May 6, 2024

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The 2024 Kentucky Derby showed a remarkable amount of strength, from attendance to ratings to record betting handles, a year after controversy enveloped the famed horse race. … A third attempt to operate the Arena Football League is showing major problems just days into the season. … Aaron Rodgers is thinking more about life after the NFL. … Plus: More on hockey in Utah, WNBA preseason broadcasts, Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment, and 777 Partners.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

Kentucky Derby Roars Back With Big TV Numbers, Inks NBC Extension [[link removed]]

The Courier-Journal

A year after horse racing’s biggest event was enveloped in a health scandal that rippled throughout the sport, the 2024 Kentucky Derby posted across-the-board increases in key business metrics reflecting the extent of the recovery thus far.

Marking a significant contrast from a 2023 event that was marred [[link removed]] by seven horse deaths leading up to the race and several more thereafter—ultimately leading to a suspension [[link removed]] of operations at Churchill Downs for more than three months and an extended investigation [[link removed]]—this year’s event was a massive hit in person, on television, and on betting platforms. Among the foremost results:

An average audience of 16.7 million on NBC Sports platforms, a 13% boost from a year ago, the race’s best total since 1989, and the network’s most-watched program since the NFL divisional playoffs in January A peak viewership figure of 20.1 million, the most for an NBC Sports presentation of the Kentucky Derby NBC Sports also announced a rights renewal with Churchill Downs Inc. in which it will continue to air the Kentucky Derby through 2032 A Churchill Downs attendance of 156,710, up 4.2% from a year ago and the highest total since 2018, with the famed racetrack debuting [[link removed]] a $200 million set of renovations, including a new paddock A series of betting records for the Kentucky Derby: All-sources wagering for the derby day program itself reached a record of $320.5 million, up 11% from last year’s mark that also had been a record. The all-sources handle for the entire derby week also set a record of $446.6 million, up 8% from last year

Mystik Dan, an 18–1 long shot going into the race, won [[link removed]] in what was the Kentucky Derby’s first three-horse photo finish since 1947. But even with that drama, the brief duration of that race means that nearly all of the totals still would have happened even if the derby ended in a runaway.

No Triple Crown Winner?

NBC Sports will now look to take this momentum into its coverage of the Preakness Stakes, scheduled for May 18. Mystik Dan, however, is not yet confirmed for that race, and trainer Kenny McPeek said [[link removed]] it will be a “last-minute” decision.

“Horse racing is contracting around the big days and best meets and that’s a good thing IMO,” posted [[link removed]] Mike Mulvihill, president of insights and analytics for Fox Sports, on X. The network will carry the Belmont Stakes in June, and it also stands to benefit from a boost in horse racing. “We’re headed toward a sport that’s smaller, safer, more digital, more event-driven, [with] fewer tracks but better experiences. Embrace it.”

Folding Franchises, Cattle Fencing, a Nixed TV Deal: Can the AFL Survive? [[link removed]]

John David Mercer

A quarter of a century ago, the Arena Football League was riding so high that the NFL held an option to purchase a majority interest in the league. But the NFL’s move to not exercise that option, two bankruptcies, and years of additional turmoil later, the third attempt of the AFL is showing further issues almost immediately out of the gate.

Just since the beginning of the revived league’s 2024 schedule April 27, the AFL has faced a litany of problems that once again call the entity’s long-term survival into question. Among them:

The Iowa Rampage folded after just one game, with team owners Trevor Burnett and Mike Taliaferro blasting [[link removed]] league officials for failing to disclose the full costs associated with the reboot. “[Commissioner] Lee Hutton and his team have destroyed not only the revival of the AFL, but they have destroyed the hopes of players all over the U.S.,” the pair said. Hours later, the Rampage players competed in a second game, but the team is no longer listed [[link removed]] among the AFL’s franchises. The Philadelphia Soul’s initial game, against the Louisiana VooDoo, involved mostly replacement players from the American Arena League 2’s Dallas Falcons in a last-minute switch after coach Pat Pimmel resigned the day before the contest and much of the original roster did not make the trip. The Billings Outlaws changed a Week 2 game against the Oregon Blackbears to one against the Washington Wolfpack due to concerns about unsafe field conditions at The Pavilion in Salem, Ore., including the alleged use of cattle fencing. Nonetheless, the Blackbears went on to host a game there, anyway, on Saturday against the Georgia Force. When asked how that was possible, Outlaws owner Steven Titus said [[link removed]], “Your guess is as good as mine.” Even a team fully committed to the league, the Rapid City Marshals, released [[link removed]] a statement acknowledging they “expect to see some schedule shuffling in [the] coming weeks]” amid “complexities that have emerged.” The NFL Network was due to show 30 AFL games this season in a distribution deal announced [[link removed]] in March, but no games were aired and the pact has been terminated, industry sources tell Front Office Sports. Non-payment by the AFL to a production company working with the network initially scuttled the Week 1 broadcasts, but sources said “it became quickly apparent they had much bigger issues that were likely hard to overcome,” leading to a full demise of the agreement. Much of the league that still exists is located in smaller markets such as Salina, Park City, and Dodge City, Kansas; Rapid City, S.D.; Odessa, Texas; and Billings, Montana.

