November 6, 2023

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It’s hard not to be at least a little excited for the start of college basketball season, particularly since it offers more competitive parity than college football — which has seen just four different schools win national titles in the last eight years and could be looking at a three-peat this year. Compare that to seven different title-winners for basketball within that span. But as a proud graduate of a school from a mid-major conference, I’m still hoping for more at-large tournament bids for those programs.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Berlin Among NFL’s Aggressive European Growth Plans [[link removed]]

Nathan Ray Seebeck-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL is in the midst of its much-hyped two-week stay in Frankfurt, but Germany’s capital city might soon get its shot at hosting American football.

Amid the league’s increasing European expansion, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell confirmed that Berlin is a possibility to host future games, as well as Düsseldorf.

“We’re going to continue to play here in some fashion,” Goodell said [[link removed]].

On Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Miami Dolphins 21-14 in front of more than 50,000 fans at Deutsche Bank Park, home to Bundesliga club Eintracht Frankfurt and host for next weekend’s game between the New England Patriots and Indianapolis Colts. Last year, Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers played in Munich against the Seattle Seahawks.

The NFL is in the second year of a four-year deal to play games in Germany. It will likely return to Munich next season and Frankfurt again in 2025. Meanwhile, Madrid, Spain, and Sao Paulo, Brazil still appear likely to garner strong consideration [[link removed]] for an NFL game next season.

Panthers Up Next?

The Carolina Panthers could be the next NFL team to host a home game in Germany, according to NBC Sports [[link removed]]. After Tampa, Kansas City, and New England, Carolina is the only franchise that initially acquired German rights in 2021 — via the NFL’s Global Markets Program — that hasn’t yet played a game in Germany.

The Atlanta Falcons also have rights in Germany, which were acquired only earlier this year.

NCAA Tipoff: College Hoops Facing Uncertain Postseason Future [[link removed]]

Syndication: South Bend Tribune

The college basketball season begins on Monday night with dozens of games for D-I men’s and women’s programs, and the sport is feeling the impact of the shifting amateur sports landscape.

Conference realignment has largely been driven by efforts to maximize media rights revenue around football. But college hoops is a key moneymaker, too, and is creating its own new opportunities for universities and media entities alike.

The men’s NCAA Tournament is locked into a deal with CBS Sports and Warner Bros. Discovery through 2032, but the second-tier NIT event, founded in 1938, could soon be dealing with new competition.

Fox Sports is reportedly exploring [[link removed]] creating a new postseason tournament for teams from conference partners that don’t qualify for March Madness. That would include the Big 12, Big East, and Big Ten, potentially beginning as early as next season.

Meanwhile, the women’s NCAA Tournament could be auctioned off to new media partners after this season as women’s sports continues its meteoric rise. ESPN currently broadcasts the event as part of a wider NCAA deal that expires in 2024. LSU’s victory over Iowa in the 2023 championship game drew [[link removed]] an average of 9.9 million viewers on ABC — a women’s basketball record.

The potential postseason shifts come as basketball powerhouses like Gonzaga and Connecticut explore moves of their own, having held talks [[link removed]] with the Big 12 as conferences continue consolidating in the wake of the Pac-12’s demise.

This year’s Men’s Final Four will take place at State Farm Stadium in Phoenix, and the NCAA has already determined each of the future hosts for the remainder of this decade.

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Dish Network’s Hard Line On Sports Hits Company Earnings [[link removed]]

Wheeler Cowperthwaite/The Providence Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK

Dish Network has historically been one of the toughest negotiators in all of television, particularly in sports — and that hardline stance is now having a clear impact on its financial performance. [[link removed]]

On Monday, the company reported a net decrease of 64,000 subscribers across its Dish TV and Sling TV services, compared to a gain of 30,000 in the same period a year ago and revenue that fell to $3.7 billion from $4.1 billion in 2022’s third quarter.

Churn rates are also increasing for Dish Network, leaving the company with a total of 8.84 million pay-TV customers, down from 10 million a year ago and 11 million two years ago.

In recent years, Dish Network has dropped [[link removed]] all regional sports networks, conducted extended carriage and legal standoffs with several leagues [[link removed]] and programmers [[link removed]], and placed channels such as the MLB Network, NBA TV, and NHL Network on only its most expensive tiers.

“We continue to experience increased competition, including competition from other subscription video on-demand and live-linear OTT service providers, many of which are providers of our content and offer football and other seasonal sports programming direct to subscribers on an a la carte basis,” the company said in a filing with the U.S. Securities & Exchange Commission.

The company’s net loss of $139 million during the quarter also dramatically reverses a $412 million gain in last year’s third quarter and sent its stock down more than 30% in early trading Monday — leaving it on pace for its worst one-day performance.

With the ongoing issues in the company’s television operations and a debt load of more than $20 billion, Dish Network is increasingly trying to build a business in wireless.

Conversation Starters One of the largest [[link removed]] pickleball facilities in the world is coming to Scottsdale, Arizona — the future home of USA Pickleball. The Rangers flew an FPV drone over their entire World Series celebration. Check out [[link removed]] the view. The Bills’ Damar Hamlin is launching [[link removed]] a new scholarship program to award money to underserved Cincinnati students in the names of 10 people who helped save his life after he suffered cardiac arrest during a game against the Bengals last season.

SPONSORED BY GAINBRIDGE

New Women’s Sports Activation Launching

Here’s a challenge: name another single week where 180 women athletes are competing for total prize money of nearly $13 million!

That’s right – welcome to Parity Week [[link removed]] by Gainbridge, a celebration of women’s sports and those that helped pave the way. Three events are happening this week connected to Parity Week:

The Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge – the World Cup of Women’s Tennis The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican – the penultimate event of the LPGA Tour season Women with Drive III, driven by Mobile 1 – a motorsports conference designed to advance opportunities for women in motorsports

Gainbridge® [[link removed]] is proud to honor legends Billie Jean King, Annika Sorenstam and Lyn St. James for helping fight to bridge the pay and opportunity gap for women’s sports.

Learn more [[link removed]] about Parity Week and follow @gainbridgesport [[link removed]] on social media.

Editor's Picks Andraya Carter Set for Historic Role On ESPN’s Basketball ‘College GameDay’ [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Carter is the first woman with a permanent role on the show. USWNT Set To Make Emma Hayes Highest-Paid Women’s Soccer Manager [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]Hayes' salary could match that of USMNT manager Gregg Berhalter. The Pac-12’s Collapse Will Have Ripple Effects on College Basketball [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The existing Pac-12 host a college basketball season for the last time. Careers in Sports

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