January 16, 2024

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Nick Saban’s exit from Alabama is setting off a very expensive domino effect across college football. … The NFL is perhaps seeing a changing of the guard with several of its most popular teams out of the playoffs. … And the Australian Open’s efforts to liven up its atmosphere and draw more fans are working—but they aren’t necessarily sitting well with some players.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Nick Saban’s Retirement is Costing College Football $100M and Counting [[link removed]]

Robert Hanashiro-USA TODAY Sports

Nick Saban prevented plenty of coaches from winning more games during his career. At least now he’s paying them back: The domino effect on college football from his retirement [[link removed]] last week is getting more expensive by the day. The departure of the seven-time national championship winner has generated at least $100 million—and potentially much more—in new contracts, extensions, and buyouts.

Alabama’s swift and decisive move to replace Saban with Kalen DeBoer cost at least $12 million up front, in the form of the latter’s buyout fee at Washington. The terms of DeBoer’s contract at Alabama have yet to be released, but it is widely believed [[link removed]] the Crimson Tide could be spending $11 million or more in annual salary.

After DeBoer’s exit, Washington quickly pounced on Arizona coach Jedd Fisch, spending $5.5 million to buy him out and committing [[link removed]] $54 million in salary over the next seven years. And now the Wildcats are reportedly hiring San Jose State coach Brent Brennan, who has a buyout fee [[link removed]] of $1 million, to replace Fisch.

The financial impact of Saban stepping down extends beyond Alabama and Washington. Florida State coach Mike Norvell and Texas coach Steve Sarkisian—believed to have been potential options to replace Saban—each received contract extensions, with raises reportedly pushing them past $10 million in annual salary. Norvell [[link removed]] had been making $7.3 million a year, while Sarkisian [[link removed]] had brought in $6 million.

To recap, here’s the financial fallout, so far, from Saban leaving Alabama:

💰 Alabama > Washington: $12M DeBoer buyout

💰 Alabama > DeBoer: $11M+/year

💰 Washington > Arizona: $5.5M Fisch buyout

💰 Washington > Fisch: 7 years, $54M

💰 Arizona > San Jose State: $1M Brennan buyout

💰 FSU/Texas > Norvell/Sarkisian: $3-4M raise

🔎ANATOMY OF A MINI-CONTROVERSY

Vive LaFrance!

LaMelo Ball cannot be contained. After several months of discussion, the NBA has agreed to allow the Hornets guard to uncover a tattoo below his left ear that the league had previously deemed a violation of its rules against players displaying commercial logos. Until now, Ball has ducked fines by using a bandage to cover the ornate, red-inked “LF,” which represents his middle name, LaFrance, as well as the name of an uncle. The problem: The LaFrance “LF” is also the name and logo of Ball’s clothing line, which raised red flags in the first place.

Is the NFL Seeing a Changing of the Guard? [[link removed]]

Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL has enjoyed a steady run of success in its 2023 season, including banner regular-season TV ratings [[link removed]] and attendance [[link removed]], plus a beginning to its postseason that included a U.S. streaming record [[link removed]] and Fox’s best wild-card audience [[link removed]] since 2015. But the league now moves to its divisional playoff round without several of its most popular franchises.

Losses by the Dallas Cowboys, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Philadelphia Eagles over the league’s Super Wild Card Weekend left the NFL without its Nos. 1, 3, and 4 most popular teams, as measured [[link removed]] by social media followings. Three of the four most-watched individual NFL games during [[link removed]] the 2023 regular season also involved the Cowboys or Eagles.

In their place are a series of upstart teams:

The Detroit Lions hosted and won their first playoff game in 30 years, beating the Super Bowl LVI champion Los Angeles Rams, and they will now host another postseason game on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Houston Texans advanced to the divisional round for just the fifth time in franchise history, thanks in part to rookie quarterback C.J. Stroud. And a post-Tom Brady Buccaneers team is riding a new wave of success with journeyman quarterback Baker Mayfield.

