September 18, 2024

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Adrian Wojnarowski is one of the world’s best-known sports reporters. Why did the NBA insider abruptly leave ESPN for a college athletics job—and a substantial pay cut? We explain his unique bond with St. Bonaventure and what he’ll do at his alma mater.

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

Why Is Woj Leaving ESPN for a GM Role at St. Bonaventure? [[link removed]]

St. Bonaventure

The news started as one final Woj bomb, but for Adrian Wojnarowski, the move to leave ESPN is all about going home.

The venerated NBA news-breaker is leaving the sports media giant [[link removed]] halfway through an estimated five-year, $35 million contract to become the GM of the men’s basketball program at St. Bonaventure, his alma mater.

To the uninitiated, this might seem like a deeply odd move, especially to Wojnarowski’s stunned colleagues back at ESPN [[link removed]]. Why leave millions on the table to work at one of the smallest schools in Division I athletics, located in a remote part of western New York, and one still figuring out how to compete in a fundamentally changed and more financially driven world of college sports?

But Wojnarowski has been deeply entrenched with the school, and particularly its basketball program, in the three-plus decades since graduating. He’s been a major benefactor to St. Bonaventure, was the school’s commencement speaker in 2022, is a regular sounding board for men’s basketball coach Mark Schmidt, and most recently, has played a leading role in forming and building the Bonnies’ NIL (name, image, and likeness) collective, Team Unfurl.

The Bonnies also enjoy one of the most committed alumni groups of any school in the country. Full disclosure: I, too, am part of that alumni base, and am very familiar with that fervor. I overlapped for one year at St. Bonaventure with Wojnarowski. My wife and I worked at the school newspaper with Wojnarowski and his wife, Amy, and my daughter is currently a senior there.

Now, the 55-year-old Wojnarowski is jumping at the chance to take that alumni passion to an entirely different level.

“After all these years of reporting on everyone’s teams, I’m heading back to my own,” Wojnarowski tweeted [[link removed]] Wednesday.

Changing Landscape

The new position for Wojnarowski, meanwhile, also leans heavily in to a rapidly evolving GM role for college sports programs—a spot that did not broadly exist until just a few years ago. Historic shifts in NIL and media rights, realignment, and the transfer portal, however, have prompted a fast-growing number of schools to create such a position. At St. Bonaventure, Wojnarowski’s duties will include not only managing NIL opportunities, collectives, and the transfer portal, but also fundraising, aiding in recruiting, and helping oversee the program’s relationships with the broader basketball community.

“Woj is the perfect person to fill this new role, combining his intimate knowledge of St. Bonaventure and our Franciscan values with a deep network of relationships he has built across the worlds of professional and intercollegiate basketball,” said Bob Beretta, St. Bonaventure athletic director. Beretta, also an alumnus, started in the role in June. “The fact that the preeminent journalist in his field is willing to walk away from a lucrative media career to serve his alma mater in a support role is a testament to his love and passion for Bona’s.”

—Eric Fisher

TUNED IN

If you’d like to read more on Wojnarowski’s ESPN exit, reactions at ESPN, and how the network might fill the void left by his absence, subscribe to Michael McCarthy’s “Tuned In” newsletter [[link removed])].

Is Rogers the Most Powerful Sports Ownership Group on Earth? [[link removed]]

John E. Sokolowski-Imagn Images

Rogers Communications is making a serious claim as the most powerful team ownership entity in all of sports.

The Toronto-based media and telecommunications giant, already the owner of MLB’s Blue Jays, has reached an agreement to up its stake in Maple Leaf Sports & Entertainment from 37.5% to a controlling stake of 75%. The $3.46 billion agreement involves Rogers buying a 37.5% stake owned by Bell, another Canadian telecom power, and it values the entire MLSE portfolio at about $9.2 billion.

