August 2, 2024

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USA’s 3×3 basketball teams are missing out on talent. … The UFC could face a new trial after its settlement was rejected. … Super Bowl ad prices are plateauing. … Front Office Sports Today talked to the cofounder of The Gist about the rise in women’s sports coverage. … And NBCUniversal’s massive Olympics viewership numbers may be overblown.

— Colin Salao [[link removed]], A.J. Perez [[link removed]], and Eric Fisher [[link removed]]

USA’s 3×3 Hoops Struggles Highlight Talent Gap, Recruitment Issues [[link removed]]

Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Since the Olympics first allowed professional basketball players to participate in 1992, the U.S. has lost a total of five 5-on-5 games—four for the men, and one for the women.

But in 2020, the Olympics introduced the new basketball format 3×3, in which the U.S. is nowhere near as good. In Paris, the U.S. men’s and women’s 3×3 basketball teams have already combined for seven losses in eight games.

It’s important to note 3×3 is not the same as 5-on-5 basketball. It is a half-court, 3-on-3 game where the usual two-point shot is worth one point and a three-pointer is worth two. The game flows at a much faster pace than full-court basketball, as it runs for only 10 minutes—or until one team scores 21 points—and the shot clock is 12 seconds.

What’s the Issue?

In the brief history of 3×3, the U.S. has actually fared well. The women won gold at the Tokyo Olympics and the FIBA Women’s Basketball World Cup in 2023. The men failed to qualify for Tokyo, but they entered Paris as the second-ranked nation behind Serbia.

But both rosters have nowhere near the talent as their 5-on-5 counterparts.

There are two multiple-time WNBA All-Stars on the women’s team—Dearica Hamby and Rhyne Howard—and the women lack some continuity after an ACL tear to L.A. Sparks forward Cameron Brink forced them to call up Hamby.

But the team’s other two players include college player Hailey Van Lith (above) and Cierra Burdick, a five-year WNBA veteran who hasn’t played in the league since 2021.

The men have just one player with NBA experience, Jimmer Fredette, who is 35 and hasn’t played in the NBA since 2019, while no one else on the roster—Canyon Barry, Kareem Maddox, and Dylan Travis—was close to making an NBA roster.

Recruitment Challenges

Recruiting for 3×3 isn’t as simple as in 5-on-5. Several requirements [[link removed]] make it harder to convince professional players who would risk their health for a payout that isn’t close to what they receive in the pros. But there are a pair of leagues—Unrivaled and Big3—that are embracing 3×3, albeit with modified formats, that could boost USA Basketball.

Unrivaled [[link removed]] is a women’s basketball league launching in January founded by Breanna Stewart and Napheesa Collier, two of USA Basketball’s 5-on-5 stars. The league is expected to field many of the WNBA’s best, including Kahleah Copper and Kelsey Plum, who are also on the 5-on-5 roster.

Big3 does not feature current NBA stars, but it rosters former NBA players similar to Fredette. Considering he is still the top-ranked [[link removed]] player in the world in 3×3, ex-NBA players should be the target market for the men’s team.

Sources tell Front Office Sports there have been no discussions between USA Basketball and Unrivaled. As for Big3, sources tell FOS that USA Basketball does not consider the league in its recruitment process.

It’s wishful thinking to think the games of the two leagues would be sanctioned by FIBA, but the growth of these leagues, the talent pool, and the focus on a similar 3×3 format should at least be an option that USA Basketball can utilize.

With the way USA’s 3×3 teams have looked so far in Paris, changes certainly need to be made.

Judge Rejects $335M UFC Fighter Pay Settlement, Citing Payout Concerns [[link removed]]

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

A UFC fighter-pay antitrust case that stretches back nearly a decade took another detour Tuesday when U.S. District Court Judge Richard Boulware denied a preliminary $335 million settlement agreement.

The precise reasons behind Boulware’s rejection of the settlement was not laid out in the notice posted on the court docket, although he expressed concerns over the payout amounts to fighters at a July hearing [[link removed]]. Boulware is expected to file an order that will detail his issues with the settlement ahead of an Aug. 19 hearing in a Las Vegas federal courtroom.

