May 13, 2024

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The NFL has begun its teases for the full release of the 2024 regular-season schedule, providing another tool for networks looking to monetize their league rights. … NASCAR becomes just the latest major sports property to create a midseason championship competition. … Tom Brady has another business interest capturing his attention. … The Hawks’ victory in the NBA draft lottery stunned even some of the team’s top executives. … The Padres make history at Petco Park, more than two decades after the ballpark opened. … Plus: More on the University of Washington, the Patriots’ front office, Formula One’s Mercedes team, and ESPN.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Owen Poindexter [[link removed]]

NFL’s Next Big Moment Underway As the 2024 Schedule (Slowly) Releases [[link removed]]

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL’s hype machine for the 2024 schedule release is now hitting high gear.

The league confirmed Monday the expected plans to unveil the full slate of games for the upcoming season May 15 with a three-hour prime-time special on the NFL Network. If that weren’t enough, that effort will be joined by supplemental schedule-oriented coverage on the NFL Network and YouTube before and after that event, and NFL+ will have a “Secrets of the Schedule” special diving further into the construction of the game slate.

ESPN, meanwhile, will have its own two-hour prime-time special on the NFL schedule airing on ESPN2 and ESPN+.

Similar to recent years, the NFL will continue its practice of expanding the schedule release into a multiday extravaganza, itself one of the most notable manifestations of the league’s increasingly dominant status in not only sports but also U.S. culture more broadly. That initiative began early Monday when NBC Sports’ lead announcer Mike Tirico announced the season-opening game—an AFC championship game rematch between the Chiefs and Ravens—on the Today show, and then continued to tout the network’s NFL coverage at NBCUniversal’s upfront pitch in New York to advertisers.

Each of the other major U.S. media networks will also be holding its 2024 upfront presentations to advertisers this week, and those with NFL broadcast rights will similarly be using the schedule release as a prominent element of their respective pitches. Over the next two days, each of the domestic media partners will announce a key ’24 game on their network, while the full set of international games is also slated for an early release—with each announcement designed to raise anticipation for Wednesday night.

For NBC Sports, the upcoming season will carry noteworthy weekends at either end of the schedule. The first week will feature games Sept. 5, 6, and 8, when including the NFL’s first regular-season contest in Brazil [[link removed]], to be shown on Peacock [[link removed]]. The network, meanwhile, also announced Monday that it picked up an additional regular-season game Dec. 21, with that game helping form NBC’s first set of Saturday and Sunday games for Week 16 since 1997. The teams that will be involved in that Dec. 21 game are also set to play again on Christmas [[link removed]]—with those games expected to go to Netflix [[link removed]].

Ratings Boost?

The matchup of the Ravens and Chiefs on Sept. 5 to kick off the 2024 season, meanwhile, has been a likely outcome [[link removed]] ever since Kansas City wrapped up its second straight Super Bowl title in February. But the showcase involving the two marquee franchises, as well as star quarterbacks Lamar Jackson (above) and Patrick Mahomes (winners of four of the last six NFL MVP awards), provides a heightened potential for a strong ratings start for the season.

The NFL used a similar strategy last year, when banner viewership [[link removed]] for Lions-Chiefs to begin the season helped fuel what ultimately became an across-the-board sweep [[link removed]] of ratings increases.

The In-Season Tournament Trend: NASCAR Latest League to Create One [[link removed]]

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

American sports fans love a bracket, and NASCAR has taken note.

The 2025 NASCAR Cup Series schedule will include a five-race in-season tournament that will see 32 drivers compete for a $1 million prize. Here’s how it will work: In the middle portion of the season, overall performance in three yet-to-be-determined races will seed drivers 1 through 32 for the tournament, meaning all of the sport’s top stars, and then some, should qualify. The ensuing five races will then pit drivers head-to-head based on their seeding, with the higher-finishing driver in each race advancing to the next round.

Join the Club

With the move, NASCAR becomes just the latest league to hop on the growing trend of repurposing regular-season games and adding meaningful competition outside of the playoffs.

WNBA: Commissioner’s Cup, launched in 2021 MLS and Mexico’s Liga MX: Leagues Cup, launched in 2023 NBA: In-Season Tournament, launched in 2023 NASCAR: Will launch its in-season tournament in 2025 From Court to Track

For NASCAR, the move comes just months after the NBA found rousing success with the debut of its own in-season tournament. Both viewership and attendance soared for regular-season games in November as teams battled in the group stage before a knockout round culminated in a final four in Las Vegas. The league wasted no time selling [[link removed]] the naming rights to its In-Season Tournament and rebranding it as the Emirates NBA Cup.

NASCAR’s in-season evolution coincides with the commencement of new $7.7 billion media-rights deals [[link removed]] that will add Amazon Prime Video and TNT Sports, the latter of which broadcast the NBA’s In-Season Tournament along with ESPN, as league broadcast partners. Prime Video will air the seeding races of the in-season tournament, while TNT will get the five knockout races.

That’s a nice boost for the incoming media companies, especially as NASCAR continues to figure out exactly which races each of its four Cup Series broadcasters will air. “Sometimes you’re able to deliver more to one partner versus another in one part of the year,” NASCAR senior vice president of media and productions Brian Herbst previously told Front Office Sports [[link removed]]. “But you want to make sure that you do right by everybody over the course of the term of the partnership.”

