March 8, 2024

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Major college football will be happening on Friday nights this fall. … The Saudi Pro League’s ambitions to play in Europe’s top competition are still alive. … From the draft to international expansion, the WNBA’s momentum continues to grow. … Plus: More on women’s hockey innovations, the risks of frigid stadiums, and perhaps the busiest man in sports.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

Fox Is Expanding Its College Football Coverage. What’s Behind the Move? [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

After spending the past several college football seasons turning early Saturday afternoons (and mid to late mornings for a lot of the country) into a must-see TV window, Fox Sports is moving into yet another often underutilized time slot for the sport.

Armed with premium inventory from the expanding Big Ten and Big 12 conferences, Fox’s broadcast network will air prime-time games on Friday nights this fall. The move is unprecedented because while there were 26 Division I college football games played on Fridays between weeks 2 and 12, they came on cable channels such as ESPN, ESPN2, FS1, CBS Sports Network, and Big Ten Network—and only one featured teams ranked in the AP Top 25. (Friday games are commonplace during the season kickoff mania on Labor Day weekend and Thanksgiving weekend late in the season.)

What’s Behind the Decision?

Fox appears to be mimicking the strategy it used to successfully build up its Big Noon Saturday matchups. In 2019 the network launched its Big Noon Kickoff show—which itself is starting to compete [[link removed]] with ESPN’s College GameDay—and began putting its best matchup of the weekend at noon ET. In ’23, Big Noon Saturday averaged 6.74 million viewers on Fox, making it the most-watched [[link removed]] CFB TV window of the season. So, this fall, what’s to stop Fox from putting its second-best, if not its top, matchup of the weekend on Friday night?

Big Noon Saturday stayed away from home games for most Pac-12 teams due to the 9 a.m. local kickoff time that would have meant. But why not put Big Ten newbies USC, UCLA, Oregon, or Washington in that Friday night slot? Deion Sanders and Colorado—entering the Big 12 alongside Arizona, Arizona State, and Utah—would surely love to play in front of a major national TV audience under the Friday night lights. Not to mention the extra lure the Mountain West (Fox also has a deal with that conference) will have by way of its scheduling partnership with Pac-12 leftovers Oregon State and Washington State.

Will Fox’s Friday night move be good for college football fans overall? That’s to be determined. But will they watch? If we’ve learned anything from this country’s never-ceasing love of football—college and pro—the answer is almost assuredly yes.

LOUD AND CLEAR European Dreams

Newcastle United FC

“I’m quite sure there will be a Saudi club in the Champions League. I don’t know how long [it will take] but, knowing Saudi, I don’t think it’ll take too long.”

—Newcastle United co-owner Amanda Staveley, speaking at Bloomberg’s Power Players Summit [[link removed]] in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on the growing ambitions of the Saudi Pro League, which, like the Premier League club, is financially backed by the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia. Last year, a top SPL executive said [[link removed]] the league’s clubs had hopes of eventually playing in the UEFA Champions League. Sound wild? Saudi Arabia seemingly easily secured [[link removed]] the 2034 FIFA World Cup without much opposition. Who’s to say the Champions League isn’t next?

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WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Big Names Battle in Bay Hill

Reinhold Matay-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, The Arnold Palmer Invitational

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $20 million First place (individual): $4 million (and Palmer’s iconic red cardigan)

PGA Tour, The Puerto Rico Open

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $4 million First place (individual): $720,000

LIV Golf, Hong Kong

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, Shriners Children’s 500 in Phoenix

When: Sunday Purse: $7,806,252 STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

WNBA ⬆ Demand for the league is unquestionably at an all-time high. Just this week, the second WNBA Canada Game was announced, building on last year’s huge success in Toronto [[link removed]]; the Seattle Storm and Los Angeles Sparks will play a preseason game in Edmonton in May. Meanwhile, The W said [[link removed]?] that tickets for next month’s draft in Brooklyn sold out in 15 minutes. And the two-time defending champion Las Vegas Aces said [[link removed]] they became the first WNBA team to sell out of season tickets. Happy hooping, everyone.

PWHL ⬆ The name on the backs of jerseys in the women’s hockey league will be moved [[link removed]] from above the number to below it, in an effort to better showcase said nameplates, which can often get obstructed by players’ hair.

Cold-weather games ⬇ Some fans who attended January’s Chiefs-Dolphins matchup, the fourth-coldest game [[link removed]] in NFL history at -4°, are reportedly being advised [[link removed]] to schedule amputations related to frostbite injuries.

Multitasking ⬆ Most sports fans probably don’t know the name Kevin Demoff. He’s the longtime president of the Rams and just got an unprecedented promotion. Demoff is becoming what many believe to be the first executive to oversee four major pro teams—the Los Angeles Rams, Denver Nuggets, Colorado Avalanche, and Colorado Rapids—as president of team and media operations for Kroenke Sports & Entertainment. Hopefully that new title will come with a nice raise, too.

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Conversation Starters The Hurricanes are now offering [[link removed]] beer sticks, where fans can get their favorite beer poured into a hockey stick at various draft bars and concession stands throughout PNC Arena. Chris Fowler has been busy recording calls for the 12-team College Football Playoff on EA Sports College Football 25 and mentioned there will be a second opt-in window in the spring for players like Arch Manning to reconsider their decision. Watch here [[link removed]]. NBA commissioner Adam Silver announced [[link removed]] Thursday that Phoenix will host NBA All-Star weekend in 2027. Editors’ Picks Report: Temple-UAB Basketball Game Flagged for Gambling Concerns [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The Owls have apparently been on watch for a while. UEFA Installed a Stadium Carbon Footprint Calculator. A Climate Scientist Wants to See More [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]UEFA’s total travel for the 2024–25 season rivals multiple trips to the Moon and back. Jake Paul, Mike Tyson Netflix Fight Raises Questions About Oversight [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Why 57-year-old Tyson is allowed to compete is puzzling. 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]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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