April 22, 2024

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Michael Jordan has already been more successful as a NASCAR team owner than he was running and owning NBA teams. … Both men’s and women’s golf are now being dominated by transcendent talents, but the business impact of their success is still being determined. … The PWHL continues to set attendance records in its debut season. … Plus: More on the Bills, the NWSL, the Dallas Wings, and the Broncos.

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

Michael Jordan Is Finally Finding Success as a Team Owner [[link removed]]

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Micahel Jordan may have found his next act.

Jordan’s young tenure as a NASCAR team owner is already notably more successful than his time owning an NBA team—and he’s not trying to hide his excitement about the rubber-burning passion. Tyler Reddick’s victory at Talladega on Sunday marked the first time His Airness was in attendance for a race won by one of the drivers at his majority-owned 23XI Racing, which launched in 2021. “This is, to me, like an NBA playoff game,” Jordan said [[link removed]] in an interview with Fox Sports from Victory Lane. “I am so ecstatic.”

In total, 23XI has won six NASCAR Cup Series races on the backs of Reddick, Bubba Wallace, and former team member Kurt Busch. “We’ve been working hard, trying to get ourselves up to compete against all the top guys in this sport,” added Jordan, who won six NBA championships with the Bulls. “But we’ve done a heck of a job just to be where we are. And for us to win a big race like this, it means so much to me.”

Jordan and fellow 23XI co-owner Denny Hamlin spent roughly $20 million to acquire the charters of the Nos. 23 and 45 cars, according to the team’s website. They also funded the construction of a 114,000-square-foot team facility near Charlotte dubbed Airspeed. That investment hasn’t been disclosed, but Hamlin has said it cost twice as much as originally budgeted.

Stuck in Neutral No More

Jordan’s success in stock car racing represents a stark contrast to his time in the NBA ownership ranks.

As the majority owner for 13 years in Charlotte, Jordan’s franchise never won a playoff series. He did spearhead the removal of the Bobcats nickname and return of the much more popular Hornets moniker, while securing key arena upgrades to keep the NBA in the Tar Heel State long term. But, by the time Jordan sold [[link removed]] his majority stake last summer in a deal that valued the team at $3 billion, the Hornets had missed seven consecutive postseasons.

In between his second and third (and final) retirements from playing, Jordan was a co-owner of the Washington Wizards, with full control of basketball operations. His teams never had a winning record or made the playoffs.

Critics often questioned Jordan’s commitment to being an NBA team owner—and he rarely spoke publicly about his role. NASCAR fans are seeing a different side of him, though. “I’m all in,” Jordan said after Sunday’s win. “I love it. It replaces a lot of the competitiveness that I had in basketball.” That checks out—from the on-track success to his increasing involvement [[link removed]] at 23XI—and the sport should be better for it.

Two Superstars Are Dominating Pro Golf. Will Viewers Follow? [[link removed]]

Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports

In professional golf, a singular, dominant force can grow the game exponentially. Nobody has been able to match the unprecedented dominance of Tiger Woods on the course, and in turn no one figure has produced his level of off-course impact, either.

But less than four months into 2024, two young Americans are undeniably flying high above their peers and making history: Scottie Scheffler, 27, and Nelly Korda (above), 25. Scheffler just backed up his second Masters victory with a win at the RBC Heritage, a $20 million signature event on the PGA Tour, good for his fourth victory in his last five starts. On Sunday, Korda won the Chevron Championship, the first women’s major of the year, and her fifth tournament in a row, a feat not accomplished since Annika Sorenstam in 2005.

Scheffler is unsurprisingly soaring past Korda’s earnings so far on the LPGA, but the two-time women’s major champion is actually outpacing her competition at a more impressive rate. Scheffler’s $18.69 million in prize money this year is roughly double that of his closest foe, Wyndham Clark at $9.13 million. Korda’s $2.42 million is nearly triple the LPGA’s second-highest earner, Maja Stark with $815,380.

Birdies and Bogeys

Scheffler and Korda share not only clothing sponsor Nike and club partner TaylorMade, but also have similar personalities. Their composed characters are great for handling the pressure of the first tee or 18th green but make it more difficult, at least up until this point, for fans to connect and engage with the pair of superstars. After the Masters, which saw its final-round audience drop 20% to 9.589 million viewers, Front Office Sports media reporter Michael McCarthy wrote [[link removed]] that golf may have a “Scottie Scheffler problem.”

To understand the negative impact of dominance in sports, look no further than Formula One, which saw its U.S. viewership drop 8% [[link removed]] last year as champions Max Verstappen and Red Bull continually lapped the field after a record-setting average of 1.21 million viewers on ESPN platforms in 2022. Golf viewership from this weekend has yet to be released. A rain delay pushed the conclusion of the final round of the RBC Heritage to Monday morning, while the Chevron Championship dealt with rain Saturday but finished on time Sunday on NBC.

