January 26, 2024

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Detroit fans are turning the Lions’ shot at reaching their first Super Bowl into big business. … A new club takes over the top spot in soccer’s premier financial rankings. … Can this weekend’s conference championship games break viewership records? … More fallout around Spain’s former football federation head. … And we look back on the money behind the Super Bowl Shuffle.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Detroit Rock City: Lions’ Postseason Run Sparks More Commerce [[link removed]]

Lon Horwedel-USA TODAY Sports

A mini-economy is beginning to form around the Detroit Lions’ upstart playoff run.

On the heels of the Lions’ divisional round postseason victory, part of a record-setting [[link removed]] weekend of viewership for the NFL and the team’s own resurgence [[link removed]] after 30 years of relative anonymity, Detroit’s march continues to drive robust business on multiple fronts. Among the latest indicators:

Average resale ticket prices for the NFC Championship Game at Levi’s Stadium between the Lions and San Francisco 49ers now stand at $1,686, according to the ticket aggregator TicketIQ. That figure is down from more than $2,400 earlier in the week, but it still ranks [[link removed]] among the highest ever for an NFL conference championship game and it’s fueled in part by an influx of traveling [[link removed]] Lions fans. (The recent drop in prices now has the Lions-49ers game below the AFC Championship Game between the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs, averaging $2,302.) StubHub has nearly doubled [[link removed]] its sales for the 49ers-Lions game compared to last year’s NFC Championship Game between San Francisco and the Philadelphia Eagles. Tickets for the Lions’ watch party at Ford Field for the title game sold out [[link removed]] in just a matter of hours. A robust secondary market has emerged [[link removed]] for that event, too, with top-end list prices exceeding $500, and many listings at least doubling the $20 list price. Michigan stores are selling out [[link removed]] of Lions gear and are struggling to keep stock refreshed amid consumer demand. Detroit-area bars and restaurants are reporting [[link removed]] a big spike in business, sparked by the Lions’ playoff wins over the Los Angeles Rams and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

It’s common for teams and their home cities to see a surge in fan activity and related commerce alongside a surprising run of on-field success. But with the Lions standing as just one of four NFL teams never to reach a Super Bowl and the team going 30 years between division titles, the Detroit frenzy has reached a different level entirely. And yet, Lions head coach Dan Campbell is still remembering the team’s darker times.

“What a special moment all of this has been, but it’s not over,” Campbell said [[link removed]] on WXYT-FM in Detroit. “So look, if other people are enjoying watching us play, of course we’re all over that. You’re welcome—as long as you weren’t bashing us early.”

European Soccer Clubs Battle for Billions Off the Pitch [[link removed]]

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Manchester City is the clear betting favorite to capture this year’s UEFA Champions League trophy, but Spanish rival Real Madrid is the new king of the most prestigious financial ranking of soccer clubs around the world.

Real Madrid brought in $901 million in revenue during the 2022-23 season, more than any other club in the world, according to findings in the 2024 Deloitte Football Money League report. Manchester City, which topped last year’s list, brought in $895 million. Rounding out the top five:

Real Madrid: $901 million Manchester City: $895 million Paris Saint-Germain: $869 million Barcelona: $867 million Manchester United: $808 million

In its report [[link removed]], which listed the top 30 revenue-generating teams globally, Deloitte indicated that clubs from the U.S. and Brazil are catching up to their European counterparts. Inter Miami, which did not make the list, has publicly set a revenue goal of $200 million for 2024. Hitting that mark would place them at No. 29 on the current list. This year’s 30th-ranked club, Everton, brought in $214 million.

Money Talks

On the women’s side, several familiar names dominate the list, which isn’t a complete snapshot given that clubs from the U.S., Australia, Japan, Norway, and Sweden did not provide Deloitte with revenue figures. From the top:

Barcelona: $14.5 million Manchester United: $8.7 million Real Madrid: $8 million Manchester City: $5.75 million Arsenal: $5.75 million STRAIGHT ANSWER Q: Will Title Games Set TV Records?

Mitch Stringer-USA TODAY Sports

No.

NFL games have smashed TV record after TV record the past few weeks, and Sunday’s Conference Championship games, featuring some big teams with big narratives [[link removed]] surrounding them, suggest that we could be in for even more audience records—but sports TV ratings expert Douglas Pucci of Programming Insider believes we won’t quite get there.

Pucci predicts Chiefs-Ravens will pull 54 million viewers, just shy of the AFC Conference Championship record of 54.9 million for Steelers-Jets in 2011 (which pitted Ben Roethlisberger against Rex Ryan’s Jets). And he foresees 50 million for 49ers-Lions, well short of the NFC Conference Championship record of 57.9 million for Vikings-Saints in 2010. (That game marked the last playoff appearance for Brett Favre, who lost in an overtime thriller.)

