October 23, 2023

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After nearly three months of heavy anticipation, robust sales, and even some high-profile production errors [[link removed]], the Philadelphia Eagles debuted their Kelly green throwback jerseys on Sunday night in primetime and looked great. The Eagles’ alternate look — also to be used Thanksgiving weekend against Buffalo — joins other much-beloved uniforms coming back this season, such as Tampa Bay’s Creamsicles, further amplifying how powerful of a force nostalgia can be.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Race For World Cup Final: Dallas Touts Ticketed Event For 200K Fans [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

In the high-stakes race to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup final, Dallas is leaning into what it sees as an unrivaled advantage: unprecedented scale for the event.

Dan Hunt, co-owner of MLS’ FC Dallas and chairman of Dallas’ World Cup host city bid, told [[link removed]] The U.S. Sun that he envisions a ticketed event encompassing 200,000 people across the entire Arlington, Texas, sports complex.

The Dallas Cowboys’ AT&T Stadium, the bidding venue for the final itself, has a standard capacity of 80,000 that can be expanded to about 100,000. The neighboring Globe Life Field, home of MLB’s Texas Rangers, seats 40,300 more, while the Rangers’ former home, Choctaw Stadium, seats another 48,114.

Those latter two stadiums would be used in a match simulcast setting using their jumbotrons or in some other type of fan event.

“One of my big pitches to FIFA is, if we get the final, we can do something that nobody else can do, which is maybe a ticketed event of up to 200,000 people,” Hunt said. “The Rangers are all in on this. They’ve been very committed to making this happen.”

A decision on the location of the final is expected by the end of the year. Dallas and New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium are said [[link removed]] to be the two leading candidates. Los Angeles’ SoFi Stadium, one thought to be another major candidate for the final, could lose out on hosting any World Cup matches amid ongoing revenue-sharing and facility issues [[link removed]].

The U.S. is co-hosting the 2026 World Cup with Mexico and Canada.

EXCLUSIVE

Amazon Is Eyeing An NBA Package Like The NFL’s

Sources tell Front Office Sports that Amazon wants to create an exclusive night of streaming NBA action — to produce the basketball version of “Thursday Night Football.” The streaming giant also wants an NBA game package on Tuesday or Thursday nights.

Read more in this exclusive [[link removed]] by Front Office Sports senior writer Michael McCarthy.

Messi’s Debut MLS Season Ends With Big Questions [[link removed]]

Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports

Year One of Lionel Messi’s MLS adventure is now over, ending much more quietly than it began and leaving big questions ahead for both Inter Miami and the Argentinian superstar.

Messi and Inter Miami ended their 2023 regular season on Saturday in Charlotte, losing 1-0. After a furious beginning to Messi’s U.S. professional play that included a Leagues Cup championship, a 12-match unbeaten run, and elevated attendance [[link removed]], MLS Season Pass subscriptions [[link removed]], and merchandise [[link removed]] sales across the league, Inter Miami finished winless in its final six league matches, and well out of a playoff spot, while Messi himself battled nagging leg injuries and missed several games.

“The team was exhausted. That’s no excuse. That’s the reality,” said Inter Miami coach Gerardo “Tata” Martino.

The club will make its first-ever foreign tour [[link removed]] next month, playing two exhibition matches in China, and Messi is expected to be part of that.

But looking ahead to next season, concerns are growing around what was initially a purely joyous situation regarding Messi. The superstar will turn 37 next season, and it remains unclear whether Messi will be able to handle the full rigors of another long season.

“We have to be very precise over the next few months about how we will approach next season,” Martino said.

Inter Miami is also racing [[link removed]] to finish its new $1 billion stadium project by 2025, the final year of Messi’s contract with the club. Messi earns [[link removed]] a reported $135 million annually in total on- and off-field earnings that includes a variety of unique contractual elements, including team equity options and MLS Season Pass revenue sharing.

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DraftKings Takes Market Share Lead In U.S. Online Gambling [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A new market reality in U.S. online gambling is emerging as DraftKings has overtaken incumbent leader FanDuel for the overall market share lead, suggesting more change to come in the still-developing market.

In August, DraftKings took the U.S. online gambling lead, according to a new study by prominent research entity Eilers & Krejcik Gaming, capturing 31% of overall gross gaming revenue compared to FanDuel’s 30%. FanDuel had been the clear American market leader for several years.

The figure includes revenue from both sports betting and other online casino games. For sports betting specifically, FanDuel still has a 39.3% market share lead compared to DraftKings’ 34.1%. But the leadership flip in overall gaming revenue marks a key inflection point in the still-developing U.S. wagering market.

