January 17, 2024

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Keyshawn Johnson talks up his expanding role at Fox Sports. … NWSL players continue to cash in on record deals. … Rafa Nadal is absent from the Australian Open but boosting Saudi Arabia’s tennis efforts. … And it’s been almost 30 years since one of the most controversial moves in NFL history.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

FOS With: Keyshawn Johnson. ‘You’re Not Going To Get Famous Off of Me’ [[link removed]]

Fox Sports

Keyshawn Johnson has been working in sports media longer than he played in the NFL and college combined. This past fall, the former No. 1 overall pick and Super Bowl-winning wide receiver joined Fox Sports after reaching a settlement [[link removed]] with ESPN, where he had worked since retiring in 2007. Now, having spent several months as a regular adversary for Skip Bayless on FS1’s Undisputed, Johnson is getting his own conversation-based digital show-podcast combo, Undisputed Presents: All Facts No Brakes With Keyshawn Johnson. “I have fun, but also I’m an honest person and tell the truth,” says Johnson. “I’m not into trying to create headlines and gotcha moments and all that.” We caught up with Johnson to talk about his new venture, the state of sports media, and the differences between Fox and ESPN.

How can you differentiate your new show with so many others out there?

I’m unique and different than everybody else. I’ve been that way ever since I came into sports and entertainment. When I retired, I went straight to Sunday and Monday Night Countdown … over at ESPN. My personality is different. What comes out of my mouth is probably going to be the truth and probably very matter-of-fact and direct.

What do you make of recent controversies involving sports media personalities and their guests?

As a player, I understand how people will take things and try to make it bigger than what it is and create firestorms to get clicks. … I’m not trying to get somebody on [my show] to say something wild and crazy and put themselves in hot water, nor do I subscribe to that type of behavior [when I’m interviewed]. … You’re not going to get famous off of me. If you try to get famous off of me, you’re wasting your time.

Do you consider yourself a journalist?

I don’t consider myself a journalist. I just consider myself an entertainer who played a sport, who knows sports, who is authentic. I didn’t go to school for journalism. They have their way of doing things, and I kind of have my way of doing things.

What are the biggest differences between working at Fox Sports and ESPN?

Fox, I think, is a little more intimate, in terms of: I can see all the executives at the FS1 level in, like, 20 minutes. ESPN is such a big company that you don’t see everybody every single day. They’re busy. They got a million different things that they’re doing. And there’s nothing wrong with that. You can skin a cat many different ways.

📅 TIME CAPSULE

On January 17, 1995…

The L.A. Rams announce that after 49 years they’re leaving SoCal and moving to St. Louis, setting in motion one of the NFL’s most controversial relocations, a rare instance of the league leaving a market in worse shape than when it arrived. The initial years of the St. Louis Rams are electric, with “The Greatest Show On Turf” winning one Super Bowl and reaching a second. But when owner Stan Kroenke is faced with the opportunity to return to L.A. after the 2015 season and build what will eventually become SoFi Stadium, the result is a bitter lawsuit with St. Louis officials. That dispute ends in 2022 with a settlement in which the league and team pay [[link removed]] more than $800 million in legal damages and attorney fees. Hurt feelings from the Rams’ departure also help fuel the eventual success [[link removed]] of St. Louis City FC, as the MLS expansion club leans heavily into its local ownership and an active engagement of area supporters. In 2023, the expansion franchise ranks 10th in attendance, despite playing in one of MLS’s smallest markets.

Show Them the Money: Record NWSL Media Deals Fueling Record Player Contracts [[link removed]]

Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports

First came the big-time media money for the NWSL. Now, here come the record-setting player contracts. Not long after the league signed [[link removed]] $240 million worth of rights contracts with four networks—the most lucrative set of media deals in women’s sports history—NWSL players are now seeing unprecedented deals of their own.

The Chicago Red Stars on Tuesday signed [[link removed]] striker and U.S. national team star Mallory Swanson to a reported $2 million contract spanning four guaranteed years and a fifth-year option, setting a new league record. The pact, a major move for new Red Stars owner [[link removed]] Laura Ricketts, arrives less than a month after the Houston Dash inked a $1.5 million contract with forward María Sánchez, covering three years and an option for 2027. The Red Stars did not confirm the total in the Swanson contract, but they did say the deal was the “most lucrative agreement in the history of the NWSL.” (Swanson’s husband is Chicago Cubs shortstop Dansby Swanson. That MLB team is led by Laura Ricketts’s brother Tom.)