“It is extremely rare to not grant a preliminary settlement approval when both sides came to an agreement after years of litigation with the assistance of an experienced mediator,” said Jeffrey Kessler, who was one of the lead lawyers for the plaintiffs in the House v. NCAA settlement [[link removed]] and has followed the UFC fighter pay litigation. “It’s very unusual.”

Now, there’s a new trial date (Oct. 28), although the two sides will continue talks toward a new settlement—at least once Boulware identifies the defects in the one brokered [[link removed]] in March.

The UFC litigation consists of two class-action lawsuits, both arguing that the UFC used monopolistic practices as the dominant pro mixed martial arts league to suppress fighter wages. Former UFC competitor Jon Fitch said if fighters didn’t act like “a good company boy” and complained about compensation, there would be consequences.

“They would punish you,” Fitch, one of the plaintiffs, said in a deposition [[link removed]]. “They would give you the feeling that if you questioned them or didn’t just say ‘yes,’ that you would get put on the bench and not get to fight. You would get cut after one loss.”

The lawsuit filed in 2014, with former UFC fighter Cung Le (above, center) as one of the lead plaintiffs, includes about 1,200 [[link removed]] athletes who competed in the UFC from December 2010 through June 2017. Under the settlement, those in the class will get at least $8,000 with a median payout of about $73,000. Nearly 500 members of this class would have received $100,000 or more. Kajan Johnson, another retired UFC competitor, is among the lead plaintiffs in the other class-action case originally filed in 2021 and covers fighters from July 2017 onward. The settlement included cash payouts and commitment to maintain provisions that had relaxed certain contract terms that limit class members from competing for other organizations.

Had Boulware approved the preliminary settlement, there would have been an opt-out period that typically runs 45 days in federal antitrust cases.

Perils of a Trial

Only the Le case is scheduled for trial, but that’s the most perilous of the two for the UFC.

Endeavor purchased the UFC in 2018 and merged [[link removed]] the UFC with WWE to create TKO Group Holdings. Unless there’s a settlement in the coming months, Endeavor faces the prospect of a jury verdict that could exceed $1 billion in damages.

The plaintiffs—along with their lawyers, who get a sizable cut via legal fees—could, conversely, be left with nothing if a jury sides with the UFC at trial.

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Team Cisco Takes on Paris

Cisco is proud to support Team Cisco athletes Nelly Korda (USA), Hannah Green (Australia), and Viktor Hovland (Norway) as they pursue their dreams both on and off the course. This week, we cheer them on as they take on the world in Paris!

Cisco is reimagining how fans, athletes, teams, and organizations experience sporting events. Learn more [[link removed]] about Cisco’s impact across the sports and entertainment industry.

Why Super Bowl Ad Prices Aren’t Going Up Despite Record NFL Ratings [[link removed]]

James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

On the surface, there’s a rather strong case for the cost of Super Bowl advertising spots to rise this year. The NFL last year enjoyed a banner season with ratings increases across the board, culminating [[link removed]] in a record audience of 123.4 million for Super Bowl LVIII.

Amid those viewership boosts, the NFL further established itself as by far the most dominant entity in all of U.S. television, claiming [[link removed]] 93 of the top 100 audiences in 2023, regardless of genre.

But as the selling season intensifies for the upcoming Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans, pricing for the title game is remaining steady at about $7 million per 30-second unit, according to multiple reports. That figure is in line with each of the last two Super Bowls, and only slightly higher than the 2022 game, and marks the longest run of stable ad pricing in the nearly six decades of the Super Bowl.

Stagnant State

So what explains the apparent disconnect? Several contributing factors are at play.