“[This] is a major move that signals a shifting competitive landscape — one that we believe will continue to shift as big new brands Fanatics and ESPN Bet begin [[link removed]] to ramp,” Eilers & Krejcik said.

To that end, ESPN Bet is set for a November debut of its new Sportsbook in partnership [[link removed]] with PENN Entertainment, while Fanatics is continuing to integrate [[link removed]] its recently acquired PointsBet assets.

Company Escalation

Those two entities represent perhaps the greatest threat yet to the established DraftKings-FanDuel market duopoly, but DraftKings said it is not planning to yield its leadership position.

“We enjoy the chart, but no one is anywhere close to satisfied yet at DraftKings!,” DraftKings co-founder Matt Kalish posted [[link removed]] on X.

The company plans to release its next set of financial results on Nov. 2, and its stock has risen more than 144% this year, fueled in part by the market share gains and a reining in of its much-debated marketing and customer-acquisition costs.

“DraftKings’ ability to reel in FanDuel speaks to a company that is stepping away from squishy narratives and harnessing the power of more focused, disciplined execution,” Eilers & Krejcik said.

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“I think the way they structured it is really smart … the teams are going to take the heat so it’s not really a player issue.”

— Jason Concepcion, co-host of the Six Trophies podcast, on how the NBA structured its new policy on load management, making teams responsible instead of individual players. To hear more from Concepcion and Shea Serrano on all things NBA, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Major Media Rights Deals, Landmark Stadium Pact To Propel NWSL’s Growth [[link removed]]

Steven Bisig-USA TODAY Sports

The accelerating growth wave for the NWSL — one mirroring a similar path [[link removed]] in the WNBA — has been boosted further by a set of major new deals for the league.

The Kansas City Current have completed a 10-year stadium naming rights agreement with Kansas City-based rail company CPKC. The $117 million CPKC Stadium, set to open next year, will be the country’s first to be built specifically for a women’s pro soccer team.

Financial terms were not disclosed, but team officials called the deal a transformational moment for the franchise and league overall.

“This is a revolutionary investment from CKPC into women’s sports and significant commitment to the Kansas City community,” said Angie Long, Current founder and co-owner.

Media Anticipation

Expectations, meanwhile, remain historically large for an anticipated [[link removed]] set of media rights deals for the NWSL with ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and Scripps Sports.

Projected to be completed in the coming weeks, the deals will increase the league’s national TV revenue by at least a factor of 10, and will significantly expand the NWSL’s presence across network, cable, and local television, and digitally.

“I think this is a big one,” said [[link removed]] Julie Foudy, former U.S. women’s national team star and an Angel City FC co-owner, to Forbes. “This is a big one because it’s going to set the standard, not just for soccer, but for other leagues as well. Soccer is great in that we can be the standard bearers for a lot of things in women’s sports, similar to what Billie Jean [King] did in women’s tennis. There’s a lot of different sports looking at us and saying, ‘OK, what’s going to happen here?'”

The media and sponsorship activity for the NWSL run parallel to a wave [[link removed]] of expansion for the league.

Conversation Starters The Gallaudet University football program received an assist to help its team call audibles for the nation’s leading school for deaf & hard of hearing students. Check out [[link removed]] how the technology works for the team. The CW network unveiled its referee hat camera for the Virginia-North Carolina football game. Look at how the hat captured [[link removed]] the game-sealing interception in the Cavaliers’ upset of previously unbeaten Tar Heels. Western Kentucky entered the nationwide athletic facilities [[link removed]] race, committing $45 million for a multi-use facility.

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​In our new series, My Other Passion, presented by Chevrolet, we hit the outdoors [[link removed]] with some of the most recognizable athletes in sports to explore their interests outside the arena.​

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Editor's Picks LIV Golf’s Future Remains Undecided [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]LIV Golf concluded its 2023 season on Sunday. Pressing Challenges Await NFL, Goodell in Next Term [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Upcoming contract period to test NFL’s ability to retain industry-leading status. Connor Bedard Effect: Tickets Surge for Blackhawks Rookie’s Home Debut [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Fans traveled 300 miles on average for Bedard’s home debut. Question Of The Day

How many times a year do you rent a car?

1-2 [[link removed]] 3-4 [[link removed]] 5+ [[link removed]] 0 [[link removed]] N/A [[link removed]]

Friday’s Answer

39% of respondents would describe where they live as urban, 53% suburban, and 7% rural.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Greg Lee [[link removed]]

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