March 1, 2024

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Formula One is back and in a rather different set of circumstances than when last season ended. … The ongoing MASN-Comcast carriage talks carry ramifications well beyond just the regional sports network and cable distributor. … Fanatics CEO Michael Rubin speaks candidly on the MLB uniform controversy. … Big money is on the line this weekend in golf and NASCAR. … Plus: More on the U.S. Open Cup, rugby, PWHL expansion, and pro pickleball.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Formula One Is Back After a Particularly Spicy Offseason [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Formula One begins its longest season ever Saturday, with the Bahrain Grand Prix kicking off a 24-race schedule that will include the circuit’s return to China for the first time since the pandemic.

All of that should set up yet another record year for F1, after annual revenue surpassed $3 billion for the first time in 2023. That was thanks in part to the wildly successful debut of the Las Vegas Grand Prix, which will take another spin around the Strip in November. But since the ’23 campaign ended, it’s been an offseason filled with plenty of twists and turns, all leading up to this weekend’s return.

From the Executive Suite

After dominating both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships last year, Red Bull became the talk of the offseason for a different reason. Allegations of inappropriate behavior levied against team principal Christian Horner by a female Red Bull employee brought his future with the organization into question. This week, Red Bull, without revealing any significant details, announced an independent investigation cleared Horner [[link removed]] of any wrongdoing. But the drama continued, with Horner having to speak out Thursday after files purportedly related to his misconduct investigation were emailed [[link removed]] to hundreds of F1, FIA, and team officials. On Friday, Horner met with F1 CEO Stefano Domenicali and FIA boss president Mohammed Ben Sulayem separately to discuss the ongoing controversy surrounding him, per ESPN [[link removed]].

Meanwhile, Toto Wolff signed a three-year extension [[link removed]] to remain team principal at Mercedes. His salary is not public, but Wolff owns 33% of the F1 team, which Forbes most recently valued [[link removed]] at $3.8 billion. At Haas, founding team principal Guenther Steiner’s contract was not renewed, but there’s good news for any Drive to Survive fans who have enjoyed his energetic personality on the grid and Netflix series alike: German F1 broadcaster RTL has tapped Steiner [[link removed]] as a commentator this season.

Behind the Wheel

No drivers have changed teams for the 2024 season, but there is an impending shift creating tension on the F1 grid. Seven-time world champion Lewis Hamilton has already agreed to leave Mercedes [[link removed]] after this season to join Ferrari in ’25, creating lame-duck years for himself and the driver he’ll replace, Carlos Sainz. Hamilton’s ’23 salary was $55 million, per Forbes, and some reports out of Europe estimate [[link removed]] his multiyear Ferrari deal to be worth more than $400 million, between salary and other benefits.

Media Madness

The sixth season of Drive to Survive is out, and like other editions of the series, Netflix is being criticized [[link removed]] for some overdramatization of some events. Now three-time defending champion Max Verstappen famously refused to participate [[link removed]] in the show’s fourth season, which chronicled his first title in 2021, due to his portrayal in previous seasons.

While ESPN enters the second season of its three-year U.S. media-rights deal believed to be worth $85 million annually [[link removed]], F1 just completed a 10-year pact with beIN Sports for broadcast rights in the Middle East, North Africa, and Turkey that multiple reports are saying is worth $500 million in total.

Call It What You Want

With sponsor dollars key for F1 team operations, official squad names change all the time as new financial backers arrive—and this year is no different. Welcome to the grid, Stake F1 Team Kick Sauber and Visa Cash App RB Formula One Team. Rolls off the tongue nicely, huh?

“I know people are going to shorten it and I’ve already heard RB and whatever,” said Daniel Ricciardo [[link removed]], who drives for the latter. “I will say ‘Do as you wish,’ but you’ll hear me say ‘Visa Cash App RB.’” Spoken like a true … spokesperson.

MASN-Comcast Negotiations: Big Implications for TV and MLB [[link removed]]

Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports

The Mid-Atlantic Sports Network is trying to strike a new carriage agreement with Comcast, but the issue transcends the typical contract battles between sports television networks and cable distributors, and it could greatly impact the presence and economic state of two MLB clubs.

The Orioles-controlled regional sports network’s contract with the largest cable carrier in the Baltimore-Washington region expired at the end of February, and a short-term extension has been reached that will give them until March 7 to strike a new deal. But those discussions are occurring against a backdrop of significant change on both sides of the table.

From Comcast’s perspective, the talks arrive amid continued cord-cutting across the entire pay-TV industry and rising costs for RSNs of all types. Because of that, the carrier has already been shifting such networks to higher-cost premium tiers that target the channels to more avid fans willing to pay for them. Comcast recently made such a move in Pittsburgh [[link removed]] and Seattle [[link removed]]. If Comcast were to do the same in Baltimore and Washington, fans there would be faced with a choice of paying for a more expensive Xfinity package or switching to another cable or satellite TV provider. Other distributors, too, are paying close attention to how Comcast handles these RSNs.

