada’s National Capital Commission. Earlier this year, Ottawa mayor Mark Sutcliffe also suggested [[link removed]] several other potential sites.

“The most important thing is what’s important for the fans,” Andlauer said. “If I can increase the fan experience, that’s what I’m here for. So, probably the fans will help me dictate where the best place will be.”

Andlauer did call the LeBreton Flats property “the best piece of land that’s available for development in probably any major city in North America.” But in these early days of his ownership, Andlauer stressed that “I like options.”

“We’re all going in the same direction,” Andlauer said of working with city, provincial, and national leaders on the arena effort. “So it’s a matter of collaborating, working together, and seeing what works.”

Canadiens Stake

Andlauer has been a limited partner of the Montreal Canadiens, and league rules dictate that he must divest that equity. The process to do that is underway, and Canadiens owner Geoff Molson has first right of refusal to buy back that interest.

That situation is similar to Josh Harris’ move [[link removed]] to sell his Pittsburgh Steelers equity after acquiring the Washington Commanders.

Conversation Starters Tennis Social Club, a “Topgolf concept for tennis,” plans to open [[link removed]] its first location in NYC. Diagnosed with Alopecia, Ellie lost 85% of her hair just before her audition [[link removed]] with Arizona Cardinals Cheer. But she still made the team — and this week, she got to meet QB Josh Dobbs, who’s had Alopecia since the 3rd grade. The first Super Bowl in Las Vegas will bring some star power as the NFL announced [[link removed]] singer Usher as the headline act for the halftime show of Super Bowl LVIII.

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Editor's Picks Savannah Bananas Break All The Rules To Hit The Mainstream [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Team concludes 2023 tour with even-bigger plans for next year Brad Stevens, Wife Invest In Boston’s Expansion NWSL Franchise [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]“It’s cool to be on that ground floor,” Stevens said. Deion Sanders Generated $45M In Earned Media For Colorado [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]From Sept.1-22, Sanders generated $45.7M for the public university. Up Next For College Football Playoffs: More Change, Money, And … Streaming? [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]Many changes are coming to the CFP when it expands to 12 teams. Question Of The Day

Are you involved in the hiring process in your role at work?

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

Friday’s Answer

19% of respondents have started a new job in the last 12 months.

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

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