December 5, 2023

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The NFL’s ugly run of quarterback injuries this season claimed another victim. The Jaguars’ Trevor Lawrence suffered an ankle injury during the team’s Monday night loss to the Bengals, adding his name to the highly-paid likes of Aaron Rodgers, Joe Burrow, and Kirk Cousins.

Lawrence’s timetable to return is still uncertain, and since some of these other injuries happened with little to no contact, it’s tough to make immediate conclusions on the state of play across the league – or on much-needed rule changes. But the NFL remains a quarterback-driven league and is enjoying its best ratings since 2015, so it will be interesting to see whether the continued injuries hamper that momentum.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Where Will the A’s Play After Next Year? It’s Getting Complicated [[link removed]]

Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

The Oakland A’s were already facing [[link removed]] a complex question on where to play for the 2025-27 seasons, while a planned $1.5 billion stadium is built [[link removed]] in Las Vegas. Now there are two further complications.

The club’s interim location has largely been narrowed to three main options: the club’s current Oakland Coliseum, the San Francisco Giants’ Oracle Park, or Las Vegas Ballpark, currently home to the team’s Triple-A affiliate, the Las Vegas Aviators.

Each option, though, carries its own set of issues, including facility conditions, climate, and scheduling, as well as the need to gain MLB Players Association approval in any scenario.

Meanwhile, A’s GM David Forst acknowledged [[link removed](Premium)&utm_source=t.co&utm_medium=referral] in a new interview with the San Francisco Chronicle that the still-unanswered location question is hampering his team’s ability to develop roster plans, both in the short- and long-term.

“It’s not ideal,” Forst said. “We’re sort of taking it a year at a time right now, because it’s hard to plan for even ’25 without knowing what that looks like from a venue standpoint or revenue standpoint, any of those things.”

Media Money

The A’s see the Bay Area options as their preferred interim home, as each would allow the club to retain contracted rights fees from NBC Sports California and delay the need to strike a new rights deal elsewhere, in an uncertain media landscape.

The club reportedly received $67 million from the RSN this year — a figure greater than their league-low 2023 player payroll of $62.2 million — and those payments require the A’s to play at least half their games in Northern California.

Since the A’s current Coliseum lease expires after the 2024 season, and because the new Las Vegas ballpark isn’t projected to open until ’28, the temporary location issue has been a massive problem [[link removed]] in the relocation saga. Any timetable for making a decision also remains uncertain.

NHL’s Projected Record Cap Reflects Revenue Surge (and Resilience) [[link removed]]

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The NHL’s financial outlook is rapidly improving, the latest evidence being the growth of its salary cap.

The league’s 2024-25 cap is projected to reach a new record of $87.7 million, up $4.2 million from the current level of $83.5 million and the largest year-over-year increase since the 2019-20 season.

Expected [[link removed]] for months, the growth shows more precisely how the NHL has rebounded from the economic impact of the pandemic. In the early days of the global public health crisis, the league and the NHL Players Association reached a new labor deal that kept the salary cap at its 2019 level of $81.5 million until 2022. It then went up by $1 million, then by another $1 million earlier this year.

But the NHL is now in the third year of domestic media rights deals with ESPN and Warner Bros. Discovery Sports, which bring in [[link removed]] roughly $625 million per year. Attendance reached [[link removed]] a league-record 22.4 million in the 2022-23 season, and commissioner Gary Bettman’s bullish projections [[link removed]] of further growth this season are gaining [[link removed]] early support, with 25 of 32 teams showing increases at the gate.

And despite continued concern [[link removed]] about crucial revenues from local media rights, teams forging [[link removed]] their own path, like Arizona, are finding some early success, with ratings for early-season Coyotes games rising [[link removed]] 900% due to increased reach.

At the NHL Board of Governors meetings this week, Bettman is expected to confirm that players’ debt to owners from pandemic-related losses has now been fully paid off, in turn eliminating an escrow used in recent seasons.

“The game is in great shape,” Bettman said at the last BOG meeting, in October. “Our franchises have never been better owned or stronger. … Vital signs are good.”

