July 16, 2024

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MLB’s next half-billion-dollar player and its rookie phenom are in focus at the All-Star Game. … NFL Network’s hit morning show is returning, but questions remain about the channel’s future. … One Steelers player doesn’t love that his team is appearing on Hard Knocks this season. … We look back on a minor, yet consequential, sports rebrand. … And Front Office Sports Today explores baseball’s future.

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

The $500 Million Juan Soto Question Lingers at MLB’s All-Star Game [[link removed]]

Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports

ARLINGTON, Texas — Two years ago, the saga of Juan Soto dominated MLB’s All-Star Game as he ultimately was days away from being traded from Washington to San Diego after rejecting [[link removed]] a then record $440 million contract offer from the Nationals.

Now, Soto is a Yankee and again an All-Star. His situation is currently sharing the spotlight with the frenzy [[link removed]] around Pirates rookie phenom Paul Skenes, who will be the starting pitcher for the National League. But the saga of Soto and his long-term contract status is once more poised to render huge impacts across the entire sport.

The 25-year-old Soto will be a free agent at the end of the season, and expectations are that he will sign a contract of at least $500 million, a pact that would trail only Shohei Ohtani’s historic $700 million deal [[link removed]] with the Dodgers. If Soto can get to at least $504 million, he would surpass Chiefs superstar Patrick Mahomes for the second-largest player deal in all of U.S. team sports.

“I’m just trying to enjoy the moment,” Soto said Monday. “I’m trying to leave the free agency to [agent] Scott [Boras], focus on my game, and not think about where [the deal is] going to be.”

Boras, the powerful and high-profile agent who represents Soto, has called his client a “centurion,” arguing that Soto is not just one of MLB’s elite players but also a generational-level talent who can materially add to franchise values.

The likely price tag on Soto excludes a large swath of MLB’s lower-revenue teams, but three candidates immediately stand out: the Yankees, Mets, and Dodgers. Soto has raved about his experience with his current club since arriving in New York, and said again Monday that Yankees fans were the “most impressive” he’s played for. Mets owner Steve Cohen, worth nearly $20 billion, is MLB’s richest team owner, and given his prior penchant for record-setting payroll spending, is the most well-equipped to dig deep for Soto.

But when asked Monday which player he would most like to play with who he hasn’t yet, his immediate answer spoke volumes: Ohtani. Furthermore, he said the final outcome of the Yankees’ season won’t necessarily have a bearing on his free-agency decision, despite his current happiness in pinstripes.

“I don’t know if that’s going to affect anything with my decision,” he said. “When it’s time to make a decision, we’ll sit down and look around. But right now, I hope to win another championship.”

Skenes Narrows His Focus

Skenes and girlfriend Olivia Dunne, a star LSU gymnast with a social media following of more than 13 million, are rapidly becoming baseball’s version of the Travis Kelce–Taylor Swift romance. MLB is happily leaning [[link removed]] into that notion, posting a picture Monday of their arrival in Texas for the All-Star Game.

But once here, Skenes quickly showed a more back-to-basics approach for the high-profile event, seeking to filter out as many distractions as possible to focus on baseball.

“I’m just looking forward to spending some time with some of the veteran guys here,” Skenes said. “I want to pick their brains and see what they have to share.”

The prime-time showcase Tuesday for Skenes, however, will likely be limited as the pitcher is currently slated to appear for only one inning. If the American League is retired in order during the first inning, viewers could be deprived of a matchup between Skenes and Yankees superstar Aaron Judge, hitting cleanup.

‘Good Morning Football’ Is Relaunching, but NFL Media’s Future Is Cloudy [[link removed]]

Roku

Fans of Good Morning Football wondering about the future of the popular NFL Network show finally have some answers.

NFL Media announced its flagship morning TV program will end its four-month hiatus [[link removed]], which began at the end of March, on July 29. GMFB has been off the air most of this spring and summer due to a move out of its production studio in New York City and into its new home at NFL Media headquarters in Los Angeles.

Good Morning, Again

The odd timing of the hiatus—a month before the NFL draft—was accompanied by a lack of concrete information about the show’s four hosts. Jamie Erdahl was the only one to confirm a move to Los Angeles and her full-time participation in the 2.0 version of GMFB.

Now, the big news is that Jason McCourty is out. Peter Schrager and Kyle Brandt will stay on the show daily but still host remotely from New York occasionally, indicating they are not permanently relocating out West. Akbar Gbajabiamila and Sherree Burruss​ are joining the show. Gbajabiamila is a former NFL defensive end and previously worked as an analyst on NFL Network, where Burruss​ is currently a reporter.

