August 30, 2024

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The White Sox are in the middle of a nosedive that’s not just ugly on the field—it’s bad for business. Just as the team pushes for a new stadium and launches a regional sports network, attendance is tanking, and it’s on pace to break the wrong kind of records. What does it mean for the team’s future? We break it down.

Also, a note to FOS readers: We are off on Monday, but check your inboxes on Tuesday for our regularly scheduled morning newsletter.

— Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], and Colin Salao [[link removed]]

Why the White Sox Have Hit a Historic Low at the Worst Possible Time [[link removed]]

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The White Sox are poised to make an ugly form of MLB history, and it could hardly come at a worse time for the franchise in the midst of several major business initiatives.

The club, 31–104 entering Friday’s game against the Mets, is on pace to lose 125 games this season, a figure that would surpass the league’s modern-era record of 120 set by the 1962 Mets. The White Sox have lost seven straight games, 11 of their last 12, and 37 of their last 41. During July and early August, the team also dropped 21 consecutive games to tie an American League record.

But beyond just performing on the field at a historically poor level, the White Sox are now fighting uphill to build support across multiple parts of their business operations. Among the team’s current projects:

A new ballpark: The White Sox announced in January plans to pursue a new stadium [[link removed]] closer to downtown Chicago. Part of that initiative was to draw into a local tax, and do so in collaboration with the Bears [[link removed]], also seeking a new facility. But just as the NFL team has run into significant political obstacles [[link removed]] in recent weeks, there is little public momentum currently behind the White Sox’ ballpark efforts. A new regional sports network: Less than five months after unveiling its facility aspirations, White Sox owner Jerry Reinsdorf confirmed plans to separate from NBC Sports Chicago and form the Chicago Sports Network [[link removed]], or CHSN for short. The new regional sports network will air the White Sox starting next year, but begin this fall with the NBA’s Bulls, also owned by Reinsdorf, and the NHL’s Blackhawks. Development on CHSN has quietly continued this summer. But beyond the baseball team’s epic struggles, the Bulls have not won a playoff series since 2015 and have been in the postseason just once in the last seven years, and the Blackhawks have an active non-playoff streak going into its fifth season. Ticket sales: Home attendance at Guaranteed Rate Field (above) for the White Sox is down by more than 18% this season, and despite operating in the No. 3 U.S. media market, the team’s per-game average of slightly more than 17,000 is the fourth worst in the league. That beats only the Rays, Marlins, and A’s—all clubs that have perennially struggled in this area. On Wednesday afternoon, the White Sox completed a game suspended by weather the previous evening. The actual turnout for those final innings [[link removed]] numbered only in the dozens, recalling the sparse atmosphere at many MLB games during parts of the COVID-19 pandemic.

On SeatGeek, MLB’s official ticket resale marketplace, seats for Friday’s White Sox game are available for as little as $7, with seats for some home games in September selling for $1 each. Of the White Sox’ final 27 games on the schedule, only nine are against teams currently with losing records.

EVENT

Front Office Sports’ inaugural Tuned In sports media summit will come to life Sept. 10 as a one-day event in New York City. Led in part by senior media reporter Mike McCarthy, this event will feature intimate discussions with leaders from ESPN, NBC, YouTube, Roku, and more.

Register now [[link removed]].

Expanded CFP Offers More Teams Hope. Will It Boost Viewership, Too? [[link removed]]

The Knoxville News-Sentinel

College football heads into its first full slate of Saturday games with more programs and fan bases than ever before believing they are a part of the national championship conversation.

This is all thanks to the expanded College Football Playoff [[link removed]] that is tripling from four teams to 12. ESPN, which signed a $7.8 billion deal [[link removed]] this year to keep CFP rights through 2032, and TNT Sports, which will be sublicensing some playoff games, are no doubt hoping for juicy postseason matchups come December. But almost every college football broadcaster, including other top dogs like CBS, Fox, and NBC, should end up benefiting along the way, too.

“My perspective is that the CFP will create additional continuity and storylines throughout the season, and that will generate increased viewership,” Lee Berke, a sports media consultant who works with dozens of clients across the NCAA and professional leagues, tells Front Office Sports. “College football up until now has focused on rivalries and undefeated seasons. Expanding the playoff will bring more teams into playoff contention, and when that happens, more fans will watch.”

Can Fox Sports Sustain Success?

Last season, Fox’s Big Noon Saturday matchup was the most-watched TV window in college football [[link removed]], boosted by the season-high 19 million viewers [[link removed]] who watched Michigan beat Ohio State in late November. Here were the top three weekly windows in 2023:

Fox Big Noon Saturday: 6.74 million viewers SEC on CBS: 6.73 million viewers ABC Saturday prime time: 4.11 million viewers

This fall, ABC and ESPN are taking over the top SEC matchup of the week from CBS, which will air more Big Ten games in the second season of that conference’s seven-year, $7 billion deals with CBS, Fox, and NBC. ESPN still has ACC rights, and shares rights to the new 16-team Big 12 with Fox.

Nationwide Buzz

The expectation for more fan interest during the regular season is shared by many of college football’s most influential voices. “I think it makes every Saturday even more exciting,” first-year CFP executive director Richard Clark told the Phoenix Business Journal [[link removed]] this week.