More than a simple equity transaction, though, the deal sees Rogers tighten its grip across Canadian pro sports. Once the deal closes, expected to be in mid-2025, the company will have the following assets under its control:

MLB’s Blue Jays NHL’s Maple Leafs NBA’s Raptors Toronto FC of MLS Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League SportsNet, a major Canadian sports network Toronto’s Rogers Centre and Scotiabank Arena Naming rights to sports venues in Edmonton, Toronto, and Vancouver National NHL media rights in Canada Local media rights to the NHL’s Canucks, Flames, and Oilers Partial local media rights to the Maple Leafs and Raptors Several minor-league franchises and esports teams

“MLSE continues to appreciate significantly, and together with our sports and media assets, we plan to surface more value for our shareholders long-term,” said Tony Staffieri, Rogers president and CEO. “This agreement also ensures long-term Canadian ownership and investment of these iconic teams.”

Larry Tanenbaum, MLSE chair and recently reelected as the chair of the NBA Board of Governors, remains a minority owner of the company, and he also owns the WNBA expansion franchise in Toronto [[link removed]]. As part of the deal, Bell will also retain partial access “at fair market value” to Maple Leafs and Raptors games for its sports broadcaster TSN.

Other Groups

There are several other notable multi-team owners across the industry, including Stan Kroenke, owner of the NFL’s Rams, NBA’s Nuggets, NHL’s Avalanche, and the Rapids of MLS, among other assets. Fenway Sports Group has MLB’s Red Sox, the NHL’s Penguins, and Liverpool FC of the Premier League in its portfolio. City Football Group Ltd. is a major operator in soccer around the world, led by its flagship team, Manchester City, four-time defending champions of the Premier League.

But none of those entities have as singular a presence as Rogers now holds in Canada.

“Live sports and entertainment are a critical part of our core business strategy,” Staffieri said.

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The WNBA Wants to Add a 16th Team, but Where? Here’s What We Know [[link removed]]

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The WNBA announced its third expansion team in the last 12 months—but it wants one more.

On Wednesday, the WNBA revealed that its 15th franchise [[link removed]] will debut in Portland in 2026 together with a Toronto-based team, following the Golden State Valkyries, which join the league next season.

In April, commissioner Cathy Engelbert declared she is “pretty confident” the league will expand from its current crop of 12 teams to 16 teams by 2028. So with one slot available, the question remains: Where will that team play?

Potential Choices

Engelbert has laid out Philadelphia, Nashville, Denver, and South Florida as possible options for another expansion franchise.

Last year, Engelbert toured Denver [[link removed]] to see whether the city would be fit for a team, though that has yet to materialize.

The revival of past franchises could also be explored—and one that fans have been clamoring for is the Houston Comets [[link removed]], the inaugural champions. Considering Engelbert mentioned South Florida as a potential location, the revival of the Miami Sol, which existed for only three years, may also be in the cards.

Boston had expansion market buzz [[link removed]] following a sold-out game in TD Garden between the Connecticut Sun and Los Angeles Sparks last month, though they were not mentioned by Engelbert.

Geographically, because the WNBA already has several teams on the West Coast, and in the Midwest and Northeast, it would make sense for the league to target Florida, Texas, Colorado, or the Mid-South region.

Changing History

If the league fulfills Engelbert’s 16-team goal, it would tie the most number of franchises the league has ever had. The WNBA, which launched with eight teams in 1997, had 16 teams from 2000 to 2002.

Financial constraints caused several teams to fold or relocate [[link removed]], with the league hovering between 13 and 14 teams from 2003 to 2009 before settling into 12 teams in 2010. The league would not want to repeat history.

But it does feel different this time around—even though The Washington Post reported earlier this year that the league is still losing tens of millions every year [[link removed]].

In July, the WNBA, alongside the NBA, signed a media-rights deal worth $2.2 billion over 11 years. The WNBA will also receive an influx of funds from its expansion team fees [[link removed]], and this historic season has driven up ticket sales [[link removed]] by over double digits across all franchises.