Additionally, the main version of GMFB is shrinking from three to two hours, and it will now air from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. ET. However, a second two-hour version of the franchise is launching called GMFB: Overtime. It will stream for free on The Roku Channel from 10 a.m. ET to noon, and will also be syndicated to local TV stations across the country.

Season of Change

The reconfiguration of GMFB comes at a pivotal time for NFL Media, which owns and operates league assets such as the NFL Network, its website, podcasts, and social media accounts.

Other shows like the long-running NFL Total Access and Around the NFL have been canceled this year, and job cuts have hit both on-air talent [[link removed]] at NFL Network and off-air employees [[link removed]] within NFL Media.

Meanwhile, the league is still believed to be exploring selling control of NFL Media. Disney has been widely reported as a suitor [[link removed]], with a potential deal seeing ESPN take ownership of the NFL’s media division, and the league acquiring a minority ownership stake in ESPN itself.

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FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY MLB Draft and ASG Point Toward New Future for League

Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

MLB prospects generally spend years in the minor leagues after being drafted before coming to the big leagues, if they ever make it. Paul Skenes (above) is bucking that trend in a big way—not just making the Show months after being drafted but starting the following All-Star Game. Front Office Sports newsletter writer Eric Fisher joins the show to break down what Skenes’s rapid rise means and how the MLB draft shows that teams are looking to repeat his success.

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

LOUD AND CLEAR Not for Me

Philip G. Pavely-USA TODAY Sports

“I hated it.”

—Steelers defensive tackle Cam Heyward (above), on his reaction to finding out that the AFC North was chosen to appear on the in-season version of Hard Knocks this fall. “I don’t want to be on this,” the six-time Pro Bowler said with a laugh on his podcast [[link removed]], Not Just Football. Heyward expressed concern that some elements of the locker room may be taken out of context. “That’s the only thing I really worry about,” he added.

As part of the NFL’s continued efforts [[link removed]] to take over more parts of the sports calendar, the in-season Hard Knocks will follow an entire division for the first time. Its traditional training camp series will feature the Bears next month. On Tuesday night, the third episode of a new offseason edition documenting the Giants will air.

TIME CAPSULE July 16, 1971: A New-Look Team

Manny Rubio-USA TODAY Sports

On this day 53 years ago: The NBA’s San Francisco Warriors renamed themselves the Golden State Warriors, as the team sought a broader geographic identity that never really took hold in competitive reality, even as it ultimately became one of the top sports brands in the world.

After nine years in San Francisco, the team had fallen flat with local fans. Despite four playoff berths between 1967 and ’71, the team held [[link removed]] the lowest ticket revenue in the league and was bouncing around several local arenas for home games. Pressure was rising on Warriors owner Franklin Mieuli to respond in bold fashion to help reverse the malaise, and he began negotiating with San Diego to split its home games with that city. A new logo featured an outline of the state of California, further emphasizing the broader remit for the team. The Warriors, however, played only six games in San Diego, and the dual-home concept never truly took hold as Mieuli ultimately struck a new lease agreement for the Oakland Arena.

Today, the Warriors are a dominant entity across the global sports industry, boasting four titles since 2015, one of the world’s most advanced arenas with the Chase Center, and a valuation [[link removed]] of $7.7 billion that is by far the highest in the NBA and trails only the NFL’s Cowboys [[link removed]] among U.S. pro teams.

Playing again in San Francisco at the new venue after many years in Oakland, former team president Rick Welts in 2018 dismissed the idea of abandoning the Golden State moniker. He told the San Francisco Chronicle [[link removed]] then that “every fan in the world knows that name. … So this is a real no-brainer for us. The name does mean something. We want to keep that tradition going.”

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Conversation Starters The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics have unveiled more venues, like Riviera Country Club for golf and Long Beach for sailing. See where [[link removed]] else the Games are headed. In more Olympics news, Nike rolled out a new billboard ad featuring A’ja Wilson and Team USA. Take a look [[link removed]]. Travis Bazzana is the first Australian to be selected No. 1 in the MLB draft. Check out [[link removed]] his unique journey to the majors. Editors’ Picks Colombian Soccer Federation President Arrested in Copa Madness [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The 71-year-old on the FIFA Council was arrested alongside his son. The Home Run Derby Has Become a Big Business Opportunity [[link removed]]by Eric Fisher [[link removed]]New format, narrowing gap with All-Star Game ratings highlight the event’s importance. NBC Poised to Grab NBA All-Star Game Rights [[link removed]]by Michael McCarthy [[link removed]]The deal would be a major coup for the network. Question of the Day

Are you planning on watching the MLB All-Star Game on Tuesday night?

YES [[link removed]] NO [[link removed]]

Monday’s result: 35% of respondents believe the PGA Tour and PIF will agree to a new deal by the end of the year.

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