June 10, 2024

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It was a huge attendance weekend for a wide range of emerging sports, leagues, and events—across continents. … The outcome of the NBA media-rights negotiations is still unknown, but TNT Sports is continuing to reshape its rights portfolio. … Scottie Scheffler has already broken the single-season prize money record on the PGA Tour following a $4 million win at The Memorial Tournament on Sunday. … Plus: More on Mike Tomlin, the Capitals, the Lions, and NASCAR team charters.

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

Cricket, NWSL Among Emerging Sports to Set Attendance Marks [[link removed]]

ICC

A series of emerging sports, pro leagues, and events posted historic levels of attendance over the weekend, showing the rapidly expanding nature of the business both domestically and abroad.

The June 7–9 weekend featured a broad mix of robust figures at the gate, reflecting fans’ willingness to go far beyond established powers such as the NFL and NBA when given the opportunity. Among the key markers:

The NWSL set a single-game record [[link removed]] with a crowd of 35,038 on Saturday at Wrigley Field for a game between the Red Stars and Bay FC. That event was also part of a total weekend mark [[link removed]] of 110,845, the first time that the league has surpassed 100,000 in attendance in a single weekend. A sellout crowd of 20,333 filled [[link removed]] Capital One Arena in Washington, D.C., for a Fever-Mystics game Friday, representing the biggest WNBA turnout for a game since 2007. The league also said Monday that it recorded its best opening-month attendance in 26 years, drawing about 400,000 during May. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup registered a turnout of 34,028 on Sunday in New York for the high-profile match [[link removed]] between India and Pakistan, setting a new record for cricket in the U.S. MLB drew a total of 108,956 for its two-game London Series [[link removed]] between the Mets and Phillies, slightly below the comparable figure for a set of Cubs-Cardinals games in London last year, but still showing a strong energy given the league is trying to develop a foothold in the U.K., where baseball is not broadly ingrained in the local culture.

“I’d do it every year if we could,” said Phillies manager Rob Thomson. “The people of England and this area have done a great job, treated us with class, and it’s been a great experience.”

Breaking New Ground

Many of these figures advance upon already-emerging, macro-level trends, such as the accelerating rise of women’s pro sports and the growing internationalization of many leagues based in the U.S. and Europe. The cricket figure, however, is arguably the most noteworthy.

The sport already enjoys a massive following in other parts of the world, particularly Asia, helping fuel several internet consumption records in recent years for important matches. But it’s a much less established sport in the U.S., and the India-Pakistan match was played in a temporary stadium built for the tournament and against a backdrop of heightened security due to potential threats from a pro-ISIS group.

The match completed without any public safety incident, but it still generated recriminations [[link removed]] from fans back in Pakistan after the country lost to its top rival, following an upset defeat [[link removed]] last week to the host U.S. team.

“It’s amazing. The atmosphere is great,” said Yankees special adviser Omar Minaya to The New York Times [[link removed]] of the cricket tournament. “It’s like the World Baseball Classic, or the Dominican Baseball League.”

What Would TNT Sports Look Like Without NBA? Here’s What We Know [[link removed]]

Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

As the NBA inches toward the conclusion of its media-rights negotiations, the future of TNT Sports very much remains in limbo. However, even though not much has been confirmed about the financial plans in store for the sports division of Warner Bros. Discovery, some new reports are shedding light on what TNT Sports—which encompasses sports on the cable channels TNT, TBS, and truTV, and the streaming service Max—may look like without the NBA.

New Sports Incoming

Front Office Sports can confirm the multiple reports that TNT Sports has struck a deal to take over French Open broadcast rights in the U.S., which have been held by NBC Sports and the Tennis Channel, beginning next year. The TNT deal is said to be for 10 years and worth $650 million in total, sources told The Athletic [[link removed]]. It would complement WBD’s tennis offerings across the pond, as the company also owns Eurosport, which has French Open rights in more than 50 countries.

But tennis would be another new sport for TNT Sports in the U.S., following the addition of some rights to the expanded College Football Playoff via a sublicensing deal with ESPN [[link removed]]. In December, and in 2025, TNT Sports will air two first-round CFP games; in ’26, it will also show two CFP quarterfinal games. Financial terms of the CFP deal have not been released, but ESPN was said to have put a $25 million average value on the first-round games, and the network could be keeping all ad revenue from the playoff games on TNT Sports, according to Puck [[link removed]].

TNT Sports declined to comment on either the French Open or CFP reports when asked by FOS.

Portfolio Planning

WBD still has roughly $43 billion in debt [[link removed].] stemming from its 2022 merger that CEO David Zaslav has to manage [[link removed]], and plenty of other expensive sports rights. Beyond the NBA, which has cost WBD some $1.2 billion per season under its current deal, TNT Sports also has billions of dollars annually tied to the NHL, MLB, and March Madness. WBD’s HBO also still produces several annual iterations of the NFL’s Hard Knocks series, among other sports content.

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ONE BIG FIG Reaching New Heights

Adam Cairns-USA TODAY Sports

$24,024,553

Prize money Scottie Scheffler has won this year, already breaking [[link removed]] the single-season record he set in 2023 of $21,014,342. The golfer took home $4 million for his victory at The Memorial Tournament on Sunday—his fifth win in ’24. Scheffler is the betting favorite to win the U.S. Open, and sits atop the PGA Tour’s FedExCup standings, which will award a $25 million bonus to this year’s champion.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, Two Down

USA TODAY

Mike Tomlin ⬆ The Steelers coach (above) has received a contract extension through the 2027 season. Tomlin was believed to be making $12.5 million [[link removed]] under his previous deal—likely a top-five salary in the NFL.

CapFriendly ⬆ The website that tracks NHL salary cap information is being purchased by the Capitals, according to SportsNet [[link removed]]. Several NHL teams have contracts with CapFriendly that will be terminated after the deal becomes official in July.

Lions ⬇ The NFL team didn’t hold its scheduled OTA on Monday as a result of violating practice rules pertaining to on-field physical contact May 27.

NASCAR charters ⬇ As the closure of Stewart-Haas Racing reveals some intriguing financial information [[link removed]] about the sport, it appears NASCAR’s version of franchises may be losing some value. Front Row Motorsports acquired one of SHR’s four team charters last month, and Sports Business Journal reports [[link removed]] the purchase price was between $20 million and $25 million. That’s down from the $40 million Spire Motorsports paid for a Live Fast Motorsports charter last fall.

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Conversation Starters Longtime football coach Wade Phillips, who has 55 years of experience across the NFL, XFL, college, and high school, has led the San Antonio Brahmas to the inaugural UFL Championship, which will be his first title game [[link removed]] as a head coach. The Savannah Bananas sold out Fenway Park as part of their world tour. Check out the scene [[link removed]]. Real Madrid’s $100 million headquarters includes 12 fields, a weight room, basketball courts, a climate-controlled pool, and 57 luxury suites for players, including a new one for Kylian Mbappé. Look here [[link removed]]. Editors’ Picks Dan Hurley Spurns Lakers for UConn in Stunner [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The UConn coach went to Los Angeles late last week to hear the team out. Listen Carefully to Adam Silver on NBA Mexico City Expansion [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Mexico City may be more of an expansion factor for the NBA than previously thought. Real Madrid Flees From Boss’s Claim It Won’t Play in FIFA’s Troubled Club World Cup [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Carlo Ancelotti originally said his team won’t play in the U.S. tournament next summer. 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]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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