SPONSORED BY FEVO

The Ticket-Buying Hack You Need to Know

Fun fact: Costco sells tickets to major sporting events all across the U.S. and Canada.

It’s true. The retailer is famous for treating its members like royalty — with insane deals on every product under the sun, including experiences.

Powered by FEVO [[link removed]]’s exclusive ticketing integrations, hundreds of teams from the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, MLS and more offer ticket packages at Costco-member prices both in warehouse and online.

The best part? You don’t even have to be a Costco member to take advantage of these offers (though it’ll get you a sweeter deal).

Just in time for the holidays, there are currently dozens of live offers from the likes of the Atlanta Falcons [[link removed]], Detroit Pistons [[link removed]], Texas Rangers [[link removed]], Washington Nationals [[link removed]], and N.Y. Yankees [[link removed]].

See all the available tickets here [[link removed]].

London Calling: Another Premier League Club Weighs a Stake Sale [[link removed]]

Brentford FC/X

The Premier League has seven London-based clubs this season — and yet another one is reportedly exploring adding a new investor.

Brentford FC owner Matthew Benham is said to be considering potential offers for a stake in the team, according [[link removed]] to Bloomberg. The report also notes that Brentford could be worth more than $600 million.

With the development, Brentford joins many of its fellow London EPL rivals in considering more capital funding, with recent deals reported to include:

Ares Management investing [[link removed]] $500 million in Chelsea Tottenham considering [[link removed]] selling a minority club stake West Ham United putting [[link removed]] a minority stake on the market Crystal Palace’s parent company exploring [[link removed]] a $200 million raise to go public

Arsenal (which is owned by multi-sport club mogul Stan Kroenke) and Fulham (owned by the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Shad Khan) are the lone London-based soccer teams in England’s top flight that haven’t made recent headlines regarding funding.

New-Found Fortune

After a 13th place finish last year, Brentford currently sits in 11th in the EPL standings through 14 matches of its sophomore season after promotion from the second division.

If that moderate success on the pitch continues, Brentford will continue enjoying healthy revenue from the EPL’s new $8.5 billion domestic media rights deals [[link removed].].

Conversation Starters Coming off a World Cup win and a sensational move to MLS, Lionel Messi has been named [[link removed]] Time magazine’s 2023 Athlete of the Year. Work continues [[link removed]] on the Los Angeles Clippers’ $1.2 billion Intuit Dome, which is set to open in the summer of 2024. The 18,000-seater will feature a 38,000-square-foot halo scoreboard, an outdoor plaza, and twice as many toilets as any other NBA arena. The Indiana Pacers have the lowest payroll in the NBA, so winning the league’s first In-Season Tournament, which guarantees each player a $500K bonus, would be a boon. Revisit [[link removed]] the Pacers’ rally to beat the Boston Celtics and reach the semifinals.

FUTURE OF SPORTS

The Future of Venues

Everywhere your turn, sports teams are unveiling groundbreaking venues, setting a new standard for fan engagement — an evolution just getting started.

Our next virtual event [[link removed]] immerses you in the transformative initiatives driving this venue revolution. Across three enlightening sessions, we unravel the reasons fueling the arena and stadium boom, exploring their profound effects on fans, athletes, and advertisers.

Join us as experts share invaluable insights into this evolving landscape on December 13 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Venues [[link removed]]. Take a deep dive into the innovations shaping the future of fan experiences and be part of this immersive journey into tomorrow’s sports and entertainment realms.

Register now [[link removed]]!

Editor's Picks New NCAA Proposal Takes Step Toward Compensating Athletes [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]It does not allow athletes to become employees, however. Stephen A. Smith to ESPN: ‘I Want To Be Highest-Paid Talent’ [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]With a No. 1 show, Stephen A. Smith wants to become number one in compensation. Seminoles’ CFP Snub Opens New Front in Disney vs. Florida War [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Florida lawmakers are already considering legislation to protest the College Football Playoff's exclusion of Florida State. Careers in Sports

Looking for a new job? Check out these featured listings and search for openings all over the world.

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