October 11, 2023

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Game 1 of the WNBA Finals delivered a record [[link removed]] rating for ESPN. After a 99-82 defeat, the New York Liberty look to even up the series with the Las Vegas Aces tonight.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Shaq, Like LeBron, Wants To Own An NBA Team In Las Vegas [[link removed]]

Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports

LeBron James has talked [[link removed]] so much [[link removed]] over the last year about his desire to own an NBA expansion team in Las Vegas that it almost feels like a foregone conclusion.

Not so fast, says fellow basketball legend Shaquille O’Neal.

O’Neal, who also starred for the Los Angeles Lakers and is now a fixture on TNT’s “Inside The NBA,” told [[link removed]] The Messenger he’s also keenly eyeing the fast-growing Nevada sports market — and has no intention of partnering with James.

“I would like to have my own group,” O’Neal said. “I know Vegas hasn’t been awarded an NBA team yet, but if they ever get to a point where they are awarded a team, I would like to be a part of that. I don’t want to partner up with nobody. I want it all for myself.”

There is not yet a formal process for NBA expansion, as commissioner Adam Silver intends [[link removed]] to first complete domestic media rights deals to succeed the current ones expiring in 2025. But Las Vegas, along with Seattle, is seen as a very strong candidate.

Major facility developer Oak View Group is including an NBA arena as a central element of a planned [[link removed]] $10 billion entertainment district in Las Vegas that would also include a hotel and gaming facilities.

Like James, O’Neal has been an active [[link removed]] investor and businessman, perhaps most notably through his involvement in several national restaurant chains. O’Neal previously held an equity stake in the Sacramento Kings, which he sold early last year, telling [[link removed]] fans, “Till we meet again.”

James’ wide-ranging and growing investment portfolio is highlighted by an equity stake in Boston Red Sox, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Liverpool FC parent Fenway Sports Group.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“That’s the great thing about having 120 affiliated minor league teams — you can try a lot of things before you test it out at the big league level.”

— Newsletter co-author Eric Fisher on trying out new playoff formats in the minor leagues in response to the debate around MLB’s current format. To hear more about the MLB playoffs, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Should NFL Buy ABC? Analyst Argues League ‘Fiddling While Rome Burns’ [[link removed]]

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Disney has been swamped with potential suitors for ESPN ever since CEO Bob Iger said [[link removed]] in July that he’s open to bringing in strategic partners.

That initiative has drawn in [[link removed]] the likes of the NFL, NBA, and MLB, Amazon [[link removed]], and Verizon [[link removed]]. But a major Wall Street analyst now argues the NFL should also be looking elsewhere in Disney’s portfolio.

Needham’s Laura Martin said the NFL should consider purchasing ABC from Disney to protect the scale-oriented broadcast television exposure that is a bedrock of the league’s economics.

“The NFL is standing by and witnessing the destruction of the linear TV ecosystem, with its powerful economics that largely flow to the NFL and other sports leagues,” Martin said. “The NFL is fiddling while Rome burns, in our view.”

Disney’s ongoing reconsideration of its media assets involves all of its linear networks, including ABC.

Partly referencing the collapse of the regional sports network business and Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy [[link removed]], Martin also predicts a sharp winnowing of potential suitors in the NFL’s next round of domestic rights in 2033, perhaps only to Amazon.

“Content without distribution is worthless, no matter how good,” she said.

In the meantime, the NFL continues to draw [[link removed]] banner ratings across its domestic partners.

Activist Shareholder Returns

Eight months after abandoning his proxy fight against Disney, activist investor Nelson Peltz has reignited his pressure on the company. Now holding a Disney stake worth about $2.5 billion through his Trian Fund Management, Peltz is pursuing [[link removed]] multiple board seats, including one for himself.

If successful, Peltz could significantly influence the company’s sale of equity in assets such as ESPN and ABC. Peltz’s efforts arrive as Disney stock hit a nine-year low last week.

SPONSORED BY NFLPA

Pitch Day Gives Diverse Entrepreneurs Seat At Table

Opening doors for diverse entrepreneurs and their early-stage businesses, the 8th annual NFLPA Pitch Day [[link removed]] competition is back to connect innovative startups and early-stage companies with pro athletes and investors. This year, they are looking for applicants with businesses in targeted industries including Consumer Packaged Goods, Health Tech, and Human Performance & Wellness.

The mission behind NFLPA Pitch Day is simple. Provide entrepreneurs from underrepresented groups – women, people of color, and others– the platform and opportunity to compete for athlete-marketing and consulting services, and potential access to an NFLPA license for group licensing rights and other exclusive assets [[link removed]].

