May 16, 2024

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The NFL’s new deal with Netflix and its expanding approach to game scheduling could open the door to other new media partners. … A big-time sports investor looks across the pond for its latest business opportunity, with potentially big impacts back here in the U.S. … Amazon gets its turn tonight to take part in the fan fever around WNBA rookie star Caitlin Clark. … That new NFL schedule shows some big differences in the travel burdens for teams. … Plus: More on Venu Sports, the US Open in tennis, Sony, and the Arena Football League.

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

NFL’s Christmas Shake-Up: Netflix and Amazon Will Take It Over in ’25 [[link removed]]

Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Netflix winning [[link removed]] the rights to two Christmas Day NFL games this season marks the addition of yet another new media partner for the league, which just began fresh rights deals worth a combined $110 billion last year. The streamer will pay $150 million for the two holiday broadcasts, per The Wall Street Journal [[link removed]], and also acquired the rights to one Christmas Day game in 2025 and ’26.

Next year, Christmas falls on a Thursday. Netflix will air a game in the afternoon before Amazon gets a prime-time showcase as part of its Thursday Night Football package, Hans Schroeder, the league’s executive vice president of media distribution, confirmed on a call with reporters.

This is the new-age NFL, where anything goes, if the price is right. Schroeder said the league’s plans these days is to “keep some of our inventory to deploy strategically,” which has been buoyed by greater flexibility in this new set of media-rights deals. “In the old deals, almost every game started as part of one of the two packages on Sunday afternoon and then we had to pull them out,” he said. “With [these] new deals, there’s still a commitment we have to Fox and CBS that their packages feel like an NFC package and AFC package, but we have much greater flexibility with how we schedule games.”

So, by all indications, the NFL is open for business moving forward, even if that means longtime media partners get fewer and fewer game broadcasts. “They know we’re going to continue to work and make sure we deliver great schedules to them and have a great partnership with each of them, but also add our partners where we think it makes sense,” Schroeder said.

New Normal: Quick Turnarounds

Another wrinkle of the 2024 NFL schedule will be more teams playing multiple games on short rest, thanks to relaxed restrictions that went into effect last year. This fall, 13 teams will play [[link removed]] two games with only three days of rest (i.e., game on Sunday, off the next three days, and then play again on Thursday), whether that be a combination of TNF games, Thanksgiving Day matchups, and Christmas Day games.

“At the end of the day, it makes the national television schedule stronger,” said Mike North, the NFL’s vice president of broadcast planning. That has resulted in what North called Amazon Prime Video’s strongest TNF schedule yet.

“If you think about partners like NBC and ESPN, the strength of their package is the really top-tier teams multiple times in a year,” said North, noting Amazon didn’t have that luxury the previous two seasons. “I’m not sure we’re gonna be consistently at five or six teams twice each on Amazon; that might be a bridge too far, year after year.”

Is There a Sneakerhead Culture for Soccer Jerseys? PE Firm Thinks So [[link removed]]

Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

One of the foremost investment firms in sports sees a big opportunity to build a new sneakerhead-type fan culture around soccer jerseys, and it is putting some serious money behind the notion.

The Chernin Group—which has invested in entities such as Barstool Sports, the Premier Lacrosse League, the Action Network, Collectors, and Dapper Labs—has put $38.5 million into Classic Football Shirts, a U.K.-based seller of vintage jerseys. Founded in 2006, Classic Football Shirts has steadily built a global business specializing in match-worn, hard-to-find, and other coveted jerseys.

Expanding the company’s U.S. business, currently accounting for just 15% of sales, is a particular focus of the investment. The Chernin Group sees several macro-level trends and upcoming events fundamentally aiding that effort, including the forthcoming 2026 World Cup [[link removed]] and 2028 Olympics that will be held in North America, the ongoing growth of MLS [[link removed]] and the NWSL [[link removed]], FIFA’s developing moves [[link removed]] to start allowing European pro leagues to play official matches outside of their own home territories, and the ongoing boom [[link removed]] in sports collectibles.

“We fell in love with football culture, the fandom around the game, and the connective tissue between teams and fans,” TCG partner Greg Bettinelli told Front Office Sports. “We also believe we’re about to see an unleashing of interest in North America in the sport through all these events that are happening.”

Bettinelli previously invested in GOAT, a high-end marketplace for sneakers and apparel. Classic Football Shirts operates primarily online and has a sizable social media presence [[link removed]]. But it also has physical locations in London and Manchester, U.K., opened a pop-up shop this week in New York, and is now planning permanent U.S. stores both there and in Los Angeles.

SPONSORED BY DICK’S SPORTING GOODS

Journey to the Starting Line

For this year’s 128th running of the Boston Marathon, the cutoff time was 5 minutes, 29 seconds faster than the qualifying standards [[link removed]], 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 [[link removed]] teamed up with Front Office Sports and the Boston Athletic Association to identify and chronicle three deserving athletes to receive race bibs: John Neusch, Carly Curcuru, and CJ Reuland. These Boston locals, all of whom have qualified but 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]].

Amazon’s Thursday Night Fever: Banking on Caitlin Clark’s Impact [[link removed]]

David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Caitlin Clark makes her home debut for the Indiana Fever on Thursday night in a matchup against the New York Liberty that will also tip off Amazon’s 21-game slate of exclusive WNBA broadcasts this season. No team will be featured on Prime Video more times than the Fever over the next seven weeks, as Indiana’s three appearances on Amazon in May and June are tied for a league high, along with the Liberty and Chicago Sky.

