July 24, 2024

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There are several possible scenarios in the ongoing NBA media-rights saga, all centered on how TNT Sports’ matching rights with the league are defined. … There’s another major sports facility development in Chicago being proposed, but this time involving one of the city’s key existing venues. … Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt joins Front Office Sports Today to break down the NFL’s push for an 18th regular-season game. … And we look back on one of the strangest days in MLB history.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]] and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Everything You Need to Know: Where NBA, WBD Stand in Rights Decision [[link removed]]

Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

What exactly constitutes a match in the NBA media-rights drama? How that word is ultimately defined will create massive effects across the sports industry for years to come.

As expected, TNT Sports and parent company Warner Bros. Discovery on Monday exercised [[link removed]] their matching rights and submitted paperwork to the league targeting an 11-year deal with Amazon worth an estimated $1.8 billion per year. The NBA responded that it has “received WBD’s proposal and are in the process of reviewing it.”

But that’s only the beginning of this latest and most dramatic chapter in the months-long saga. TNT Sports’ matching rights—while never fully detailed publicly by either the network or league—almost certainly contain not only economic considerations but also other elements surrounding the rights relationship, such as game distribution across various platforms and the monetary flow within the rights term.

“Matching rights are always some of the most heavily negotiated parts of a rights deal, and there’s always a real push-pull surrounding the development of those terms,” Irwin Kishner, co-chair of the sports law group at Herrick, Feinstein LLP, tells Front Office Sports.

Choose Your Own Adventure

With the ball now back in the NBA’s court, the media-rights situation carries a series of potential outcomes.

The NBA accepts WBD’s proposal. That’s clearly the hope of TNT Sports, which said Monday that it “looks forward to the NBA executing our new contract.” Doing so, however, certainly raises the potential for a further response from Amazon, which has yet to comment on the latest developments. A settlement is reached. In this scenario, a deal is struck that does not involve the full scope of what TNT Sports proposed in its matching offer, but it has some other assets. A settlement could potentially take a variety of forms, whether it involves just money or the creation of a smaller, fourth package of rights, and would allow the league and WBD to avoid messier scenarios such as a lawsuit. A carveout of rights would be particularly face-saving for both sides, but it is still rather unlikely. Such a move would generate protests from Disney, NBC Sports [[link removed]], and Amazon that bid on the premise of three national packages, as well as potentially from Knicks owner James Dolan, already upset [[link removed]] about the agreements’ impact on regional sports networks. The NBA denies WBD’s proposal. Here, the league would likely be asserting that WBD did not actually present a match of Amazon’s deal, for possibly a variety of reasons. This is the most combative scenario and could ultimately lead to litigation. A case here would likely involve WBD claiming breach of contract, and the NBA potentially countering that it made a judgment that the company would not be able to meet future contract terms. But a further question is whether any other mechanism is contained in TNT Sports’ matching rights, such as mediation or arbitration, to resolve a dispute and precede a lawsuit.

Most of these scenarios, however, are premised on WBD pushing to stay in business with a league partner clearly looking to take its games elsewhere.

“I don’t think it’s going to settle quickly. There’s a lot more to come with this,” Kishner says.

Bulls and Blackhawks Owners’ $7 Billion Plan to Transform Chicago [[link removed]]

Caylor Arnold-USA TODAY Sports

While the Bears’ future in downtown Chicago remains uncertain [[link removed]], their counterparts in the NBA and NHL are making a proposal to enhance the surrounding area of their home just a few miles west.

The Reinsdorf and Wirtz families, owners of the Bulls and Blackhawks, respectively, and co-owners of the United Center (above), have announced a 10-year, $7 billion plan to develop a district around the arena that would include an elevated green space, affordable housing units, and a 6,000-seat entertainment venue.

The proposal, named The Project 1901 [[link removed]], still needs approval from the Chicago Plan Commission and the city council. But the project is backed by private investments, a stark difference from the the Bears’ new stadium plan ask of about $900 million in public funding or the pitch [[link removed]] of the White Sox—also owned by Reinsdorf—to construct a stadium close to the heart of downtown that is seeking $1 billion in public funds.

“There has been no request for financial assistance,” Chicago Department of Planning and Development commissioner Ciere Boatright said [[link removed]].

‘A Sea of Asphalt’

The 30-year-old United Center stands in the Near West Side neighborhood of Chicago. It’s not viewed as a destination area in the city, and there are few commercial establishments around, in part due to the parking areas by the venue, many of which Reinsdorf has purchased [[link removed]] over the last two years likely in preparation for this proposal.

The Project 1901, which would be the largest private investment in the West Side, is looking to upend those parking spaces as part of its development plan.