Can They Keep It Going?

Next up, Scheffler is taking a couple weeks off in anticipation of his wife giving birth to their first child. He’ll likely be back in action at the PGA Tour’s next signature event, the Wells Fargo Championship May 9–12, and most certainly at the following week’s PGA Championship, the second men’s major of the year that in 2023 drew its lowest final-round audience since ’08 as 4.517 million viewers tuned in [[link removed]] to LIV golfer Brooks Koepka’s victory. Another Sunday with Scheffler in contention would be a strong measure of whether arguably the most dominant golfer since Woods will keep fans glued to the TV or not.

When Korda will look to keep her hot streak going is yet to be determined. On Monday, she withdrew from this week’s JM Eagle LA Championship, which is offering a $3.75 million purse—the second largest of any LPGA tournament outside of the majors this year. That would have been a great opportunity to test her starpower, as coverage on Golf Channel will air partially in primetime all four days, offering women’s golf a broadcast slot to itself after scheduled men’s coverage should be completed. The U.S. Women’s Open begins May 30 from Lancaster Country Club in Pennsylvania.

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ONE BIG FIG Montréal Momentum

David Kirouac-USA TODAY Sports

21,105

Number of fans who attended Saturday’s PWHL game at the Bell Centre—a sellout between the league’s Montréal and Toronto franchises. The figure was once again the largest attendance ever for a women’s hockey game, marking the sixth attendance record of some type set since the league’s debut in January. Five of those records have involved PWHL Montréal. “Our fans asked for this game, we delivered it, and their response has been amazing,” said Danièle Sauvageau, PWHL Montréal general manager.

STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Bills ⬆ The Terry Pegula-led team has hired Allen & Co. to explore a potential sale of a minority stake in the NFL team. The move would allow Pegula and his family to tap into fast-rising franchise values, and also gain some liquidity as a stadium under construction in Orchard Park, N.Y., has already faced cost overruns [[link removed]] that will be the responsibility of the team. Pegula dissolved [[link removed]] his Pegula Sports and Entertainment last summer, and the Bills and NHL Sabres, also owned by the billionaire [[link removed]], operate as separate entities. To that end, the football franchise said the potential equity sale discussions “only involve the Bills and no other team.”

NWSL ⬆ A trade request by María Sánchez, who in the offseason signed a then-league record $1.5 million contract, has ended in a seemingly win-win scenario: The San Diego Wave are sending $500,000 to the Houston Dash in exchange for the rights to Sánchez, representing [[link removed]] the largest intra-league exchange of funds in NWSL history.

Dallas Wings ⬆ The WNBA team has sold out [[link removed]] of season tickets for the first time in franchise history. Individual ticket sales are up 1,170% year-to-date, and a preseason game against the Indiana Fever and Caitlin Clark is almost sold out.

Broncos ⬇ Denver unveiled its new uniform designs Monday, but only after several leaks [[link removed]] last week spoiled the surprise for fans.

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Companies recognize the importance of operating sustainably, especially as new generations of fans have demonstrated their fandom aligns more closely than ever with their values, and have adopted practices making an impact in the fight against climate change. Front Office Sports has teamed up with Sports Innovation Lab to honor organizations that have been leading the sustainability movement.

The deadline to submit is June 16 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submit your organization [[link removed]] today.

Conversation Starters Due to an “unprecedented demand,” the Atlanta Dream limited single-game ticket presale to local residents to prevent bulk purchases [[link removed]] by brokers. On Sunday, the WNBA club said it would lift the geographic restrictions within 48 hours. Sixteen-year-old tennis prodigy Darwin Blanch is currently ranked 1,028th globally and has been granted a wild-card entry to compete in this week’s Madrid Open. When Blanch found out that he’ll face Rafael Nadal in the first round, he took a selfie. Check it out [[link removed]]. After the Bears presumably pick Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick on Thursday night, NFL insider Ian Rapoport predicts a wild night at the draft. See what he said [[link removed]] on the FOS Today podcast. Editors’ Picks ‘Give Them the Real’: Why Dawn Staley ‘Spoiled’ Local South Carolina Reporters [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Staley’s love for the local media leads to more coverage and passionate fans. Apple Reportedly Close To Winning Broadcast Rights for Club World Cup [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Apple’s deal would be FIFA’s first single worldwide broadcast contract. Chinese Government Says Swimming Doping Story Is ‘Fake News’ [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]23 Chinese swimmers tested positive before the 2021 Olympics. 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]], Peter Richman [[link removed]]

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