September 26, 2023

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Sean McManus, the man who’s been calling the shots at CBS Sports for nearly three decades, is stepping away in April 2024 — leaving a big hole in the sports media landscape. McManus and his cool, reserved style has played a leading role in how we watch sports on TV, overseeing an extensive array of programming and technology innovations.

The man filling his shoes: David Berson, who has been instrumental in bringing talents like Tony Romo, JJ Watt, and Nate Burleson to the network.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

NFL’s Swift Mania Starting To Show Impact Through Merch Sales, Viewership [[link removed]]

Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports

It’s been two days since Taylor Swift took over the NFL’s coveted late-Sunday afternoon window by attending the Chicago Bears-Kansas City Chiefs game amid rumors she’s dating star tight end Travis Kelce.

Now, evidence is mounting that the pop star’s appearance at Arrowhead Stadium is positively impacting all parties involved.

The Fox broadcast of Chiefs-Bears, which drew 24.3 million viewers, was the most-watched game of the week and topped many key female demographic categories. While the overall number is down from the late-afternoon Week 3 window in 2022 — a Green Bay Packers’ win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers drew [[link removed]] 26.39 million viewers — Fox reportedly saw an increase [[link removed]] in the female 12-17 demo, up 8.1% from Week 3 last year.

Data from Roku TVs shows [[link removed]] that Chiefs-Bears earned a 63% increase in female viewers age 18-49 over the Chiefs-Jacksonville Jaguars game last week, which aired on CBS at 1 p.m. ET.

The Chiefs’ next game this weekend is a “Sunday Night Football” matchup at the New York Jets — and Swift has a home in New York.

Kelce’s Spotlight

The affiliation with Swift is increasing interest in Kelce, too.

Fanatics saw a nearly 400% spike [[link removed]] in the tight end’s jersey sales after Sunday’s game, making him a top-five seller in the NFL.

Meanwhile, “New Heights with Jason and Travis Kelce” — the podcast co-hosted by the star NFL brothers — currently ranks first on the Apple charts and fourth in Spotify’s rankings, where it’s also the top sports podcast.

Ratcliffe Reworking Bid To Buy Manchester United [[link removed]]

Manchester United FC

There’s seemingly no end in sight to the saga of the potential sale of Manchester United by its heavily criticized owners, but one of the remaining bidders is still pushing to acquire the team.

Jim Ratcliffe, who is believed to be battling with Qatari Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani should the Glazer family decide to sell Man United, has reworked his $6.25 billion bid to better accommodate concerns from the minority investors who would remain if he bought the club, according to multiple reports.

It’s not the first time Ratcliffe has altered the terms of his bid: The English businessman previously offered [[link removed]] the Glazers the ability to keep minority stakes in Man United.

The billionaire has offered [[link removed]] to acquire 69% of Man United, which would not benefit the shareholders of the remaining 31% of the club. It’s unclear how Ratcliffe’s new bid would specifically alleviate any concerns.

It’s also unknown if this reworked bid would satisfy the Glazers enough to actually pull the trigger on selling Man United. Despite announcing last November that ownership would explore a sale, United continues to operate as if no changes are imminent.

Recent activity has included a record $75 million annual shirt sponsorship [[link removed]] and $115 million annual kit deal [[link removed]] with Adidas. Over the summer, United issued a strong earnings report [[link removed]], further showcasing the club’s intrinsic value.

This year, United was second [[link removed]] on Forbes list of most valuable soccer clubs, as other English clubs like Chelsea also soar [[link removed]] in value.

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Sounders Eye Leaving Lumen Field For Soccer-Specific Stadium [[link removed]]

Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Soccer’s Seattle Sounders have been an unqualified success by any metric. The league’s winningest team since their arrival in 2009, the Sounders have won two MLS Cups and placed no lower than third in attendance in any season.

Now, they’re looking for a home stadium to match their reputation.

Team president of business operations Hugh Weber told [[link removed]] the independent Sounder At Heart outlet that the Sounders are considering leaving Lumen Field, the stadium they share with the NFL’s Seattle Seahawks, for their own facility.

“Lumen Field has been a great home, but having a soccer-centric stadium is always the dream of any premier MLS club,” Weber said. “It’s always something we’re contemplating and thinking about.”

The issue raises a complex dynamic for MLS and its individual clubs. League commissioner Don Garber has made showcasing the sport in dedicated facilities a hallmark of his tenure, and only seven MLS teams don’t play in soccer-specific stadiums — but they include the league’s top three attendance averages [[link removed]] this season and its four largest seating capacities, including Seattle.

The number of clubs without their own venues will continue to decrease with projects [[link removed]] such as NYCFC’s forthcoming stadium in Queens.

Suburban Complex

A new Sounders stadium would likely be situated in suburban Renton, Washington, where the club plans [[link removed]] to open a new training facility next year. The 158-acre site, which was the former Longacres Racetrack and later a Boeing office park, will include four full-size practice fields and 50,000 square feet of office space.

“There’s definitely room on the site [for a stadium],” Weber said. “There’s a lot of exploration that has to happen in terms of is it even a thing our fanbase would consider a positive? I’d be remiss and not honest if I said we weren’t thinking about it and how we can solve for it.”

Conversation Starters Deion Sanders has filed five [[link removed]] new trademarks for catchphrases. This week in NIL innovation: The Iowa Pork Producers Association has signed [[link removed]] four Iowa State football players to NIL deals — and when you combine their last names, you get “Purchase Moore Hamann Bacon.” Before the A’s final home game of the season, someone flew a plane over Oakland Coliseum with a pointed message [[link removed]] for the mother of owner John Fisher.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Are You One Of The Best Employers In Sports?

Whether it’s great leadership, focus on diversity, equity and inclusion or commitment to employee wellbeing, the Front Office Sports Best Employers in Sports Award [[link removed]]recognizes organizations who do right by their employees.

How do we determine who wins the award? We don’t — employees do! The award is based entirely on anonymous survey results from sports industry professionals.

Responses will be evaluated in collaboration with our primary research partner, Canvs [[link removed]], using patented AI technology free from all subjectivity and human bias. There is no word count limit and you can even use slang, text abbreviations, sarcasm or emojis to complete the survey.

The 2023 employee survey is now open through October 20. Take the survey [[link removed]] and tell us why your organization should make the cut.

Editor's Picks CBS Nets 13-Year High in September NFL Viewership [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]This month’s NFL on CBS broadcasts averaged 18.69 million viewers. Amazon Gets Back-to-Back ‘Thursday Night Football’ Ratings Wins [[link removed]]by Andrew Cohen [[link removed]]Amazon's TNF viewership is up 21% through two weeks over last season. NFL Fans Can Now Bet On Games While Streaming [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]BetVision will allow users to bet while watching NFL games. GIVEAWAY

We’re giving away TEN (10) slots to ask Tony Reali a live one-on-one question and snap a selfie with him. Enter here to win [[link removed]]! The contest ends on October 4, 2023. See full contest terms and conditions here [[link removed]].

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