July 31, 2024

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U.S. lawmakers strike back at the IOC as the doping debate surrounding the Olympics escalates. … Speaking of the Olympics, there’s an ad sales record as NBCUniversal hits another milestone. … Even with conference-level turbulence, Georgia Tech athletics sets a fundraising record. … Front Office Sports Today explores the Olympics Gold Zone. … And NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman sees bigger implications from the league’s recent growth.

— Margaret Fleming [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Congress Threatens WADA Funding Over Olympic ‘Blackmail’ [[link removed]]

Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Last week, the International Olympic Committee made a stunning request that the state of Utah agreed to at the last minute: Respect the “supreme authority” [[link removed]] of the World Anti-Doping Agency—or Salt Lake City could lose the Games.

On Tuesday, U.S. lawmakers struck back.

A bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the “Restoring Confidence in the World Anti-Doping Agency Act,” which would allow the U.S. to withhold its roughly $3.7 million annual payments to WADA—the largest of any one country—until reforms are made.

After reports emerged this spring that WADA permitted dozens of Chinese swimmers to compete despite positive drug tests [[link removed]], Olympic gold medal swimmers Michael Phelps and Allison Schmitt testified [[link removed]] before Congress last month about what Phelps said were “deeply rooted, systemic problems.”

The New York Times also reported Tuesday that another two athletes [[link removed]] tested positive in 2022 but were allowed to continue swimming. Many of the Chinese athletes who tested positive are medal contenders at the Paris Olympics.

The DOJ and FBI launched an investigation into the scandal, a power given to them by the Rodchenkov Act that allows U.S. officials to criminally prosecute international doping cases, which is the likely culprit of the Utah clause. The International Olympic Committee is allowed [[link removed]] to rescind Utah’s bid if “the supreme authority of the World Anti-Doping Agency in the fight against doping is not fully respected or if the application of the World Anti-Doping Code is hindered or undermined.”

Who’s Involved?

Rep. John Moolenaar (R., Mich.), a co-sponsor of the bill, said, “This brazen attempt by the IOC and WADA to force Utah to interfere in an investigation would win the gold medal in blackmail.”

Sen. Marsha Blackburn, a Tennessee Republican, has sponsored a bill against WADA before. She introduced one with nearly an identical name [[link removed]] to the Senate in February 2022 that was more targeted at Russian instances of doping. “Our message is simple, we will not be silenced for trying to promote fair play,” she said Tuesday.

Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D., Md.) and Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi (D., Ill.) are also co-sponsoring the bill.

OLYMPICS UPDATE NBC Wins Again

John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports

$1.25 billion

NBCUniversal will surpass $1.25 billion in ad revenue [[link removed]] for the Paris Olympics, a record for the network that has held the rights to the Summer Olympics since 1988, according to Variety reporter Brian Steinberg [[link removed]]. This number is slightly higher than the $1.2 billion that was reported [[link removed]] earlier this year. In 2014, NBCU renewed its rights deal for both the Summer and Winter Games through 2032 for $7.65 billion.

NBC faced headwinds due to declining viewership in the last Summer Olympics in Tokyo, which were marred by the COVID-19 pandemic and held several major events in the middle of the night in the U.S. But the Paris Olympics have started strong [[link removed]] for NBC, as the opening weekend garnered a 79% increase in prime-time viewership, while Gold Zone [[link removed]], its whip-around product on Peacock, has received rave reviews.

Additionally, three million viewers watched the USA women’s basketball team win its first game against Japan on Monday, more than any non-gold-medal game during the Tokyo Olympics. The team is chasing its eighth straight gold medal and has won 56 games in a row in the Olympics, but faced scrutiny [[link removed]] last month after leaving Caitlin Clark off the roster.

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Georgia Tech Sets Athletics Funding Record Amid ACC Chaos [[link removed]]

Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

The future of the ACC is up in the air as Florida State and Clemson have filed lawsuits [[link removed]] against the conference, opening up the potential for them to find new homes. But amid the dysfunction, Georgia Tech has managed to bring some positivity to the conference.

