October 16, 2023

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I thought my Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked [[link removed]] awesome in their throwback creamsicle jerseys on Sunday. Unfortunately, they played a little too much like the 0-14 team that first dawned the uniforms in the franchise’s inaugural 1976 season.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Goodell: London Super Bowl Could Be In NFL’s Future [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

On Sunday, the NFL played its third and final game this season in London as the Baltimore Ravens knocked off the Tennessee Titans in front of 61,011 American football-hungry fans at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

One day, the city could host a Super Bowl.

NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was recently in London promoting the league’s international games, and he wouldn’t rule out taking America’s biggest sporting event across the pond. “It is not impossible, and it is something that has been discussed before,” Goodell said [[link removed]] of potentially playing a Super Bowl in London.

However, Goodell admitted the NFL’s focus remains on playing Super Bowls in cities that currently have franchises. “Not that we do not have great fans here [in London]; we do,” he explained. “So as the International Series develops, maybe that is a possibility as we play more games here.”

International Feeling

Goodell has been talking more about the NFL’s international interests this season.

Already, he has said [[link removed]] that the league wants to expand its European footprint, wanting to play more games on the continent. In November, the NFL will play two games in Germany.

In future seasons, the NFL could also play [[link removed]] games in Spain and Brazil, along with an expected return to Mexico.

More European expansion and Goodell’s remarks about a London Super Bowl could be further validation for the idea of a four-team European division [[link removed]].

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🎙️ Front Office Sports Today

“It shocked a ton of people in both the U.S. and in Japan, because this is something that’s never been done for this level of athlete out of Japan.”

— Shawn Spradling, international baseball reporter, on Japanese teen phenom Rintaro Sasaki’s decision to come to U.S. college instead of play Nippon Professional Baseball. For more about Sasaki, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Qatari Investor Drops $6B Man United Bid, Clears Path for Ratcliffe [[link removed]]

Manchester United

The Manchester United sale saga saw several significant developments over the weekend that may bring some clarity to the ongoing process.

Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al-Thani, one of the two remaining bidders interested in acquiring the Premier League club, reportedly withdrew [[link removed]] his $6.1 billion offer for the team. Additionally, British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe is close [[link removed]] to acquiring a 25% stake in Manchester United.

The Manchester United board is set to vote [[link removed]] on Ratcliffe’s purchase of the minority stake that could be valued at $1.5 billion or more. Last week, Ratcliffe reportedly became the frontrunner [[link removed]] to buy into Manchester United.

If the transaction is approved, Ratcliffe could acquire some shares of the team from members of the Glazers, although the family would still retain a majority stake in the club.

Ratcliffe could end up with control of on-field team operations, and the deal in general could be a first step to the billionaire ultimately buying the majority of Manchester United in the future.

For now, it appears that Ratcliffe is the only person still in the running to buy some or all of Manchester United, depending on what the Glazers are willing to give up. There is no official timeline for when the next steps will be taken.

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A Record-Setting Day for Women’s Basketball [[link removed]]

Syndication: The Des Moines Register

Sunday was a pivotal day for women’s basketball, as multiple records were broken at the professional and collegiate level.

Iowa hosted DePaul at Kinnick Stadium — home of the Hawkeyes’ football team — for an exhibition game that set a women’s basketball attendance record [[link removed].] with 55,646 fans.

In Brooklyn, the New York Liberty beat the Las Vegas Aces in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals at the Barclays Center — and the game delivered the highest [[link removed]] gate receipt on record for the league. With an attendance of 17,143, no WNBA game has ever brought in more ticket revenue than Sunday’s matchup, according to the Liberty. The exact dollar figure was not available.

Ticket prices for this WNBA Finals had already been reaching record [[link removed]] levels last week.

Meanwhile, early viewership figures for the WNBA Finals have been up [[link removed]], compared to previous seasons. The first two games of the series had 13% higher audiences than last season’s.

Rise of Women’s Sports

The record day is just the latest strong sign for the growing momentum of women’s sports.

In August, Nebraska’s women’s volleyball team attracted 92,003 fans to Lincoln’s Memorial Stadium for Volleyball Day — making it the highest-attended women’s sports event in history [[link removed]].

This summer’s FIFA Women’s World Cup broke [[link removed]] attendance records of its own in Australia and New Zealand.

The NWSL is also experiencing significant momentum around expansion [[link removed]] and viewership [[link removed]].

Flag Football At Olympics: A Win For NBC and Ex-NFL Stars? [[link removed]]

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

Few details are finalized yet for the 2028 Olympics debut of flag football, and the IOC’s executive board only approved the sport’s inclusion into the program on Friday, moving the matter to the full IOC session that started Sunday in Mumbai.

But that hasn’t stopped another major NFL figure from wanting in on the competition.

Days after Miami Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill publicly called [[link removed]] for fellow NFL players to join in, former star tight end Rob Gronkowski also said he wanted to participate.

Gronkowski will be 39 at those Olympics and has been out of the NFL for two years, but his enthusiasm seems undimmed. “Count me in already. Hopefully, there’s no tryouts, and they just accept me. But I’m in,” Gronkowski told [[link removed]] TMZ Sports.

Ratings Boost

The inclusion of flag football in the upcoming Los Angeles Games also looks to be a massive boon for NBC, which suffered badly in two straight pandemic-impacted Olympics that generated record-low ratings in both last year in Beijing [[link removed]] and two years ago in Tokyo [[link removed]]. It will also likely include massive promotion by the NFL, whose own international and participatory interests will be significantly amplified by this Olympic effort.

“When it was first mentioned to me, I thought: ‘Come on, who’s smoking what?’” said [[link removed]] Michael Payne, former IOC director of marketing and TV and a deeply steeped expert on the Olympics movement.

“But imagine what six months of NFL promotion will do for NBC, their Olympic telecast, and Los Angeles? It will create the noise to sell the airtime and be a massive promotional buildup. It’s a real game-changer.”

Conversation Starters Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase insists he is always open on the football field. He gave himself the nickname “7-Eleven.” He has parlayed that into a marketing deal [[link removed]] with the franchise. ESPN’s Pat McAfee is a man of second chances. A University of Washington student benefited from that opportunity [[link removed]]. Purdue University is entering the facilities upgrade competition among the nation’s athletics departments. Check out [[link removed]] its plans for its football stadium.

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.

This week is your last chance 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 Should More WNBA Teams Be Associated With NBA Counterparts? One Owner Doesn’t Think So. [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]About half of WNBA teams share ownership groups with their NBA counterparts. The Sphere Wasn’t Built For Sports. The Biggest Players Want In Anyway [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Immersive venue sets new standard, but big questions remain for sports Sharpe’s Impact Propels ‘First Take’ to Soaring Viewership in Just Six Weeks [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Monday's "First Take" edition had 852,000 viewers compared with Fox's "Undisputed," which had only 172,000. 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 bought gear for an outdoor activity in the past 6 months?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

67% of respondents follow international sports leagues/events.

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