Titus is now calling on the league’s current leadership, including Hutton, to step down from their roles.

“Some questions need to be answered sooner rather than later about what’s going on,” Titus told SWX Local Sports [[link removed]].

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Journey to the Starting Line

For this year’s 128th running of the Boston Marathon [[link removed]], the cutoff time was 5 minutes, 29 seconds faster than the qualifying standards, unfortunately resulting in more than 11,000 runners being turned away. But Dick’s Sporting Goods jumped in to give three of them a second chance to run Boston.

Dick’s Sporting Goods teamed up with Front Office Sports and the Boston Athletic Association to identify and chronicle three deserving athletes [[link removed]] to receive race bibs: John Neusch, Carly Curcuru, and CJ Reuland. These Boston locals, all of whom have qualified but have never run in the Boston Marathon, will now have the opportunity to achieve their long-sought-after goal.

Watch John, Carly, and CJ’s journeys to the starting line here [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Rodgers Throws a Flag

Spartanburg Herald-Journal

“It could be part of the next chapter in my football career.”

—Aaron Rodgers on flag football being an Olympic sport in 2028 and the potential for more NFL players to get involved, including himself. “The recent growth of flag football has been exciting to watch,” said [[link removed]] the 40-year-old Jets quarterback, who helped raise $3 million for charities in a flag football tournament at Saddleback College in Mission Viejo, Calif., which he played in (and was organized by RX3, a venture firm Rodgers cofounded). Rodgers, who sustained a torn Achilles tendon four snaps into New York’s ’23 season opener, is expected to return to the team’s next phase of offseason workouts with no restrictions, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini [[link removed]].

STATUS REPORT One Up, Three Down

Bob DeChiara-USA TODAY Sports

Hockey in Utah ⬆ The newly relocated franchise [[link removed]] took further steps Monday to establish itself in its new home. Owner Ryan Smith said he intends to construct the team’s future permanent practice facility and headquarters at The Shops at South Town, a shopping mall in Sandy, Utah, with a projected opening for the 2025–26 season. A search for a temporary practice facility for the upcoming season is still ongoing. The NHL, meanwhile, released the final details for Tuesday’s lottery for its draft. Now listed as just “Utah,” the former Coyotes [[link removed]] have the sixth-best odds of winning at 7.5%.

WNBA preseason broadcasts ⬇ It’s no secret that the league is on a major upswing. But it found itself in an embarrassing situation with the rookie debuts Friday night of the Sky’s Angel Reese and Kamilla Cardoso. The WNBA incorrectly listed the game against the Lynx as available on League Pass. But when it wasn’t, X user Alli Schneider (@heyheyitsalli) offered to livestream the game from a mobile phone, drawing [[link removed]] more than two million views.

Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment ⬇ The giant Canadian conglomerate is facing the latest iteration of what has become an annual tradition for more than half a century with the Maple Leafs’ (above) first-round playoff exit to Boston solidifying a Stanley Cup drought reaching 57 years, the longest such mark in the league. Postmortem coverage in Toronto is pointing to a potential overhaul of the team’s hockey operations, forming a key early test for MLSE president Keith Pelley, who just started in the role last month.

777 Partners ⬇ The already embattled suitor for the Premier League’s Everton is taking another hit from a federal lawsuit alleging [[link removed]] fraud by the Miami-based investment firm. A lender to 777 Partners called the claims “baseless.”

SPONSORED BY DICK’S SPORTING GOODS

Celebrating National Runners Month

Gear up for the 15th annual National Runners Month [[link removed]] at America’s No. 1 Running Destination, Dick’s Sporting Goods.

Get your next pair of running shoes fast with One-Hour Pickup, Same-Day Delivery, and more convenient ways to shop. Plus, enjoy the latest launches [[link removed]] from top running brands like Hoka, On, Nike, Brooks, ASICS, New Balance, Adidas, and more.

So, get ready for your next mile [[link removed]] this May with a fresh pair from Dick’s Sporting Goods in celebration of National Runners Month.

Conversation Starters As noted in the story above, the Kentucky Derby averaged 16.7 million viewers, its largest audience since 1989. Did you watch the Kentucky Derby this year? Let us know here [[link removed]]. Sixteen Premier League clubs support a spending cap, but notable exceptions like Aston Villa, Manchester City, and Manchester United are not supporting the proposal. Here’s how it would work [[link removed]]. That’s a mouthful: The Arizona Bowl has officially partnered with Snoop Dogg’s beverage line in a title sponsorship deal, renaming the game [[link removed]] as The Snoop Dogg Arizona Bowl Presented by Gin & Juice By Dre and Snoop. Editors’ Picks Tom Brady’s Netflix Roast Offers Rare Reminder of Robert Kraft Allegations [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Patriots’ owner was charged with soliciting prostitution in Florida in 2019. NBC Turns to ‘Odd/Even’ Dual Announcer Pairings for U.S. Open [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]Two NBC broadcast teams will alternate holes at the 2024 U.S. Open. Why a College Athletes’ Rights Group Is Setting Employee Status Aside [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]The organization endorsed a new collective bargaining model where athletes remain amateurs. 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]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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