November 9, 2023

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A tried-and-true baseball tradition returned this week. Mega-agent Scott Boras held court at offseason meetings, making awkward jokes while extolling the virtues of robust free-agent bidding — particularly on his clients. Boras has a strong case this year with the Texas Rangers using an open wallet as a key tool [[link removed]] to winning the World Series.

But for the moment, teams are likely more focused on just getting healthy: A fast-moving stomach virus led to dozens of executives getting sick, putting an early end to this week’s MLB GM meetings in Arizona.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

NWSL ‘Begins Its Future’ With $240M Set Of Media Rights [[link removed]]

Kiyoshi Mio-USA TODAY Sports

The National Women’s Soccer League has completed a transformative, $240 million set of domestic media rights agreements that will provide an unprecedented level of exposure to women’s pro soccer in the U.S.

Months in development [[link removed]] and highly anticipated [[link removed]] by leading figures in women’s soccer, the league’s quartet of four-year deals with ESPN, CBS, Amazon, and Scripps Sports provide cross-platform coverage for the NWSL via cable/broadcast television and streaming.

The collective annual value of $60 million, according to industry sources, beats the league’s prior national TV revenue of $1.5 million per year by a multiple of 40. The NWSL noted on X that it’s the largest [[link removed]] media deal in women’s sports history.

“These partnerships fundamentally change the game for our league and the players,” said NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman. “This is the beginning of our future.”

Network Lineups

CBS will have a minimum of 21 games per year, including the NWSL Championship each year on both network television and Paramount+. Added to a recent deal [[link removed]] with the USL, the NWSL agreement further establishes CBS as a major destination for soccer fans.

ESPN will carry 20 games per season, including three in the playoffs, and also use sister properties such as ABC, ESPN2, ESPN Deportes, and ESPN+ for its coverage. ESPN’s deal also includes multi-language rights in Latin America.

Amazon will carry 27 games per season, including one playoff game and a season opener, and a planned weekly showcase on Friday nights will follow a similar template to its successful [[link removed]] “Thursday Night Football.”

“The evolution of women’s sports — and specifically the NWSL — demonstrates that there is a growing audience for remarkable athletes and world-class competition, regardless of gender,” said Marie Donoghue, Amazon vice president of U.S. sports content and partnerships.

Scripps Sports, which is rapidly becoming [[link removed]] a major player in U.S. sports media with its focus on over-the-air coverage, will carry 50 games per year, based on 25 exclusive Saturday night doubleheaders on Ion. The company also gains the rights to the 2024 NWSL Draft.

The media rights deals cap a banner season for the NWSL that has seen record [[link removed]] attendance, news of expansion franchises in Boston [[link removed]] and the Bay Area [[link removed]], new ownership in Chicago [[link removed]], and unprecedented commercial activity [[link removed]]. The 2023 campaign ends Saturday with the high-profile championship [[link removed]] match between OL Reign and NJ/NY Gotham FC.

The WNBA garners more than $40 million per year combined through its current deals with ESPN and Ion, plus additional money through a streaming-based deal with Amazon, but is also poised for a massive increase when its current deals expire in 2025.

FROM THE NEWSROOM

Exclusive Audio Obtained Details Alleged Kiffin Incident

Front Office Sports has obtained audio recorded by Ole Miss football player DeSanto Rollins which details an alleged argument he had with head coach Lane Kiffin. Rollins, a defensive lineman who remains on scholarship at the school, filed a lawsuit seeking $40 million in damages after Kiffin “ignored” indications that he suffered from depression and subjected Rollins to “grossly reckless, and indifferent” treatment. Lawyers for Kiffin and Ole Miss are arguing for the lawsuit to be dismissed.

Read more [[link removed]] on this incident from Front Office Sports senior reporter A.J. Perez.

The NBA Wants To Be More Like The NFL [[link removed]]

Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

As the NBA continues its quest to make the league more attractive to fans and future media rights partners, it will look at the most popular sport in the United States as an obvious blueprint for success.

“I see my goal as helping the league… to become more NFL-like,” NBA commissioner Adam Silver said [[link removed]] on JJ Redick’s “The Old Man and The Three” podcast. Silver said the NBA product should be able to stand on its own — no matter which teams are on the court.

The NBA’s media rights deals expire in 2025, but negotiations for the next set will begin after this season. The NBA will no doubt look to maximize the value of its broadcast deals. The NFL’s most recent deals garnered $110 billion over 11 years.

Already, the league has introduced the inaugural in-season tournament [[link removed]], and Silver recently laid out his vision [[link removed]] for a better All-Star Game experience, telling Redick that the NBA and its media partners can do a better job of showcasing the basketball itself.

“I think there is this sense that unlike in football — where the coaches are viewed as these field generals going out there with complex schemes — that in basketball, there’s a sense that it’s just about athleticism, or the coach’s job is just to get the guy to play hard,” he said.

NBA Draft Changes?

The NBA is also reportedly exploring taking another page from the NFL by turning its draft into a multi-day event. The league discussed the possibility of extending its format to two days during a meeting with team general managers this week, according to The Athletic [[link removed]].