Power 4 conference champions receive automatic bids and first-round playoff byes, which could turn previously inconsequential games into must-see TV. “What you’re going to have is a lot more elimination-type games,” On3 college football insider Andy Staples said on the Pardon My Take podcast [[link removed]]. “Like the Big 12, any game that affects who gets into the Big 12 championship game is a playoff elimination game. And that could be four games a week in November.”

ESPN already saw its most-watched Week 0 matchup in five years, with five million viewers tuning in to Georgia Tech’s upset of No. 10 Florida State in Ireland. On Saturday, ABC gets three matchups between ranked teams: No. 14 Clemson vs. No. 1 Georgia, No. 7 Notre Dame vs. No. 20 Texas A&M, and No. 23 USC vs. No. 13 LSU.

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Join us Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. ET for Future of Sports: Ticketing [[link removed]], supported by 3D Digital Venue.

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NIL WATCH Athlete’s Alcohol Alternative

Brett Patzke-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports keeps you updated on the latest NIL (name, image, and likeness) deals shaping college sports. Here’s who is cashing in now:

Athlete: Quinn Ewers Sport: Football School: Texas Brand: Athletic Brewing Co.

The deal: A college athlete and a beer company may not be the most responsible NIL partnership, but the Texas quarterback (above) is making it work with a nonalcoholic beer brand. Ewers, who is sixth on On3’s NIL 100 [[link removed]] with a valuation of $1.7 million, signed a deal with Athletic Brewing Co. [[link removed]] earlier this week, and put out his first social post [[link removed]] for the brand Thursday. In August, Ewers had two other high-profile brand partnerships with Dr Pepper and Hulu.

WEEKEND PRIZE POOL Can Scottie Scheffler Cash In?

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

Front Office Sports tees up every weekend sporting slate with a ledger of the purses and prize pools at stake. Here’s what’s up for grabs this weekend:

PGA Tour: Tour Championship, Atlanta

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $82.95 million (out of the $100 million FedExCup Playoffs bonus) First place: $25 million (individual)

LPGA: FM Championship, Boston

When: Thursday to Sunday Purse: $3.8 million First place: $570,000 (individual)

NASCAR Cup Series: Cook Out Southern 500, Darlington, S.C.

When: Sunday Purse: $8.6 million First place: Individual payouts are no longer disclosed STATUS REPORT Three Up, One Down

Sergio Estrada-USA TODAY Sports

49ers ⬆ The defending NFC champions resolved their contract dispute with star receiver Brandon Aiyuk (above) after the two sides agreed to a four-year, $120 million deal. The 2023 second-team All-Pro now has one of the five biggest contracts [[link removed]] for a wide receiver in the NFL, according to Spotrac. However, the 49ers, who have the second-best odds to win the Super Bowl [[link removed]], have yet to reach a deal with star offensive tackle Trent Williams.

US Open ⬇ While the tennis tournament has already set attendance records, a couple of high-profile second-round exits could put viewership numbers at risk. On Thursday, Naomi Osaka fell to 2023 French Open finalist Karolína Muchová, then World No. 3 Carlos Alcaraz, who won the last two Grand Slams, lost in straight sets to 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp.

Atlanta ⬆ The NCAA has announced that the city will host the NCAA men’s basketball Final Four in 2031. Atlanta was set to host the tournament in 2020, when March Madness was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The final rounds of the tournament will be held at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, home of the NFL’s Falcons and Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United.

Fox Sports ⬆ The network will be streaming the first five minutes of game broadcasts from its Big Noon Saturday matchups and new Friday prime-time package for free on its social channels this season. Dubbed “Opening Drive,” streams of the start of UNC-Minnesota game Thursday night had more than 20,000 viewers on X [[link removed]] and more than 14,000 on YouTube [[link removed]].

FRONT OFFICE SPORTS AWARDS

Now’s Your Chance–Deadline Extended

The deadline has been extended to recognize the Best College Athletic Departments [[link removed]].

College athletic departments support athletes across a multitude of sports and through a variety of verticals. From education services to training facilities, athletic departments uniquely impact college athletes.

Powered by Sports Innovation Lab, the Best College Athletic Departments Award uses data-driven methodology to identify which programs are leading in the space.

Don’t miss your opportunity to recognize your school. Nominate your athletic department [[link removed]] by Sept. 4 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Conversation Starters The Jayhawks’ home stadium is undergoing renovations, so the team kicked off its season at Sporting KC’s Children’s Mercy Park [[link removed]]. The team will play its Big 12 home games at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the NFL’s Chiefs. Reggie Bush was in a Nissan commercial as a member of the “Heisman House.” Take a look [[link removed]]. UCF released renderings of its new Roth Tower, a four-story building with 28 luxury suites and 34 outdoor sky suites, coming in fall 2026. Check it out [[link removed]?]. Editors’ Picks The Huge Money Behind College Football’s Wild Realignment [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]A financial look at all 15 schools changing conferences. NHL’s National TV Broadcast Schedule Centers Star-Stacked Teams [[link removed]]by Meredith Turits [[link removed]]McDavid’s dominance gives the Oilers 17 nationally televised games. NFL Preseason Ratings Jump, Adding Fuel to 18-Game Season Argument [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Despite Olympics competition and poor weather, preseason ratings are up. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by Eric Fisher [[link removed]], David Rumsey [[link removed]], Colin Salao [[link removed]] Edited by Matthew Tabeek [[link removed]], Catherine Chen [[link removed]]

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