March 15, 2024

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It’s opening weekend for the 2024 NWSL season, and the league enters the new campaign with significant momentum, both on the media front and with regard to franchise values after a record sale of the San Diego Wave. … There’s big money on the line this weekend on the PGA Tour, NASCAR Cup Series, ATP Tour, and WTA Tour. … Plus: More on the Lions, Dartmouth men’s basketball, the BNP Paribas Open, and the proposed arena in Alexandria, Va.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and David Rumsey [[link removed]]

NWSL’s Team Values Are Perhaps the Clearest Sign of League’s Growth [[link removed]]

Amber Searls-USA TODAY Sports

Former MLB commissioner Bud Selig laid out one of his key performance metrics when he took the role on a permanent basis in 1998, telling team owners, “Look, guys, in the end you can judge me by asset values. Because in the end, that is really the sum total of everything we do.”

That same measure can now be applied to the NWSL and commissioner Jessica Berman (above) on the heels of a record-level franchise sale in San Diego that dramatically resets team values across the league.

The Wave, a third-year franchise, has been acquired [[link removed]] by the Levine Leichtman family from billionaire Ron Burkle for $113 million. The two-stage agreement, which could later bring the team value to $120 million, accelerates what has already been a dramatic run-up in team prices in the last two years. Recent deals across the NWSL include:

New franchises, including Bay Area FC [[link removed]] and a forthcoming team in Boston [[link removed]], that each carried $53 million expansion fees. Y. Michele Kang’s $35 million acquisition [[link removed]] of the Washington Spirit in 2022. A $35.5 million deal [[link removed]] last summer for the Chicago Red Stars led by Cubs and Sky co-owner Laura Ricketts that includes another $25 million to be invested in the club. A sale [[link removed]] in January of the Portland Thorns for $63 million. Broad-Based Growth

In keeping with Selig’s edict, the underlying reasoning for the NWSL franchise escalation is not hard to understand. In 2023, the NWSL had a groundbreaking season with $240 million in media rights deals, record attendance, and higher national TV streaming viewership, giving women’s team sports unprecedented exposure [[link removed]] on broadcast, cable TV, and streaming platforms.

The Wave pact also ties into a broader and historic escalation in popularity and exposure happening across women’s pro sports in North America.

“As longtime supporters of the women’s game, Arthur [Levine] and Lauren [Leichtman] know well the impact that our league can have in our society, and as savvy investors, understand the opportunities in front of us to continue to grow our league and club businesses,” Berman said.

Meanwhile, the Utah Royals are also returning to the NWSL this season after folding in 2020. The club, as well as MLS counterpart Real Salt Lake, is now controlled by Jazz owner Ryan Smith and David Blitzer, the co-managing partner of the 76ers and Devils. Because of the state of the Royals, Smith and Blitzer are believed to have paid only $2 million to revive the club.

The NWSL Is Ready to Cash in on New Media Exposure [[link removed]]

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

The NWSL Challenge Cup on Friday night will see the defending champions, Gotham FC, host the San Diego Wave on Prime Video before the regular season begins Saturday. Amazon is one of three new media partners, including ESPN and Scripps Sports, that will pay the women’s soccer league a combined $240 million over the next four years, alongside incumbent broadcaster CBS Sports.

The groundbreaking deals [[link removed]] are set to give the NWSL unprecedented exposure for professional women’s team sports: 72 regular-season matches will be on free over-the-air networks, and 26 will be on mass-distributed cable channels. The remainder will be streamed on Amazon and NWSL+, the league’s free, new digital platform. Here’s what it will look like:

ABC: Season opener / ESPN: 7 matches / ESPN2: 9 matches CBS: 11 matches / CBS Sports Network: 10 matches Scripps-owned Ion: 50 matches Prime Video: 26 matches NWSL+: 69 matches More Than Money

Besides the huge increase in TV revenue, worth $60 million annually and beating out prior deals by a multiple of 40, the NWSL will now get four broadcasters, instead of one, promoting the league each week. Scripps is even launching weekly studio shows—another first for the NWSL—before and after matches, as well as in between Ion’s Saturday doubleheaders. And depending on how successful games on NWSL+ are, the league could look to start charging for that service or sell some of that inventory to new partners down the road.

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WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Showdown at Sawgrass

David Yeazell-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 Players Championship

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $25 million First place (individual): $4.5 million

NASCAR Cup Series, Food City 500

When: Sunday Purse: $8,182,531 First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed

ATP and WTA Tours, BNP Paribas Open final, Indian Wells

When: Sunday Purse: $9 million First place (individual): $1.4 million STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Detroit Free Press

Lions ⬆ After the NFL team’s first playoff victories in 30 years, Detroit has extended the contracts of head coach Dan Campbell (above, left) and general manager Brad Holmes (above, right), who also carries the title of executive vice president. The duo that helped bring an on-field resurgence [[link removed]] that led to plenty of off-field success [[link removed]] is now locked up through 2027.

Dartmouth hoops ⬆ The National Labor Relations Board certified [[link removed]] a union to represent the school’s men’s basketball players who became [[link removed]] the first NCAA team in history to vote to unionize.

BNP Paribas Open ⬇ Carlos Alcaraz’s straight-sets victory over Alexander Zverev at Indian Wells on Thursday was delayed [[link removed]] almost two hours due to a “bee invasion” on the court. A local beekeeper eventually removed the swarm that was obstructing a television camera, among other things.

Northern Virginia arena ⬇ Some curious details of the proposed new venue [[link removed]] for the Capitals and Wizards have emerged. In order to provide $1.5 billion in public funding, a financing plan assumes that “thousands of fans will pay $75 for parking, the teams’ owner will host 53 more events annually in Alexandria than it did last year at its current D.C. arena, and a new luxury hotel will book rooms at a ‘historically unprecedented’ rate of $731 a night,” according to an analysis of the plan obtained by The Washington Post [[link removed]].

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Conversation Starters Steph Curry’s signature line, Curry Brand, has inked [[link removed]] its inaugural collegiate NIL deal with MiLaysia Fulwiley, a freshman at South Carolina. Winning has its perks: Nike and LeBron James surprised [[link removed]] each USC women’s basketball player with four custom pairs of Nike shoes after the Trojans captured the Pac-12 tournament title. Jesse Cole, the owner of the Savannah Bananas, went from sleeping on an air mattress in his garage to selling out MLB stadiums. Here’s a quick rundown [[link removed]] of his incredible story. Editors’ Picks Led By SEC and Big Ten, CFP Agrees To Post-2026 Terms [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Nine conferences and Notre Dame have agreed to a CFP playoff structure with at least 12 teams between 2026 and 2031. It’s Showtime: Lakers’ Minority Owner Johnny Buss Announces Presidential Campaign [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Buss will run as an independent candidate. Athletes Sue NCAA Over Trans Policies [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The lawsuit claims the NCAA has violated Title IX. 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 Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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