Currently, the two-round NBA Draft takes place on one night, typically in an arena around New York City. There is no word on whether an expansion of the draft could entice the league to move the event from city to city, like the NFL does, which has become a traveling [[link removed]] roadshow that attracts huge crowds and generates big TV ratings.

POWERED BY ESPN EDGE CONFERENCE

Don't Miss the 3rd Annual Conference

The 3rd annual ESPN Edge Conference will be hosted by Tony Reali, ESPN’s Host of “Around the Horn” and will feature several keynote speakers including Jimmy Pitaro, Chairman of ESPN at The Walt Disney Company, Jay Snowden, Chief Executive Officer and President at PENN Entertainment, and many more.

Accomplished leaders across sports, technology, and business come together for impactful conversations, panels, and presentations – all focused on thoughtful ways to champion innovation and push the boundaries of storytelling with cutting-edge technology.

This year, ESPN Edge Conference will be a hybrid event: in-person at The Seaport at Pier 17 in NYC (invite only) and virtual for FREE at the ESPN Edge Conference site [[link removed]].

Tune in [[link removed]] today from 4-7:30 p.m. ET and engage with ESPN on social using #ESPNEDGE.

Regional Sports Network Chaos Creates Team Payroll Problems [[link removed]]

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

After a full season of uncertainty for MLB thanks to Diamond Sports Group’s ongoing bankruptcy, the other shoe is dropping for clubs planning for the 2024 season.

The embattled Bally Sports parent told a U.S. bankruptcy court in Texas on Wednesday that it no longer has any ties to the Minnesota Twins, as the company’s rights deal with the club expired with the end of the 2023 season.

As a result, the AL Central champions said they are planning to retreat — at least to some degree — from this year’s franchise record payroll of $156 million.

“We’ve pushed our payroll to heights that we had never pushed it before with the support, certainty, of ownership,” Twins GM Derek Falvey said at this week’s MLB GM meetings. “We know there is some natural ebb and flow to that. Will it be where it was last year? I don’t expect that.”

Broad Impact

The Twins are not alone. Even as DSG said [[link removed]] earlier this week it intends to keep 10 of the 12 MLB teams it aired throughout the 2023 season, the economics surrounding those decisions are murky, and the company still left open the possibility that more MLB club rights could be rejected before the end of the year.

DSG itself continues to face challenges from its creditors [[link removed]], distributors [[link removed]], pro teams [[link removed]] in other sports — even its own parent company [[link removed]], Sinclair Inc. — and it isn’t certain that the company will survive Chapter 11 reorganization.

As MLB prepares [[link removed]] to handle the local rights for as many as 16 teams, as of last year, commissioner Rob Manfred acknowledged teams will suffer at least a short-term revenue hit during this transition period.

“It’s certainly daunting,” Brewers GM Matt Arnold told [[link removed]] The Athletic. “We just have to make sure we, as an industry, are aligned with the best ways to generate revenue … It’s certainly a challenge in our industry for sure, especially in the smallest market in the league.”

DSG’s reorganization bid was aided earlier this week by a deal with the NBA, which will regain local rights currently held by Bally Sports at the end of this season.

Conversation Starters Shohei Ohtani is donating [[link removed]] New Balance baseball gloves to every single elementary school in Japan — over 60,000 gloves to 20,000 schools. “I’ll be looking forward to sharing the field one day with someone that grew up using this glove,” the superstar (and free agent) said. After his Dream Motor Group purchased [[link removed]] two Mercedes-Benz dealerships in Florida for $700 million, co-owner Nick Saban’s portfolio now includes seven Mercedes locations and a Ferrari dealership. The Barstool Invitational featured a score bug [[link removed]] with a countdown to the over.

SPONSORED BY GAINBRIDGE

$13 Million: The Parity Week Payout

This year, Gainbridge® [[link removed]] is making a difference in women’s sports with Parity Week [[link removed]] by elevating exposure of three major events to fans and prize money for the athletes.

The ANNIKA driven by Gainbridge at Pelican is the highest purse on the LPGA Tour outside of the majors and the season-ending event. Meanwhile, the Billie Jean King Cup by Gainbridge Finals holds a purse that is equivalent to the men’s World Cup of Tennis, the Davis Cup. Finally, Gainbridge® is sponsoring a livestream of the motorsports conference to help it reach a broader audience.

Gainbridge® is proud to work with our sister company Parity, a brand sponsorship platform committed to closing the gender income and opportunity gap in professional sports.

Over 25 Parity athletes will be attending events during Parity Week. Learn more [[link removed]].

Editor's Picks Colorado Gets First Major Facility Upgrade of Coach Prime Era [[link removed]]by Doug Greenberg [[link removed]]The new video board should be ready for the 2024 season. Eagles vs. Cowboys Thriller Draws Massive TV Audience for Fox [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Fox drew the biggest Nielsen-measured NFL TV audience this year for NFC East battle. NCAA Football Players’ Rights Have Caught The Attention of President Biden [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The White House met with former college football players on Wednesday. Three Chances to Win

Front Office Sports is partnering with Splash Sports to bring you Weeks 11-13 Pick X Contest [[link removed]]!

Attempt to select the winner for 13 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 November 20, 2023.

JOIN NOW [[link removed]]

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