The NWSL salary cap this season is doubling [[link removed]] to $2.75 million, and commissioner Jessica Berman has said that funneling increased revenue to players is a key priority. The current free agency cycle is the league’s second after reaching a labor deal with the NWSL Players Association in early 2022.

“We are really seeing the investment flow, not just into the infrastructure of the league and facilities and staffing, but also to the players, and we’re really proud of that,” Berman said prior to last week’s NWSL Draft.

The league’s upward momentum in player salaries exceeds what is happening in the WNBA, which saw its salary cap rise 3% to $1.42 million in 2023.

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Despite Human Rights Issues, Saudi Arabia’s Sports Profile Shows No Signs of Slowing [[link removed]]

Syndication: The Enquirer

Saudi Arabia’s fast-growing power as a sports market is now even more evident, as the country has formed a relationship with one of tennis’s all-time greats and could get an improved UFC event later this year.

Rafael Nadal, a 22-time major tournament winner, has signed on as an ambassador for the Saudi Tennis Federation. Nadal will promote tennis in the country and plans to build an academy there. The move arrives as Saudi Arabia continues to face widespread scrutiny [[link removed]] for its widely rebuked human rights record and accusations of sportswashing.

“Everywhere you look in Saudi Arabia, you can see growth and progress, and I’m excited to be part of that,” Nadal said. “I want to help the sport grow far and wide across the world, and in Saudi [sic] there is real potential.”

Through 2027, Saudi Arabia will host the ATP’s Next Gen Finals for under-21 players, an advancement beyond prior exhibitions held in the Gulf state. The WTA also is rumored [[link removed]] to be considering moving its season-ending Finals to the country, but such a deal could raise further issues given the limitations on women’s rights in Saudi Arabia.

“It’s hard. Everything that’s going on in the sport is not black-and-white,” said women’s World No. 1 Iga Swiatek.

Prior to the start of the Australian Open, Nadal withdrew with a hip injury, a setback after missing nearly a year of competition due to related maladies.

UFC Shift

Staying in the region: UFC is reportedly shifting [[link removed]] a previously announced March 2 event in Riyadh, its first-ever card [[link removed]] in Saudi Arabia, perhaps to June. Neither UFC nor Saudi officials have commented, and the date move is unconfirmed. But MMA journalist Ariel Helwani reported [[link removed]] the change is due in part to Saudi demands, writing: “I was told the reason for the postponement is that the powers that be in Saudi Arabia want … a more entertaining fight card, a deeper fight card with bigger names on it.”

PODCAST

🎙️ They Said What?

“It makes a lot of sense for the [men’s and women’s] tours to combine. … If you’re a tennis fan, 99 times out of 100 you follow both tours. Maybe not equally, but it really is a joint product. ”

— Sports Illustrated executive editor Jon Wertheim on why the ATP and WTA should combine into one joint organization that oversees all tennis players. To hear more about the state of tennis and the ongoing Australian Open, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

Conversation Starters Starting Friday, Lionel Messi and Inter Miami will travel [[link removed]] more than 23,000 miles in three weeks, with stops in El Salvador, Hong Kong, and Dallas. The Los Angeles Clippers have released [[link removed]] rules for “The Wall,” the Intuit Dome’s new section of 51 uninterrupted rows of fans. For starters: You can’t cheer for visiting teams or wear their gear, and tickets can only be resold on the Clippers’ marketplace. Jason Kelce went from a walk-on running back to one of the greatest centers in NFL history. To celebrate his retirement, check out his most impressive numbers [[link removed]] on and off the gridiron. Have suggestions or feedback on how Front Office Sports can continue to improve? Take our survey [[link removed]] for a chance to win a $250 Visa gift card or FOS merch. Submissions are open through Jan. 21. Editor’s Picks MSG CEO James Dolan Accused of Sexual Assault, Sex Trafficking [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]A masseuse alleges Dolan “pressured” her into an “unwanted” sexual encounter about a decade ago. 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. 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]], David Rumsey [[link removed]] Edited by Greg Lee [[link removed]], Brian Krikorian [[link removed]]

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