The Atlanta-based school announced [[link removed]] Monday that the Alexander-Tharpe Fund, its athletics fundraising arm, brought in nearly $78.2 million in the fiscal year ending on June 30, a school record that is 43% higher than its previous record set in 2019–2020. The latest fund is 161% higher than what the school raised last year.

Tech’s announcement also stated that almost 90% of the donations were “non-seat-related gifts,” meaning they did not come with an exchange for tickets to football or basketball games. The school also said that 20 of the donations it received this year were of at least $1 million.

The record-setting donations come at an opportune time for Tech as the college environment continues to shift since the creation of the transfer portal and the changes in the name, image, and likeness rules.

“As the landscape of college athletics shifts and the financial resources needed to compete for championships at the highest level increase, we are so grateful for our donors stepping up to the plate and making a record-breaking impact on Tech athletics,” Georgia Tech director of athletics J Batt said.

The donations could be a stepping stone in revitalizing a school with four football national championships—though its last one was in 1990, while its last conference championship was in 2009.

Tech could also use the funds to develop its other athletic programs. While the Yellow Jackets have seen success in men’s basketball, baseball, softball, and golf in this century, the school’s only other national championship outside of football was won by its women’s tennis team in 2007.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Inside Scott Hanson’s ‘Gold Zone’

FOS illustration

The Olympics are experiencing a huge viewership bump, and Scott Hanson’s Gold Zone could be a big reason why. We break down NBC’s new flagship show with Front Office Sports senior reporter Michael McCarthy, who spoke with Hanson about the program’s early success.

Plus, Bella Hadid speaks up about Adidas’s ad campaign, Joel Embiid doubles down, and organizing Olympic surfing takes a village—literally. We discuss the unique format of the sport with big wave surfer Maya Gabeira.

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

LOUD AND CLEAR Follow the Leader

Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

“Our league is uniquely situated to really be the tip of the spear in helping people to rethink investing in women, for women.”

—NWSL commissioner Jessica Berman (above), talking about the potential for growth of her league in an interview with Bloomberg [[link removed]]. She highlighted how the NWSL is not tied to a men’s league in any capacity, citing how teams in the Women’s Super League in Europe carry the same name as their male counterparts. While WNBA teams don’t share monikers with NBA counterparts, five of the teams are owned [[link removed]] by the NBA governors.

In the same video, Carolyn Tisch Blodgett, minority owner of NJ/NY Gotham FC and daughter of New York Giants owner Steve Tisch, said that she, along with Berman and the rest of the league’s investors, envision a trajectory for the NWSL similar to the NFL’s. Blodgett acknowledged it’s important the NWSL has “like-minded owners and investors” who all share the same ambition to develop the nascent league into a powerhouse similar to the NFL.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Leading the Pack in College Athletics

College athletic programs across the country support our next generation of athletes. In the modern age, athletic departments are faced with several new challenges unchartered by their predecessors of the decades before.

Powered by Sports Innovation Lab, the Best College Athletic Departments Award recognizes the programs that, regardless of school size or resources, are a model to the rest of the collegiate athletic sector for how to innovate. Is your school leading the pack?

Submissions are open through Aug. 18. Submit your organization [[link removed]] today.

Conversation Starters Nike dropped a new ad featuring USWNT star Sophia Smith. Watch it here [[link removed]]. Five of the NFL quarterbacks drafted in 2020 have signed extensions—and they total more than $1 billion. Take a look [[link removed]]. Chile’s Zeng Zhiying is proof it’s never too late to be one of the world’s best athletes. She made her Olympic debut [[link removed]] in table tennis at the age of 58. Editors’ Picks Facing Legal Risks, DraftKings Shutters NFT Arm [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]DraftKings is the latest company to face a lawsuit over NFTs. Kelce Brothers Seek $100 Million for Weekly Podcast [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]‘New Heights,’ currently on hiatus, is a top-five podcast in the U.S. ‘The Hub We’ve Never Had’: Peacock Finally Figures out the Olympics [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]After faltering in Tokyo, Peacock is strutting in Paris. Question of the Day

Do you think the NIL era has positively impacted the college sports landscape?

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

Tuesday’s result: 80% of respondents predict the Seine will not be the site for Olympic swimming events.

Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Sports Careers [[link removed]] Written by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]], Eric Fisher [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Or Moyal [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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