Amazon, which signed a multiyear media-rights extension with the WNBA ahead of the season, will be hoping for audiences like the Fever drew Tuesday night, when 2.12 million people [[link removed]] tuned in to Clark’s professional debut on ESPN2. That was ​​the league’s most-viewed game in 23 years, and the most-watched WNBA game on ESPN platforms ever, including the playoffs.

Specific viewership figures for WNBA games on Prime Video last season were not released, but the league and streamer did say that the 2023 Commissioner’s Cup final on Amazon doubled the audience from the ’22 championship game broadcast on the platform. Despite the lack of reported numbers, Amazon was still able to bring on AT&T as a sponsor of its WNBA streams this year.

Follow the Leader

Amazon’s early-season strategy of relying on hype around Clark is a league-wide trend. The Fever’s first four games are being nationally televised or streamed, with Scripps Sports’ over-the-air channel Ion and ABC getting the next cracks at Indiana broadcasts this weekend.

Meanwhile, the Atlanta Dream just became the third team to use a home game against the Fever as a chance to sell even more tickets. Two Indiana-Atlanta games scheduled at 3,500-seat Gateway Center Arena at College Park will now be played June 21 and Aug. 26 at State Farm Arena, the home of the NBA’s Hawks, which holds nearly 17,000 fans for basketball. Previously, the Las Vegas Aces and Washington Mystics announced home games against the Fever would move to venues with larger capacities in their markets.

AWARD

Established in 2017, the Front Office Sports Rising 25 Award [[link removed]] celebrates the brightest young stars in the business of sports.

Know someone whose innate passion and tireless dedication is making an impact? Recognize them by nominating them for the award.

🏆 Nominations close tomorrow at 11:59 p.m. ET!

ONE BIG FIG Go Long, Chargers

The Courier-Journal

597,408

Total amount of miles all 32 NFL teams will travel during the 2024 season, according to data compiled by bookies.com [[link removed]].

During the regular season, all 32 teams will play at least eight road games. Some teams face international travel, including games in Germany, Brazil, and England. The Chargers will log the most miles, covering 26,803 miles and crossing 36 time zones, while the Commanders will travel the least at 10,550 miles.

The top five: In terms of miles traveled, the Chargers (26,803), Dolphins (25,869), Seahawks (25,797), Patriots (25,071), and 49ers (24,575) will log the most miles.

The bottom five: The Commanders (10,550), Bengals (10,611), Colts (11,497), Steelers (12,047), and Falcons (12,416) will spend the least amount of time on the road.

The longest domestic trip will be the Dolphins traveling to the Seahawks, covering 5,439 miles. Conversely, the shortest domestic trip will be the Commanders visiting the Ravens, just 28.68 miles away. While the NFL’s annual divisional rotations of the schedule and selection of international games play meaningful roles in these figures, so does geography. Teams from western cities such as Seattle and Los Angeles typically have greater travel burdens than those in more tightly clustered divisions such as the AFC North.

STATUS REPORT One Up, Two Down, One Push

Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Venu Sports ⬇ ESPN, Warner Bros. Discovery, and Fox announced the formal name of the much-discussed streaming service [[link removed]] previously and unofficially known as “Spulu,” or “Hulu for sports.” The official moniker carries its own confusion, though, as it’s to be pronounced like “venue,” but is spelled like it could be said as “vee-noo,” or “vah-noo.” The service remains on track to debut in the fall, but it is still facing a series of legal and regulatory hurdles [[link removed]].

US Open ⬆ The men’s final of the tennis Grand Slam will get broadcast network exposure this September. Disney announced that ABC will air that match for the first time since ESPN platforms took over exclusive tournament rights in 2014.

Sony ⬇ The company is being sued for an alleged trademark infringement in the baseball video game MLB The Show. The issue [[link removed]] centers on Sony’s use of the Future Star Series Program.

AFL ⬆⬇ Former NFL coach Jeff Fisher (above) has been named [[link removed]] interim commissioner of the Arena Football League, which has been beset by reported financial issues, including players not being paid, lack of broadcast exposure, and teams folding. The struggling league will look to Fisher, who spent 22 years leading the Titans and Rams franchises, to help turn things around.

SPONSORED BY DURACELL

Buy and Play for a Chance to Win Big

[[link removed]]

Duracell [[link removed]] challenges you to a game of skill where players have the chance to compete to win a weekend experience at the races and other prizes, including a framed autographed Williams Racing jersey and Williams Racing apparel. Here’s how to participate:

Purchase Duracell batteries between April 15 and Sept. 27, and star/check the item(s) and the date on your receipt. Snap a clear photo of the entire receipt with your phone. Unlock gameplay for the Duracell Racing Game to compete for prizes.

Click here [[link removed]] to accept the challenge today.

Conversation Starters Gatorade installed a 150-foot banner on the side of the Hyatt Regency in downtown Indianapolis ahead of Caitlin Clark’s home debut with the Fever. Take a look [[link removed]]. Patrick Mahomes is set to launch Throne Sport Coffee, a brand of ready-to-drink iced coffee featuring natural caffeine and electrolytes that costs [[link removed]] $14.99 per four-pack. Will Ferrell is set to star in Golf, his first scripted comedy series. The 10-episode Netflix series [[link removed]] will revolve around a fictional golf legend. Editors’ Picks Cuts and Layoffs Coming at Under Armour As Sales Keep Dropping [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Under Armour just reinstalled founder Kevin Plank as CEO. Lawsuit: Blackhawks Lured Indigenous Consultant With False Promise of Changing Logo [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The consultant claims the team failed to keep promises, including changing its logo. NFL’s Schedule Points to Network Strategies: Chiefs Lead, Texans Rise [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]The two-time defending champions are a fixture across many of the league’s tentpole events. 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]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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