Chiefs-Ravens, the more intriguing Sunday game this year, Pucci says, might have set a new record were it played in primetime; instead, CBS Sports’ coverage will kick off at 3 p.m. ET, while Fox Sports’ telecast of 49ers-Lions gets the 6:30 p.m. window. CBS’s coverage of last Sunday’s Chiefs-Bills game averaged 50.4 million viewers, making it the most-watched divisional playoff [[link removed]] game in league history.

— Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]

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Responsible Gaming in Modern Age

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That’s why Front Office Sports has partnered with FanDuel to launch Responsible Gaming Essentials [[link removed]], our latest course covering the fundamentals of responsible play and the ever-changing sportsbook industry.

In this free, three-lesson course, leaders from FanDuel, together with executives across the sports industry and the National Council on Problem Gambling, unravel the complexities of sports betting [[link removed]] in the digital age.

Learn the history behind legalized sports betting in the U.S., FanDuel’s rise as an industry leader—and most importantly, the tools, resources, and partnerships within the FanDuel ecosystem that help foster a culture of responsible gaming.

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Spanish Judge Wants Luis Rubiales to Stand Trial for World Cup Kiss [[link removed]]

Noe Llamas/Sipa USA via USA TODAY Sports

A new legal development in the scandal surrounding the Spanish women’s soccer team: A high court judge in Spain recommended [[link removed]] Thursday the case go to trial.

It’s the latest news following the unsolicited kiss by former Spanish football federation president Luis Rubiales during the 2023 Women’s World Cup [[link removed]] trophy presentation. The judge supported star player Jenni Hermoso, who filed a criminal complaint of coercion and sexual assault in September, saying an investigation found the kiss was not consensual.

The judge also wants former head coach Jorge Vilda, men’s team sports director Albert Luque, and the Spanish federation’s marketing chief, Ruben Rivera, to stand trial for pressuring Hermoso to publicly release a video saying the kiss was consensual.

Prosecutors and Hermoso have 10 days to formally request a trial, the judge said.

In August, FIFA suspended [[link removed]] Rubiales, who insisted the action was consensual (which Hermoso denied), and he resigned [[link removed]] from his position in September. The team boycotted [[link removed]] international play until their country’s football federation agreed to make profound changes, and FIFA handed out a three-year suspension [[link removed]] to Rubiales in October.

Vilda, who was fired in early September, became the manager of Morocco’s women’s team the next month.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY They Said What?

“Running the Olympics is like running seven Super Bowls a day for two weeks straight, and you don’t get a second chance.”

—Pete Giorgio, Deloitte Global and U.S. sports practice leader, on the high stakes that come with hosting the Olympic Games. To hear more about global sports investments, check out the latest episode of Front Office Sports Today.

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

TIME CAPSULE Jan. 26, 1986: Super Bowl Shuffling

Dick Raphael-USA TODAY Sports

On this day 38 years ago: The Chicago Bears complete one of the most dominant seasons in NFL history with the team’s 46-10 annihilation of the New England Patriots in Super Bowl XX, setting league records in both television viewership and Super Bowl margin of victory, and solidifying the Bears as a business and cultural force. Preceded by the team’s infamous “Super Bowl Shuffle” song [[link removed]], the title win sparks a merchandising boom that continues to this day, as it remains one of the high points in Chicago pro sports history.

The victory also establishes Mike Ditka as an in-demand coach, broadcaster, and motivational speaker for decades to come, as well as a pop culture touchstone [[link removed]]. The game’s average audience [[link removed]] of 92.6 million viewers is the first Super Bowl to pass 90 million and stands as the event’s highwater mark until Super Bowl XXX, a decade later, involving the nationally beloved Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Conversation Starters On Sunday, the Super Bowl LVIII matchup will be set. But until then, put on your tinfoil hat and enjoy [[link removed]] some of the best conspiracy theories floating around about the game. Why is the Department of Justice involved in a lawsuit over the NCAA transfer rules? Jay Bilas broke things down for Front Office Sports. Listen [[link removed]] to what he had to say. Doc Rivers is the new head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. But news of the move wasn’t broken by your traditional suspects. Find out [[link removed]] how it unfolded. SPONSORED BY AUTOTRADER Between unprecedented conference realignments, historic media rights deals, the wild world of NIL, and high-stakes competition, this space couldn’t be more exciting right now, but you need someone to help you make sense of it all. That’s where we come in. Patriots’ Kayshon Boutte Charged With Illegal Sports Betting [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Charges include betting underage and while still a college athlete. All the Money Involved in Jim Harbaugh’s NFL Move [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Jim Harbaugh walked away from the biggest contract in college football. The NFL Has Laid Out Its Policy On Players Gambling at the Vegas Super Bowl [[link removed]]by Daniel Kaplan [[link removed]]What are players—both in the game, and just visiting—allowed to do? Chiefs-Bills Set All-Time Divisional Viewership Record With More Than 50 Million Tuned In [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]It’s the most-watched program on TV since the Super Bowl. 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]], Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Peter Richman [[link removed]], Adam Duerson [[link removed]]

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