May 9, 2024

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The LPGA is hoping to find the same viewership success other women’s sports are experiencing. … Formula One just keeps winning, and cashing checks. … Peyton Manning’s Omaha Productions is capitalizing on the Caitlin Clark phenomenon. … And LSU’s football coach is fed up with one aspect of name, image, and likeness growing in college sports.

— David Rumsey [[link removed]]

While Nelly Korda Chases History, LPGA Tries to Close a Coverage Gap [[link removed]]

Sarasota Herald-Tribune

Scottie Scheffler isn’t playing in the PGA Tour’s next $20 million signature event this week as the Masters champion and winner of four out of his last five tournaments continues to await the birth of his first child. However, on the LPGA Tour, Nelly Korda (above), winner of five straight, is back in action looking to become the first women’s golfer to claim six consecutive victories.

As the action unfolds, ESPN+ is pulling double duty on its golf coverage—but not all things are equal. The streaming service will broadcast from the Wells Fargo Championship in Charlotte, and the Cognizant Founders Cup in Clifton, N.J., which carries a $3 million purse. While ESPN’s separate media-rights deals with those tours aren’t directly correlated with the difference in prize money this week (or any other), it does highlight the disparity between the men’s and women’s games off the course.

During the first two rounds Thursday and Friday, viewers of PGA Tour Live on ESPN+ will be able to choose from a main feed, marquee groups, featured groups, and featured holes before afternoon coverage on Golf Channel. ESPN is paying the PGA Tour $75 million annually, according to The New York Times [[link removed]]. LPGA fans have two featured group options during each of the morning and afternoon waves ahead of afternoon coverage on Peacock. “The women’s production is slimmer than the PGA Tour production,” John Lasker, senior vice president at ESPN+, admits in a conversation with Front Office Sports.

Room to Grow

The Founders Cup is just the third LPGA event with ESPN+ coverage since a streaming deal was struck in November (NBC Sports is the LPGA’s primary media-rights holder). ESPN+ will broadcast from two more LPGA events this year and eight total during the lifespan of the deal that runs into 2025. ESPN wouldn’t comment on the financial terms of the LPGA deal, although a source tells FOS that the tour is sharing production costs with the network. Lasker says production resources, financing, and sponsorship capability dictate what ESPN+ can and can’t offer.

“Deals come in all shapes and sizes,” Lasker says. “So, I wouldn’t suggest that the LPGA deal is really an outlier or overly unique. We do deals that look and smell like this all the time.” While ESPN+ doesn’t release viewership metrics, Lasker claims the LPGA coverage so far has exceeded expectations.

Overall, the LPGA deal is part of ESPN’s growing portfolio of women’s sports, from the WNBA to college sports to the NWSL and more. Lasker wouldn’t rule out expanding LPGA coverage when the time is right. “If you just compare [golf] to any other sport, it’s crazy to imagine that there’s action happening that isn’t distributed and available,” he says.

Formula One Gets Another Win Off the Track [[link removed]]

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

Just days after Formula One completed the third running of the Miami Grand Prix, all signs point to business being as good as ever for the global racing circuit. Not only did the Miami race draw the sport’s highest U.S. TV audience ever, but on Wednesday, F1 parent company Liberty Media announced strong financial results.

During the first quarter of 2024, F1 generated $553 million in revenue. That’s a 45% increase over the same time period last year. There is one catch, though: Formula One raced three times in Q1 of this year (January through March), as opposed to two races during the first three months of ’23. This season, the F1 schedule will feature a record 24 races. Last year, F1 scheduled 24 races but ran only 23 after the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix was canceled due to excessive flooding. Still, Formula One generated $3.23 billion in total revenue in ’23, the most ever for the sport.

During Q1, Liberty Media also agreed to acquire [[link removed]] an 86% majority stake in MotoGP at a roughly $3.8 billion equity value. The deal for that motorcycle racing series is expected to close by the end of 2024.

Another Base Hit

Wednesday also marked the release of Q1 earnings for Atlanta Braves Holdings, Inc. The parent company of the MLB’s Braves that spun off from Liberty Media last year reported $37 million of revenue for the quarter, marking a 20% increase from the same period in 2023. Atlanta currently sits in second place in the NL East division and is averaging the fourth-highest attendance per game in all of MLB.

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Data: The Decision Driver

It’s time to unravel the intricate web of numbers that underpins every sporting triumph.

Join us for Future of Sports: Data Analytics [[link removed]], presented by KORE Software on May 15 at 1 p.m. ET for an immersive exploration into the evolving landscape of analytics within the sports industry.

In this virtual summit we’ll unpack the role of data analytics in enhancing athlete, team, and league performance and the strategic business decisions around fan experiences, tailored content, ticket pricing, partnerships, and broadcasting rights negotiations.

Whether you’re a sports enthusiast, a budding analyst, or a seasoned industry professional, this event is your backstage pass to understanding how data impacts the future of sports.

Register now [[link removed]] and receive KORE’s full State of the Industry report for free following the event.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Capturing an Unforgettable Women’s College Hoops Season

Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Omaha Productions, Peyton Manning’s production company, is perhaps best known for the up-close-and-personal Netflix series Quarterback. Now, with a new four-part docuseries debuting this weekend, Full Court Press, it is aiming to do for women’s college basketball what that earlier show did for the NFL. The company’s head of production, Therese Andrews, joins our show today to tell us why the series is about much more than Caitlin Clark (above), how March Madness keeps shooting schedules interesting, and which moments may surprise viewers.

🎧 Watch, listen, and subscribe on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR More Than Money

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

“They want to be bought.”

—Brian Kelly (above) on the process of recruiting and signing players while reportedly admitting [[link removed]] that LSU is struggling to land defensive linemen in the transfer portal. The Tigers football coach said that “we’re not in the market of buying players” and added that is what “some guys are looking for.” It’s not like Kelly has had a hard time attracting talent: He’s compiled [[link removed]] a 20–7 record over two seasons in Baton Rouge, notched a pair of bowl game wins, and recently had three players picked in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft—including Jayden Daniels, the ’23 Heisman Trophy winner. The former longtime Notre Dame coach also said that LSU has an “incredible” collective— Bayou Traditions [[link removed]]—and that players have “very, very generous opportunities.”

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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]].

Conversation Starters FinanceBuzz has a list of some unusual (but legit) ways that people can stack their bank accounts without having to leave their house. Read more [[link removed]].* Nike released a fitting tribute for Rudy Gobert, the NBA’s four-time Defensive Player of the Year. Check it out [[link removed]]. Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins is donating [[link removed]] $10,000 from name, image, and likeness money to support his former high school football program at Pike Road. Keep the money: Formula One star Max Verstappen said that not even a $269 million salary would tempt him to join [[link removed]] Mercedes at the moment. Editors’ Picks Former Ohtani Interpreter Pleading Guilty to Bank Fraud, False Tax Return [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]] and A.J. Perez [[link removed]]The former interpreter faces up to 33 years in federal prison for his crimes. Candace Parker Joins Shaq, Iverson in Court-to-Sneaker Boardroom Pipeline [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Parker was named president of Adidas women’s basketball Wednesday. ‘Indianapolis Star’ Quietly Suspends Writer Over Caitlin Clark Interaction [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Doyel made headlines after an awkward encounter during Clark’s introductory press conference. DISCLAIMER

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