The NFL is hardly hurting for star power among its remaining playoff teams. In particular, the Kansas City Chiefs and their Taylor Swift-influenced following [[link removed]] will face the Buffalo Bills in a divisional-round rematch of their epic overtime playoff game two years ago, with CBS gaining the coveted late-Sunday broadcast slot. The Green Bay Packers also enjoy one of the league’s broadest bases of fan support, ranking fifth among NFL teams in social media followers. But the remaining teams still showcase something of a changing of the guard from some of the most iconic franchises.

“We were underdogs. We’re going to be underdogs next week, too,” Buccaneers coach Todd Bowles said. “We understand that. We embrace it. We like it.”

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A Wild Card Weekend that Lived Up to Its Name

Sub-Zero temperatures in Kansas City’s “Peacock Bowl,” an utter collapse by the Dallas Cowboys, and the Lions’ first playoff win in over 30 years made for a wild weekend in the NFL. Check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today to hear newsletter co-authors Eric Fisher and David Rumsey break down a wild-card weekend that lived up to its name.

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

Australian Open’s Efforts to Attract More Fans Irking Some Players [[link removed]]

Mike Frey-USA TODAY Sports

As the Australian Open moves into second-round play, the first Grand Slam of 2024 is already on pace to break the attendance record it set last year.

With the first two days of tennis in Melbourne attracting more than 169,000 fans, this year’s pace could easily see the tournament close in on 1 million total fans. In 2023, an all-time tournament high of 839,192 spectators watched the Australian Open in person.

But some new offerings that may be contributing to the added attraction are not sitting well with players. This year, Court 6 at Melbourne Park features a two-story, courtside bar that can house 400 people, and the atmosphere is noticeably more raucous than normal. “The DJ and stuff… it was somewhere in my subconscious where I could feel the movement and all that kind of action going on in the background,” said [[link removed]] Stefanos Tsitsipas, the No. 7 singles player in the world, after he lost his opening round doubles match at the court. “I’m not a huge fan of it.”

Meanwhile, a new seating policy that allows fans to enter the stands more frequently during play has also become controversial. Top-ranked Novak Djokovic said [[link removed]] he was divided about whether the rule change is good or not. “I did not know about that new policy, or new rule,” he said after his first-round victory. “I understand the motive behind it is to enhance and improve the experience for fans.”

The Longest Grand Slam Ever?

An expansion [[link removed]] of the Australian Open from 14 to 15 days is no doubt helping total attendance projections this year. In fact, moving the tournament’s start from Monday to Sunday has been so popular that a report [[link removed]] in the Melbourne Age suggested that sponsors and stakeholders are already backing the idea of adding a 16th day, if it were to start on a Saturday in 2025.

The French Open is the only other Grand Slam to run across 15 days, as the U.S. Open and Wimbledon are 14-day events.

CONVERSATION STARTERS In 2003, Brad Holmes was working at Enterprise Rent-A-Car while trying to land an NFL job. Eighteen years after getting his start as a PR intern for the Rams, Holmes became the Detroit Lions’ GM. Check out [[link removed]] his reaction to Detroit’s wild-card weekend win. By beating the Eagles, Baker Mayfield collected [[link removed]] a $250,000 playoff win bonus. The Buccaneers’ QB signed a one-year, $4 million contract with the team this offseason. So far, he has earned an additional $850,000 in incentives. Six-time MLB All-Star José Bautista has acquired full ownership [[link removed]] of the soccer team Las Vegas Lights FC. He’ll take over as chairman and governor ahead of the 2024 USL Championship season. Editor’s Picks The Company Behind ‘Drive to Survive’ Gets A New Backer [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]Bruin Capital invests $38 million in Box to Box Films. How ESPN Revived ‘Monday Night Football’ and Won Over the NFL [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]'MNF' suffered from a strained relationship between its network and the league. Can a Paywall Work for the NFL Playoffs? Peacock Will Find Out [[link removed]]by David Rumsey [[link removed]]For the first time, an NFL playoff game was exclusively streamed. SURVEYS

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