“It’s a sea of asphalt,” Boatright said [[link removed]] about the parking lots. “When you take the economic development perspective, I think it’s an exciting opportunity. I’m looking forward to seeing their formal application when it comes through.”

The neighborhood is also a chore to reach via public transportation—and the portion of the proposal that may require some form of government investment would be an extension of the CTA train line in the area.

The proposal also highlights the stark divide between the United Center and the Cubs’ iconic Wrigley Field, nestled in the North Side neighborhood of Lakeview. The Cubs built a community area called Gallagher Way adjacent to the park to hold events and other social activities, and commercial establishments are within arm’s reach of the field. The closest train stop is also just a block away.

“I am excited for the investment on the West Side, which is often overlooked for this level of private investment. It’s our time,” said Alderman Walter Burnett of the 27th Ward.

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The Impact of Olympic Sponsorships

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The Olympic Games deliver some of the world’s most thrilling sports moments. For brands and advertisers, the Olympics provide the perfect confluence of mass global audience and fan fervor, creating the ultimate opportunity [[link removed]] to connect with consumers. The popularity of different Olympic sports shifts based on country and age, creating a chance for brands to create authentic connections.

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Check out Nielsen’s data [[link removed]] behind the fans, brands, and athletes at the 2024 Paris Games.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY NFL Games Out 18-Game Season

Palm Beach Post

The NFL is looking to add an 18th game to its regular season, providing an opening for the NFLPA to gain something in return. Former Packers executive Andrew Brandt joins the show to discuss the players’ negotiating power in those talks, as well as the tenuous position of Haason Reddick and others holding out for better contracts. Plus, we take a look at the Olympics’ newest sport.

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

TIME CAPSULE July 24, 1983: A Sticky Situation

Tony Tomsic-USA TODAY NETWORK

On this day 41 years ago: Royals star George Brett (above) hit a go-ahead, ninth-inning home run against the Yankees in what became famously known as the “Pine Tar Game.” Following the dramatic blast off New York reliever Rich “Goose” Gossage, Yankees manager Billy Martin contended Brett used an illegal amount of pine tar on his bat. Following an umpire’s measurement of the bat, Martin’s argument proved initially convincing and Brett was called out, ending the game and prompting the future Hall of Famer to erupt [[link removed]] from the Royals’ dugout.

That set off an unprecedented chain of events quickly reaching both the league office and rule book. The Royals protested the game, and four days later, American League president Lee MacPhail upheld the protest, ordering the remainder of the game to be played. The Royals-Yankees game resumed Aug. 18, requiring only 12 minutes to complete and drawing only about 1,200 spectators compared to the original attendance of 33,944. Brett did not participate in the conclusion, having been retroactively ejected for his tirade. MLB’s rules committee that offseason, in part at MacPhail’s behest, then adjusted [[link removed]] its pine tar rules, allowing umpires to remove improper bats from games but not call players out or eject them.

For Brett, the Pine Tar Game became arguably his signature moment in a highly decorated career that otherwise included three batting titles, a Most Valuable Player award, 13 All-Star Game berths, a World Series title, and the status as one of the game’s best third basemen ever. The phrase “Pine Tar Game” also has entered a broad sports lexicon similar to the NBA’s “Flu Game” or the NFL’s “The Catch.” The event was also an unexpected finale to a heated rivalry between the Yankees and Royals that included four meetings in the League Championship Series in the previous seven years.

The unique nature of the saga, however, has since become the subject of many retellings, including multiple documentaries and Filip Bondy’s 2015 book, The Pine Tar Game.

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Conversation Starters Olympic surfers are staying at the first-ever floating Olympic Village, a 230-passenger ship called Aranui 5. Check it out [[link removed]]. Oregon decided to bring a giant inflatable duck to Indianapolis for the school’s first media days with the Big Ten. Take a look [[link removed]]. The Flames have broken ground on Scotia Place, an $880 million arena slated to open in 2027. Check out [[link removed]] the renderings. Editors’ Picks Dancers Among Several Labor Groups Threatening to Strike During Paris Olympics [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Garbage collectors, police officers, and airport workers have called for better pay. WNBA Smashes Ratings Record With Competitive All-Star Game [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]The game was the league’s highest rated in more than 20 years. DraftKings Sells VSiN Back to Musburgers Amid Gambling’s Original Content Retreat [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]DraftKings bought VSiN in 2021 for $70 million. Question of the Day

Do you think the NFL should expand the regular-season schedule from 17 to 18 games?

Yes [[link removed]] No [[link removed]]

Tuesday’s result: 42% of respondents said they’re more interested in watching F1 races now that Max Verstappen isn’t winning them all.

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]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]]

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