A broader industry malaise: Even with the NFL’s might, there’s no question that the traditional linear television business is in a state of decline on a macro level. The recent advertising up-front market reflected [[link removed]] that, with a 2.5% overall market decline [[link removed]] this year projected to be followed by a 4.5% drop in 2025. Those decreases are happening as additional marketing dollars are going to streaming instead. Social media: The nature of Super Bowl advertising has changed in recent years, with online reveals [[link removed]] before the game fundamentally altering when and how those spots are unveiled. In addition to the early distribution, social media has also helped raise consumer expectations surrounding the quality and tenor of Super Bowl ads. As a result, the new paradigm for Super Bowl advertising increasingly requires an extended and multifaceted approach, in turn narrowing the field somewhat for potential buyers. Additional buying requirements: Fox will be airing Super Bowl LIX, and not unlike other recent Super Bowl broadcasters, the network is believed to be requiring buyers for the title game to make a similar, or greater, commitment to other network content such as additional NFL games. Production costs: Total Super Bowl advertising costs can easily extend well into eight figures once production costs are also added to the acquisition of airtime. That expense, however, is still growing, again in part due to rising fan expectations that in some cases mirror what surrounds a Hollywood blockbuster movie. The hefty outlays, in turn, have led to the growing suggestion of a potential ceiling for the Super Bowl ad units.

“There’s a value ceiling for the most expensive unit cost we’re ever going to pay—there’s only so much higher it could reasonably go,” said an unnamed ad buyer quoted by AdAge [[link removed]].

Super Bowl LIX is scheduled for Feb. 9 at the Caesars Superdome.

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS TODAY Bueckers’s Groundbreaking NIL Deal

FOS illustration

UConn star Paige Bueckers has signed a unique name, image, and likeness deal with 3-on-3 women’s basketball league Unrivaled to become the first NCAA athlete to own equity in a sports league. Front Office Sports reporter Margaret Fleming explains the significance of this moment, and why Bueckers is poised for a starlit career on and off the court.

Plus, The Gist cofounder Ellen Hyslop joins the show to discuss a growing wave in women’s sports coverage and how some media outlets are already ahead of the curve.

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

OLYMPICS UPDATE Misleading Ratings

Jack Gruber-USA TODAY Sports

NBCUniversal has been declaring major wins for its Olympics ratings, but its numbers require some interpretation. The network has reported [[link removed]] high-double-digit growth in its prime-time viewership over the first week of the Olympics in Paris versus Tokyo, but according to [[link removed]] Sports Media Watch [[link removed]], the comparisons are not exactly apples to apples. NBCU’s report includes prime-time coverage that considers a prime-time window in the afternoon (2–5 p.m. ET), which is the actual prime-time window in Paris, and in the evening (8–11 p.m. ET), the U.S. window.

While these numbers are likely inflated in comparison to past years, the overall viewership should still be seen as a positive sign for the network, which saw worrisome viewership numbers in Tokyo affected by a challenging time zone and the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Conversation Starters Katie Ledecky is the most decorated [[link removed]] U.S. woman in Olympic history, with eight gold medals, 21 world championships, 16 world records, a Presidential Medal of Freedom, and a New York Times bestselling book. Speaking of decorated, Simone Biles is the most accomplished [[link removed]] gymnast in history, boasting six Olympic gold medals, 23 world championships, her own Netflix documentary, and endorsement deals with Athleta, Visa, and GK Elite. Flavor Flav recently helped U.S. Olympian discus thrower Veronica Fraley pay her rent before her first event in Paris. Check out [[link removed]] their exchange on social media. Editors’ Picks Mel Tucker Suing Michigan State for Wrongful Termination [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]The school skirted around an $80 million buyout for terminating with cause. College Athletes at the Paris Olympics: Which Conferences Should Claim Their Success? [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Conference realignment and nontraditional leagues are making medal counts tricky. Will Browns Stay in Downtown Cleveland? Mayor Turns to City for Stadium Help [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Bibb had been negotiating with the Haslams privately before Thursday. Question of the Day

Did you watch the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game on Thursday?

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

Thursday’s result: Only 31% of respondents think there should be permanent sites for the Summer and Winter Olympics.

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