Without any type of new deal between MASN and Comcast or another extension of the negotiating window, a large swath of the Baltimore and Washington markets will be blacked out from watching the Orioles and Nationals. There is also no direct-to-consumer streaming option, as MASN has not developed an in-market offering similar to what is available in several other MLB markets, and it only livestreams content to authenticated [[link removed])] cable subscribers.

For the Orioles, meanwhile, the situation with MASN’s largest distributor arrives just as the club is in the midst of being sold [[link removed]] to private equity billionaire David Rubenstein. Even before the completion of that deal, valuing the club at $1.725 billion, the club faces a potentially large shift with one of its key local revenue sources. Comcast’s placing of MASN on a less popular tier, if it happens, would meaningfully cut into the channel’s distribution and income, and no deal at all would obviously be even more damaging to the club financially.

The Nationals are now off the market [[link removed]] after a change of heart by the Lerner family on a potential franchise sale. But the club remains a minority equity partner in MASN, and it also faces a major loss in public exposure and revenue without a new distribution agreement with Comcast.

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LOUD AND CLEAR A Real Kick in the Pants

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

“We’re doing everything as we’ve been told and we’re getting the s*** kicked out of us.”

—Michael Rubin, Fanatics CEO, on the controversy surrounding MLB’s new uniforms, while speaking [[link removed]] at the MIT Sloan Sports Analytics Conference on Friday. The league’s uniforms, developed in partnership with Nike and Fanatics, have received widespread criticism [[link removed]] from players and fans alike. Photos of players on social media revealed how transparent the new uniforms are, specifically the white jerseys and pants. Other issues stem from overall quality—smaller lettering and misaligned characters—resulting in a cheaper look.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

The Enquirer

U.S. Open Cup ⬇ MLS clubs will reduce the number of first teams competing in the 110-year-old national soccer tournament that is this country’s equivalent to England’s FA Cup. All 26 American MLS franchises competed in the 2023 U.S. Open Cup, but this year just eight will be represented by their top lineups. In December, U.S. Soccer denied a request from MLS [[link removed]] to allow its affiliated developmental teams from MLS Next Pro (a Division III league in the American soccer pyramid) to represent clubs. Eleven MLS Next Pro teams will compete in ’24. Lionel Messi and Inter Miami, who made the final of the ’23 tournament, will notably be absent from this year’s U.S. Open Cup due to the qualifying format.

Rugby ⬆ Australia and New Zealand’s National Rugby League kicks off its 2024 season in Las Vegas on Saturday, with two matches at the Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium. “The NRL is in Las Vegas, like every other punter or entertainer in the city, to make money,” The Guardian’s Angus Fontaine writes [[link removed]]. “It craves a slice of the [$119.84 billion] the American Gambling Association says was bet in 2023, and a turbo-boost of the NRL brand to lure revenue from US broadcasters and sponsors.”

PWHL expansion ⬇ Despite already seeing record-breaking attendance for women’s hockey during the upstart league’s debut season, growing beyond six teams is not yet up for discussion. “Somewhere down the road expansion will be contemplated, but in advance of Season 2, I would say no to those things,” PWHL senior vice president of hockey operations Jayna Hefford said [[link removed]].

Pickleball ⬆ The sport’s top two leagues, the PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball, announced the completion of their previously agreed upon merger [[link removed]] that is backed by a $75 million investment from private equity firm SC Holdings, D.C. Pickleball Team owner Al Tylis, PPA Tour owners Tom Dundon and the Pardoe family, and a roster of existing MLP team owners.

Editors’ note: SC Holdings is an investor in Front Office Sports.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Cognizant of the Payday

Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. Here’s what’s up for grabs this weekend:

PGA Tour, Cognizant Classic

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $9 million First place (individual): $1.62 million

LIV Golf, Jeddah

When: Friday to Sunday Purse: $25 million ($20 million for individuals, $5 million for teams) First place (individual): $4 million Winning team (splits): $3 million

NASCAR, Pennzoil 400 in Las Vegas

When: Sunday Purse: $9,386,054

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Conversation Starters This season, the NFL boasts [[link removed]] a record-breaking 12 full-time female coaches, the highest number in any male professional sports league worldwide. Within an hour of Iowa star Caitlin Clark announcing Thursday her entry into the WNBA draft, the Indiana Fever wasted no time [[link removed]], encouraging fans to “hop on board” with ticket links and reminding them the draft was only 46 days away. The Titans have recently begun [[link removed]] construction on their new $2.1 billion stadium in Nashville, which will serve as the centerpiece of a 300-acre redevelopment along the Cumberland River. The project is scheduled to be completed in time for the 2027 season. Editors’ Picks The Next Women’s Sports Bar Is Inspired by Tennis’s Barrier Breaker [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Althea Gibson is the namesake for a bar opening in New York. Iowa Star Caitlin Clark Makes It Official: She’s WNBA-Bound [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Iowa star Caitlin Clark announced she is declaring for the WNBA draft. Is the Owner of 5-Hour Energy Drink Turning ‘Sports Illustrated’ Into a 5-Hour Energy Promotional Arm? [[link removed]]by A.J. Perez [[link removed]]A new story has elevated employees’ concerns about the outlet’s editorial autonomy. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by David Rumsey [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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