Colorado Star Travis Hunter Signs NIL Deal With NerdWallet

The Coloradoan

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: Travis Hunter Sport: Football School: Colorado Brand: NerdWallet

The deal: Colorado’s dual-threat star is the first NCAA football player to sign up for personal finance company NerdWallet’s Smartest NIL Deal Ever, which requires athletes to commit to a smart money action. As part of the deal, Hunter will put 20% of the money he earns from it into a savings account. Hunter, a projected top-10 pick in the 2025 NFL draft, is third among all athletes on On3’s NIL 100 list [[link removed]] with a valuation of $3.1 million.

NerdWallet has signed deals with two other athletes in the past—NCAA women’s basketball star JuJu Watkins and 2024 NBA draft pick Rob Dillingham.

STATUS REPORT Two Up, One Down, One Push

Mike De Sisti-Imagn Images

Michael Jordan ⬆⬇ There is finally a buyer for the NBA legend’s Chicago-area mansion. According to TMZ, Jordan’s 56,000-square-foot property in Highland Park, Ill., which was first listed in 2012 for $29 million, is finalizing a sale [[link removed]] to an unknown buyer for $14.8 million.

AEW ⬆ The wrestling promotion cofounded by Jaguars owner Shad Khan and his son, Tony, is close to signing a media-rights deal with Warner Bros. Discovery [[link removed]], according to Puck News. It is reportedly expected to be a four-year deal at around $170 million annually.

FC Dallas ⬆ The Frisco City Council approved a $182 million renovation of the MLS club’s Toyota Stadium. The renovation, beginning in 2025, will include a roof upgrade to shade most of the seating, three new premium clubs, and 59% more food and beverage areas. The Hunt family, which owns the soccer club and the NFL’s Chiefs, is pledging $65 million to the project that is expected to be completed by the first quarter of 2028.

Bally Sports ⬇ The regional sports network operator, owned by Diamond Sports Group, grappled with yet another set of streaming outages Tuesday night across several of its markets. Among those most affected was Detroit, where the Tigers are making a dramatic, late run for the final American League playoff spot. The streaming difficulties, recalling similar issues last fall [[link removed]], arrived as DSG is nearing a deal [[link removed]] to have many of its games distributed through Amazon.

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For LPGA golfer Andrea Lee [[link removed]], maintaining focus and composure during intense training means finding time throughout the day to recharge away from the greens. Whether she’s indulging in shopping or enjoying lunch with friends, it’s these daily moments of joy that fuel her drive to dominate the competition.

Watch Breaking Barriers: Unlimited Possibilities [[link removed]] to learn more about Andrea’s story as she realizes her dreams, competing in the highest-stakes tournaments on the LPGA Tour.

Conversation Starters Ahead of Saturday’s game against Ohio State, Marshall head coach Charles Huff jokingly pitched an all-you-can-eat NIL (name, image, and likeness) deal [[link removed]] at Tudor’s Biscuit World to recruit Buckeyes players. ESPN head of content Burke Magnus was asked who he viewed as a rising sports media star at the Front Office Sports Tuned In summit. Find out his answer [[link removed]]. The Lightning have frozen the names [[link removed]] of more than 6,000 season-ticket members and suite holders into their logo at center ice. Editors’ Picks Political NIL Deals Open Another Window for College Athlete Paydays [[link removed]]by Amanda Christovich [[link removed]]Two University of Montana athletes have signed NIL deals endorsing political candidates. Brooklyn Nets Sued Over ‘Netaverse’ Trademark Infringement [[link removed]]by Alex Schiffer [[link removed]]Software company Phinge alleges it told the Nets repeatedly to stop using “Netaverse.” FanDuel Parent Buys Italian Gambling Company in Bid for International Growth [[link removed]]by Margaret Fleming [[link removed]]Flutter is making big moves in Italy and Brazil. Advertise [[link removed]] Awards [[link removed]] Learning [[link removed]] Video [[link removed]] Podcast [[link removed]] Written by 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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