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Data: The Decision Driver

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Tom Brady’s New Playing Field: Electric Boat Racing

Candice Ward-USA TODAY Sports

Tom Brady was in Venice, Italy, over the weekend to watch his team. Not the Las Vegas Raiders, with whom he is still working out the kinks of an ownership agreement with majority owner Mark Davis (above, left), nor the Major League Pickleball team he owns with tennis legend Kim Clijsters, nor Birmingham City, the English soccer team in which he has a minority stake. Team Brady is an E1 electric boat racing team.

“What drew me to the series is sports and competition and great teammates with a great work ethic to succeed,” Brady said on Front Office Sports Today [[link removed]]. He competes against teams owned by Rafael Nadal, Formula One driver Sergio Pérez, and soccer legend Didier Drogba, among others.

“We have great team owners that are really invested in the success of the league and their own individual team,” said Brady.

Like pickleball and soccer, E1 teams have managed to become a collector’s item for sports-interested celebrities. In addition to the star athletes, the series counts movie star Will Smith, pop star Marc Anthony, and DJ Steve Aoki as owners. Similar to SailGP and Formula E, E1 has sought to bring the cool factor—crystallized by Formula One—of high-tech machines racing one another in picturesque locations while folding in a sustainability mission.

“Venice would never have allowed this race with combustion engines,” Brady noted. “[E1] brings the type of awareness that needs to be brought to areas of the world like Miami, where I live, where climate change is affecting us all. To be involved in a sports series that’s really forward thinking was super exciting for me.”

🎧 For more on our conversation with Tom Brady [[link removed]], watch, listen, and subscribe to Front Office Sports Today on Apple [[link removed]], Google [[link removed]], Spotify [[link removed]], and YouTube [[link removed]].

LOUD AND CLEAR Against All Odds

David Banks-USA TODAY Sports

“I was shocked.”

—Hawks general manager Landry Fields (above), on the team winning the NBA draft lottery for the first time in franchise history, despite having just a 3% chance at receiving the top pick, with nine teams having a better shot at winning. Unlike last year, when the Spurs saw a huge rush [[link removed]] in ticket sales thanks to selecting Victor Wembanyama, there is no consensus No. 1 pick this year, although many mock drafts point to fellow French prospect Alex Sarr as a potential option. Speaking to reporters after Atlanta’s surprise victory, Fields said [[link removed]], “This is an opportunity. This is great for our franchise and is a terrific moment for us.”

ONE BIG FIG Hottest Ticket in San Diego

Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

46,701

Announced attendance for Saturday’s Dodgers-Padres game, setting a Petco Park record. The downtown San Diego ballpark has been open since 2004, and it has hosted a wide range of major events, including several rounds of the World Baseball Classic, MLB postseason series, and college football bowl games. But it was a regular-season contest against the archrival Dodgers that established the new mark. There were several other contributing factors, though, including the Padres enjoying a healthy base of support as the No. 2 draw [[link removed]] in the league, the recent trade [[link removed]] by San Diego to add two-time batting champion Luis Arraez, and the first visit to Petco Park this season by Dodgers star Shohei Ohtani. The three-game weekend series also set a new stadium record with a total attendance of 133,970.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

Robert Goddin-USA TODAY Sports

Washington ⬆ The school’s men’s basketball team has signed the country’s top transfer portal player, former Utah State forward Great Osobor (above). Name, image, and likeness deals will give him the highest-known valuation in college basketball this season, at $2 million, according to ESPN [[link removed]].

Eliot Wolf ⬆ The Patriots officially promoted the now former director of scouting to executive vice president of player personnel, giving him control over the 53-man roster—a huge shift for the franchise that had been run by Bill Belichick since 2000. Wolf, the son of former Packers general manager Ron Wolf, will work alongside coach Jerod Mayo, who was selected by New England owner Robert Kraft in a unique story of succession [[link removed]] in the NFL.

Mercedes ⬇ The luxury car brand’s Formula One team has lost two key staffers to Ferrari ahead of Lewis Hamilton’s move [[link removed]] to the rival squad in 2025. Jérôme d’Ambrosio, the head of Mercedes’s young driver program, and performance director Loïc Serra will join Ferrari on Oct. 1.

ESPN ⬇ NFL officiating analyst John Parry is leaving the network to join an unidentified team as an adviser to the coaching staff on rules matters and replay decisions, he told referee-focused outlet Football Zebras [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Last Week to Nominate!

Rising 25 is back and it’s time to nominate an up-and-coming young professional changing the game in the business of sports.

The Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]] celebrates the careers of the brightest young stars in the business of sports. To date, we’ve honored 175 individuals and we’re looking for our next group of young stars.

There is less than one week left to nominate—nominations are open through Friday, May 17. Winners will be announced in June.

Nominate [[link removed]] today.

Conversation Starters In February, a false report alleged that Marquette star Tyler Kolek was suspended for failing his exams and being unable to read. He graduated this past weekend and had a fitting post [[link removed]] on social media. For Mother’s Day, the Red Sox swapped out the names on players’ lockers with their mothers’ names. Look here [[link removed]]. A new way to watch football: The UFL is now employing a drone cam on the field during live plays. Watch here [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Rich Running Fan Pays Boston Marathon Winner After Organizers Still Haven’t [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The Boston Athletic Association still owes the winner $100,000. Pistons Are Latest Terrible Team to Get Weak Draft Reward [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Detroit will pick fifth for the third year in a row. Bronny James Reportedly Staying in Draft After Medical Clearance [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]James immediately becomes the draft’s most polarizing prospect. 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]], Owen Poindexter [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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