Applications are open now – learn more about NFLPA Pitch Day and how to apply here [[link removed]]!

PGA Tour Gains Leverage After LIV Denied World Rankings Points [[link removed]]

Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

LIV Golf’s application with the Official World Golf Ranking board has been denied, giving the PGA Tour an upper hand in its negotiations with Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund.

The talks have a self-imposed Dec. 31 deadline for completion.

OWGR board chair Peter Dawson cited [[link removed]] the makeup of LIV’s tournament fields as a major reason for not giving the league rankings points. With a few exceptions, LIV has largely featured the same players in every event this season, and many are signed to long-term contracts regardless of performance. Most global tours have a turnover rate of up to 25%.

Without further legitimization for LIV, its financial backers in the PIF lose some negotiating power to finalize an agreement with the PGA Tour and DP World Tour — and follow through on its desire to incorporate a team aspect into the future of professional golf.

PGA Tour commissioner Jay Monahan initially said [[link removed]] he didn’t envision a scenario where LIV would exist long-term under the new Saudi partnership, but has since provided less detail [[link removed]] regarding his vision.

Been Here Before

A year ago, LIV attempted to hastily partner with the MENA Tour to receive world rankings points, an effort that ultimately failed [[link removed]].

Prior to that, LIV had started to try to persuade [[link removed]] the OWGR to retroactively assign rankings points for its 2022 events. Its initial application was made in July 2022.

Olympic Flag Football Could Fuel NFL’s Global Ambitions [[link removed]]

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has made no secret of its accelerating international ambitions [[link removed]], and it was also a fierce advocate for flag football’s inclusion [[link removed]] in the 2028 Summer Olympics as part of the league’s broader participatory push.

Now, those two key initiatives could combine in powerful fashion.

Several current and former NFL players have already expressed interest in competing for an Olympic gold medal — something previously impossible in the sport — and they have the league’s support.

“Through this process, a number of great young stars of the league have said how great it would be to represent their country and play flag,” NFL executive vice president Peter O’Reilly told [[link removed]] Reuters.

Details have not yet been finalized, and the IOC still must grant final approval to the request of the LA28 organizing committee to include flag football, along with baseball and softball, cricket, lacrosse, and squash. It also remains to be seen how receptive some teams owners will be to having their top talent competing outside the existing NFL structure, even in a non-contact setting.

But the inclusion of flag football offers up the possibility of creating “Dream Teams” in the sport — and not necessarily just with the U.S. squad.

The 1992 men’s Olympic basketball team — the first Dream Team that included NBA players in the Olympics — helped fuel a meteoric rise in fan interest in that league, and a similar situation could develop for the NFL.

“Calling all @NFL guys, let’s bring one home,” said [[link removed]] Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill on X, formerly known as Twitter. Hill is one of the NFL’s fastest players.

Conversation Starters Playfly Sports NIL efforts just got a boost at LSU and Auburn! Through a partnership with Ascend Fundraising Solutions [[link removed]] and Playfly Sports, Auburn’s On To Victory and LSU’s Bayou Traditions Collective Groups are simplifying efforts to drive more dollars to student-athletes.* Front Office Sports is on the lookout for the Best Employers in Sports [[link removed]]. Let us know if your company deserves a shot at the coveted award. ESPN released a tribute [[link removed]] to legendary NHL broadcaster Barry Melrose — who’s retiring to spend time with family while battling Parkinson’s disease — narrated by Wayne Gretzky. USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe’s final regular-season game with OL Reign drew [[link removed]] 34,130 fans to Lumen Field, an NWSL record, plus 683,000 viewers, a regular-season record for the league. North Dakota’s hockey team plays [[link removed]] in the $104 million, 11,643-capacity Ralph Engelstad Arena — the “Taj Mahal of Hockey” — which features a weight room, club lounges, and more. Editor's Picks WNBA Finals Posts Best Game 1 Viewership Since 2000 [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]It was a 31% increase from the 2022 Finals’ Game 1. Red River Rivalry Spurs ESPN To Another Weekly Viewership Victory [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Saturday’s Oklahoma-Texas game averaged 8.1M viewers between ABC and ESPN2. Panini Alleges Fanatics Induced NFLPA, WWE to Break Contracts [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Panini alleges Fanatics had a role in efforts by NFLPA and WWE to end deals. Brett Favre Refuses to Release Taxes in Mississippi Welfare Case [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]Brett Favre has “raised multiple objections to every request” made by Mississippi lawyers. Question Of The Day

Have you tried meditation?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]] Not yet but I want to [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s Answer

73% of respondents plan to watch NHL games this season.

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