October 10, 2023

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The NHL career of Chicago Blackhawks rookie phenom Connor Bedard begins in earnest tonight, and only a small collection of athletes before him can fully understand the immense pressure already resting on the 18-year-old’s shoulders. After the Blackhawks went through three straight non-playoff seasons, an ugly abuse scandal, and this summer’s death of longtime team owner Rocky Wirtz, expectations are now through the roof for Bedard.

Will the fans who fueled meteoric increases in team ticket sales be patient and forgiving during what will likely be a slow, arduous rebuild? It’s already one of the most compelling storylines of the league’s new season.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

MLB Momentum Takes Hit From Playoff Ratings Dip, Format Debate [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic

Major League Baseball’s hopes [[link removed]] to ride its resurgent regular season into the postseason have hit an initial speed bump.

The league recorded an 18% decline in average viewership for the wild card round, as the four two-game sweeps on ABC, ESPN, and ESPN2 collectively averaged 2.25 million viewers, down from last year’s average of 2.73 million.

Besides this initial lack of drama, viewership also suffered from the heavy slate of midweek day games, as the quadruple-headers held last Tuesday and Wednesday featured two 3:08 p.m. ET starts and two at 4:38 p.m. The daytime starts also further amplified the Tampa Bay Rays’ existing attendance struggles [[link removed]].

Last year’s wild card round was primarily played on a Friday and Saturday — and included a winner-take-all Sunday night primetime game.

October Angst

MLB has staged its postseason as some form of a tournament since initially moving to divisional play in 1969. But the current 12-team, four-round playoff format introduced last year is receiving a fresh round of criticism and debate [[link removed]] as the four top teams with byes into the Division Series immediately ran into on-field challenges.

The Baltimore Orioles, the American League’s top seed, and the Los Angeles Dodgers, No. 2 in the National League, are both already down 2-0 in their respective best-of-five series and now face elimination on the road. The Atlanta Braves, the NL’s top seed, and Houston Astros, No. 2 in the AL, each lost home-field advantage in their respective series.

Those four teams each had five off days between the end of the regular season and the start of the Division Series — a notable departure from baseball’s normal, everyday routine.

“It’s more tournament-style now, more March Madness in October,” said TBS announcer Ron Darling during the network’s coverage of the Dodgers-Arizona Diamondbacks series.

Potential Gonzaga-Big 12 Move Has ‘Overwhelming Support’ [[link removed]]

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

The Big 12’s quest for further expansion may have some kinks to work out, but Gonzaga appears to have a good chance of entering the conference if it wants to.

Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark has “overwhelming support” from the majority of school presidents and athletic directors in his effort to add Gonzaga, a source told Front Office Sports. The presidents have given Yormark permission to fully vet Gonzaga’s addition and pursue it in greater detail.

This week, news leaked that the Big 12 and Gonzaga had resumed [[link removed]] talks, which initially began in 2022, for the Bulldogs to be the 17th member of the Big 12 for all sports except football. But then USA Today [[link removed]] reported that there was some internal pushback among several Big 12 administrators about adding another high-level men’s basketball program.

The addition would strengthen an already powerful basketball conference that’s home to recent national champions Kansas and Baylor.

That pushback is coming from a few athletic directors, the same source tells FOS. The school presidents would ultimately be the ones to vote on the matter.

Numbers Game

Adding a 17th school — Gonzaga or any other — would almost certainly mean the Big 12 would seek to bring on a second new school to get to an even 18. Connecticut was also in discussions [[link removed]] to join the Big 12 during the most recent phase of realignment.

Next season, the Big Ten is growing to 18 schools for all sports, including football, with the additions of Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington.

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Joint Bid Trend Dominating Major Soccer Tournaments [[link removed]]

Jessica Alcheh-USA TODAY Sports

There is strength in numbers — especially when it comes to hosting the world’s best soccer players for premier international events.

UEFA’s decision [[link removed]] on which countries will host the Euro 2028 and 2032 tournaments furthers a growing trend of neighboring nations partnering on successful bids for top-tier events.

Over the next decade, soccer’s biggest tournaments will be played across multiple countries:

2026 FIFA World Cup: United States, Mexico, and Canada 2028 UEFA Euro: Ireland and U.K. 2030 [[link removed]] FIFA World Cup: Morocco, Portugal, Spain (opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay) 2032 UEFA Euro: Italy and Turkey

The emerging strategy follows a successful FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, the first joint-hosting duties in that tournament’s history. Those countries expressed interest in hosting a men’s World Cup — potentially the 2034 edition — but face stiff competition [[link removed]] from Saudi Arabia.

The U.S. and Mexico are also bidding together [[link removed]] for the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup.

Japan and South Korea are the only countries to have jointly hosted a men’s World Cup previously, doing so in 2002. Four Euro editions have been hosted by multiple countries since its inception in 1960.

Better Together

Multiple countries partnering together for major bids not only eases the financial and logistical burdens of hosting said tournaments, but also makes it easier for interested nations to gain support.

Once FIFA decides on a host for the 2034 World Cup, there will likely be a lull in hosting announcements, as the next major tournament would be Euro 2036.

Conversation Starters Atlanta Falcons owner Arthur Blank and his foundation are donating [[link removed]] $750,000 to Israeli medical centers and emergency service United Hatzalah. Blank, who is Jewish, has donated millions to Jewish organizations over the years. Advertising on the $2.3 billion MSG Sphere costs $450,000 for a four-hour window on a single day. On Monday night, the Sphere was lit up [[link removed]] for the Raiders-Packers contest on “Monday Night Football.” The Calgary Flames have finalized an agreement to build a new $880 million arena district replacing the Saddledome. Check out [[link removed]] renderings of the project, which will begin construction in 2025.

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.

There are only 10 days remaining to take the 2023 employee survey! Take the survey [[link removed]] by October 20 for a chance to recognize your company as one of the best in the business.

Editor's Picks NFL’s Massive Viewership Continues, With or Without Taylor Swift [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Both CBS and NBC had strong NFL Week 5 viewership numbers. Shad Khan Weighs Jaguars’ Future In Jacksonville, London [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Jacksonville is coming off two consecutive games across the pond. Brian Boucher’s New Perspective [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]TNT's new "Between the Boards" reporter talks on-ice NHL reporting. Get in on the Action

Front Office Sports is partnering with Splash Sports to bring you Weeks 6-8 Pick X Contest [[link removed]]!

Attempt to select the winner for 16 games per slate, and get one point for each correct selection. Select the most correct answers and be one of three winners to be awarded a cash prize! Deadline to sign up is October 15, 2023.

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