October 5, 2023

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First it was NBC, and now Amazon and Apple want [[link removed]] a slice of the expanding College Football Playoff, too. I’ll be excited to see how the broadcasting packages end up. We may not know much about the future landscape of college football, but we know one thing won’t change: Media rights money is king.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

NFL, Kelce At Odds On Taylor Swift Coverage [[link removed]]

Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports

Is there no such thing as too much publicity?

The relationship between Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift has turned the NFL into a pop culture media circus since the pop superstar first attended the Kansas City Chiefs-Chicago Bears game at Arrowhead Stadium two weeks ago.

But after NBC cut away to Taylor Swift 17 times [[link removed]] during the Chiefs-Jets “Sunday Night Football” broadcast and showed two commercials for her new movie, the man at the center of it all believes the hype may be getting too big.

“They’re overdoing it a little bit for sure, especially my situation,” Kelce said [[link removed]] on “New Heights,” the podcast he co-hosts with his brother, Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce.

The Chiefs-Jets game drew 27 million viewers, making it the most-watched Sunday broadcast [[link removed]] since Super Bowl LVII in February. NBC drew about 2 million more female viewers than its season average so far for “SNF.”

The Chiefs play at Minnesota on Sunday, then two more home games, and finally a matchup at Denver before Swift begins the international leg of The Eras Tour on Nov. 9. It remains to be seen whether she will attend any more of Kelce’s games this season.

Musical Chairs

The Swift-Kelce hype has already gotten so big that the NFL has had to defend its promotion of the relationship.

“The Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce news has been a pop cultural moment we’ve leaned into in real time, as it’s an intersection of sport and entertainment, and we’ve seen an incredible amount of positivity around the sport,” the league said in a statement.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“These discussions are very preliminary — a lot of media companies are interested — but there’s a possibility that at least a slice of the College Football Playoff is on a streaming platform.”

— Amanda Christovich, Front Office Sports reporter, on Apple and Amazon exploring media rights for the expanded CFP in 2026. To hear more from Christovich on the CFP, check out the latest episode of FOS Today.

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

Colorado Has Coach Prime For Now. How Long Will He Stay? [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Deion Sanders is five games into his tenure as head football coach of the Colorado Buffaloes, but some are already wondering how long he’ll stay in Boulder.

Sanders’ five-year, $29.5 million contract makes him the 32nd-highest-paid coach in college football. This week, Coach Prime was asked if he would be interested in signing a lifetime contract with Colorado.

“That’s a wonderful gesture. I love it,” Sanders said. “But I’m smart enough to know, and old and wise enough to know, that that can flip on you instantaneously.”

By all indications, Sanders won’t be a one-and-done with the Buffaloes, at the very least. The coach has pushed back on the idea [[link removed]] that his son, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders, will declare for the 2024 NFL Draft, meaning the two could have another season together in college.

On The Move?

Before joining Colorado, Sanders was the head coach at Jackson State for three seasons, following two different head coaching stints at high schools in Texas. Sanders was also an offensive coordinator for four seasons prior to that.

As an NFL player, Sanders was never with one team for more than five years, ultimately playing for five different franchises. Sanders’ MLB career took him to six different organizations.

No matter how Colorado — currently unranked with a 3-2 record — ends the season, it won’t be surprising to hear reports of other colleges trying to lure Sanders this winter. And if Coach Prime can develop a strong contender in Boulder, interest from deeper-pocketed schools will only grow for 2024 and beyond.

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Brewers Owner Backtracks, Wants To Stay In Milwaukee [[link removed]]

Michael McLoone-USA TODAY Sports

The Milwaukee Brewers are backtracking on their prior, not-so-veiled threat to potentially relocate without a solid deal to renovate American Family Field.

In August, a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel story pointed to fast-growing frustration with the state of stadium talks with Wisconsin legislators, stating that exploration of a relocation could begin this fall. Team sources then corroborated [[link removed]] the substance of that report to Front Office Sports.

Now, team owner Mark Attanasio says [[link removed]] there was never a desire to leave Milwaukee, where the franchise began playing in 1970.

“I’ve never considered going anywhere else,” Attanasio said. “Right now, our lease runs until 2030, and … it’s toward the late innings of making sure we’ll be here until 2050, and that’s our sole focus.”

The changed sentiment from Attanasio and the Brewers closely follows sharply heightened engagement [[link removed]] by state politicians to complete both an extended lease with the team and a plan to improve the 22-year-old stadium. A recently unveiled proposal by Republican lawmakers worth more than $600 million would fund a growing list [[link removed]] of needed renovations at the ballpark.

“The word ‘consensus’ is usually not a word used in [state capital] Madison these days, but I’m hearing really good talks and discussions from people. They want to objectively make this work,” said Rick Schlesinger, the Brewers’ president of business operations.

The issue will be revived Thursday, when the Wisconsin Assembly’s Committee on State Affairs holds a hearing on the stadium funding.

Saudi Golf Ambitions Undeterred By PGA Tour Investment Reports [[link removed]]

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The future of professional golf remains murky as a Dec. 31 deadline looms for the PGA Tour, DP World Tour, and Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund to finalize an agreement that would invest billions of dollars into the game.

Despite reports of alternative investment interest [[link removed]] in the Tour from U.S.-based entities, the PIF’s leadership continues to show signs of optimism for a deal.

On Thursday, PIF governor Yasir Al-Rumayyan will play in the Alfred Dunhill Links Championship — a popular pro-am event on the DP World Tour — in the same group as R&A CEO Martin Slumbers. It will mark another significant welcoming of Al-Rumayyan, who met [[link removed]] with Slumbers at the Open Championship.

In July, Slumbers said [[link removed]] the Open wouldn’t rule out potentially taking investment money from the PIF at some point.

The PGA Tour says it remains committed to completing a deal with the PIF, reiterating commissioner Jay Monohan’s confidence [[link removed]] that a definitive agreement will be reached by the end of the year.

Since the reports of U.S. investor interest have emerged, speculation has started as to whether the PGA Tour is getting cold feet about the Saudi deal. Any backtracking now by any of the three parties involved would certainly create a chaotic fallout.

But if the PGA Tour does opt for U.S. investors over the PIF, it’s fair to wonder if the DP World Tour would still align itself with the PGA Tour as planned — or look to create its own alliance with the PIF.

Conversation Starters Would New England Patriots mastermind Bill Belichick be a good TV analyst? Vote in our poll [[link removed]]. Texas has an enormous, multi-level [[link removed]] bar right next to the Rangers’ ballpark. John Urschel played three NFL seasons with the Baltimore Ravens while writing [[link removed]] academic papers in his free time. Now, after retiring to focus on his PhD, Urschel has joined MIT as a professor of mathematics.

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Editor's Picks ESPN To Air RedZone-Style NHL Whiparound Show [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]John Buccigross will moderate "Frozen Frenzy" from ESPN’s studios. NBC Is Interested in Expanded College Football Playoff Media Rights [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]] and Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]NBC is one of the networks pitching the CFP, a source confirmed. [[link removed]] Who Is Highest-Paid Coach in College Football? [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]] and Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Saban remains atop highest-paid head coaches getting over $11 million annually. 2030 World Cup First to Span Multiple Continents [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will all host matches. Question Of The Day

Would you consider purchasing pet insurance?

N/A [[link removed]] I already have it [[link removed]] Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Wednesday’s Answer

79% of respondents own/wear a watch.

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 Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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